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...]
Chilling Mystery ‘Strangers On a Train’ at Meadow Brook Theatre
September 23, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Michigan premiere runs October 9 – November 3, 2024, on the campus of Oakland University L to R: Stephen Blackwell as Charles Bruno and Ron Williams as Guy Haines in MBT's Strangers on a Train production. Photo courtesy of Sean Carter Photography You can chat with a stranger about anything. That’s what happens when Guy Haines and Charles Bruno meet on a train. They begin to open up about how dissatisfied they are with their lives. Eventually, Bruno suggests that they could get away with … [Read more...]
REVIEW: ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ Gets Tested in the Meadow Brook Theatre Comedy, ‘Native Gardens’
March 24, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Motivational speaker Wayne Dyer is credited with saying, “The only difference between a flower and a weed is judgment,” which perfectly sums up the premise of the comedy Native Gardens, by Karen Zacarías, running now through April 14, 2024, at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. Set in a stately and affluent Washington D.C. neighborhood, young, idealistic Latinx couple Tania (Stefania Gonzalez) and Pablo (Michael De Souza) Del Valle have bought … [Read more...]
Meadow Brook Theatre celebrates the season with ‘A Christmas Carol’
November 9, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Running Nov. 17 through Dec. 24, 2023, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich Top L to R: Thomas D. Mahard as Ebenezer Scrooge and Stephen Blackwell as Bob Cratchit; Bottom L to R Chase Thomas and Conrad Nichols as Tiny Tim in 'A Christmas Carol' at MBT. Photo courtesy of Sean Carter Photography A favorite holiday tradition returns to southeast Michigan when Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and a handful of ghosts raise your spirits in A Christmas Carol at Meadow Brook Theatre … [Read more...]
‘Noises Off’ wraps up season at Meadow Brook Theatre
May 23, 2023 by 1 Comment
Backstage farce runs May 31 through June 25, 2023, on the campus of Oakland University. In Noises Off, we join the cast of the fictional play “Nothing On” for a hysterical peek behind the curtain. In only hours they’ll be faced with opening night. Will they be able to pull things together? If they do, will they manage to keep them together for the run of their play, or will the flubbed lines, falling trousers, and flying sardines keep the show from going on? Noises Off, by Michael Frayn, … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Quirky and Charming, Meadow Brook Theatre’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Gives Audiences Plenty to Root For
October 7, 2022 by Leave a Comment
The campy noir musical Little Shop of Horrors has invaded Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, MI. from now until Oct. 30, 2022. Confession: I have never watched the movie or attended a live performance before, so this review is about as unvarnished as it comes. Also, I’m glad my first exposure was courtesy of MBT's talented cast and crew because this production is fantastic! Little Shop of Horrors is absurdly funny. It shouldn’t work. You shouldn’t … [Read more...]
Musical ‘Writing Kevin Taylor’ premieres at Meadow Brook Theatre
January 28, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Michigan premiere runs February 9 through March 6, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester. Jake Pedersen and Edward Juvier Writing Kevin Taylor at MBT Photo courtesy of Sean Carter Photography Kevin Taylor is a successful New York novelist, working on his third book, but it’s overdue, and he’s stuck. He wonders if his talent has left him the way his wife did. After a meltdown broadcast on TV for all the world to see, he closes off, determined to remain alone for the rest of his … [Read more...]
Drama ‘Mary Jane’ Shines a Light on a Mother’s Life with a Chronically Ill Child
March 3, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Running at Meadow Brook Theatre March 18 through April 12, 2020 Mary Jane loves her son, Alex. All she wants is for him to be healthy and happy. However, Alex is chronically ill, which makes life challenging. While Mary Jane is perpetually optimistic, she is also tired and scared. She needs to know she’s not alone. Sometimes support comes from unexpected places, and you learn family isn’t just the people you’re related to. Mary Jane, by Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog, runs March 18 … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Family and Love are the Heart of Meadow Brook Theatre’s ‘A Christmas Carol’
November 30, 2019 by Leave a Comment
A Christmas Carol was my dad’s favorite holiday movie. In fact, he owned nearly every version, so I grew up appreciating the different spin each one put on the story. But no matter the adaptation, the common thread that ran through them all was love, hope, and redemption. But it wasn’t until watching Meadow Brook Theatre’s (MBT) seminal production that I was struck with how the heart of the story is really about family. Running through December 22 at MBT on the campus of Oakland University in … [Read more...]
Meadow Brook Theatre Announces 54th Season
February 14, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Meadow Brook Theatre’s 2019-2020 season has something for everyone with comedies, musicals, a drama and even a whodunit. “We’re excited not only to have Michigan premieres during our 54th season, but also to have the world premiere of a brand-new musical,” said Cheryl Marshall, MBT managing director. “We’ve got a wonderfully entertaining lineup and, once again, we’re kicking things off with a great event this summer!" On July 13, Meadow Brook Theatre will hold its fifth annual Concert & … [Read more...]
