You’ll laugh, cry, and hand jive with this week’s theatre picks.
By Candice Norwood
Brad Lawson as "Roger," Marc Winski as "Doody," Patrick Cragin as "Kenickie," Patrick Joyce as "Sonny," and Matt Nolan as "Danny" in GREASE (Photo by Joan Marcus)
Grease
This, is the original “High School Musical.” With poodle skirts, greasers and hand jives, the classic story of Grease follows the romances and tribulations of a group of friends in the late 1950s. After a fleeting summer of love, good girl Sandy Olsson and bad boy Danny Zuko are reunited when they discover that they are attending Rydell High together. Peer pressure and expectations make this courtship a wild roller coaster. Will Danny’s ego get in the way of his love for Sandy? Will Sandy fight for her summer romance? Experience the fun-filled show that continues to win the hearts of every generation.
The show will run at the Olney Theatre Center from Jul 27 to Aug 28. Get your tickets here.
Rock Bottom: A Rock Opus
Rock band the Blood Orphans were supposed to be the next big thing. They soon find themselves, however, washed up in Amsterdam left to face drug addictions, dark pasts and insecurities. A part of this year’s Capital Fringe Festival, this new rock musical is based on a book by Michael Shilling and tells the story of the final day in the life of the band as it goes down in flames.
“The intimate DCAC venue was perfect for this show. There are only four rows of seating in the quaint theatre,” said Ashunda Norris of the MD Theatre Guide. “If you love sex and rock and you use profanity a lot – this is your show!”
Rock Bottom runs through Aug. 7 at the DC Arts Center. Get your tickets here.
Sherri S. Herren as "M'Lynn Eatenton" and Laura Herren as "Shelby Eatenton" in Steel Magnolias (Photo by Cameron Whitman)
Steel Magnolias
In a close-knit community in Louisiana, five friends learn how to lift one another up deal as they face tragedy and other hardships. The plot primarily focusses on M’Lynn Eatenton and her newly wedded daughter Shelby who suffers from Type 1 diabetes. Each woman’s story, however, is interwoven into the show as they gather and in the safe haven that is Truvy’s beauty parlor. This production stars Sheri S. Herren as M’Lynn and her real-life daughter Laura as Shelby.
“During this production, you’re going to laugh and you’re going to cry,” said Herren. “But at the end you will leave feeling very good about life.”
The show run from July 23 through August 21 at the Church Street Theater. Get your tickets here.
Midsummer Night’s Dream
One of Shakespeare’s most popular and widely produced plays, a Midsummer Night’s Dream has a true Shakespearian story line with unrequited love, deceptions and familial disagreements. The play interweaves the lives of three very different groups of characters, royal Athenians, a group of royal fairies and a band of craftsmen. The fairies attempts to control the hearts of those around them results in mistaken identity and unfortunate consequences. Are the events of this comical and unusual tale reality, or is it all just a midsummer night’s dream?
The play runs through July 31 at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. Get you tickets here.
