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...]
Get an Insider’s Look into the Entertainment Business with Avon Players’ ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’
February 24, 2025 by Leave a Comment
REVIEW: Have You Heard? ‘The Angel Next Door’ at Meadow Brook Theatre is Comedy Gold
February 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
The Angel Next Door is a love letter to the theatre where lovers are reunited, misunderstandings are untangled, and a happy ending is (mostly) guaranteed. Now at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan through March 9, 2025 Written by Paul Slade Smith, The Angel Next Door is adapted from Ferenc Molnar’s three-act farce, The Play at the Castle (1924) and MBT is one of the first theatres to produce Smith’s version of the show. All the … [Read more...]
RCU Presents: Broadway & Beyond: An Evening with Blake Whyte and Friends
February 6, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Rochester Christian University (RCU) presents Broadway & Beyond: An Evening with Blake Whyte and Friends, a world premiere of original songs from Broadway star Blake Whyte. Join Broadway actor and award-winning songwriter Blake Whyte for an unforgettablenight of live music. Star of Broadway’s Wicked and Mamma Mia!, Blake is bringing histalent to the RCU stage with this brand new show about Blake’s journey, told throughpowerful storytelling and original soulful music. Including the world … [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...]
REVIEW: Avon Players’ ‘Sweeney Todd’ is a Wicked Fun Mix of Murder and Merriment
September 7, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Avon Players opens their 78th season with a powerful production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street running through September 21, 2024, in Rochester Hills, MI. We all know the old proverb, ‘Revenge is a dish best-served cold.’ Well, in Sweeney Todd, it’s the house special. This musical originated in 1979, with music and lyrics by the legendary Stephen Sondheim (Company, Into the Woods) and book by Hugh Wheeler. Set in Victorian London, the opening number “The Ballad of … [Read more...]
Avon Players presents ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’
January 2, 2024 by Leave a Comment
A startling discovery is but the first step on a path of life-altering exploration A best-selling novel turned much-lauded play will give audience members puzzles to ponder as Avon Players presents The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time running January 19-February 3 in Rochester, Mich. Fifteen-year-old Christopher (Robert Carrigan) has an extraordinary brain: He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the … [Read more...]
Fall in Love at First Sight with Avon Players’ Musical Rom-Com ‘First Date’
April 28, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Crowd-pleasing comedy chronicles the horrors, humiliations, and occasional happy surprises of blind dating. The classic romantic comedy setup of two mismatched suitors navigating the minefield of relationships gets a fresh musical treatment as Avon Players presents First Date running May 26-June 10. When blind date newbie Aaron (Adam Silorey) is set up with serial-dater Casey (Lori Smith), a casual drink at a busy New York restaurant turns into a hilarious exploration of modern … [Read more...]
Broadway’s Felicia Finley closes Meadow Brook Theatre’s Season with ‘A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’
May 9, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Felicia Finley in 'A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline' at MBT. Photo courtesy of Sean Carter Photography Musical telling the life story of the country music legend using her songs runs May 25 through June 19, 2022, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester. A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline transports audiences through the music legend’s life, from her hometown of Winchester, Virginia to the Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall. Little Big Man, a disc jockey from Virginia uses her greatest hits, … [Read more...]
Laugh Along with the Avon Players’ ‘Lend Me a Tenor’
February 24, 2020 by Leave a Comment
An impresario’s desperation leads to comedic confusion Metro Detroit audiences will get a humorous view of the world of opera as Avon Players presents the classic farce Lend Me a Tenor, running March 6-21 in Rochester Hills, MI. Henry Saunders (Joe Colosi), the general manager of a Midwestern opera company, is primed to welcome the world-famous Tito Morelli (Jonathan Farrell) for his one-night-only appearance as Pagliacci. The star arrives late and is accidentally given a double dose of … [Read more...]
