A distant heir to a family fortune sets out to speed up the line of succession by using a great deal of charm… and a dash of murder. Avon Players’ 79th season ends with the knock-‘em-dead, uproarious hit musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, running May 22-June 6 in Rochester Hills, Michigan. When the low-born Monty Navarro (Adam Wager) finds out that he's eighth in line for an earldom in the lofty D'Ysquith family, he figures his chances of outliving his predecessors are … [Read more...]
Laugh Along with the Homicidal Hilarity of ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ at Avon Players
May 4, 2026 by Leave a Comment
REVIEW: See if You Can Match Wits with Avon Players’ ‘Holmes and Watson’
March 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment
In front of a full house on opening night, Avon Players staged Holmes and Watson by Jeffrey Hatcher, a brain-tickling mystery running until March 21, 2026, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Sherlock Holmes is dead. Or is he? Three years after the famous incident at Reichenbach Falls with his nemesis, Professor James Moriarty, Sherlock’s most trusted companion, Dr. John Watson (Mark Colley, Laughter on the 23rd Floor) is summoned by Dr. Evans (Peter Giessl, Avon Players debut) to a remote Scottish … [Read more...]
Solve the Case of ‘Holmes and Watson’ at Avon Players
February 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
A new kind of game is afoot when literature’s most famous detective is himself the subject of investigation Mystery lovers will have an intriguing puzzle to ponder as Avon Players presents Holmes and Watson by Jeffrey Hatcher, running March 6-21, 2026, in Rochester Hills. Sherlock Holmes is dead … or so it is assumed. The world knows the great detective went over the Reichenbach Falls with his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. But as Holmes’ body was never retrieved, several frauds, fakes, and … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Avon Players’ ‘The Prince of Egypt’ is an Inspiring Tale of Resilience and Hope
September 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Avon Players opens their 79th Season with the spectacular musical, The Prince of Egypt, running until September 27, 2025, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Last season, Avon Players boldly started with the darkly eccentric Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I am happy to say The Prince of Egypt is equally impressive and a lot more family-friendly. Inspired by the Book of Exodus, this epic new musical is adapted from the 1998 DreamWorks film of the same name, featuring music … [Read more...]
Believe in Miracles with Avon Players’ ‘The Prince of Egypt’
August 24, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Faith and fate drive this timeless tale featuring the music of Stephen Schwartz Avon Players’ 79th Season opens with an epic new musical adapted from a classic DreamWorks film, The Prince of Egypt, running September 12-27 in Rochester Hills, MI. Journey through the wonders of Ancient Egypt as Ramses (Adam Wager) and Moses (Drew Gale), two young men raised together as brothers in a kingdom of privilege, find themselves suddenly divided by a secret past. One must rule as Pharaoh, the other must … [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...]
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...]
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: 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...]
