Opening night, the house was packed and rocking as Footloose the Musical debuted at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. And it’s tearing up the town now through February 2, 2025. If you are a certain age, you are acquainted with Footloose, the 1984 classic movie starring Kevin Bacon. In 2011 there was a remake, but as artistic director Travis W. Walter told the audience, ‘We’re going to pretend that version doesn’t exist.’ Amen to … [Read more...]
About Sarah Hovis
Freelance wordsmith, arts appreciator, grammar geek, sports spectator, stationery snob, and world traveler, Sarah charts her own course as the owner of saliho creative. She uses her creative mind and engaging dialogue to fearlessly bring the written word to life in print and online… all while keeping a watchful eye out for the next literary adventure. You can reach her at sarah@rochestermedia.com.
REVIEW: Shake Off Your Winter Blues and Get ‘Footloose’ at Meadow Brook Theatre
January 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
REVIEW: Murder and Merry Misunderstandings are the Catch of the Day in Avon Players’ ‘Farce of Habit’
January 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment
A full house traded in the bitter and snowy Michigan cold for the sunshine and slapstick of the Ozarks in Avon Players’ Farce of Habit, running until January 25, 2025, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Farce of Habit was written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. As the title implies, this play includes many absurd situations and zany characters whose quirks propel the action and humor. Director Jeff Stillman believes the humor is based on familiar patterns of human behavior: … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Feel the Magic of the Season with ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Meadow Brook Theatre
December 6, 2024 by Leave a Comment
As the temperatures drop to bone-chilling numbers, wrap yourself up in the warmth of the season with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, now at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. through December 22, 2024. Those who have been coming to see this perennial classic will notice the absence of Thomas D. Mahard, who embodied Ebenezer Scrooge for over 35 years. But not to worry. The part is in excellent hands. Fred (Antonio Vettraino) does his … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Sisterly Bonds are Put to the Test in Avon Players’ Heartwarming ‘Crimes of the Heart’
November 9, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Family trauma brings three sisters together to face their messy past and present in the emotional Crimes of the Heart, which runs through November 23, 2024, at Avon Players Theatre in Rochester Hills, MI. After opening their season with the devilishly fun musical Sweeney Todd, Avon Players’ second production, is smaller in scale, but equally rich in material. Crimes of the Heart is a 1979 play written by Beth Henley and is the first play to win the Pulitzer Prize before being produced on … [Read more...]
REVIEW: ‘Strangers on a Train’ at Meadow Brook Theatre Takes the Audience on a Chilling Ride of Murder and Intrigue
October 13, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) kicked off its 58th season with the Michigan premiere of the thrilling psychological classic Strangers on a Train, which will run through November 3, 2024, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, MI. Originally, a novel by Patricia Highsmith (1950), then a film by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock (1951), and finally a play by Craig Warner (2013), Strangers on a Train asks, is there such a thing as the ‘perfect’ murder? Would you be tempted to … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Avon Players’ ‘Sweeney Todd’ is a Wicked Fun Mix of Murder and Merriment
September 7, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Avon Players opens their 78th season with a powerful production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street running through September 21, 2024, in Rochester Hills, MI. We all know the old proverb, ‘Revenge is a dish best-served cold.’ Well, in Sweeney Todd, it’s the house special. This musical originated in 1979, with music and lyrics by the legendary Stephen Sondheim (Company, Into the Woods) and book by Hugh Wheeler. Set in Victorian London, the opening number “The Ballad of … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Avon Players’ ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is Razor-Sharp Entertainment
May 25, 2024 by 3 Comments
As Avon Players brings another successful season to a close, it goes out on a hilarious high with the cult classic, Little Shop of Horrors running now, through June 8, 2024, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Little Shop of Horrors is a quirky blend of genres that includes comedy, sci-fi, camp, and romance all set to a lively musical score of doo-wop, rock ‘n roll, and Motown sounds. And it was evident that the full house on opening night loved every minute of the energy happening on … [Read more...]
REVIEW: ‘Route 66’ at Meadow Brook Theatre is Full-Throttle Fun
April 28, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Grab the gang and see the musical revue Route 66, running now through May 19, 2024, at Meadow Brook Theatre on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Running over 2,000 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, the iconic Route 66 has made a significant cultural impact on the historical landscape of traveling across the USA. Writer Roger Bean uses that nostalgia, with musical arrangements by Brian Baker, to treat the audience to a coast-to-coast musical … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Memory and Hope are the Emotional Crux of ‘The Laramie Project’ at Oakland University
March 30, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Do not miss your chance to see the power presentation of The Laramie Project running now until Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Varner Studio Theatre on the campus of Oakland University (OU) in Rochester, Mich. Staged by the Oakland University School of Music, Theatre and Dance and directed by OU faculty member Kelli Crump, The Laramie Project is written by Moisés Kaufman, along with members of the Tectonic Theatre Project, and chronicles the aftermath of the 1998 hate crime murder of University of … [Read more...]
REVIEW: ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ Gets Tested in the Meadow Brook Theatre Comedy, ‘Native Gardens’
March 24, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Motivational speaker Wayne Dyer is credited with saying, “The only difference between a flower and a weed is judgment,” which perfectly sums up the premise of the comedy Native Gardens, by Karen Zacarías, running now through April 14, 2024, at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. Set in a stately and affluent Washington D.C. neighborhood, young, idealistic Latinx couple Tania (Stefania Gonzalez) and Pablo (Michael De Souza) Del Valle have bought … [Read more...]
