Area premiere of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’
“It’s a rich man’s game no matter what you call it, and you spend your life puttin’ money in his wallet.” Although that’s no way to go through life, take time off to see 9 to 5: The Musical, where those lyrics came from, now playing at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia. The musical is based of course on the popular 1980 movie starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin,... READ MORE
In friends we trust at Everyman Theatre
The new production at Everyman Theatre combines the small-town nostalgia, humor and life lessons of Andy Griffith’s Mayberry with the allegorical devices of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. The result is a thought-provoking, heartwarming and satisfying 90-minute play. Primary Trust is the 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning work by actor and playwright Eboni Booth. It runs through March 2 at... READ MORE
WTH? Couple buys ‘What the Heck’ home
They married in their 20s and immediately bought a small house in the near-in suburbs. Until last month, they lived there still — nearly 50 years later. Their house has two bedrooms, one and a half baths, a carport large enough to accommodate one car and a patch of grass in front “about as big as a deck of cards,” the wife said. “We have lived very modestly,” she... READ MORE
Virginia professor publishes eighth book
When we think of African American history, Hawaii may not be the first place that comes to mind. Now a new book by Virginia author Miles Jackson Jr. traces the history of African Americans in the Hawaiian Islands. Black sailors from New England began settling in the islands in the late 18th century, perhaps because the whaling industry offered a way to escape discrimination on the... READ MORE
Tooling down memory lane in old cars
Taking a walk past the neighborhood elementary school is usually a benign affair. But one recent morning, as I sauntered by the faculty parking lot, I was brought up short. Here was a Toyota. Then another. Followed by a Hyundai. Followed by another. Then a gaggle of Hondas. Then a cluster of Kias. I decided to count. In all, 42 cars were parked in the lot. Not a single one was an... READ MORE
‘Room Service’ delivers laughs at Vagabond
It’s a trope we’ve seen in films and theater over the years, usually for comic effect: a hall or wall of doors that open and close as characters spring in and out, surprising, shocking, and saying all sorts of salacious and sappy things. It’s used to slapsticky effect in John Murray and Allen Boretz’s farce Room Service, which debuted in New York in 1937 and returns in 2025 in... READ MORE
Two artists thrive by painting together
Margo Lehman sits painting by the southern window of her home art studio in Sunshine, Maryland, eight miles west of Clarksville. Her friend Lori Myers is across the room, painting by the north window. The two women, who are in their 60s, spend time painting together every Monday. The women had their first joint exhibit, titled “Monday Painters: First Look by Margo Lehman & Lori... READ MORE
Reads on U.S. presidency, UK monarchy
Inauguration Day focuses our minds on leaders. Two recent books enlighten on presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. A biography of Queen Elizabeth II of England illuminates the campaign-style maneuvering behind her 70-year reign. The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women who Created a President, by Edward F. O’Keefe, Simon & Schuster, 2024, 464 pages... READ MORE
‘The Sound of Music’ with some surprises
Nearly everyone's familiar with the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. Indeed, most of us have seen the 1965 film based on the autobiography of Maria von Trapp — perhaps more than once. In the movie, Julie Andrews brought to life the free-spirited convent initiate Maria, who has spontaneous urges to sing, dance and roam the Austrian mountains. Her... READ MORE
And then there was fun, despite murders
Nothing brings home the joy and tidings of the holiday season quite like a good murder mystery. Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre is bringing audiences just that with their current production of master mystery writer Agatha Christie’s bestselling novel And Then There Were None, now running through January 12. Christie, the queen of crime, brought her delightfully poisoned pen to... READ MORE
