Review: SOMETHING ROTTEN! Reeks Of Hilarity At Toby's In ColumbiaFebruary 6, 2023Designed for fans of musicals, SOMETHING ROTTEN! is a Queen's farthingdale full of fun. It’s lighthearted, full of color and movement, funny, packed with references to amuse Broadway lovers and Shakespeare scholars, with familiar four-second musical riffs scattered through the show. Toby’s Dinner Theater delivers again with SOMETHING ROTTEN!
Review: Shakespeare's Tricky Dick RICHARD III Proves A Crooked Villain at The StrandNovember 12, 2022The Maryland Renaissance Festival and The Strand partner to present a one-weekend encore of the acclaimed RICHARD III by The Company Of Women. The Company are a force of craftswomanship the likes of which have not before been seen in Baltimore theater, and display a strong likelihood of becoming a major theatrical presence in the community.
Review: Happenstance Theater's POCKET MOXIE at Theater ProjectNovember 3, 2022In a tribute to Vaudeville, Happenstance Theater presents POCKET MOXIE. Structured as a Vaudeville show, it's also a show about Vaudevillians, a secret peek into their lives, and the arcs of their days. Infused with music and humor, artistic creativity and a dash of pathos, it's visually sumptuous, stylistically consistent and imminently watchable.
Stand Up, Dress Up And Show Up For THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW At DoodleHATCH in ColumbiaOctober 27, 2022THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, book, lyrics and music by Richard O'Brien, is his homage to B movies of horror and science fiction. This fantastical romp of a musical is packed with archetypal characters, hackneyed tropes and references that should have no resonance with contemporary youth. It's been a cult favorite for its entire half-century existence.
Review: VARIATIONS, a Baltimore Constant, Ponders CHANGE in 2022October 3, 2022VARIATIONS ON CHANGE, the 2022 iteration of the longtime Baltimore VARIATIONS project, demonstrates diversity and inclusion in subject matter, participation, cast and production folx at Motor House in Baltimore's Station North Arts District. Audiences choose by vote the 2023 theme of VARIATIONS.
Review: Suspend Your Disbelief: See GHOST THE MUSICAL At Toby's In ColumbiaSeptember 26, 2022GHOST THE MUSICAL at Toby’s Dinner Theater in Columbia, based 1990's movie Ghost, starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze, offers romance, drama and retro vibes. The 1955 tune “Unchained Melody” strings the whole thing together. Cast and orchestra are harmonic and wonderfully watchable. Production values are excellent and dinner is delicious.
Review: THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL at Toby's Dinner TheaterJune 28, 2022What did our critic think?If you don't have cable, watch SpongeBob Squarepants nor any clue why SpongeBob should be a Broadway musical, no worries. Everything is made clear for those entering Bikini Bottom for the first time. It's packed with family theater elements: bright colors, important themes, messages of friendship, catchy tunes and slapstick comedy. Best day ever!
BWW Review: ROCKY at Toby's Thinks Outside The BoxingApril 14, 2022New talent joins Toby's regulars to present ROCKY THE MUSICAL at Toby's in Columbia. Inspired by an actual 1974 boxing match, the unknown Rocky Balboa 'goes the distance' against superstar Apollo Creed, proving to himself, his lady love and all of Philly that an underdog can have teeth. Music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.
BWW Review: SPAMALOT! Sizzles at Toby's In ColumbiaJanuary 23, 2022The members of Monty Python's Flying Circus are expert practitioners of this alternative therapy, producing ridiculosities that have spanned five decades so far. SPAMALOT! which originally was scheduled to play at Toby's in the summer of 2020, assures that the Python iconic silliness will continue amusing live audiences for many additional decades.
BWW Review: GODSPELL Speaks to Contemporary Audiences At Toby's In ColumbiaSeptember 5, 2021Are you in the mood for an ensemble romp, some familiar stories, an ethics-heavy main character, beautiful harmonies and a good meal? In GODSPELL at Toby’s, a cast of stalwart Toby’s regulars create beautiful moments individually and in groups. Directors Mark Minnik and David James update the storytelling to include contemporary iconography.
BWW Review: ELF - THE MUSICAL at Toby's Dinner TheaterJuly 6, 2021Attending the musical ELF in July, (and August) in the air-conditioned comfort of Toby's, which is featuring reduced capacity pod seating until further notice, is a sweet novelty, and a community-supportive way to emerge from seventeen months of dormancy. You're in for holiday sweetness with heart and soul and singing and dancing and sparkle and jolly and a side of cheese. It's delicious food for the soul.
BWW Review: KINKY BOOTS Kicks Booty At Toby's In ColumbiaJanuary 26, 2020Grab your sexy heels and see KINKY BOOTS: Outstanding newcomers and perennial favorites get their kicks on at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia, Maryland. Mark Minnick directs an unconventionally heartwarming story exploring relationships not often spotlighted in theatric productions. DeCarlo Raspberry dazzles as Lola, and Matt Hirsch masters Charlie Price in Toby's intimate dinner theater setting, creating an evening jam-packed with sparkle, surprise and songs by Cyndi Lauper.
BWW Review: It All Comes Down To A CHRISTMAS STORY at Toby'sDecember 2, 2019Hang your stockings, mull your beverage of choice and light up your leg lamp, then go to Toby's in Columbia to see A Christmas Story, The Musical, music and lyrics written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book by Joseph Robinette. It's a sweet series of youthful holiday escapades full of quirky characters, brought to you with a wealth of warm fuzzies, in Toby's usual heartwarming style.
BWW Review: THE BODYGUARD Protects Toby's Superstar ReputationOctober 2, 2019There's much to like about this production of THE BODYGUARD, story aside. It's predictable, superficial and just barely passes the Bechdel-Wallace test. The script is measurably better than the story and the performance is even better than the script. Ross Scott Rawlings' accompanying mini-orchestra is flat-out terrific, and there are some extremely interesting tech things happening. Overall, a strong thumbs-up.
BWW Review: Sing Along With GREASE at Toby's In ColumbiaJune 17, 2019Ready for some young energy at Toby's in Columbia? Here's a whole high school musical of less-frequently featured faces! The company dances Mark Minnick's fun choreography like they go together forever, bedecked in rolled denim jeans, wiggle skirts, saddle shoes, Chuck Taylor sneakers, product-heavy hair and pink satin jackets- in short, just what you expect of GREASE.
BWW Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG Gets Classic Comedy Just RightJune 8, 2019THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is a farce about a whodunnit that keeps going in spite of itself. It begins at 'funny,' blazes past 'hilarious' and 'side-splitting' straight to 'uproarious,' then ramps it up in Act II. The award-winning script includes slapstick, repetition, mispronunciation, callbacks, prop comedy, crowding, unexpected entrances, pantomime, reversals, costume malfunctions, role switching, overacting, inappropriateness and an astonishing number and variety of spit-takes. The eight cast members are in every way awe-inspiring and terrific. Get it right and go to THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. Being left out of the fun would be an awful shame.
BWW Review: Trippingly On The Tongue: HAMLET In Original Pronunciation At Baltimore Shakespeare FactoryMay 2, 2019Is Hamlet mad or not?What is his moral duty? Is he always an ass, or just going through a rough patch? To be or not to be? Baltimore Shakespeare Factory delivers HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK in Original Pronunciation with verve and depth, while answering some important questions. BSF, dedicated to accuracy and education, presents one show a season in Original Pronunciation, a must-do experience for Shakespeare nerds. The pre-show festivities, finely done and recommended, are in Original Pronunciation to attune one's ear.