Cut, color, and murder! Put all those years of watching “Law & Order” to use and help figure out ‘whodunit’ in Shear Madness running through June 22, 2025, at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Written by Paul Pörtner, Shear Madness is the first show that MBT has remounted, apart from A Christmas Carol, since Travis W. Walter became artistic director 15 years ago. The 2017 production included two of this show’s cast members, Leslie … [Read more...]
REVIEW: It’s Alive! Avon Players Closes its Season with the Electrifying ‘Young Frankenstein’
May 31, 2025 by 1 Comment
Bawdy, slightly naughty, and with memorable musical numbers, Avon Players brings Young Frankenstein to life until June 14, 2025, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Avon Players began their season strong with the darkly funny Sweeney Todd, and Young Frankenstein is the perfect bookend to finish it, just with more laughs than bloodbaths. Featuring music and lyrics by the legendary comedic genius Mel Brooks and a book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan, Young Frankenstein is a parody of the classic horror … [Read more...]
Help solve the mystery in ‘Shear Madness:’ Rochester’s Hilarious Whodunit
May 29, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Murder mystery runs May 28 through June 22, 2025, on the campus of Oakland University There’s been a murder at Rochester’s newest salon, and the police need your help to figure out who the guilty party is. Did you see anything? Do you have any questions for the people in the salon at the time? Can you stop laughing long enough to help? Shear Madness gives audiences a chance to help figure out “whodunit” and determine the direction the show will take each night. Written by Paul Pörtner, Shear … [Read more...]
Shriek with Laughter at Avon Players’ ‘Young Frankenstein’
May 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Experimentation goes monstrously wrong, the Mel Brooks way, in this musical comedy A classic horror parody movie by a legend of the entertainment field will come to life on stage in Avon Players’ Young Frankenstein, running May 30-June 14, 2025, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Eric Rodman as “Dr. Frankenstein.” Photo courtesy of Bryan Clifford Grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, Frederick (Eric Rodman), who pronounces his name "Fronk-en-steen" in order to distance himself … [Read more...]
REVIEW: ‘The Rat Pack Lounge’ at Meadow Brook Theatre is the Cat’s Pajamas
May 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Ring-a-Ding, baby! Join all the cool cats and see The Rat Pack Lounge, by James Hindman and Ray Roderick, with musical arrangements by John Glaudini, running through May 18, 2025, at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. This melodious trip down memory lane begins in heaven, where God has summoned the three most well-known members of The Rat Pack – Sammy Davis, Jr. (Malik Jordan), Dean Martin (Javier Alfonso Castellanos, in his MBT debut), and … [Read more...]
Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812
April 18, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Stoney Creek High School Theatre Company invites you to experience a truly unique theatrical event with its spring production of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, April 24–27, 2025. Stoney Creek High School is located at 6755 Sheldon Rd, Rochester Hills, MI 48306. Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, a Tony Award-winning electropop musical by Dave Malloy, adapts a dramatic segment of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, centering on the impulsive Natasha Rostova, … [Read more...]
Swing into ‘The Rat Pack Lounge’ at Meadow Brook Theatre
April 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr.—the RatMBTck—are up in heaven, but there’s unfinished business back on Earth. Vic, the owner of the Rat Pack Lounge, needs help, and Frank made him a promise he never fulfilled. The three singers are sent back to Earth to make things right. Hits include “My Way,” What Kind of Fool Am I?” and “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime.” Back Row L to R: Eric Coles as Vic Candelino and Javier Alfonso Castellanos as Jeorge Rodrigues / Dean Martin Front … [Read more...]
Rochester Christian University Theatre Company Presents ‘Romeo & Juliet’
April 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
L to R: London Nesbitt and Emmy Cook Photo credit: Rachel Corp Rochester Christian University (RCU) Theatre Company presents Romeo & Juliet, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Robert Arbaugh, MFA. In Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet meet at a party, and it is love at first sight. However, the long-standing feud between their families threatens to keep them apart. Violence and bloodshed ensue as they navigate forbidden love and its fatal consequences. … [Read more...]
Rochester Symphony Orchestra Unleashes CULTURAL INFUSION
April 6, 2025 by Leave a Comment
The Rochester Symphony Orchestra invites guests to experience CULTURAL INFUSION, a concert that features a variety of musical selections intended for a broad audience and occurs on Friday, May 30, at 8:00 p.m. Led by conductor and music director Maestro Zeljko Milicevic, the performance takes place at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, located at 620 Romeo Road, Rochester, Michigan. The concert begins with "Finlandia," a symphonic poem composed by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Meadow Brook Theatre’s ‘Vanities: The Musical’ is an Honest and Humorous Coming-of-Age Chronicle of Friendship
March 23, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Celebrating the power of friendship, the Michigan premiere of Vanities: The Musical, runs through April 13, at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. With book by Jack Heifner and music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum, Vanities: The Musical focuses on the lives of three best friends from a small Texas town. At first blush, a production with ‘vanity’ in the title might seem superficial. However, this musical has depth, which is uncovered … [Read more...]
