Shakespearean spoof amuses at Toby’s

By Mark Dreisonstok
Posted on March 07, 2023

The musical Something Rotten, currently running at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, is both thoroughly Shakespearean and completely modern. In the tradition of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate, this madcap 2016 Broadway musical pulls names and characters from the Bard’s most famous works and turns them on their head in very amusing ways. For example, Nick Bottom, the blustering anti-hero from... READ MORE

Festival encourages writers of all stripes

By Ana Preger Hart
Posted on February 21, 2023

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it,” Toni Morrison, the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, said in a 1981 speech. This may well be true for how CityLit Festival, Baltimore’s annual celebration of literary arts now in its 20th year, came to be. “Honestly, it was a grassroots kind of... READ MORE

Books about the residence of presidents

By Dinah Rokach
Posted on February 09, 2023

The Bibliophile Learn more about the White House, also known as the Executive Mansion, in these three books. Although John Adams was the first president to live in the White House, it was George Washington who selected the site and was instrumental in planning and building the home of all his successors. The White House: An Historic Guide, by the White House Historical... READ MORE

On spoiling the grandchildren — a poll

By Bob Levey
Posted on February 07, 2023

Three things that are always true: As soon as you wash your car, it will rain. A dog will be your best friend. And grandparents exist to spoil their grandchildren. I’ve long believed the first two. But more and more, the third seems to be undergoing challenge and change. Once upon a time, grandparents were relentless, surreptitious treat providers. If their precious little... READ MORE

Local legend retires from life on the road

By Bob Reilly
Posted on February 03, 2023

Johnny Castle, a Mid-Atlantic music legend, has officially retired from almost 60 years of playing rock ‘n’ roll, bluegrass, country, rockabilly, and pretty much any musical style you can imagine. He has been a member of many bands, including the Nighthawks, the Thrillbillys, Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun, Tex Rubinowitz and the Bad Boys, Arty Hill and the Long Gone Daddys,... READ MORE

Local writer publishes new Jackie O bio

By Robert Friedman
Posted on January 30, 2023

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis has occupied the mind of local author Oline Eaton since she was 12 years old, the year the former first lady passed away. Some three decades later, Eaton has published Finding Jackie: A Life Reinvented, which looks with compassion and insight into the glorious and tragic life of “Jackie O.” Although many other biographies of Jacqueline Onassis... READ MORE

Should Tom Brady hang up his cleats?

By Bob Levey
Posted on January 12, 2023

My adult children and I agree on many things, but sports is not one of them. They root for teams. I root for individuals. Asked if I watched the latest big game on TV, I will usually say yes. Then I will launch into a detailed analysis of how my favorite player performed. “But don’t you CARE who wins and loses?,” my son will typically ask. “Not really,” I will reply.... READ MORE

Funny calendars, cartoons and guides

By Dinah Rokach
Posted on January 09, 2023

The Bibliophile Resolve to start the new year with a smile. Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors, by Amber Share, 224 pages, Plume hardcover, 2021            What could be more entertaining than a humorous guide to the National Parks? Pick your next vacation destination without being overwhelmed with exhaustive... READ MORE

Oz backstory, “Wicked,” is a holiday treat

By Lynda Lantz
Posted on January 04, 2023

The crowd-pleasing, Tony Award-winning musical Wicked was first performed on Broadway in 2004. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, it is today among the top 12 longest-running productions on Broadway. Now at the Kennedy Center on a national tour, a recent performance included a number of young adults decked out in sparkling green attire in honor of ... READ MORE

Sherlock Holmes spoof now at Everyman

By Dan Collins
Posted on December 20, 2022

Believe it or not, not everyone is a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation, Sherlock Holmes. There’s a certain reproach for a man who seems to have all the answers, is ever in command, and whose lifelong companion, Dr. Watson, seems specifically designed to make him look superior. That’s why such a character makes a wonderful target for comedy. Fortunately for theater... READ MORE