1. The Color Purple at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia
“The entire cast exhibit powerful vocal talents with the leads offering star-caliber performances. ” -Steve Charing, MD Theatre Guide
READ Steve Charing’s review.
Synopsis: This Pulitzer prize winning story is about hope and the healing power of love. Oprah Winfrey starred in the critically acclaimed movie and produced this unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity, and discover her unique voice in the world.
The cast of ‘The Color Purple’: Melissa Victor, Kelli Blackwell, Tierra Stickland, Samantha McEwen, Crystal Freeman, and Olivia Ashley Reed. Photo by Kirstine Christiansen.
2. Invisible Man at Studio Theatre
“…‘Invisible Man’ is a remarkable achievement…spectacularly luminescent.” -Robert Michael Oliver, MD Theatre Guide
READ Robert Michael Oliver’s review.
Synopsis: A blistering adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s 1952 master work. Invisible Man follows an anonymous black man as he journeys from the Deep South to a basement in the borderlands of Harlem, from a betrayal at his ivy-covered Negro college to a nightmare job in a paint factory in New York City to the story’s violent climax at a Harlem race riot. Ellison’s hero moves through an America divided by race and class, and grapples with the paradoxes of identity that have rendered him invisible.
Teagle F. Bougere and cast in ‘Invisible Man.’ Photo by Astrid Reiken.
3. Big The Musical TYA at Adventure Theatre MTC
This show promises to be fun for the entire family!
READ Elliot Lanes’ ‘A Quick 5’ with The Kids from Big The Musical TYA.
Synopsis: Theatre for Young Audiences Version- The 1987 hit movie bursts onstage in this vibrant, funny and touching musical. When frustrated adolescent Josh Baskin wishes he were ‘big’ and wakes up the next morning as a 30-year-old man, he discovers there’s much more to being an adult than he bargained for- and learns we must all grow up at our own pace, in our own time. See this new version – complete with Zoltar and floor piano- that spotlights the touching friendship of Josh and Billy as they learn what it’s really like to be ‘big.’
(Bruce Douglas/Bruce Douglas) – Marley McKay as Young Josh and Greg Maheu as Josh in Adventure Theatre – MTC’s production of “Big, The Musical.” Photo courtesy of Adventure Theatre MTC.
4. Oliver at Children’s Playhouse of MD
The Children’s Playhouse of MD is where the stars of tomorrow are born!
Synopsis: Oliver Twist is a young boy who lives in a workhouse with other orphaned boys. When Oliver disrupts a meal by asking for more, he is sold to a local undertaker and his family. They treat Oliver horribly and make him sleep under the coffins. Oliver escapes and runs off to Paddington Green, where he quickly befriends another young boy, the Artful Dodger. Dodger takes him to his home, an academy for orphans who learn how to be pick-pockets run by a kind, yet slightly sinister, old gentleman named Fagin.
‘Oliver’ now playing at the Children’s Playhouse of MD. Photo by Karis Haslam.
5. Shape by force/collision at the Atlas Performing Arts Center
“Erik Ehn is world renown for his work with the alternative theatre movement and this premiere is a unique opportunity for DC theatre-goers.” -Robert Michael Oliver, MD Theatre Guide
READ Robert Michael Oliver’s article about the play.
Synopsis: Poetically imagist and defyingly theatrical, Shape begins in 1900 Ambrose Park, Brooklyn at the end days of “Black America”. “Black America” was a historically documented, vast spectacle of vaudeville dances, variety acts, folklore and songs with a cast of 500 African-Americans. Based loosely on the biographies of African-American vaudevillians Billy and Cordelia McClain, Shape concerns the life and labors of vaudevillian fairies exploited for their historical songs and dances, used by the dominant culture and abandoned at times of great need.
