(L to R): Duckling Donna (Gracious Ndungu), Diva Donna (Tierra Strickland), and Disco Donna. Photo by Jeri Tidwell Photography.
The best part of juke box bios like “Summer – The Donna Summer Musical” is that most of the music is very familiar to the audience. Songs like “Love to Love You, Baby” and “On the Radio” take us back to the Disco era when we finally ended a long war and dancing and fashion were big parts of young people’s lives once again. Donna Summer is considered the Queen of Disco. She not only performed some of the most memorable hits from the era, she wrote most of her own music. She was sexy but not profane, risqué but not raunchy.
…Bennett and Minnick kept the pace sharp and the audience riveted.…an outstanding production.
The storyline with book by Colman Domingo, Robert Cary, and Des McAnuff follows Summer’s life from her teens in Boston to her early success in Germany and, finally, to her rise as disco’s leading songstress in the United States. The unusual part of the book is that Summer is broken up into three characters. Duckling Donna (Gracious Ndungu), Diva Donna (Tierra Strickland) and Disco Donna (Aniyah Serrell Lee). I’m not sure the contrivance always works, but the three actors in those roles certainly had the voices and stage presence to make us believe they were Donna Summers.
This production is in the most capable hands of directors Jessica Bennet and Mark Minnick. Bennett is also the choreographer. The production numbers with the wonderful ensemble performing were most entertaining. It seemed that they saved the best for last, maybe because two of my favorite Summer’s hits were at the end, “Hot Stuff” and “Last Dance,” the latter ending the show. The costumes by Sarah King and Rose Ryon glittered and the disco ball shined lights on the stage, the dancers, and the audience thanks to Lighting Designer Lynn Joslin. For a moment we were all back in the 1970s.
In Act I, in particular, I wanted the numbers to go on a bit longer. “MacArthur Park” and “Heaven Knows” were fine, but I hungered for more. Summer wrote the gospel songs, “I Believe in Jesus,” and “Stamp Your Feet” later in her career after she had become a born-again Christian and they were joyous.
The problem I have with many jukebox bios, though there are exceptions, is they gloss over the “bad stuff’ in the person’s life. Some of those incidents might upset her family and fans but they make for better theatre. Summer’s life was not without controversy. She cheated on her first husband, left her daughters to be raised by her mother, and had a big falling out for a few decades with the LGBTQ community over remarks she made. Whether those remarks were misquoted or taken out of context is not as important. The result was that it caused a big downturn in Donna Summer’s career because that community was a big supporter of her and her music. I would have like the script to have explored that more. However, Bennett and Minnick kept the pace sharp and the audience riveted.
Beside the three Donnas, Kyra Britt (Young Dara, Amanda) David James (Pete, Brian), Patrick Gover (Helmuth Sommer, Don), Jaylen Fontaine (Michael), TayAndra Marcia (Young Mary Ellen, Brooklyn), Otega Okurume (Andrew Gaines), Jeffrey Shankle (Neil Bogart), Zachary Spafford (Bruce Sundano), Jordan B. Stockdale (Giorgio, Detective, Gunther) and Nadja Tomazewski (Joyce Bogart) all gave great supporting performances. Of course, the whole ensemble (J.C. Bost, Terrell Chambers, Samantha Deininger, Candace Foreman, Patricia “Pep’ Targete, and Tori Weaver) gave it their all in making this an outstanding production.
What helps makes any show at Toby’s so special is the live music under the direction of Ross Scott Rawlings. This show is no exception. “Summer – The Donna Summer Musical” is a great way to spend a late summer or a fall evening or afternoon. As always, a buffet meal comes before the show.
Running Time: One hour and 45 minutes with one intermission.
“Summer – The Donna Summer Musical” runs through November 1, 2026 at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, 5900 Symphony Woods Road, Columbia, MD 21044. For more information and to purchase tickets, call Toby’s Box Office at 410-730-8311 or online only through Ticketmaster.
Note: Toby’s has moved to the Symphony Woods Office Center parking lot and garage, conveniently located next door at 5950 Symphony Woods Road. It’s just a short walk to the theater.
- A designated drop-off area will remain available at Toby’s.
- Complimentary shuttle service will be available for guests who need transportation between the parking garage and the theater.
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