Category: 2023-2024
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The Purgatory of a Dim Bar Brightens the Stage at Zeiders American Dream Theater in “Rathskeller: A Musical Elixir”
*Note: As per the performance eligibility requirements as laid out here, this musical is not up for HRACT Award consideration, as Zeiders American Dream Theater is a professional theater. As the lights crackle on above the Main Stage of Zeiders American Dream Theater, the audience, along with our protagonist John Casey, is suddenly thrust into…
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“Calendar Girls” at Peninsula Community Theatre is the True Story of a Cheeky Way to Support a Good Cause
As the curtain opens on “Calendar Girls”, the final show of the 2023-2024 season at Peninsula Community Theatre, we are brought into what seems to be just another meeting of the Women’s Institute of Yorkshire. Chris (played by Lyra Hale most recently seen in Private Lives and Dead Man’s Cell Phone) leads a tai chi…
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The Hills are Alive at Smithfield Little Theatre
As we drove out to Smithfield Little Theatre, my wife and I were nervous. We knew that, while “The Sound of Music” is one of our favorite musicals, it is not exactly an easy show to put on, especially for community theater. We knew that (1) you need multiple strong adult singers to hold down…
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A Failing Flower Shop, a Sadistic Dentist, a Strange and Unusual Plant, and a Neighborhood’s Dreams Add Up to a Wonderful “Little Shop of Horrors” at Williamsburg Players
“Little Shop of Horrors” is one of my all-time favorite musicals, and so I was incredibly excited around this time last year when Williamsburg Players announced they’d be putting it on. What I didn’t realize at the time was that its run would overlap with the solar eclipse happening on Monday – a celestial event…
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It’s No Mystery that LTVB Impresses Once Again with “A Murder is Announced”
The Little Theatre of Virginia Beach wasted no time in setting the stage for their newest production, “A Murder is Announced.” Inside the lobby, the cast board had conspiracy theory string connecting each cast member and the murder announcement was posted front and center. With the eerie mood properly set, our group took a stab…
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Savor Grandpa’s Famous “Chicken & Biscuits” at the Little Theatre of Norfolk
It seemed apropos to be walking into the Little Theatre of Norfolk on a Sunday, as the set for “Chicken & Biscuits” was fully dressed like a church, so much so that we looked around and wondered if this was just a ploy to get us into a Sunday Service (well done to scenic artist…
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Brighten Up a Dreary Late Winter Day by Going on a “First Date” at Peninsula Community Theatre
A light drizzle dampened our shoes but couldn’t dampen our spirits as we walked through Hilton Village in Newport News to go to the opening night of “First Date” at Peninsula Community Theatre. We were hoping for a light-hearted evening of fun, watching a first date unfold in front of our eyes – and we…
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“I’m Here” for “The Color Purple” at Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center
On Saturday in the early afternoon, we made the trip over to the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News for their only eligible community theater performance this year, “The Color Purple”. As our readership probably knows at this point, our favorite way to go into shows is to be blind as to what the…
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Enjoy Other People’s Family Drama? You’ll Love “The Viewing Room” at Generic Theater
As we left a Chrysler Hall parking garage filled with Norfolk Admirals fans and walked into the Generic Theater for their performance of “The Viewing Room”, we were shocked at how well the Generic had nailed the vibes of a funeral home. There were funeral flowers. There was an old organ. There was the podium…
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Funny Throughout, Emotional at Times, Smithfield Little Theatre Finds the Light-Hearted Side of Death in “Exit Laughing”
As we walked into Smithfield Little Theatre on Saturday night, we were immediately struck by the perfectly captured living room on stage. It felt totally lived in, with various knick-knacks on shelves and pictures and art covering the walls. There were stairs to the right leading to an (offstage) upstairs, and a kitchen in the…
HRACT Awards 