Category: Plays
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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…
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Celebrate 125 Years of Noël Coward with Production of “Private Lives” at Williamsburg Players
2024 is starting off with a bang for us here at the HRACTys. After missing the opening weekend of “But Why Bump Off Barnaby?” at Little Theatre of Norfolk over MLK Weekend, the following weekend we decided to embark on a triple play weekend extravaganza! We began this fun community theater weekend on Friday night…
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LTVB Raises the Bar (and Important Issues) with its Rendition of A Raisin in the Sun
On a frigid and windy Saturday night in January, we rushed into the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach with a sold out crowd full of heavy jackets, scarves, and hats topped with pom poms. Just as our beloved UVA Cavalier basketball team was finishing off a win at Georgia Tech, the lights came down and…
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But Why Not See “But Why Bump Off Barnaby?” at the Little Theatre of Norfolk
We capped off our triple-play weekend at the Little Theatre of Norfolk to see their murder mystery But Why Bump Off Barnaby? We entered the theatre by way of LTN’s Green Room, which LTN always does a fantastic job of theming to match the show. This time, they went above and beyond, partnering with local…
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Although Dead to Begin With, Smithfield Little Theatre Brings Jacob Marley to Life in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol
*Note: As per the performance eligibility requirements as laid out at https://hractawards.com/performance-eligibility/, this play is not up for HRACT Award consideration, as it only played for two weekends. Who doesn’t love a good interpretation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? We usually see at least one version a year – last year, we really enjoyed Williamsburg…
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Peninsula Community Theatre Takes Us to Almost, Maine
Upon sitting down at Peninsula Community Theatre, we were instantly transported to the titular town of Almost, Maine. The set included a “WELCOME TO…” sign and an incredibly cute log cabin, complete with a snowy roof (shout out to Director/Set Designer Linda Marley Smith and Set Decorators/Painters Ellen Eames and Pam Revill). As at least…
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Generic Theater Explores the Power of Storytelling in The Weir
On Friday night, we “put the head in” the Irish bar built onstage at the Generic Theater to see their production of The Weir. This play begins with Jack (played by Tom O’Reilly) walking into the bar, noticing Brendan (the barkeep, played by Lawrence Nichols) is not there, and proceeding to pour himself (and pay…
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LTN Illuminates The Moving Tale of the Radium Girls
On opening night, we arrived at Little Theatre of Norfolk to see Radium Girls. As a radiation control worker myself, this play hit especially hard and LTN did an incredible job of driving home this moving story. The play opens with Grace Fryer, Kathryn, and Irene working at the US Radium Corporation as dial painters.…
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PCT’s Dead Man’s Cell Phone Explores Death in a Digital Age
As a light rain fell in Newport News, we pulled up to Peninsula Community Theatre for their production of Dead Man’s Cell Phone – which turned out to be very apropos, as the entirety of the play seems to take place in a light rain – with umbrellas adorning the roof of the stage, and…
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Four Old Broads Visit the World’s Oldest Ham at Smithfield Little Theatre
On a Friday night in October, we made the trek past the oldest ham in the world and parked incredibly easily in the Smithfield Little Theatre parking lot (looking at you, Little Theatre of Virginia Beach), for their performance of Four Old Broads. It seems to be becoming a tradition at Smithfield Little Theatre to…
HRACT Awards 