83 stories by "Herb Merrick"
Hubba Hubba" marks the return engagement of the 2023 production by Alex and Olmsted, puppeteer performance artists Sarah Olmsted Thomas and Alex Verdon, with lighting by Tori Munoz. They dev…
One of the first documented book clubs was formed by Anne Hutchinson aboard a ship bound for the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634 in order to discuss sermons on Puritan beliefs Although book…
"Peter Pan" is a musical based on a 1904 play, "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," by Sir James M. Barrie and his subsequent 1911 novel, "Peter and Wendy." Â The play opened on B…
Congratulations to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for programming a most interesting evening of music exploring the ever-translucent boundaries between classical and popular music in the c…
"Crumbs from the Table of Joy" is one of the earliest plays by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lynn Nottage. The play premiered off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in 1995 as part of a pr…
"A Chorus Line" is an iconic musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. The Broadway production ran for approximately 15 y…
This BSO Pops concert features actress/singer Capathia Jenkins with back-up singers Rajdilari, Randy Chalmers, and Sydney Brooke Harper, in a program of rhythm and blues covers of well-known…
"Dial M For Murder," by British playwright Frederick Knott, premiered both on Broadway and in London's West End in 1952. The initial production, featuring Maurice Evans, Anthony Dawson, and …
The character and story of Cinderella has a long tradition and many variants. In the first century A.D., the Greek geographer and historian Strabo reported an ancient Egyptian oral folk tale…
"Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical" (originally titled "Here's Love"), with music, book, and lyrics by Meredith Willson ("The Music Man"), premiered on Broadway in 1963 and is based on the…
"Broadway Legends" is a superb evening of musical theatre songs from over the past 90 years. The performers all have extensive Broadway performance experience. Tenor Hugh Panaro holds the re…
"Funny Girl" is the musical story of Fannie Brice, an early 20th century star of film, stage, and radio, who specialized in zany comedy. The original production premiered on Broadway in 1964…
President and CEO of the BSO, Mark Hanson greeted the audience and, in recognition of the human loss and suffering in Israel and Gaza, the orchestra performed John Williams' "Elegy," a short…
Michael Cavanaugh is an actor, pianist, and vocalist focusing on the American rock 'n' roll canon. He was chosen by Billy Joel to star in the Broadway musical "Movin' Out" and received both …
"Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill" is a jukebox musical written by Lanie Robertson. The setting is a cabaret bar in South Philadelphia in March 1959 in which vocalist Billie Holiday perfo…
Michael Feinstein, vocalist and pianist, is a music revivalist and archivist of the Great American Songbook. He is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Pasadena Orchestra and the Artistic Dir…
"Sister Act" is a musical adapted from the popular 1992 film of the same name, with new music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, with additional…
Henrik Ibsen's three-act play, "A Doll's House," was published in 1879 in Copenhagen and sold 13,500 copies within the first three months. The world premiere at the Royal Theatre in Copenhag…
The pre-Broadway national tour of "The Wiz" kicks off in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theater from September 23-30, 2023, with a limited Broadway engagement planned for spring of 2024. The or…
This production was not what I expected"a play about the story of the two musicians, Chuck and Eva, and how their unusual friendship led to the development of an album of songs from the Grea…
Directed by Signature Theatre's Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, with the Wolf Trap Orchestra conducted by Jon Kalbfleisch, Signature's resident music director, "Broadway in the Park" was…
Disney Theatrical Productions faced a challenge when it decided to produce a musical stage version of their successful film. "Frozen" is based on the beloved Hans Christian Andersen fairy ta…
Written by Mary Chase in 1944, "Harvey" won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama the following year. The original Broadway production ran for over four years (1,775 performances) and was directed by…
 The musical "Grease" (music, lyrics, and book by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, with additional songs by John Farrar) has remarkably survived over 50 years of Broadway and West End produc…
Leslie Odom, Jr. (actor/singer/composer) has accomplished a lot in the first 25 years of a diversified career spanning many performance genres. He has appeared in leading roles on film and s…