Katie Laban is BroadwayWorlds Detroit Contributing Editor and a freelance writer and photographer in the Detroit area. She also writes for Hear Magazine. She has a strong passion for all things creative, especially theatre, and loves to support Michigan arts.
 BWW Reviews: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Catches the Audience By Surprise
May 17, 2013
Catch Me If You Can really does catch the audience by surprise. The national tour of the musical, currently playing at the Fisher Theatre, is entertaining from start to finish. Based on a true story and a 2002 film of the same title by Steven Spielberg, it tells the tale of Frank Abagnale, Jr., who between the ages of 16 and 21, forged and cashed $2.5 million worth of bad checks in the United States and other countries. The show begins at the end then retells the story of what Frank, Jr. did and the FBI officer who chased him and eventually caught him.
 CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Lead Dominic Fortuna Bringing Excitement to Hometown of Detroit
May 6, 2013
Dominic Fortuna is no stranger to Detroit. Born and raised in Michigan, the actor is excited to be playing Frank Abagnale, Sr. in the national tour of Catch Me If You Can, which opens Tuesday at the Fisher Theatre and runs through May 19th.
 BWW Reviews: Five Reasons Why You Should See MEMPHIS Before It Leaves Detroit April 21st!
April 19, 2013
Memphis has been entertaining audiences for over a week at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit and is definitely a show that needs to be experienced! Not convinced? Here are five reasons why you should go see it:
 BWW Interviews: Universtiy of Michigan Alum Kent Overshown is Excited for MEMPHIS to Arrive in Detroit!
April 8, 2013
University of Michigan graduate Kent Overshown discovered "the magic of musical theatre" as he calls it when he started high school and has loved it ever since. Currently on tour with Memphis, he excited to bring it to Michigan and be near his second home of Ann Arbor.
 BWW Interview: HAIR Tour Brings Love to the Fox Theatre in Detroit This Weekend
February 28, 2013
The national tour of HAIR is coming to the Fox Theatre in Detroit this weekend. Cast member Brittany Rose Hammond says, "it's a show that an audience filled with different generations and different types of people can enjoy and share the same message of peace, love, and harmony."
 BWW Review: Meadow Brook Theatre's NEXT TO NORMAL is a Stand-Out Production
February 28, 2013
Sometimes when a theatre tackles a Broadway show that has recently ended, comparisons to that show make it tough not to compare the two, but that is not the case with Meadow Brook Theatre's production of Next to Normal. Not only did it do the original Broadway show justice with talented cast connecting with the audience emotionally, this production took an award winning show making it their own and standing out because of it.
 BWW Reviews: THE LION KING Should Not Be Missed at the Detroit Opera House!
February 25, 2013
While most people know the story of The Lion King, everyone needs to experience musical stage version. The production is currently here in the Motor City at the Detroit Opera House until March 10th and the show is not one to be missed!
 Helping Hands Campaign and Cast of THE LION KING Perform City of Hope Charity Concert Tonight
February 25, 2013
Cast members of the national tour of Disney's The Lion King, which is running currently at the Detroit Opera House, are performing in a benefit concert called City of Hope tonight, February 25th. The concert, a benefit for the Detroit School of Arts Music Technology Department, is arranged by The Helping Hands Foundation and will be an evening of jazz and spoken word.
Helping Hands Campaign and The Cast of THE LION KING to Perform City of Hope Charity Concert, 2/25
February 22, 2013
Cast members of the national tour of Disney's The Lion King, which is running currently at the Detroit Opera House, are performing in a benefit concert called City of Hope on Monday, February 25th. The concert, a benefit for the Detroit School of Arts Music Technology Department, is arranged by The Helping Hands Foundation and will be an evening of jazz and spoken word.
 BWW Interview: Brent Griffith Talks MARRIAGE at Hilberry Theatre
February 21, 2013
The comedy Marriage opens this weekend at the Hilberry Theatre and actor Brent Griffith is excited to perform the lead role of Podkoliosin the bachelor although he did not do any extreme preparations for the role. "I am not married and have never been engaged," he says, "and I didn't go out and do either to gain experience for the role."
 BWW Interviews: Native Detroiter John Sloan III Comes Home for THE LION KING, Feb. 15-March 10
February 15, 2013
Native Detroiter John Sloan III is thrilled to be part of the company of Disney's The Lion King and bringing it back to his hometown. The production, a staple in New York City for over fifteen years and on tour for over ten years, is brought to the Motor City by Broadway in Detroit and will be housed at the Detroit Opera House for three weeks.
 Get Ready for a Divine Time When SISTER ACT Comes to the Wharton Center, Feb. 12-17
February 11, 2013
Sister Act, the Tony Award nominated musical, is coming to the Wharton Center and Hollis Resnik, who plays Mother Superior, knows the audience will be in for a fun time. 'It will make you smile and feel really good about yourself and your life,' she says.
 BWW Reviews: LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL at Oakland University is a Seriously Good Time!
February 6, 2013
Oakland University's production of Legally Blonde the Musical is a seriously good time. From the moment the talented cast enters the stage, the audience is constantly entertained, laughing, and having fun!
 BWW Interviews: Cullen R. Titmus is Excited to Bring BILLY ELLIOT to the Wharton Center
January 15, 2013
Cullen R. Titmas is a touring veteran and still gets excited for every city he performs in. "Tour life is fun," he says and he is excited to bring Billy Elliot the Musical to the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts. "It's a unique show that anyone can enjoy," Titmas says. The show is set in a small English town and follows the young boy Billy as he follows his dreams to becoming a ballet dancer that changes his own life and the lives in his community.
 BWW Interviews: Nick Cosgrove is Frankie Valli in JERSEY BOYS at the Fisher Theatre
January 2, 2013
Nick Cosgrove could not be more excited to be performing the role of Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, which is part of Broadway in Detroit's current season. "I'm really excited to be on tour and come to Detroit and play this role every night," he says.
 BWW Reviews: CHRISTMAS WITH THE RAT PACK - LIVE AT THE SANDS Brings on the Holiday Spirit
November 29, 2012
Christmas with The Rat Pack - Live at The Sands is an entertaining, nostalgic show that will put anyone in the holiday spirit. Actors bring to life Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. with a big band backing them and sing the songs that they are known for as well as holiday favorites, which make the audience feel like they are back in Sands Hotel in Las Vegas seeing The Rat Pack perform in the 1960s.
 BWW Reviews: JEKYLL & HYDE THE MUSICAL is an Extraordinary Experience
November 28, 2012
The new production of Jekyll & Hyde the Musical visits Detroit before heading to Broadway early next year. The tour is astounding in all aspects and worth the time to experience before the limited engagement here is over. The production that stars Tony Award Nominee Constantine Maroulis and Grammy Award Nominee Deborah Cox is filled with beautiful music enhanced by emotionally charged singing and is visually stimulating to watch with its creative set and exceptional costumes.
 BWW Interviews: JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH's Company Hopes to Bring Magic to the Stage
October 14, 2012
The Department of Theatre at Michigan State University is excited to bring the magic of James and The Giant Peach to life. The show is magical experience for all ages to enjoy.
 BWW Reviews: Meadow Brook Theatre's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE is Haunting Good Time
October 13, 2012
When entering the Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, the first site to be seen is the curtain draped on the stage with a creepy house and ominous tress projected on it, which sets the tone perfectly for the production of the Michigan premiere of The Haunting of Hill House. This dramatic and scary play is done extremely well by the seven-person cast. It is a great show to open the theatre's season and get the audience in the mood for the eeriness of the Halloween season with all its creepy surprises.
 BWW Interviews: Writers of FLOWERS UP HER ATTIC at The Ringwald Talk Show's Debut
October 13, 2012
Flowers Up Her Attic, an unauthorized parody, will make its world premiere at The Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale. The show is parody of the well-known book Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. Michigan playwrights Marke Sobolewski and Joe Bailey wrote the play and could not be more excited to debut it at the theatre.
 BWW Interviews: Basement Arts is Proud of Its Production of PROOF
October 13, 2012
University of Michigan's Basement Arts kicked off its latest season with a production of Proof. Basement Arts is an entirely student run organization that puts on shows through out the year. They are excited to have started their season with the well-known play by David Auburn and proud of how the production turned out.
 BWW Reviews: EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL is a Bloody, Fun Production
October 11, 2012
This is a tale filled with blood, and lots of it, guts, and glory, but this is not the latest scary, slasher, horror film at the movies. This is Evil Dead The Musical. The Ringwald Theatre and Olympia entertainment bring back the musical, based on the cult classic movies, to the City Theatre in the Hockeytown Cafe in Detroit for the month of October. The show is a great way to get in the mood for the Halloween season, but remember that it includes "fountains of blood with a mind of its own."
 St. Dunstan's Theatre to Open Their Latest Season With IT CAME FROM MARS!
October 11, 2012
St. Dunstan's Theatre will be the first community theatre to perform local Michigan playwright, Joseph Zettlemaier's, It Came From Mars! The six-person cast brings to life the comedic show about the threat of Martians taking over the world and how it affects a 1930s radio show. The theatre is excited to be doing the show as it is only the fourth production of it to be performed.
 BWW Reviews: Everyone Needs to Experience POLICE DEAF NEAR FAR Bringing Deaf Culture to Life On Stage
October 9, 2012
Sometimes there is a show that is impossible to give an adequate and deserving review about. Police Deaf Near Far, the Michigan premiere collaboration between TerpTheatre and Oakland University Theatre, is one of these shows. This production is amazing in all aspects and needs to be experienced by every theatre person, actually every human being, who exists, whether they are experienced with deaf culture or not. The extremely talented cast brings to life a show that is brutally honest with an emotional intensity that touches anyone who sees it while educating them about deaf culture at the same time.
 BWW Interviews: Carla Milarch Returns to the Stage as Amanda in Performance Network's THE GLASS MENAGERIE
October 5, 2012
The Glass Menagerie opens tonight at the Performance Network Theatre and Ann Arbor's only resident professional theatre company is ready to take on the classic play by Tennessee Williams. Carla Milarch returns to the stage after five-year hiatus to portray one of more iconic roles in theatre, Williams' Amanda Wingfield.
 BWW Interviews: EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL returns to Detroit for a Limited Bloody Good Time!
October 4, 2012
Evil Dead: The Musical, presented by The Ringwald Theatre and Olympia Entertainment, has return for a limited four-week engagement to the City Theatre inside of the Hockeytown Caf in Detroit. The talent of the show could not be more excited to bring the terrifyingly hysterical musical back to life again that is so well loved by fans.
 The Guess Who's BURTON CUMMINGS Opens the Macomb Center with a Solo Concert, 10/6
October 4, 2012
The critically acclaimed singer and songwriter, Burton Cummings, will be open up the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts new season. An original member of the The Guess Who, Cummings will perform a special solo concert on Saturday, October 6th, his first appearance in the Detroit area in over two years.
 BWW Reviews: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES Has a Spectacular Opening at the Fisher Theatre
September 27, 2012
La Cage Aux Folles opened with a flourish of sparkles, dancing, and laughter tonight at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber led the entertaining cast in this funny, yet heartfelt show.
 BWW Reviews: HAMTOWN RACES at the Planet Ant Theatre is a Must-See Production!
September 26, 2012
Hamtown Races opened at the Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck this past weekend and is definitely a must-see for any local theatre lovers. The show is wonderfully put together in the tiny theatre by a great and talented cast, a simple, yet effective set, and a fantastically written script.
 BWW Reviews: The Matrix Theatre's DEATH AND THE MAIDEN an Intense Experience
September 26, 2012
The Matrix Theatre Company opened their latest season with Ariel Dorfman's play, Death and the Maiden. The emotional play is uncomfortable to watch with intense subject matter of political torture, but worth the experience. The talented cast brings the dynamic characters to life and really makes the audience think about the moral dilemma of right and wrong.
 The Hilberry Theatre Company's THE MOUSETRAP Does Justice to the Longest Running Play
September 25, 2012
Dame Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap is the longest, continuously running play of all time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Running since 1952 in London would make it an intimidating play to take on, but the Hilberry Theatre Company pulls it off wonderfully. The acting, the set, and costumes are captivating and well done.
 BWW Interviews: Lili Whiteass Says LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is 'Not To Be Missed' at Fisher Theatre
September 21, 2012
La Cage Aux Folles, the three time Tony Award winning Broadway musical and starring George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber, is coming to the Fisher Theatre in Detroit and Lili Whiteass says "it's not to be missed." Why should Ms. Whiteass be listened to? Well, she knows what she is talking about; after all, she is the queen who opens the show. "I get you ready for a great night with some stand up comedy," she says, "and be prepared because I'm an equal opportunity offender."
 BWW Interviews: Randolph Mantooth Talks SUPERIOR DONUTS at The Purple Rose Theatre Company
September 21, 2012
Superior Donuts, by Tracy Letts, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning play August: Osage County, opens the new season at The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Michigan. The play debuted in Chicago in 2008 at Steppenwolf Theatre Company then moved to Broadway in 2009 and now it will make its Michigan debut at the Purple Rose. The comedy-drama is set in a Chicago donut shop and is about the unlikely friendship of the owner, Arthur, and his new employee. The esteemed actor Randolph Mantooth plays Arthur.
 DEATH AND THE MAIDEN Opens Matrix Theatre Company's 22nd season Tonight, 9/21
September 21, 2012
Matrix Theatre Company opens their 22nd season with Death and the Maiden and the director and cast could not be more thrilled to start it off with this intense show. The show is political drama that addresses the issues of justice, revenge, and both war criminals and victims. The show is centered on Paulina Salas, a former political prisoner, who is brought to life by Michigan actress Karen Kron of Livonia.
 Grosse Pointe Theatre's OKLAHOMA! is Fantastic in their Opening Performance
September 19, 2012
Entering the Fries Auditorium of the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, theatre patrons are greeted by an orchestra wearing cowboy hats, a stage full of cornstalks, and a sign with the letters made out of rope announcing where they are - Oklahoma! The Grosse Pointe Theatre starts their 65th season with the classic show and the company did the Rogers and Hammerstein musical justice.
The Talent of DEATH AND THE MAIDEN is Thrilled to Open Matrix Theatre Company's 22nd season on 9/21
September 19, 2012
Matrix Theatre Company opens their 22nd season with Death and the Maiden and the director and cast could not be more thrilled to start it off with this intense show. The show is political drama that addresses the issues of justice, revenge, and both war criminals and victims. The show is centered on Paulina Salas, a former political prisoner, who is brought to life by Michigan actress Karen Kron of Livonia.
 Planet Ant's HAMTOWN RACES brings Hamtramck's changing culture to life from 9/21 to 10/13
September 17, 2012
Planet Ant Theatre opens their season this year with Hamtown Races, a play by local playwright Margaret Edwartowski of Harper Woods. This original production is about the changing demographics in Hamtramck, Michigan and takes places at a local diner owned by Lebanese immigrants that has many different patrons.
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