Don Calamia
Run for your laughs, all the way to Tibbits
At the conclusion of his curtain speech before the opening Thursday night performance of "Run for Your Wife" at Tibbits Summer Theatre, Artistic Director Charles Burr teased the audience by telling us this was the most fun he's had directing a show [...]
A disturbingly darker 'Awakening' in A2
As young thespians move from college into the workplace – often with few jobs in the local professional theater industry to support them – these energetic and creative souls often leave the state or create their own small theater companies in which [...]
Gender-bending show brings big laughs at the Ringwald
"It's a bitch sorting out our sordid lives," sings country-western crooner Bitsy May Harling at the opening of "Sordid Lives: It's a Drag!" at Ferndale's Ringwald Theatre. But in this particular version of Del Shores' 1996 white trash comedy it's [...]
The Plastic 'Party'
Everyone loves Tupperware, right? Well, so does Dixie Longate, America's top-seller of the famous plastic ware, who comes to Saugatuck's Mason Street Warehouse beginning July 21 and throws a good ol' fashioned Tupperware party filled with [...]
Seasoned vets return for anniversary show
Once upon a time, and not too many years ago at that, theatergoers couldn't escape the musical "I Do! I Do!" by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. Budget-conscious producers and dinner theater operators alike were attracted to it because of its [...]
A funny, creative look at the dark side
Pretty much everyone knows that Darth Vader is one of the most bad-ass villains in cinematic history. But did you also know that he once wanted to turn over a new leaf and be "one of the guys?" Or that his favorite flavor of ice cream is "Wookies [...]
This club is jumpin' and smokin', baby!
Storm clouds gathered as I approached Club Morocco on a recent Friday night. The handsome, slick-haired doorman looked me in the eye and greeted me as I entered. (He didn't scare me.) A sexy cocktail waitress offered to get me a drink. (I [...]
Death by suppository at The Ringwald
As a particularly funny moment unfolded during the opening Saturday night performance of "Die! Mommie! Die!" at The Ringwald Theatre, one particular thought occurred to me: How could ANYONE on stage with Joe Bailey keep a straight face – with his [...]
Sealing change in America's households
Most men, I suspect, are deeply curious about why their wives, girlfriends, mothers and female coworkers are attracted to Tupperware – and in particular, the Tupperware party. "It's just plastic kitchen stuff," I've heard more than one man say over [...]
Yo, dude: Thursday fun at Go Comedy!
Since opening its doors in November 2008, Ferndale's Go Comedy! Improv Theater has provided a home for Southeast Michigan's ever-expanding improv community, and in the process, has earned raves from attendees and the media alike. Not content to [...]
Breathe Art spins a smart, powerful tale
In these financially troubled times, a theater risks its very existence every time it decides to be the first to produce a brand new play. Yet here in Michigan – the state hardest hit by the recession – theatergoers are blessed to live in a [...]
Race and class: Seeds for thought at JET
I'm not the critic who was supposed to review "Palmer Park" at The Jewish Ensemble Theatre – and to be honest, that was by design. I grew up only a few miles west of that North Detroit neighborhood, and the period playwright Joanna McClelland Glass [...]