BMA exhibit pairs Matisse and Diebenkorn

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on November 30, 2016

The influence of French artist Henri Matisse on the work of American Richard Diebenkorn is the focus of a new exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art. “Reclining Model with a Flowered Robe,” drawn by Matisse in 1923, is paired in the exhibit with Diebenkorn’s “Woman Seated in Chair,” drawn 40 years later.©2016 Succession H. Matisse / ARS NYThe first major... READ MORE

Broadway hits come to National Theatre

By Barbara Ruben
Posted on November 17, 2016

Love Broadway musicals but can’t make it to New York as often as you’d like? National Theatre will feature traveling versions of four hits, including two Washington premieres, this season.The downtown Washington theater first hosts a production of Once, winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, from Nov. 25 to 27.Once tells the tale of a Dublin street musician... READ MORE

Turner’s powerful performance at Arena

By Robert Friedman
Posted on November 16, 2016

When it came time for Joan Didion to give away the clothes of her deceased husband of 40 years, fellow writer John Gregory Donne, she couldn’t part with his shoes. John would need them when he came back, she told herself.Just after John’s death in New York, where it is three hours later than in Los Angeles, she wondered whether they could go back to their home there and... READ MORE

Center forges friendships for 50+ years

By Robert Friedman
Posted on November 08, 2016

If you are 50-plus, have time on your hands, and are looking to make new friends, take part in more activities, and/or travel (whether to nearby Baltimore, or to faraway Fiji), the Laurel Senior Friendship Club (LSFC) may be just what you need. The club, which earlier this year celebrated its 50th anniversary, is still going strong, having grown from an idea by its six founding mothers,... READ MORE

Local author pens a Baltimore bucket list

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on November 01, 2016

Judy Colbert, who has lived in Maryland virtually all her life, is also an accomplished travel writer, making her the ideal go-to source for visitors and residents alike who want to know what there is to do and see in Baltimore.That’s just what she does in her recently published book, aptly named, 100 Things to Do in Baltimore Before You... READ MORE

Old habits get new twist in Sister Act

By Barbara Ruben
Posted on October 31, 2016

Disco balls, gold lamé, and fun with nuns. That’s what Toby’s Dinner Theatre serves up in an uproarious production of Sister Act. The musical version of the 1992 movie that starred Whoopi Goldberg transplants the action to late ‘70s Philadelphia, where the sisters of the Queen of Angels Church line dance Saturday Night Fever style.While the setting of the musical,... READ MORE

How ‘Summer in the City’ got its sound

By Randal C. Hill
Posted on October 12, 2016

Retired DJ and English teacher Randal C. Hill introduces readers to the hits of half a century ago in a feature he calls “It was 50 years ago today,” borrowing from the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”Here he examines the roots of the Lovin’ Spooful’s 1966 hit “Summer in the City.”The weary old radio sound man... READ MORE

New cultural center on tap for Columbia

By Robert Friedman
Posted on September 30, 2016

“Finally, we will have what just about every other county around us has,” said Toby Orenstein — owner, operator, producer and director of Toby’s Dinner Theatre.What Columbia could soon have is a cultural center where the performing and visual arts would be showcased under one roof. The center is being proposed for the site where Toby’s Dinner Theatre is... READ MORE

Immerse yourself in the arts with SBO

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on September 22, 2016

“Senior Box Office is no secret, but still many seniors do not know about us,” said SBO Coordinator Karen McDonough. “When they find out about all the great opportunities we offer, they are thrilled and wonder why they have never heard of SBO.”For those who don’t know, SBO is a volunteer-run organization under the auspices of the Baltimore County Department of... READ MORE

MetroStage premiers D.C.-based musical

By Michael Toscano
Posted on September 12, 2016

Alexandria’s MetroStage offers something for readers and theater-goers alike with its world premiere production of Blackberry Daze, a musical based on the whodunit novel Blackberry Days of Summer, by Ruth P. Watson.The author hopes this production, with a run lasting from Sept. 1 to Oct. 9, will eventually lead to Broadway. And beyond that, she can see a series of musicals based on... READ MORE