Tempo

  “Grease” is the word as the Jewish Ensemble Theatre presents the high-energy, ’50s-flavored musical at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 to 29 at the Walled Lake Farmers Market, 1499 E. West Maple Road. The show is being presented in cooperation with the Walled Lake Downtown Development Authority. Set in 1959 in the fictional Rydell High School, it follows 10 teens as they navigate peer pressure, personal problems and romance woes. Sandy and Danny, who had a summer romance, are unexpectedly reunited in high school, and discover … [Read more...] about JET presents ‘Grease’ at outdoor farmers market

  Barefoot Productions reopens its theater with a reimagined production of Shakespeare’s “Two Gentlemen of Verona/Livonia,” as Archie and his comic cohorts travel from Livonia to Milford through the Forest of Kensington. The non-profit theater, located in Civic Center Plaza, 33735 Five Mile Road in Livonia, sets a Shakespearean comedy on familiar terrain, with familiar comic book characters. Two young men, Proteus and Valentine, pursue love and friendship as they travel through the forest to a nearby town, falling in … [Read more...] about Shakespeare with a twist: Archie and the gang take on ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona/Livonia’

  As thespians emerge amid a pandemic that threatens to resurge, two local theaters present safer outdoor options, with the Players Guild of Dearborn performing “Godspell” in its parking lot, and Shakespeare Royal Oak presenting “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Starr Jaycee Park. ‘GODSPELL’ OFFERS MOVING MUSICAL UNDER THE STARS The talented teen Guildlings present the Stephen Schwartz musical, “Godspell” at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 to 15, in the parking lot of the Players Guild of Dearborn, 21730 Madison, Dearborn. “Godspell,” a … [Read more...] about Outdoor performances of ‘Godspell’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ offer safer staging

  Open Book Theatre Company’s final Driveway Theatre production of the summer, local playwright Craig Ester’s “You Talk White” is available for bookings Aug. 13 to Sept. 17 Downriver and beyond. Directed by K. Edmonds, the play features Joe Gaskill as Des and Breon Canady as Bell, 12-year-olds who learn to deal with racism through the eyes of children seeking friendship in a fun, high-energy, 30-minute show. Ester said when he started writing “You Talk White” he realized that he wanted to express feelings he had when he … [Read more...] about OBTC presents final summer Driveway Theatre show, ‘You Talk White’

  After closing the theater’s doors on March 13, 2020, and producing virtual theater in the interim, the Downriver Youth Performing Arts Center is ready to open, with “Newsies the Musical,” which was in rehearsals when the pandemic struck. “Newsies” is a high-energy, dance intensive musical based on the historical newsboy strike in New York City in 1899, that took on Joseph Pulitzer when he tried to cut their meager profits to enrich his own coffers. The show casts both boys and girls as newsies, DYPAC administrator … [Read more...] about Hot off the press: DYPAC presents ‘Newsies the Musical’

  With the return of the Wyandotte Street Art Fair, area art organizations were able to set up shop and offer information to local cultural connoisseurs. Trenton’s Open Book Theatre Company was among those encamped on Biddle, offering season flyers and the promise of live theater as the pandemic wanes. The season opens with Steven Dietz’s “This Random World” Sept. 10 to Oct. 10, billed as “a funny and intimate exploration of the lives that may be happening just out of reach of our own.” As the holidays approach, … [Read more...] about Open Book Theatre Company announces season; local thespians remember Diana Reynolds

  Following flood damage to the Crestwood High School auditorium, the student and alumni production of the musical “Jekyll and Hyde” will be performed at 7 p.m. July 29, 30 and 31 at Riverside Middle School in Dearborn Heights. Director Cayla Kolbusz said that by working together as a team, she and her student and alumni actors have been able to overcome the hardships of not only the pandemic, but the flooding of their auditorium. “We are standing together, and we are making it work,” she said. “I want my students to … [Read more...] about The show must go on: Crestwood High School presents ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ at Riverside Middle School

  The auditorium of Dearborn Heights Crestwood High School was heavily damaged by flooding June 26, a month before the opening of the student and alumni-cast musical “Jekyll and Hyde.” However, the show will go on, artistic director Cayla Kolbusz said, revealing that Riverside Middle School, 25900 W. Warren, in Dearborn Heights, will host the weekend performances. “We are planning on keeping the original show dates,” she said. “This is a horrible loss for us, but we are committed to finishing what we started.” “Jekyll … [Read more...] about Open Book opens another Driveway Theater show; Crestwood theater damaged by flooding

  The Trenton High School theater company marks its return to the stage with the on-demand streaming production of John Mattera’s 30-minute murder mystery “An Open and Shut Case.” The show, which was rehearsed and recorded in person, will stream June 26 and 27 on demand. Director Cheyla Wagner said the group’s 2020 spring musical, “Mama Mia,” and play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” were canceled due to the pandemic. “For our 2020-21 season, we did a virtual radio show, “A Christmas Carol,” which I adapted myself, and a … [Read more...] about Trenton High School streams murder mystery ‘An Open and Shut Case’

  Members of the Ringwald Theatre Company have become musical mentors to like-minded teens in its upcoming outdoor production of The Go-Go’s jukebox musical comedy “Head Over Heels.” It follows the royal family of Arcadia on their journey to keep their famous “Beat.” The plot includes a usurped kingship, unlikely couples and gender-fluid disguises, which supports unconditional love and self-acceptance, including gender and sexual identity. The music includes “We Got the Beat,” “Mad About You,” “Cool Jerk,” “Vacation,” … [Read more...] about Musical mentors: Ringwald company tutor teens in musical ‘Head Over Heels