Don Calamia
Door opens on laughs at Planet Ant
'Tis the season of spooks and goblins, and Planet Ant's Improv Colony has gotten into the spirit of the holiday with the Late Night original comedy "Seance 4." Directed by Lauren Bickers, the hour-long laugh-filled production will make you think [...]
Whodunit is a fun ride in Eastpointe
Now in its 18th season, Eastpointe's Broadway Onstage Live Theatre, the home of Dennis Wickline Productions, has carved a comfortable niche for itself in southern Macomb County. With little competition nearby, the professional non-Equity theater [...]
Atta boy, Zimmy: Comedy is bittersweet at Andiamo Novi
Every year, countless young people flock to The Big Apple armed with their freshly minted theater degrees and a stack of headshots eagerly searching for that first big break. But as actor/comedian Brad Zimmerman testifies in "My Son the Waiter: A [...]
Totally groovy spoof at The Box
My days of watching Saturday morning cartoons occurred in the early days of television – from the late '50s to the mid '60s, when live action shows and puppets of all types ruled the airwaves. My favorites, in case you're wondering, were "Fury" [...]
Flash: Season opener is a winner at Performance Network
Magic happens on stage whenever a team of skilled and like-minded theater artists come together and put forth their best work. The script doesn't have to be a Pulitzer Prize winner – or even noteworthy; an excellent production team can salvage a [...]
A powerful, thought-provoking night at JET
If I was a theater producer planning his new season, I'd want to open with a production guaranteed to knock the collective socks off my audience. I'd find a riveting script that would keep my patrons talking – and thinking – long after they left my [...]
Light' shines in Downtown Dexter
If there's one phrase friends would never use to describe me, it's this: a romantic. I wouldn't disagree with that assessment – especially when it pertains to my choice in theatrical entertainment. As such, a "boy meets girl, boy loses girl" [...]
Hard-working women are the stars of 'BoxFest'
One of my favorite summertime events each August is my visit to "BoxFest," the annual theater festival that provides opportunities for women directors to showcase their work. The objective, of course, is to help these women find jobs – which, in [...]
Girls: Thank you for being so funny!
I suspect if Susan Harris was able to break the shackles of 1980s television and write an episode of "The Golden Girls" totally free of the NBC censors, it might look something like "Thank You For Being A Friend," the unofficial musical parody that [...]
Williamston ends season with sure-fire hit!
Doc (Thomas D. Mahard) pays a visit to his new neighbors, Rob (John Lepard ) and Maddie (Kate Peckham) in Williamston Theatre's "And The Creek Don't Rise". Photo: Chris Purchis On paper, Williamston Theatre's current production of "And The Creek [...]
Ye gods! An entertaining night at The Encore
Zachary Barnes is delightful as the charming con man Harold Hill in "The Music Man." Photo: The Encore Musical Theatre Company The first musical I remember attending was "The Music Man" at the local high school. I was in the fourth grade and [...]
Tibbits puts on the Ritz with season opener
Back row: Ricky Wenthen, Dick Baker and Ryan McDonald; Front row: Katie Quigley, Amy Lamberti and Lindsey Spencer. Anyone who has ever worked in children's theater knows all too well that young people are the most honest – and sometimes the most [...]