Ellen Brooks

The original Mikado was written by Gilbert and Sullivan, opening in 1885 in London. The show is nominally set in Japan where Gilbert and Sullivan could take jabs at the Victorian English. The Hot Mikado was adapted by David H. Bell and Rob Bowman and set into the 1940s; it was performed first in 1986 in Washington, DC. This Masquers production is directed by Ellen Brooks, with music direction by David Howitt.

This is the stuff of which nightmares are made: bad memories and worse imaginings from childhood, pretending to be funny. The Marriage of Bette and Boo is directed by DC Scarpelli and Peter Budinger. Written by Christopher Durang, the show draws close parallels to his own troubled youth. For many, parts of the story are all too true—an upbringing immersed in Catholicism, eccentric relatives, and friends with crazy families.

Part of the job of a work of art is to startle the viewer, to jostle her/his expectations in some way—often, but not necessarily, unpleasantly—to do something new and fresh. Many people who write reviews, or those who burble about a performance just seen, convey their impressions of the work by detailing what happened, not how it made them feel—in other words, they diminish the power of the storyline to surprise the viewer. In my view, every creater should get her/his moment in the sun. For this reason before I see a new work, I usually shun speculation and limit myself to the first sentence and last paragraph of reviews and publicity announcements.

In spite of these habits it’s almost impossible to bring a truly open-minded perspective, so I had expectations for Kitchen Witches—what do you expect from a comedy whose playbill illustrates a chef wearing her mixing bowl with contents as a hat? Camp jokes?

Kitchen Witches, written by Caroline Smith and directed by Robert Taylor, concerns two friends who aren’t, anymore. These historically rancorous celebrity chefs (should that be chèves?) must work a televised show together.

How well do you understand your “secret” inner longings? Well enough that you could take advantage of an opportunity if it arose? Interesting question, and it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Do I Hear A Waltz was created by three Broadway greats: music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and story by Arthur Laurents. This production is directed by Dennis Lickteig with Joanne Gabel as Music Director.