by Stephen Kreal On Saturday, May 3rd, I went to see Sister Act at the Ritz Theater Company in Oaklyn. Sister Act is written by Cheri & Bill Steinkellner, Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Glenn Slater, with additional Book Material by Douglas Carter Beane. The musical is based on the 1992 Touchstone Pictures motion picture, written by Joseph Howard. This Ritz Theatre Company’s production of Sister Act is Directed by Kyrus Keenan Westcott. The production was choreographed by

by Mike McKeon You know, the one thing I’ve always loved about Spring was the concept of rejuvenation it brings. The scent of new flowers in bloom with birds singing. Beautiful blue skies to get lost in and try to lose your worries, even if for a short time. Because all of these things give me, and hopefully all of you, hope. I must say, I felt the message of hope boldly and clearly in this past weekend's production from The Village Playbox of Man of La Mancha, directed by J

by Aimee Renna Last night I had the delight of seeing the Mercer County Community College Academic Theater, Dance, & Entertainment Tech Programs spring production of Anything Goes. This musical, originally written in 1934 by Cole Porter has five different versions of its libretto: the original, the 1962 off-Broadway revival, the 1987 revival, the 2011 revival, and the 2022 revised libretto. The production performed for this occasion is adapted from the 1987 Broadway Revival

by Ash Kotter Reading plays was my tether to the stage during the 12 years I wasn’t doing theatre. In 2018, during a 3 AM nursing session with my second child, I was scrolling through a New York Times listicle about the best American plays since Angels in America. Angels had been my favorite play since I was 16, and as an arguably important piece of American theatre, I figured I'd probably want to read any play on a list invoking it. Now and again, I’d order a play from th

by Stephen Kreal On Friday, May 2nd, I attended the opening night performance of How The Light Gets In at South Camden Theater Company. How the Light Gets In written by Ellen M. (E.M.) Lewis, premiered at Boston Court Theatre in Pasadena, California on September 29, 2019. The play won the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award in 2020 which includes a $25,000 prize and is given for excellence in script writing. I have no idea what the other finalists were, but this script surely dese

by Stephen Kreal On Friday, April 25th I attended the opening night performance of After the Blast, a play written by playwright/actress/screenwriter Zoe Kazan. After the Blast was originally published and produced in 2017, and began performances on October 23rd, 2017 in the Claire Tow Theater. Notable cast members from that initial production include actress Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother/Black Mirror) and Tony Award-nominated actor William Jackson Harper (Broadway

by Ash Kotter Walls textured with abstract brush strokes of gold and green. Globe string lights draped overhead, the kind you find in backyard patios and beer gardens. No harsh distinction between audience and stage, only warmth. Strings and keys had already taken their places. Pages of programs shuffled, shoes scuffed against the floor — the percussive underscore of an eager audience waiting for the opening number. A sudden caesura in the general murmur as two musicians cas

by Stephen Kreal On Thursday, April 24th, I had the pleasure of seeing Player’s Club of Swarthmore’s production of Rock of Ages. Seeing this production always brings me back to my teenage years in the early/mid 1980’s , so it is a favorite of mine! PCS’s production was directed by Anthony SanFilippo and Assistant Director Angie Scholl. Before making its way to Broadway, Rock of Ages ran in Los Angeles and, eventually, off-Broadway. The original Broadway production opened

by Don Toal Some shows just feel like coming home again. It can be for any number of reasons. It can be the atmosphere the show cultivates, or perhaps the memories associated with it that ring true. I remember working on props crew as an undergrad for The Man Who Came to Dinner and struggling to put my meager carpentry skills to work building a penguin crate. I remember coaching skeptical high school students through the snappy verbal tennis matches baked into the dial

by Mike McKeon “Whoa! That was not what I expected!” I found myself repeating throughout my time at Mercer County Community College, beginning with the beautiful on-campus theatre. I had the pleasure of visiting Kelsey Theatre to attend the production of DEATHTRAP presented by Maurer Productions Onstage and directed by John M. Maurer. I was lucky enough to be settled perfectly center of the tiered style seating, providing a great view with very comfortable chairs. DEATHT

by Dominic Traini Last night I attended Cumberland Player’s production of the cult classic musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Evan Harris, who portrayed the staple character, Charlie Brown was simply perfection. He exemplified Charlie’s “lovable loser” aura expertly. I particularly took note of the defeated look on his face after every misfortunate encounter with the other iconic Peanuts characters. Harris also had the best rendition I’ve seen of the classic lunchti

by Stephen Kreal On Friday, April 4th, I had the pleasure of seeing the opening night performance of Table Settings at Burlington County Footlighters second stage. The production was directed by Alice Weber. Originally published in 1979, Table Settings has been a long-running, perennial hit off-Broadway. Table Settings premiered at Playwrights Horizons in New York City in January 1980, under the direction of award-winning playwright/director James Lapine. It was later made i

by Aimee Renna Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Steel Magnolias at The Blue Moon Theatre in Woodstown. If you have never attended a show here prior, it is a small black box theater located on the ground floor of the old Opera House along Main Street. While the building has stood the test of time, The Blue Moon theatre is a much more recent engagement of the last decade by the valiant efforts of the Stark family and their board. Steel Magnolias is a two act play follow

by Josh Buffington Ladies, Gentlemen, and those who have yet to make up their minds. Walking into the Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College and seeing the set for the first time made my expectations for this show even higher than expected. The set designed by Jeff Cantor was amazing! The amount of skill every part or the set had by adding a skywalkway and using underneath it as the stage for Lola and her Angels. Also, the way they used the depth of the stage w

by Don Toal There is a clear reason why, more than any other works of classical theatre, the plays of William Shakespeare have persisted for centuries. They were written not only to entertain, but to explore ideas relevant to people from all walks of life, from kings to groundlings (the period term for the common folk). Those ideas, for good or for ill, never stop being relevant. The team at the Ritz Theatre Co in Haddon Township has clearly understood this with their sel

by Lisa Palena The first of many Rodgers and Hammerstein collaborations, Oklahoma! tells the tale of a high spirited rivalry between farmers and cowboys in the turn of the 20th century. Furthermore, the musical follows the love story of Curly, a charming cowboy, and Laurey, a fierce farm girl who defies traditional conventions of the time period. Even if one isn’t familiar with the storyline, they have most likely heard the classic score. With such well-known songs as “Oh

by Angela Robb “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” is a 1993 play written by Neil Simon. Despite the year of its release the show takes place in 1953 at the height of the McCarthy era. The show centers on a group of New York City comedy writers in the writer’s room of “The Max Prince Show”, a “Your Show of Shows” esque variety show on NBC. In between their workplace antics and interactions with coworkers the team faces pressure from studio executives regarding budget cuts and the i

by Evan Harris When I was younger, I had many friends who would say, “I can’t wait to get out of New Jersey.” They were disappointed to live in “America’s Armpit” and spoke of seeing the world and making their mark upon it. I never understood these people. Can you name another place this close to everything? I’m not sure I can. We are within driving distance of three major cities. Our coastline is dotted with incredible beaches. New Jersey has 12 national parks. Hell, we eve

by Ash Kotter To do justice to what Steel Magnolias at Haddonfield Plays & Players gets so incredibly right, I need to start somewhere closer to home before we pop into Truvy’s Salon in Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana. Please indulge me while I open a time capsule and let me take you to Eileen’s Studio 24 in Gloucester City, New Jersey. In the early ‘90s, one of my mom’s three jobs was as a nail technician at Eileen’s. My elementary school was just across the street, so I’d

by Laura Duffy Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, written by Todd Kreidler and based on the movie of the same name, follows the Drayton family: Matt (Victor Barretta), Christina (Linda Cunningham), and their daughter Joanna (Ariel Gruhin). In 1967 California, Joanna returns from a trip to Hawaii, where she has met and become engaged to John Prentice, Jr. (Nob’l), a Black doctor who has become renowned worldwide for his important medical research. Matt and Christina, although hold