MetroStage premiers D.C.-based musical
Alexandria’s MetroStage offers something for readers and theater-goers alike with its world premiere production of Blackberry Daze, a musical based on the whodunit novel Blackberry Days of Summer, by Ruth P. Watson.The author hopes this production, with a run lasting from Sept. 1 to Oct. 9, will eventually lead to Broadway. And beyond that, she can see a series of musicals based on... READ MORE
Artist’s vibrant paintings are best sellers
Local best-sellerdom has come to Columbia resident Yolanda Koh. She is not a writer, but an artist who works mostly in watercolors and a new medium known as alcohol ink.In nine months, Koh has sold 50 works to area art collectors via the HorseSpirit Arts Gallery in Ellicott City. That’s a considerable number of purchases in any gallery for one artist. (The gallery, located on... READ MORE
Choice of continuing education classes
September traditionally means back to school, and that’s true no matter what age you are. Baltimore offers a range of continuing education classes that are sure to pique your interest. Here are just a few: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute The mission of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Towson University is to offer adults, age 50 and older, opportunities for continued... READ MORE
Vagabond Players celebrate 100 years
Baltimore’s Vagabond Players, “America’s Oldest Little Theatre,” may be celebrating the past 100 years, but it has its sights set firmly on upcoming seasons.With renovated space, a new season beginning Sept. 9, and an upcoming gala party on Oct. 16, it’s a time to give thanks for the past but also look to the future, say longtime board members Carol and Tim... READ MORE
Still adventurous after all these years
Look at the liner notes on Paul Simon’s new disc, “Stranger to Stranger,” and it seems like a laboratory of exotic instruments. Musicians use a mbira, a bamboo marimba, cloud chamber bowls, a chromelodeon, a zoomoozophone — and a cheap clock.It’s an album as notable for its sound as its songs, without the feel of an academic exercise. Simon, at 74, is more... READ MORE
Musical groups keep nostalgic tunes alive
The big band (and small combo) sounds from the not-all-that-distant past are being swung around town these days by the 20-member Ain’t Misbehavin’ Big Band and the Rearview Mirror duo.Name that tune from the ‘30s to the ‘80s, and these groups will most likely have it on their charts.Rearview Mirror’s two-person group — Columbia residents Iris Hirsch, ... READ MORE
Winning big on TV’s “The Price is Right”
Eva McQueen-Gates says she doesn’t consider herself a lucky person. In fact, she recently lost money on a trip to Las Vegas. But that all changed a few days later when her name was called with the hallmark “Come on down!” on “The Price is Right.”McQueen-Gates, who is 63 and lives in Brandywine, Md., could hardly contain her excitement. She leapt up from her... READ MORE
Pickleball offers fun way to fitness for all
Mix together a bit of badminton, ping pong and tennis, and you’ve got pickleball — a game that’s growing in popularity across the country.“It’s addictive,” said Susan Smolen, who first heard of the game about eight years ago while visiting a friend in Florida. Now Smolen plays four times a week when she’s in Baltimore, and “every day, all... READ MORE
Local architect produces first rock opera
A new original musical will open at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre for six performances from July 22 to 31. Called 99 — A Rock Opera, the musical was written by local musician and composer Mark Baughman and directed by Jonathan Zuck, an award-winning film and stage director. It tells a story about two former soul mates who are reunited on opposite sides of a protest in a... READ MORE
Sam Waterston’s 60-year career on stage
Actor Sam Waterston plays a nefarious lobbyist for the gun industry in the movie he’s now filming. And like Toronto, which is filling in for the Washington-set movie since filming is cheaper there, Waterston is also playing somewhat off-type.“I’m not a very nice guy,” Waterston says of his role in Miss Sloan, also starring Jessica Chastain and John Lithgow, and set... READ MORE
