Guest User 8/13/23 Guest User 8/13/23

[MD Theatre Guide] Theatre Review: ’42nd Street’ at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts

In the Hollywood-musical-turned-Broadway show ”42nd Street,” Peggy Sawyer, a young girl from Allentown, PA, dreams of being in a New York Broadway show in the theatre district of 42nd Street. The show fluctuates between the challenges she faces as a Broadway newcomer, her interactions with various people she meets in show business, and her unexpected triumphs towards stardom. It is a show within a show since most of the musical numbers are part of the fictional musical, “Pretty Lady.”

Guest User 8/3/23 Guest User 8/3/23

[Free Lance-Star Review] A grand '42nd Street' makes its way to Riverside

If you ever wondered what happens before the curtain goes up opening night, take a journey to “42nd Street.”

Beyond the marquee lights, there’s also a lot of sweat and tears—not to mention broken ankles, thugs, meltdowns and romantic entanglements.

This Tony-winning classic, onstage at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, is absolutely pure enjoyment as it throws audiences into the Golden Age of musicals.

Guest User 7/26/23 Guest User 7/26/23

[Potomac Local News Review] ‘42nd Street’ at Riverside has got a lot of what it takes to make you smile

The players returned to Riverside Center for the Performing Arts to present “42nd Street,” a story about a girl who moves from a small town to New York City to find fame on Broadway.

Riverside’s production of the high-energy show stars Andrea McArdle as Dorothy Brock, the seasoned star hired to make the fictitious show in the play, “Pretty Lady,” a hit. The iconic McArdle has appeared in several Broadway plays, including her heart-winning performance in the title role of “Annie” in 1977, a major musical based on the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie.”

Guest User 7/24/23 Guest User 7/24/23

[DC Theater Arts Review] ‘42nd Street’ is a winner at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts

An aspiring chorus girl from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Peggy Sawyer, arrives in Depression-era New York and joins the ensemble of Pretty Lady, a new Broadway show. Right before opening night, the star of the show breaks her ankle. Will Peggy be able to step into the starring role and soar to stardom? With marvelous tap numbers, snazzy costumes, and well-known songs like “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “We’re in the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” and “42nd Street,” the musical 42nd Street at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts is a winner.

Guest User 7/20/23 Guest User 7/20/23

[Free Lance-Star] '42nd Street' dances into Riverside Center for the Performing Arts

A show within a show has arrived at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts.

“42nd Street” — based on an iconic 1932 novel-gone-film starring Warner Baxter and Bebe Daniels — débuted yesterday and will run Wednesdays through Sundays through Sept. 10.

And, by all indications, its gearing up to be a showstopper.

Guest User 7/28/21 Guest User 7/28/21

[Free Lance-Star] Heartwarming 'Grumpy Old Men' makes its regional debut at Riverside Center

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts’ production of “Grumpy Old Men” is a salve for pandemic-weary audiences. It’s got a lot of laughs, but it’s got heart, too. That’s according to co-lead Jim Lawson who plays Max Gustafson in the musical.

He and co-lead John Hollinger, who plays fellow grumpy old man John Gustafson, began performing July 21. The show runs through Sept. 5 and is the first regional performance of the “Grumpy Old Men” musical—and the first performance of it after theaters reopened following COVID-19 shutdowns.

Guest User 7/7/21 Guest User 7/7/21

Director & Leading Men preview Grumpy Old Men with Town Talk's Ted Schubel

Listen to John Hollinger (John Gustafson) and Jim Lawson (Max Goldman) preview our production of Grumpy Old Men at Riverside alongside director and choreographer Penny Ayn Maas and Riverside Center's Producing Artistic Director, Patrick A'Hearn and Town Talk's Ted Schubel (NewsTalk 1230 WFVA).

8/5/19 8/5/19

[Prince George's Sentinel] An Enchanted Evening with 'South Pacific'

“I wish I could tell you about the South Pacific. The way it actually was. The endless ocean. The infinite specks of coral we called islands. Coconut palms nodding gracefully toward the ocean. Reefs upon which waves broke into spray, and inner lagoons, lovely beyond description.”

So begins James Michener’s “Tales of the South Pacific,” the book which was the inspirational source of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical “South Pacific.”

The challenge of this musical was to combine visual beauty with the horror of war while sprinkling in elements of romantic comedy.

The Riverside Center for the Performing Arts production, masterfully directed by and choreographed by Penny Ayn Maas and produced by Patrick A’Hearn, succeeds in weaving these delicate threads of the music together and is complemented with an outstanding cast and brilliant singing and musical numbers.

8/5/19 8/5/19

[DC Metro Theatre Arts] Review: ‘South Pacific’ at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific. The winner of multiple Tony awards, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, South Pacific continues to charm audiences seventy years after its debut. Penny Ayn Maas directs and choreographs a powerhouse cast for this beloved production.

8/5/19 8/5/19

[Culpeper Times] CURTAIN CALLS: Islands of delight dot 'South Pacific'

One enchanted evening many years ago (seventy, to be exact) Messrs. Rodgers and Hammerstein opened their mint new musical, “South Pacific”, for its New Haven and Boston previews. The response was immediate and enthusiastic… Riverside Center’s just-opened production scores where it counts most in this tale of two non-traditional love affairs and war in the Pacific. Central to the conflict are one middle-aged Frenchman with the mysterious past, Emile de Becque, and his much younger love interest, the Arkansas-bred nurse, Ensign Nellie Forbush. Around them swirl issues of Japanese invasion, high jinks among the sailors, and a separate, doomed love affair with further racial implications.

8/5/19 8/5/19

[Free Lance-Star] Riverside Center for the Performing Arts sets course for 'South Pacific'

When “South Pacific” first débuted on Broadway, it was an immediate hit.

That was in 1949, pulling on the reflective heartstrings of audiences who had World War II fresh on their minds.

Flash forward to today: While WWII is long gone, many of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein musical’s poignant messages still hit home. The show owns the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts stage through Sept. 15.

8/5/19 8/5/19

[Press Release] Riverside Center for the Performing Arts Announces Cast and Creative Team for South Pacific

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts is excited to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize-winning South Pacific with its new production in Fredericksburg, VA. The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic – which premiered in 1949 – did not have a revival until the 2008 Lincoln Center production (which, like its predecessor, won multiple Tony Awards®). Several of its songs, including “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “There is Nothing Like a Dame,” “Happy Talk,” and “I’m In Love with a Wonderful Guy” have become popular standards.

8/5/19 8/5/19

Penny Ayn Maas previews "Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific" with Town Talk's Ted Schubel!

Listen to Penny Ayn Maas (Director & Choreographer) preview our upcoming production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific at Riverside alongside director and Riverside Center's Producing Artistic Director, Patrick A'Hearn and Town Talk's Ted Schubel (NewsTalk 1230 WFVA).

9/6/18 9/6/18

Prince George's Sentinel: A Harmonious 'Chorus Line' at Riverside Center Dinner Theater

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – “The show was the ‘Hamilton’ of its day.” Thus Patrick A’Hearn, Riverside Center for the Performing Arts producing artistic director, gives his production of “A Chorus Line,” a reference point for today’s audience.

8/27/18 8/27/18

Culpeper Times CURTAIN CALLS: “Chorus Line” – A Singular Sensation

They get out of bed no matter how they feel, show up for the audition, and dance their little hearts out. Some of the bodies are starting to show the wear, and some of the smiles are getting a little more desperate, but this is important. They need this job.

And so the backstage life of a New York musical theatre dancer comes into the spotlight. From the hopeful individuals that the director sees at the beginning to the polished, high-stepping pros that the audience gets at the end, “A Chorus Line” is their story.

Riverside has chosen this one-of-a-kind musical sensation to conclude twenty years of Broadway hit offerings in the region, and it’s a ringer.

8/27/18 8/27/18

Free Lance-Star Review: 'A Chorus Line' exposes heartache and thrill of making it on Broadway

It takes an army of super-talented dancers, singers and actors to put on the big-ticket productions Broadway is known for—shows like “Les Miserables,” “The Lion King,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Wicked.” Who are these hundreds of largely anonymous people? How did they end up where they are?

Onstage at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts through Sept. 16, “A Chorus Line” examines a handful of these unique individuals and what drove them to pursue such a career—as well as the ins and outs, the starts and stops, the thrill and devastation that make performing what it is.

8/7/18 8/7/18

BWW Review: Riverside Center for the Performing Arts' A CHORUS LINE Captures Lightning in a Bottle

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts has a real treat for its 100th production with the classic Broadway musical A Chorus Line. From the iconic opening number to the show-stopping finale, 22 triple-threat performers work tirelessly and prove this production is something really special. There have been recent tours and productions in Virginia, but this is the "One" audiences really must see.

8/7/18 8/7/18

DCMetroTheaterArts Review: ‘A Chorus Line’ at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts

A Broadway musical about Broadway musicals—what could be better for theatre-lovers of all stripes? The iconic A Chorus Line truly fits the bill!

The current production of A Chorus Line at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts is a perfect homage to the original. Riverside’s Producing Artistic Director, Patrick A’Hearn, disclosed that he was waiting to assemble just the right combination of performers, creative team, and production staff before mounting A Chorus Line. He succeeded—and then some!

7/26/18 7/26/18

Free Lance-Star: Get in line for Riverside's latest musical treat: 'A Chorus Line'

Periodically we all have an audition.

These auditions can come in the form of a job interview, passing an important test or meeting all of your spouse’s BFFs. It can be grueling.

Well, performers, dancers and actors go through auditions all the time. And there’s an iconic musical coming to town focused on that process as well as the unique folks that typically comprise it.

The time-tested and iconic Michael Bennett production “A Chorus Line,” with music by Marvin Hamlisch, owns the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts stage through Sept. 16.

7/18/18 7/18/18

DC Metro Theatre Arts: Riverside Center Welcomes One Singular Sensation with 'A Chorus Line'

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg, Virginia is excited to be celebrating 20 years of bringing the best of Broadway in Virginia with the legendary and iconic Broadway musical, A Chorus Line starring J. Clayton Winters as Zach and Nicole Oberleitner as Cassie. A Chorus Line begins performances on July 25th and runs until Sunday, September 16th.

Box Office Hours: