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...]
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...]
‘Footloose’ cuts loose at Meadow Brook Theatre
December 29, 2024 by Leave a Comment
The collaboration with Oakland University’s School of Music Theatre, and Dance runs from January 8 through February 2, 2025, on the campus of Oakland University. One of your favorite movies explodes on the Meadow Brook Theatre stage. New songs join the powerhouse hits from the Top 40, Oscar-nominated score. Footloose celebrates the exhilaration of youth, the wisdom of listening to one another, and the power of forgiveness. Footloose runs January 8 through February 2, 2025, at Meadow … [Read more...]
Watch a Weekend Go Wackily Awry in Avon Players’ ‘Farce of Habit’
December 16, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Check in for hilarity in this gloriously preposterous southern-fried romp Comic collisions and merry misunderstandings will amuse Metro Detroit audiences as Avon Players presents Farce of Habit, running January 10-25, 2025 in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The Reel ‘Em Inn is one of the finest little fishing lodges in the Ozarks. Innkeeper D. Gene Willburn (Chris Stepnitz) wants nothing more than a quiet weekend on the lake. However, he faces a series of increasingly wacky … [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...]
Meadow Brook Theatre celebrates the season with ‘A Christmas Carol’
December 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Running Nov. 22 through Dec. 22, 2024, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich One of southeast Michigan’s favorite holiday traditions returns for its 42nd year when Ebenezer, Tiny Tim, and a handful of ghosts raise your spirits in A Christmas Carol at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) this November and December. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, original adaptation and staging by Charles Nolte, runs at Meadow Brook Theatre on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester from … [Read more...]
The Rochester Symphony Orchestra Celebrates the Holiday Season with “My Favorite Things”
November 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment
As the holiday season unfolds, we invite you to indulge in a delightful evening with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra (RSO) at our holiday celebration concert, "My Favorite Things." Under the direction of Maestro Zeljko Milicevic, join us on Friday, December 13, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. at the elegant St. Paul’s Methodist Church, located at 620 Romeo Road, Rochester, Michigan. Let our enchanting holiday melodies and harmonious arrangements elevate your festive gatherings, creating cherished memories … [Read more...]
The Rochester Symphony Guild Presents a Holiday Christmas Luncheon
November 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Join the Rochester Symphony Guild for a delightful afternoon at our annual Holiday Christmas Luncheon, a celebration that promises to be as elegant as it is joyful. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Palazzo Grande at 54660 Van Dyke Road in Shelby Township, Michigan, this festive gathering will take place on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Everyone is warmly invited to share in the magic of the season, and guests are encouraged to bring friends and family to this delightful affair. … [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...]
Sisterly Bonds Make for Laughter and Tears in Avon Players’ ‘Crimes of the Heart’
October 22, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Pulitzer Prize-winning play proves you can indeed go home again From left to right: Kelly Miller as “Chick,” Lisa “Dee” Denomme as “Lenny,” and Maia Fetter as “Babe.” Photo Credit: Bryan Clifford. Avon Players’ season continues with a bittersweet story of three women coming home and reconciling the trajectory of their messy lives with their small-town upbringing in Crimes of the Heart, running November 8-23. In Hazelhurst, Mississippi, the three Magrath sisters have gathered to await news … [Read more...]
