Curtain's Up!
Spring Line-up at the Playhouses in Prince George’s County, Md.
As we say goodbye to another winter and welcome spring, we are reminded of the wonderful local places to visit for leisure events. This spring, let’s commit to supporting the local playhouses in Prince George’s County, Md. while we enjoy the drama, comedy and musicals they deliver when the curtains go up.
Below is the spring season line-up at Greenbelt Arts Center, Laurel Mill Playhouse, Venus Theatre, and Bowie Playhouse. See you there!
Spring Season
Greenbelt Arts Center, 123 Centerway, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Disgraced (Weekends, March 8-30)
Directed by Bob Kleinberg.
Amir Kapoor is a successful Pakistani-American lawyer who is rapidly moving up the corporate ladder while distancing himself from his cultural roots. Emily, his wife, is white; she's an artist, and her work is influenced by Islamic imagery. When the couple hosts a dinner party, what starts out as a friendly conversation, escalates into into an intense conversation involving religion, race and violence. The Pulitzer Prize-winner for Drama in 2013, Disgraced questions whether we can ever truly escape the confines of our upbringing and our heritage.
The Honey Trap (Weekends, April 26-May 12)
Written and directed by Michael C. Stepawony.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Weekends, June 14-23)
A Guest production from the Rude Mechanicals.
Cat on A Hot Tin Roof has been often cited as Tennessee Williams' masterwork. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, it is a drama about the burning conflict and passion that grips a dysfunctional Southern family as it finally confronts and speaks the truth.
Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707
Calendar Girls. (L to R) Sam David, Nina Harris. Photo credit: Larry Simmons
Calendar Girls (Weekends, March 15 – April 7)
By Tim Firth. Directed by Michael Hartsfield. Produced by Maureen Rogers.
When Annie's husband John dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow WI members to pose nude with them for an "alternative" calendar, with a little help from hospital porter and amateur photographer Lawrence. The news of the women's charitable venture spreads like wildfire, and hordes of press soon descend on the small village of Knapeley in the Yorkshire Dales. The calendar is a success, but Chris and Annie's friendship is put to the test under the strain of their new-found fame.
Jekyll and Hyde (Weekends, April 26 – May 19)
Directed by Michael Hartsfield. Produced by Maureen Rogers. Musical Director: Mimi McGinniss.
The epic struggle between good and evil comes to life on stage in the musical phenomenon, Jekyll & Hyde. Based on the classic story by Robert Louis Stevenson and featuring a thrilling score of pop rock hits from multi-Grammy- and Tony-nominated Frank Wildhorn and double-Oscar- and Grammy-winning Leslie Bricusse, Jekyll & Hyde has mesmerized audiences the world over. An evocative tale of two men -- one, a doctor, passionate and romantic; the other, a terrifying madman -- and two women -- one, beautiful and trusting; the other, beautiful and trusting only herself -- both women in love with the same man and both unaware of his dark secret. A devoted man of science, Dr. Henry Jekyll is driven to find a chemical breakthrough that can solve some of mankind's most challenging medical dilemmas. Rebuffed by the powers that be, he decides to make himself the subject of his own experimental treatments, accidentally unleashing his inner demons along with the man that the world would come to know as Mr. Hyde.
Village Idiots Improv (May 12 only)
The Village Idiots' create a hilarious, improv comedy show based on audience suggestions! Local comedic performers make a fun, funny, and family-friendly experience that's highly interactive and energetic!! No two shows are ever the same!!! NOW IN 3D!!!
Venus Theatre, 21 C Street, Laurel, MD 20707
Enjoy the 2019 Collaborative Iterations:
Spotlight on Jane (March 22, 29 and April 5, 12)
Four Friday performances with different scripts drafted by Deborah Randall, to be podcast and live streamed.
#Solestories (May 30-June 23)
Renee Calarco has been writing these short dialogues prompted by an image of feet taken on her commute to work.
Bowie Playhouse, 16500 White Marsh Park Drive, Bowie, MD 20715
Gypsy, a Musical Fable (Weekends, May 31-June 29)
Book by Arthur Laurents. Music by Jule Styne. Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Gypsy is the ultimate tale of an ambitious stage mother fighting for her daughters’ success… while secretly yearning for her own. Set all across America in the 1920’s, when vaudeville was dying and burlesque was born, Arthur Laurents’ landmark show explores the world of two-bit show business with brass, humor, heart, and sophistication. The celebrated score, by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, boasts one glorious hit after another, including: “Let Me Entertain You,” “Some People,” “You’ll Never Get Away from Me,” “If Momma Was Married,” “All I Need Is the Girl,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “You Gotta Get A Gimmick,” “Small World,” and “Together Wherever We Go.”
