Don Calamia
It's a women's world this weekend at the Ant
Get a bunch of theater aficionados together and ask them to name the industry's top 10 directors, and the one thing that will become immediately clear is their gender: Most will be men. That's true even locally. Because for every Gillian Eaton [...]
Ancient debate gets modern-day twists
CC2_1531.jpg: Lansing-based Sunsets with Shakespeare gives 'Julius Caesar' a 21st century twist beginning Aug. 9 at the Lou Adado Riverfront Park Sunbowl. Photo: Courtesy, SWS Iraq. Rome. Bush. Caesar. Ask the average American what connection there [...]
Detroit-area theater troupe invited to perform at the Minnesota Fringe Festival
BLOOMFIELD HILLS – Clown wives. Admit it: You read those two simple words – clown wives – and all sorts of crazy images popped into your head. And they're still clamoring to get out. "It's brilliant," said John W. Rutherford of the 10-minute play [...]
Old fashioned comedy, old fashioned fun
Neither the threat of storms nor a persnickety sound system stopped Water Works Theatre Company from staging its opening night performance of "Barefoot in the Park" last Thursday, and what a pleasant evening of outdoor theater it turned out to [...]
It's no drag: Things are a-poppin' this summer at Performance Network Theatre
Remember when summertime meant that pretty much every theater in town locked its doors and turned out the lights for the season? Well, thank St. Genesius those days are over! Now, shows are popping up all over the place throughout the dog days of [...]
Dark comedy, bright experiment at the Ant
Could it be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, as prophesized by the last book of the Bible, Revelation? Or was the mass nighttime disappearance of 144,000 people from around the world some sort of secret government plot? Or an alien kidnapping? Or [...]
Shakespeare out, Simon in at Water Works
Shakespeare has left the building. Or to be more precise, he's been evicted from Royal Oak's Starr Jaycee Park to make way for that OTHER world famous author, Neil Simon, whose early comedy "Barefoot in the Park" will be this summer's annual outdoor [...]
Women vs. beast: World premiere comedy delights in Williamston
She's frustrated. She's feeling trapped. And she lashes out at anything she encounters. Little did an about-to-be-divorced mother of two realize how much she had in common with the flying mammal that's taken up residence in her newly purchased home. [...]
Some more of this, and a little of that
It was only a month ago that I sat down with guest critics D.A. Blackburn and Robert W. Bethune and wished them well for the summer, because with such a light theater schedule over the next few months, their services would not be needed. I should [...]
Summer comedy uncorked at Planet Ant
Metro Detroit's improv community is blessed with an abundance of talent, but only two women are known as "The First Ladies of Detroit Improv": Margaret Edwartowski and Nancy Hayden. Longtime veterans of both the main stage and touring companies of [...]
Comic Opera Guild revives forgotten works of Victor Herbert
COG1_1526.jpg: The Comic Opera Guild will present its fifth ÒVictor Herbert FestivalÓ this weekend at Madonna College. Photo: Comic Opera Guild COG2_1526.jpg: Greg Wakefield, Barbara Scanlon and Nick Fitzer in a recent production of "Pirates of [...]
Keepin' it real on Sundays at Second City
If broadcast television can program reruns all summer long, why can't theaters do something similar – but with a twist? They can – and one venue is doing just that every Sunday evening with "The Best of Second City – Detroit," an archive show that [...]