REVIEW: Shake Off Your Winter Blues and Get ‘Footloose’ at Meadow Brook Theatre

Opening night, the house was packed and rocking as Footloose the Musical debuted at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. And it’s tearing up the town now through February 2, 2025. If you are a certain age, you are acquainted with Footloose, the 1984 classic movie starring Kevin Bacon. In 2011 there was a remake, but as artistic director Travis W. Walter told the audience, ‘We’re going to pretend that version doesn’t exist.’ Amen to … [Read more...]

Go Behind the Scenes with Oakland University’s Production of ‘A Chorus Line’

A Chorus Line, perhaps the ultimate backstage musical, winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, will open at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, in Varner Studio Theatre at Oakland University. A Chorus Line, which is a stunning musical-vérité about dancers auditioning for the chorus of a Broadway show, is a powerful metaphor for all human aspiration. It highlights the achingly poignant ambitions of professional Broadway ‘gypsies’ to land a job. When it opened, the show’s … [Read more...]

Internationally Acclaimed Lyric Baritone Jonathan Retzlaff to Perform March 3 at OU

Internationally Acclaimed Lyric Baritone Jonathan Retzlaff to Perform at Oakland University The Music Program at Oakland University welcomes internationally acclaimed lyric baritone and Eastman School of Music faculty member Jonathan Retzlaff for an elegant and charming evening of beautifully sung art songs. Dr. Retzlaff will perform in Varner Recital Hall on Friday, March 3 at 8:00 p.m. on the Oakland University campus. The concert, with Jennifer McGuire on piano, will … [Read more...]

Oakland University Theatre Explores Death, Fate, and Freedom with The House of Bernarda Alba

At 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, the theatre program at Oakland University will continue its performance season with a chilling twentieth century masterpiece, The House of Bernarda Alba, by Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. As the play begins, Bernarda’s second husband has died. She has imposed an eight year mourning period on her five daughters and forbidden them even to leave the house. Angustias, Magdalena, Amelia, Martirio and Adela grow ever more resentful of their mother’s … [Read more...]