Andrea Stephenson - Page 12

Jeeves first appears in a series of English novels by P.G. Wodehouse. Jeeves, valet to Bertie Wooster, a rich young man, is truly the brains of the operation, assisting Bertie in disentangling himself from various predicaments. Jeeves appears in a multitude of manifestations from the 1990 television series Jeeves and Wooster starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie to films, radio shows, musicals, comics, and, perhaps most popular in the States, plays written by Margaret Raether. Jeeves Takes a Bow is the third in Raether's Jeeves series and comes to life on stage at Oyster Mill Playhouse now through September 1.

One of the most impactful theatre experiences I've had in the last year was seeing the Gettysburg Community Theatre Penguin Project's production of The Wizard of Oz. I have been looking forward to their next production, and it is finally upon us. Between the teamwork displayed by the actors, the passion they put into their acting and singing, and the support of the audience, it is a magical time. Starting on August 16th, GCT's Penguin Project will be bringing Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, Jr. to the Eichelberger Performing Arts Center in Hanover. Madagascar is based on the 2005 animated DreamWorks film. It features a group of lovable animals at the Central Park Zoo. Marty the zebra longs for adventure, and boy does he get one-along with his friends Alex, Melman, and Gloria, they end up in Madagascar. Join Marty, his friends, some crazy penguins, and a pack of lemurs for the adventure of a lifetime this weekend only! Young teen performer Cassie Smith took a few moments to share her experience with Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, Jr. with us.

Finding Neverland, the 2004 Academy Award-winning film starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, was based on the 1998 play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee. In 2015, the stage version with music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy and book by James Graham first appeared on Broadway.

The Little Mermaid at Hershey Area Playhouse is an aesthetically beautiful and well-directed show. You'll definitely want to add this show to your summer 'must-see' list.

Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs is the first play in his semi-autobiographical trilogy, which also includes Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound. The play tells the story of a family living in the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn, New York during the depression. Since its Broadway premier at the Alvin Theatre in 1983, it has been hailed as one of Simon's best plays because of the authenticity of the family relationships it portrays. While the 1986 film version was found lacking by critics, and an attempted Broadway revival in 2009 was unsuccessful, Brighton Beach Memoirs has found its way to the community theatre stage bringing Simon's well-written characters and trademark humor to modern audiences. You can catch Brighton Beach Memoirs at Oyster Mill Playhouse from July 12-28. To find out a little more about the play and its production at Oyster Mill, we spoke with Aliza Bardfield, who will be portraying the role of Kate.

The Ledge packs a great deal into just ten minutes. Using a quirky character and easy to laugh at humor, it takes a look at the very serious realities of anxiety and fear.

If you're looking for a fun show that will make you laugh and think, Theatre Harrisburg's Sylvia is just the ticket.

For a fresh experience of a musical that really took the theatre world by storm in the early 2000s, definitely take the time to see Rent: School Edition at DreamWrights. I have no doubt you will be impressed by the fearlessness, passion, and talent in this group of young performers.

The Last Night of Ballyhoo was first performed at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre and found its way to the Broadway stage in 1997 at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Written by Alfred Uhry, The Last Night of Ballyhoo takes place in 1939 in the home of Adolph Freitag in Atlanta, Georgia. The play explores themes of identity, prejudice, and inter-Jewish racism through the lives of Adolph and his sister Beulah 'Boo' Levy, their sister-in-law Reba Freitag, cousins Lala Levy (Beulah's daughter) and Sunny Freitag (Reba's daughter), and two young men-Joe Farkas from New York and Peachy Weil of the Louisana Weils. Oyster Mill Playhouse takes on this deep yet humorous play through May 12th.

The musical The Spitfire Grill was first produced Off-Broadway at the Duke Theatre in 2001. Written by James Valcq and Fred Alley, the musical is based on the 1996 film. The show presents us with a moment in the life of Percy Talbot, a young woman recently released from prison, and the residents of Gilead, where the Spitfire Grill is up for sale. The Spitfire Grill is a beautiful show that requires a strong cast and creative direction to truly come alive. Under the direction of Laurie Riffe, the cast and crew at DreamWrights Center for Community Arts deliver an authentic, heartwarming production of The Spitfire Grill.

Arthur, Guenevere, Lancelot, Merlin-these names spark the imagination and bring to mind images of knights, swords, castles, and magic. The tales of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the legendary Camelot are the subject of myriad novels, movies, TV shows, songs, plays, and musicals. From the 1938 tale The Sword the Stone (which was made into the animated film by Disney in 1963) to the 2008 TV series Merlin to the 2005 Broadway show Monty Python's Spamalot (based on the 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail), for generations these stories have taken us on magical adventures. The 1960 musical Camelot, by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe is based on the T.H. White novel The Once and Future King. Camelot comes to life at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre May 9-June 22. Check out our interview with Matthew Blake Johnson, who can be seen on stage at Dutch Apple as Mordred in Camelot.

Alfred Uhry, the playwright most well-known for Driving Miss Daisy, penned The Last Night of Ballyhoo based on his own childhood memories. The Last Night of Ballyhoo is set in Atlanta, Georgia in December 1939. It was originally performed at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre as part of the Summer Olympics Arts Festival. In 1997 it made its way to the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway. The play explores questions of prejudice and identity through the eyes of a Jewish family in Georgia, who have assimilated to the culture around them-even displaying a Christmas tree in their house, and Joe Farkas, an Eastern European Jew whose presence forces the family to examine their inter-Jewish racism. The term Ballyhoo in the title refers to a cotillion ball being held at the country club to which the family belongs. The Last Night of Ballyhoo takes on these questions of identity with a healthy dose of southern humor and can be seen now at Oyster Mill Playhouse under the direction of Aliza Bardfield and Michael Hosler through May 12th.

Add together a foggy night, dead body, clues that point in different directions, twists and turns, and what do you get? Agatha Christie's The Unexpected Guest. The Unexpected Guest opened in 1958 in the West End and was turned into a novel by Charles Osborne in 1999. Test out your detective skills at Little Theatre Mechanicsburg where The Unexpected Guest will take the stage April 26-May 12. I had the opportunity to take a sneak peak of the first act and to speak with two of the actors-Kaitlyn Booth, portraying Laura Warwick, and Nova Lorraine, playing Inspector Thomas.

'For time is the longest distance between places' but in the case of an iconic play like The Glass Menagerie, time seems to melt away. Tennessee Williams based the play on his 1943 short story 'Portrait of a Girl in Glass.' The Glass Menagerie premiered in 1944 in Chicago where it caught the attention of critics Ashton Stevens and Claudia Cassidy. With their help, the producers were able to move the play to Broadway, where it opened at the Playhouse Theatre in 1945. In The Glass Menagerie, the character Tom serves as both narrator and character in a play that is memory and yet somehow very real and present. The Glass Menagerie runs April 4-April 14 at Hershey Area Playhouse.