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...]
REVIEW: Misery Loves Company in Avon Players’ Clever Comedy ‘Drinking Alone’
March 9, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Drinking Alone centers around a family reunion no one wants to attend, but you should snag a seat for this must-see production running at Avon Players in Rochester Hills, Mich., now through March 23, 2024. Written by Canadian playwright Norman Foster, Drinking Alone combines hilarity and insight into the tribulations of everyday life. Similar to the style American playwright Neil Simon is known for. The plot centers on the Todd family whose dysfunctional dynamics offer up plenty of humor and … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Get Inside the Beautiful Mind of Avon Players’ ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’
January 20, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Wellington is dead and Christopher’s ordered life becomes forever flipped upside down in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time running now through Saturday, February 3, 2024, at Avon Players Theatre in Rochester, Mich. Originally a 2003 mystery novel by British author Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is largely narrated from the first-person perspective of 15-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone (Robert Carrigan) who lives in Swindon, England. … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Say ‘Yes!’ to the Riotous ‘Father of the Bride’ at Meadow Brook Theatre
January 14, 2024 by 1 Comment
Dum-dum-de-dum. Here comes the bride… and her very frazzled father! Holy matrimony turns into a cavalcade of chaos in Father of the Bride running now through February 4, 2024, at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University (OU) in Rochester Hills, Mich. Before audiences saw Spencer Tracy and Steve Martin lose their minds in their respective film versions, Father of the Bride began as a 1949 novel by Edward Streeter. Since then, it has been brought to life on stage and … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Believe in the Timeless Magic of Avon Players’ ‘Miracle on 34th Street’
November 26, 2023 by Leave a Comment
‘I’ll believe it when I see it.,’ is a famous phrase. Well, believe me when I say you will want to see Avon Players’ production of Miracle on 34th Street running now through Saturday, December 9, 2023, in Rochester Hills, Mich. Avon Players last staged this show nearly a decade ago and it was refreshing to see the updates made to this production, while still staying true to the spirit of the story so many cherish. For those who may not know, there are two movie versions. The first is the 1947 … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Huzzah! It’s Time to Celebrate ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Meadow Brook Theatre
November 18, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Every year as the air grows colder, a debate starts heating up – when does the holiday season officially start? Is it when 100.3 WNIC starts playing Christmas music? Or is it when the switch is flipped during Lagniappe and the Big Bright Light Show illuminates downtown Rochester? In my opinion, it is neither. The official holiday season begins when Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) brings its beloved version of A Christmas Carol to life. And the time to see it is now through Dec. 24, 2023, on the … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Varner Act II Gala Honors Oakland University’s Musical Past While Shining a Bright Spotlight on its Future
November 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Varner Hall, on the campus of Oakland University (OU), has spent the last two years going through much-needed renovations and is finally ready for its close-up. To celebrate, the esteemed OU School of Music, Theatre and Dance is staging the Varner Act II Gala — a show-stopping musical revue under the direction of Teri Hansen in the Varner Studio Theatre. Hansen, a visiting assistant professor, brings a wealth of screen (Film/TV) and stage (Broadway/London's West End) experience to this fresh … [Read more...]
REVIEW: ‘Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure’ Brings Murder and Comedy Together for a Killer Good Time
October 8, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle may have tired of his ‘consulting detective,’ but Sherlock Holmes still mesmerizes audiences. And nowhere was this more evident than at the Michigan Premiere of Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure running now through October 29, 2023, at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. Picking right where they left off this summer with Noises Off, MBT kicks off their 57th season with this wickedly funny … [Read more...]
