1. Little Shop of Horrors at Olney Theatre Center
The show starts August 1st and runs through the 26th. I’m giving you advanced notice because I want to make sure that you get your tickets before they sell out! With songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, (the same team that wrote Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast) this musical is a winner!
WATCH MD Theatre Guide’s interview with the Artistic Director, Martin Platt.
Synopsis: Seymour needs all the help he can get, so when a mysterious plant shows up at his doorstep and helps him catch the eye of his secret crush, Audrey, he’ll give it anything to keep it alive.

Carolyn Agan in ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’ Photo courtesy of Olney Theatre Center.
2. Children of Eden at CCTA Teen Professional Theatre
The Columbia Center for Theatrical Art’s Teen Professional Theatre program, founded by Toby Orenstein, is one of the best performing arts schools for youth in the country.
Synopsis: Freely based on the story of Genesis, CHILDREN OF EDEN is a frank, heartfelt and often humorous examination of the age-old conflict between parents and children. Adam, Eve, Noah and the “Father” who created them deal with the headstrong, cataclysmic actions of their respective children. The show ultimately delivers a bittersweet but inspiring message: that “the hardest part of love… is letting go.”
3. My Princess Bride at Capital Fringe Festival
See something amazing and funny all at the same time!
READ Elliot Lanes’ review of the play.
Synopsis: One man’s take on a classic tale “of true love and high adventure.” Once a novel (or was it?), then abridged (was it, really?), then a well loved movie. Witness fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes and miracles.

Joe Brack in ‘My Princess Bride.’ Photo courtesy of Joe Brack.
4. Lethal Injection at Baltimore Playwrights Festival
The Vagabond Players’ does justice to Lethal Injection.
READ Morgan Halvorsen’s review of the play.
Synopsis: The politically charged murder trial rocks a small Texas town when two wealthy brothers are accused of killing the stalker of a teenaged girl. The determined District Attorney jeopardizes his career in his relentless pursuit of the truth.

Cain Lofton (Lyon Beckwith). Photo by Tom Lauer.
5. Mindset: A Surrealist Rock Opera at Capital Fringe Festival
These talented, young performers will entertain you.
READ Elliot Lanes’ review of the play.
Synopsis: A surrealist rock opera, Mindset fuses pop, rock and classical music with dance and narrative to define a new genre of theatre. Mindset follows an artist through innocence, confusion and fear on the quest for self–liberation.

The cast in the song “Booty Swing.” Photo by Shelly Han.