Toby’s enchanting ‘Beauty and the Beast’
The current production at Toby’s Dinner Theatre is the family-friendly Beauty and the Beast, based on Disney’s 1991 animated film (which itself was based on an 18th century fairy tale of the same name). Featuring the voices of Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach, the Disney movie made $331 million at the box office and was the first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for ... READ MORE
How to make yourself a happier person
“Don’t believe everything you think.” According to Baltimorean Betty Cherniak, who sports that advice on a bumper sticker, our thoughts get in the way of our happiness. “Thoughts run our lives 24/7,” Cherniak explained in an interview with the Beacon. “They create our reality, but they are not real. We must learn to use our minds instead of letting our minds use... READ MORE
What’s the matter with these kids? Nada!
We oldies certainly do love our childhood heroes — even when those heroes weren’t always so heroic. Frank Sinatra? Hung out with mobsters. Dwight Eisenhower? Might have been an unfaithful husband. Babe Ruth? Never met a bottle of bourbon he didn’t crack open and adore. But I’m still stuck on one idol who never fell (or could fall) off his perch: Walter Johnson. He was... READ MORE
Three books by local authors reveal secrets
In Memoriam We are saddened to report that our longtime book reviewer and columnist, Dinah Rokach, passed away in March. Dinah began publishing her monthly column in the Beacon in 2017. This was her final column. We know our readers who enjoyed her careful selection of good reads will miss her as much as we will. —The Beacon The Bibliophile This spring, learn more about... READ MORE
‘Little Shop of Horrors’ blossoms at Ford’s
Little Shop of Horrors, at Ford’s Theatre through May 18, is a noir musical full of dark ambitions, cruel acts, flawed characters and some of the most wonderful voices in the D.C. theater scene. Directed by Kevin S. McAllister, the musical leans into its pulp science-fiction and 1950s roots with music, costumes and set. With music by Alan Menken, the 1982 musical was based on a 1960... READ MORE
Turning scrap wood to wildlife paintings
If you’ve ever seen the Mona Lisa in person, you may have noticed that the painting was made on wood, not canvas. Leonardo da Vinci painted La Joconde’s mysterious smile on a panel of wood from a white poplar tree. In fact, most artists, from Raphael to Peter Bruegel, painted on wood until canvas became popular in the 18th century. Wood is also the canvas of Ellicott City artist... READ MORE
Books on how science impacts our lives
The Bibliphile These three books provide a unique perspective on the world around us. Pretty Good House: A Guide to Creating Better Homes, by Michael Maines, Daniel Kolbert, Emily Mottram and Christopher Briley, 252 pages, Taunton Press hardcover, 2022 Whether you’re building your dream house, planning a home renovation, replacing mechanical systems or considering solar panels,... READ MORE
Dreaming of GPS voices from yesteryear
After years of struggle, I’ve made some tentative peace with newfangled gimmickry. I can deal with e-mail, voice mail, texting and Google. But there’s one 21st century presence that leaves me pining for days of yore: That woman who gives me directions via GPS. You know her. If you tee up an address on your smartphone, she’s right there, snippy and snappy, ordering you to turn... READ MORE
A glittery, gritty ‘Chorus Line’ at Toby’s
A Chorus Line, one of the longest-running Broadway shows of all time, highlights both the romance and the struggle of performing in a Broadway musical. Behind the glory of being part of a show in America’s theater capital are hard work, constant auditions, likelihood of rejection, and — at least for the characters in the show — the need to overcome the harsh experiences of the... READ MORE
Fascinating biography from local author
At 86, Baltimore writer Frances Altman has reinvented herself many times throughout her life. Her new book, Destiny’s Daughter, published last year, is a biography of a woman who also had to change with the times. Altman was inspired to write the book more than a decade ago, after seeing a news clipping about Mary Edwards Walker, the first American woman to graduate medical school, in... READ MORE
