You know her name, now see her story brought to life as Avon Players Theatre presents the emotional narrative of The Diary of Anne Frank, running until November 22, 2025, in Rochester Hills, MI Imagine eight people living in approximately 500 sq. feet for two years. Or having to be silent for 10 hours a day and eating the same meal for days on end. Trying to remember what it felt like to feel the sun on your face. The alternative? Being taken by the Nazis and sent to concentration … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Avon Players’ ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ Gives Voice to the Human Spirit
November 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Witness History with Avon Players’ ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’
October 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Play shines a light on a chapter of world history that must not be forgotten One girl’s true account of growing up in extraordinary circumstances makes for a harrowing and hopeful play as Avon Players Theatre presents The Diary of Anne Frank, running November 7-22, 2025, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most famous and haunting stories to emerge from the 20th century. The memoirs of this young Jewish girl, forced to hide for nearly two … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Calamity and Comedy Collide in Avon Players’ ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’
March 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
A full house on opening night at Avon Players Theatre was treated to an evening of playwright Neil Simon’s wise-cracking comedy Laughter on the 23rd Floor, running until March 29, 2025, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. With more than 30 plays to his name, Neil Simon racked up many awards over his illustrious career, including Tony Awards for writing The Odd Couple and Biloxi Blues and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Lost in Yonkers. In 1983, Simon was the first living playwright to have a … [Read more...]
Get an Insider’s Look into the Entertainment Business with Avon Players’ ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’
February 24, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This pressure cooker of a TV writers’ room is brimming over with wit and wisecracks Beloved playwright Neil Simon’s recollections of his early career provide fodder for snappy comedy in Avon Players’ Laughter on the 23rd Floor, running March 14-29, 2025, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Max Prince (Ben Feliciano) is the star of a popular 1950s comedy-variety series that is a major hit on the East Coast, but network executives insist that it is too sophisticated for the Midwest and urge Prince … [Read more...]
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...]
Attend the Dark, Witty Tale of Avon Players’ ‘Sweeney Todd’
August 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Desperate deeds lead to dramatic ends in this iconic Stephen Sondheim musical Avon Players’ season begins with love, murder, and revenge set against the backdrop of 19th-century London in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street running September 6-21. From L to R: Mario Simone as “Sweeney Todd” and Joy Oetjens as “Mrs. Lovett.” Photo Credit: Bryan Clifford. In this haunting tale, Sweeney Todd (Mario Simone), an unjustly exiled barber, returns to Victorian London seeking … [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...]
Avon Players Presents Romantic Comedy ‘Drinking Alone’
February 21, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Regret and family resentments ignite in this play with humor and heart Adult siblings reckon with their complicated past with their father as well as their unsatisfying life paths to comic effect as Avon Players presents Drinking Alone, running March 8-23. Joe Todd (Luigi Murri) leads a lonely, dull life dutifully maintaining the family dry-cleaning business. His sister Carrie (Hosanna Phillips) is a local television star whose career is thriving while her marriage falls apart. When their … [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: 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...]
