The Williamsburg Players production of A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine is half musical review and half short musical comedy. While Day was unfortunately a bit of a struggle to sit through, Night made up for it in spades. I think I’m a new fan of the Marx Brothers now.

Biloxi Blues, the second selection of the trilogy of plays based on the life of the author, Neil Simon, takes us into the world of a group of GI's in Basic Training during WW2.  The manner in which "the greatest generation" is shown at Little Theatre of Norfolk, gives us all a new perspective on their life.  Especially during the greatest conflict the world has seen to date.

Man of LaMancha has always rated amongst my favorite musicals and overall Smithfield Little Theatre has met my expectations. For those who may not know, Man of LaMancha is based on the novel Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes about a dreamer, idealist and optimist much like Candide. We follow his journey as he battles windmills, knights and moors all to defend the honor of his Dulcinea.

For those keeping count, a review has to accomplish a few things. In general, those things are: to tell a bit about the story, to describe how well it was acted, to describe the technical aspects, and finally, to motivate a reader to either attend or avoid the event. However this is easier said than done.

Smith! Being the Life and Death of Cap’n John, produced by Virginia Premiere Theatre at the Kimball Theater, is inventive, witty and a drama well worth seeing.

Admittedly I'm a Sondheim junkie. I confess that he's my favorite American musical theater composer/lyricist. Perhaps it is my English degree that digs through his metaphors, or that fact that I'm partial to strings in an orchestra, but either way, he's my hetero man crush. What's not to admire about someone who has won multiple Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and did I mention the Grammy?

The crusty Christie is back, and this time…she’s ….well the same thing she always is.  It’s Agatha Christie, a favorite of high schools and Little Theaters everywhere.  You already know the story, a few people, stuck somewhere, get bumped off one by one until the person you least suspect for doing it is caught.  Admittedly this is not one of my favorite types of theater so I have to ask myself why is this show still running in London?  Perhaps getting there is half the fun…I mean, you do have to figure out whodunit.  So you’d better pay attention, because the clues are hard to catch from this cast at the Little Theatre of Norfolk. 

Eugene Ionesco is often considered a “love him or hate him” kind of playwright. Whether or not this is true, after Regent University’s An Evening of Ionesco, I have come to the conclusion that Ionesco is at least not for the faint of heart. Nor for the weak of bladder.

“Off the Top” is a comedy improv show that models itself after the popular television series, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”. Coming from an acting background, it sounds like a lot of fun to participate in the improv games they do on TV. And, honestly, it seemed that the actors at the 40th Street Stage were having a ball. They were loud, they were confident, they were laughing and carrying on. They had a great time. I did not.

Vulgar Little Theatre Company presents what could be called an extreme bastardization of Moliere's play The Doctor In Spite of Himself at 40th Street Stage.  The play by Moliere (if you want to still call it that) has been adapted by Frankie Little Hardin and leaves you with 'little' of Moliere.