Don Calamia
A dog-gone good time at Go Comedy!
Back when The Second City was the 800-pound gorilla in Detroit's improv community, many of the area's up-and-coming improvisers studied their craft at its renowned training center. As part of their education, the students would create and perform [...]
Seein' plenty of green at the Fisher
When smart theater executives plan their seasons, they do so knowing full well not every show will be a sell-out – and so they plan their budgets accordingly. If a show meets or surpasses its budget and makes money, that's cause for celebration. If [...]
A brave debut: Young, talented artists tackle commedia
I imagine when the powers-that-be of a new theater company are sitting around a founder's living room and planning their opening show, the discussion likely centers around which well-known comedy or musical will best suit not only their slim [...]
Popular tunes of the '50s celebrated at The Encore
The music of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller comes to life in "Smokey Joe's Cafe" at The Encore Musical Theatre in Dexter. The songwriting team met in 1950 at the age of 17, and together they crafted a number of major hits throughout the decade (and [...]
Full disclosure: 'Addams Family' is sweet fun at Wharton Center
Yes, they're still creepy and kooky and all together ooky – and we wouldn't want Charles Addams' lovable family of eccentrics any other way. And that's exactly what Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice and Andrew Lippa deliver in their new musical comedy, [...]
PRTC pulls no punches with 'A Stone Carver'
As we grow to adulthood, we begin to see our parents through the eyes of an adult rather than through the fantasies of a child. At some point during that process, the relationship between a parent and child can often become contentious. In "A Stone [...]
Brave choice, engaging debut by Threefold
Imagine waking up one morning in a room you don't recognize and finding a hand on your breast that belongs to a similarly middle-aged stranger sleeping next to you. And worse, you have no idea who you are, and you have no recollection of why you [...]
A timely romp at Go Comedy!
The more things change, the more things stay the same. While that might be part of the message delivered by "The Tim Machine" at Ferndale's Go Comedy! Improv Theater, it's also descriptive of Metro Detroit's tight-knit improv community. Having [...]
Inishmaan': not a bad place to visit
Remember in the not-so-distant past when Michigan's film incentives brought plenty of excitement to towns all across the state? Well, multiply that reaction by at least three and the result is Martin McDonagh's "The Cripple of Inishmaan," a dark, [...]
Play packs a punch at Planet Ant
One aspect of Michigan's professional theater community that makes it stand out from others around the country is this: the willingness to take risks. In particular, I'm referring to the fact that many of our theaters both big budget and small are [...]
Seasonal laughs, no schmaltz at Go Comedy!
As the holiday season heats up with a plethora of family-friendly Christmas plays and musicals, those of us in search of more adult or non-traditional fare may want to celebrate the season by having a "Mid-Life Christmas" at Go Comedy! Improv [...]
Fluffy dessert at Andiamo Novi Theatre
Maren Ritter and Patrick O'Reilly is "Five Course Love" at Andiamo Novi Theatre. Photo: HappenStance Productions If you think you've had YOUR share of weird dates and unusual relationships, the five couples who come to life in HappenStance [...]