1. Seussical at Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre
I truly look forward every summer to seeing the shows at Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre. The MCSDT program continuously rounds up a quality production team along with a talented bunch of young adult performers.
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Synopsis: Join The Cat in the Hat as he spins a tale including Horton the elephant, who must protect Whos (denizens living on a speck of dust) while also guarding an abandoned egg recklessly left in his care by Mayzie La Bird. While guarding the Whos, we also learn the story of Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many “thinks” as well as many other characters created by the wonderful Dr. Seuss. Meanwhile, Horton is bullied, teased, and treated unkindly for his faith and beliefs by naysayers wanting him to give up his wards. With help from Gertrude McFuzz, who never loses faith in Horton, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community are challenged and emerge triumphant. Great toe-tappin’ tunes include “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think,” “Biggest Blame Fool,” and “How Lucky You are.”
‘Seussical’ at Montgomery College Summer Dinner theatre. Photo courtesy of MCSDT.
2. The Wonderful World of Dissocia at Theater Alliance
“…a must see experience for the adventurous theatregoer or anyone who wants to take a break from reality…a delightful exercise in misdirection.” - Jennifer Minich
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Synopsis: Lisa Jones has been feeling a bit off. One hour off, in fact; the hour she lost when her flight to London crossed the Greenwich meridian at the exact moment daylight savings time ended. To retrieve her wandering hour, Lisa must take a journey…to Dissocia, where cars fly, bears sing, and the Black Dog King reigns. This wildly inventive, fearlessly smart, and relentlessly surprising play by the author of last year’s The Night Before Christmas will take you places you never expected and will never forget.
David Gamble, Elliott Bales, KyoSin Kang, Karina Hilleard, Carolyn Kashner, Adi Stein, Ben Chang and Luke Ceislewicz. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.
3. The Odd Couple at Cockpit in Court
“The Odd Couple is a laugh-out-loud comedic express on some serious subjects.” -Danielle Angeline
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Synopsis: This classic comedy opens as a group of the guys assembles for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. And if the mess is any indication, it’s no wonder that his wife left him. Late to arrive is Felix Unger who has just been separated from his wife. Fastidious, depressed and none too tense, Felix seems suicidal, but as the action unfolds Oscar becomes the one with murder on his mind when the clean-freak and the slob ultimately decide to room together with hilarious results as The Odd Couple is born.
4. Hank Williams: Lost Highway at Infinity Theatre Company
“Infinity Theatre Company(‘s) … production of ‘Hank Williams: Lost Highway’ is riveting.” - Danielle Angeline
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Synopsis: This is the spectacular musical biography of the legendary singer-songwriter frequently mentioned alongside Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Duke Ellington, Elvis and Bob Dylan as one of the great innovators of American popular music. The play follows Williams’ rise from his beginnings on the Louisiana Hayride, to his triumphs on the Grand Ole Opry, to his eventual self-destruction at twenty-nine. Along the way, we are treated to indelible songs such as “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Move It on Over,” and “Hey, Good Lookin’,” which are given fresh and profound resonance set in the context of Williams’ life.
Jason Petty as Hank Williams. Photo by Nancy Anderson Cordell.
5. 84 Charing Cross Road by Off the Quill at Greenbelt Arts Center
84, Charing Cross Road is a 1970 book by Helene Hanff, later made into a stage play, television play and film, about the twenty-year correspondence between her and Frank Doel, chief buyer of Marks & Co, antiquarian booksellers located at the eponymous address in London, England.
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Synopsis: Helene Hanff, a struggling New York writer, finds more than the rare editions she seeks when she contacts Marks& Co., a small London bookshop. A graceful transatlantic dance of correspondence ensues, spanning four decades and abundant with literature, culture and affection. (The action of the play is set in the New York apartment of Helene Hanff and in Marks & Co., Booksellers, 84 Charing Cross Road, London. The action spans the years 1949-1971.)
Brian Moors and Sarah Pullen at Greenbelt Arts Center. Photo by Katie Wanschura.