Songs still carry the show in South Pacific
It wasn’t a completely enchanted evening. Nevertheless, the production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific at Toby’s Dinner theater in Columbia did at times exuberantly, dramatically and tunefully evoke that mid-20th century period when America fought an all-out war and Broadway provided the country’s maximum musical expression.The lives and times of the Navy ... READ MORE
Artist revives longtime interest in beads
Thea Fine is a self-described “recovering health policy wonk who writes.” Now, though, after a long career in the federal government, Fine prefers to describe herself as a beading designer.The Ellicott City resident first learned how to bead as a child during summer vacations with her maternal grandmother, Rose — “a Renaissance woman who never met a craft she... READ MORE
WASPs barred from Arlington Cemetery
The ashes of World War II veteran Elaine Harmon are sitting in a closet in her daughter’s home, where they will remain until they can go to what her family says is her rightful resting place: Arlington National Cemetery.On Jan. 11, U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), together with U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), introduced bipartisan legislation to reinstate inurnment rights... READ MORE
First timer’s musical looking for a stage
Four years ago, Columbia resident Gayle Westmoreland was watching the news when inspiration struck. Her television was filled with bleak news about the high unemployment rates in America and Europe, and suddenly the words “Just Soar” appeared in her mind.Those two words began an unexpected chain reaction for Westmoreland. After jotting them down, she developed them into what she ... READ MORE
Revisiting Wilder’s enduring Our Town
Billed as “America’s Oldest Continuously Performing Little Theatre,” the Vagabond Players in Fells Point is celebrating its 100th season by reviving plays “that were particularly successful in the past,” so sayeth their press release. One of these past glories is playwright Thornton Wilder’s thick slice of Americana, Our Town, which was previously produced at “Vags” in... READ MORE
Alexandria capitalizes on new PBS series
“Blood is not gray or blue. It’s all one color,” says Dr. Jed Foster in “Mercy Street” — the upcoming PBS Civil War medical drama set in 1862 in the war-torn border town of Alexandria, Va. The lives and cultures of two volunteer nurses on opposite sides of the conflict intertwine as they confront war’s agonies, injuries and deaths in a former hotel converted by the... READ MORE
Lunafest — a short feast of films for women
A film fest that’s fun, enlightening and benefits a good cause? That’s Lunafest, a morning full of short movies by, for, and about women. It’s billed for Saturday, Jan. 30 at Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs. It’s even affordable. Tickets for $15 include a petit dejuener of coffee and pastries at 9 a.m., with show time at 9:30. It’s hosted by Soroptimist International of Palm... READ MORE
Theater critic’s preview for the new year
With discretionary spending on theater tickets sometimes challenging for patrons to manage, some area companies have played it safe in recent years. They have been offering productions they know will fill seats, rather than experimenting with new plays and musicals.But with the economy on the upswing, 2016 offers the opportunity to move away a bit from the tried-and-true favorites that have ... READ MORE
