REVIEW: ‘Strangers on a Train’ at Meadow Brook Theatre Takes the Audience on a Chilling Ride of Murder and Intrigue

Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) kicked off its 58th season with the Michigan premiere of the thrilling psychological classic Strangers on a Train, which will run through November 3, 2024, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, MI. Originally, a novel by Patricia Highsmith (1950), then a film by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock (1951), and finally a play by Craig Warner (2013), Strangers on a Train asks, is there such a thing as the ‘perfect’ murder? Would you be tempted to … [Read more...]

Chilling Mystery ‘Strangers On a Train’ at Meadow Brook Theatre

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...]

Freda Payne stars in ‘Ella, First Lady of Song’ at Meadow Brook Theatre

Michigan premiere runs May 29 – June 23, 2024, on the campus of Oakland University L to R: Debra Walton as Young Ella, Nicole Powell as Young Georgiana, Freda Payne as Ella Fitzgerald, and Eric Coles as Norman Granz. Photo courtesty of Sean Carter Photograpy. Ella, First Lady of Song traces the 60-year career of the woman Mel Torme called “the best singer on the planet.” The story of Ella Fitzgerald truly challenges the age-old saying “The show must go on.” From the Apollo Theater to the … [Read more...]

REVIEW: ‘Route 66’ at Meadow Brook Theatre is Full-Throttle Fun

Grab the gang and see the musical revue Route 66, running now through May 19, 2024, at Meadow Brook Theatre on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Running over 2,000 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, the iconic Route 66 has made a significant cultural impact on the historical landscape of traveling across the USA. Writer Roger Bean uses that nostalgia, with musical arrangements by Brian Baker, to treat the audience to a coast-to-coast musical … [Read more...]

Rochester Community Concert Band presents ‘From Stage to Screen’

In its last concert of the regular season, the Rochester Community Concert Band (RCCB), conducted by Paul F. DeRubeis, will present ‘From Stage to Screen’ on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. in Varner Hall on the campus of Oakland University. Dr. Jeffrey Heisler Parking for Varner Hall can be found on the west side of the building, lot P36, 149 Library Drive, Rochester Hills, MI 48309. Handicapped parking is available on the north end of the lot, with drop-off access to the … [Read more...]

Take a trip on ‘Route 66’ at Meadow Brook Theatre

American musical runs April 24 – May 19, 2024, on the campus of Oakland University Ring in spring with a musical road trip from Chicago to California with 34 songs from the 50s and 60s. From “King of the Road” to “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena” and, of course, “Route 66," it’s a great time to get your kicks. The musical revue Route 66, by Roger Bean, runs April 24 through May 19, 2024, at Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester. “People are … [Read more...]

REVIEW: Memory and Hope are the Emotional Crux of ‘The Laramie Project’ at Oakland University

Do not miss your chance to see the power presentation of The Laramie Project running now until Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Varner Studio Theatre on the campus of Oakland University (OU) in Rochester, Mich. Staged by the Oakland University School of Music, Theatre and Dance and directed by OU faculty member Kelli Crump, The Laramie Project is written by Moisés Kaufman, along with members of the Tectonic Theatre Project, and chronicles the aftermath of the 1998 hate crime murder of University of … [Read more...]

Oakland University Presents ‘The Laramie Project’

Aaron Kreifels (Pietro Cataldo) recounts his bike ride in The Laramie Project at Oakland University. Photo credit: Crystal Orser Oakland University’s Department of Theatre in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance is presenting The Laramie Project which opens Thursday, March 28, 2024, and closes Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Varner Studio Theatre in Rochester, Mich. The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project chronicles the reaction to the 1998 hate crime … [Read more...]

REVIEW: ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ Gets Tested in the Meadow Brook Theatre Comedy, ‘Native Gardens’

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...]

Comedy ‘Native Gardens’ at Meadow Brook Theatre

Hilarious comedy runs March 21 – April 14, 2024, on the campus of Oakland University High-powered lawyer Pablo, and his doctoral candidate, very pregnant wife, Tania have just moved into their dream house. It needs some work, but they’re excited to be next-door neighbors to community stalwarts Frank and Virginia. A disagreement over a long-standing fence line spirals into a hilarious war of taste, class, privilege, and entitlement. Will anyone come out smelling like a rose? Or will it all … [Read more...]