The Absence of a Cello by the Bowie Community Theatre at the Bowie Playhouse, Jul 21-Aug 13

The Absence of a Cello by the Bowie Community Theatre at the Bowie Playhouse, Jul 21-Aug 13

The Absence of a Cello
by Ira Wallach
directed by Ilene Chalmers

July 21 – August 13, 2023
Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM, Sunday matinees at 2PM

Location: Bowie Community Theatre at the Bowie Playhouse

How far would you be willing to go to get the perfect job? Could you sacrifice your entire personality to fit into the ‘Corporate Image’ if it meant bringing home a sweet paycheck? The Absence of a Cello brings us to 1960’s New York, to the Manhattan apartment of Andrew and Celia Pilgrim, as they attempt to answer these questions for themselves in this smartly written comedy with wonderfully quirky characters!

As Martin Gottfried describes: “It is about a physicist who needs money so badly he turns to the $60,000-a-year job offered by a big corporation. He wants the job, but does the company want him? Mr. Personnel is sent to find out. What seems to be starting out as a shopworn target—individuality versus conformity—turns out to be an ingeniously conceived comical discussion of honesty and truth. After being coached by a gray-flanneled collegiate on how to be what every company wants, the scientist is prepared to confront the enemy (after quickly trading in his rolled-up trousers and flapping shirt for a neat brown suit)…He hides the cello he plays with pick-up quartets, he hides the medieval history books his wife writes, he hides all but the acceptable three liquor bottles. He hides, in fact, everything that he and his wife are. And hauls out the television set…What follows is a literately comical playaround with industrial conformity that for sheer humor is, well, wonderfully adult.”

General Admission – $25.00, Seniors (62+) & Students – $20.00.

Buy tickets on-line.

Clean Comedy with Ms. Gayle and Friends at the Publick Playhouse, Jun 8

Clean Comedy with Ms. Gayle and Friends at the Publick Playhouse, Jun 8

Prince George’s Publick Playhouse presents:
Clean Comedy with Ms. Gayle and Friends

Thursday, June 8, 2023, 11am

Prince George’s Publick Playhouse.

This side-splitting comic pokes fun at her country upbringing in rural Virginia, television shows, and various hard knocks of life. A favorite with all audiences, Ms. Gayle will uplift your spirits and have you rolling in the aisles with her uproarious, but clean, commentary and down-home humor.

For Ages 60 and Better

$10. Click here.

Ladies of Laughter at Prince George’s Community College, May 13

Ladies of Laughter at Prince George’s Community College, May 13

Prince George’s Community College presents:
Ladies of Laughter: Funny and Fabulous

Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 7:30 PM

Audience warning: This event is recommended for ages 18+.

Location: Prince George’s Community College, In Person.

Center for Performing Arts, 301 Largo Road Largo, MD 20774

Since it first began at a YWCA in 1998, the Ladies of Laughter has steadily become known as the “career-builder” for women in comedy. Tonight’s show includes three national Ladies of Laughter Winners: Jane Condon, Jocelyn Chia and Leighann Lord.

Its international competition and tour has visited historic theatres and legendary venues like Madison Square Garden and Caesars, and has included major comedic talent, including Amy Schumer, Michelle Buteau, “Big Bang Theory” star Melissa Ruach, and countless other notable women in comedy.

Jane Condon has two boys, otherwise, everything’s fine. Since she’s from a blue-collar town in Massachusetts, she likes to make fun of her current posh address in Greenwich, CT. She loves to tell stories about her adventures (mostly survival tales) with her boys. Condon was named one of 10 Comedy Best Bets in Back Stage’s annual comedy issue (2001). She has appeared on ABC-TV’s “The View” and Lifetime TV’s “Girls’ Night Out” and FOX-TV’s series finale of “24. She won Audience Favorite (NY) on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” Last May 2011, Jane was the commencement speaker at Wellesley College (her alma mater) and at the University of New Haven graduation.

Jocelyn Chia is a New York-based standup comedian originally from Singapore. She is the 2016 Ladies of Laughter Newcomer Winner at Turning Stone Resort Casino. Having lived much of her life in Asia, she brings a unique perspective to her experiences in the United States, which she draws from to entertain audiences with hilarious anecdotes and humorous observations. A lawyer-turned-comedian, she is the winner of the Gotham Comedy Club’s Funniest Lawyer Competition, the first runner-up of the She-Devil Comedy Festival, and has been a guest comedian on the Howard Stern Channel of Sirius XM. She is also a two-time winner of the
Moth Storyslams and enjoys weaving storytelling into her stand-up.

Leighann Lord is smart, sexy, savvy, and funny, Leighann Lord’s “heads-up humor” is stand-up comedy at its finest. Inspired by the brilliance of George Carlin, the smooth jazz style of Franklyn Ajaye, and the elegance of Rita Rudner, Leighann has crafted her own unique brand of Thinking Cap Comedy. It is no wonder she received the NYC Black Comedy Award for “The Most Thought Provoking Black Female Comic.” And for two consecutive years, Leighann was Harlem Week’s official comedian. (The only other comedian in Harlem Week’s history to earn that distinction was Richard Pryor.) Leighann has performed around the world. In London, she appeared at The
Comedy Store, and on the BBC show Blouse and Skirt (think Politically Incorrect meets BET). In The Netherlands, she was a guest on the popular late night talk show Raymann is Late! and The Comedy Factory. A festival favorite, Leighann has been featured in the Trinidad, Montreal, Winnipeg, Halifax, Boston, Detroit and NYC Underground Comedy Festivals. She also entertained U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia during Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as troops helping the Haitian earthquake relief effort (Operation Unified Response). This year, she was featured in Showtime’s “Funny Women of A Certain
Age.”

Tickets: $45 + $4.75, click here.

The Cat in the Hat at the Bowie CPA, Mar 1

The Cat in the Hat at the Bowie CPA, Mar 1

Arts on Stage presents:
Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat
Live on Stage

Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 10:15AM and 12:00 noon

Location: Bowie Center for the Performing Arts.

The Cat in the Hat is the perfect friend for a boring rainy afternoon. From games and mischief to Thing One and Thing Two The Cat brings all sorts of trouble to this grey day— but will Sally and her brother be able to explain the mess to Mother? This Dr. Seuss classic leaps onto the stage with chaotic exuberance in this adaptation from Plaza Theatricals Productions Inc.

Tickets: $9. Click here.

The Book Club Play at Clarice Smith, Feb 24-Mar 4

The Book Club Play at Clarice Smith, Feb 24-Mar 4

The Book Club Play
By Karen Zacarias
Directed by Fatima Quander

February 24 – March 4, 2023
Fri, Feb 24, 2023. 07:30PM
Sat, Feb 25, 2023. 07:30PM
Thu, Mar 2, 2023. 07:30PM
Fri, Mar 3, 2023. 07:30PM
Sat, Mar 4, 2023. 02:00PM
Sat, Mar 4, 2023. 07:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Literature and laughter take center stage! What happens when the devout members of a book club become the focus of a documentary film? Karen Zacarias’ witty comedy focuses on books and those who love them––and the quirky dynamics between them. By the end, you’ll feel like you’re a member of the book club yourself!

Pay what you wish. Click here.

Join us in person at The Clarice! Please note that this performance will not be livestreamed.