Shine

"Legally Blonde: The Musical" proves to be an ideal production for Children's Theatre of Annapolis, following the troupe's promise to provide professional on-stage opportunities for young performers. In its second main stage play of the 2012-2013 season, the Children's Theatre's talented teen cast stretches to new horizons in this lively show. Based on the 2001 movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Luke Wilson, the 2007 musical by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin has audiences rooting for Elle Woods, a young woman who knows what she wants and ultimately uses her determination, intelligence and savvy to get it. The show opens as UCLA Delta Nu sorority president Elle — portrayed by Broadneck High School sophomore Colleen Coleman — has a dinner date with boyfriend Warner Huntington III, played by Annapolis Area Christian School junior Zeke Quellette Elle expects Warner to propose marriage, but instead he tells her she has no place in his future and he's going to Harvard Law School.

By now, 60 long years after Agatha Christie's “The Mousetrap” opened in London, the whodunit is more of a fixture than a stage show. It apparently cannot ever be stopped on that side of The Pond, where it has surpassed the 25,000th performance mark and still holds firmly onto the record as the world's longest-running play. On our shores, the work never became such an institution, but it still continues to attract attention now and then, particularly from community theater groups.

Daniel Reed's flair for decorating and interior design - especially during the holiday season - is immediately evident at the front door of his very modern duplex in Baltimore's Clipper Mill development. To visit this home is to slip into a winter wonderland; a fantasy in light, color and motion. "Wait until you get inside," said the 44-year-old president of his own design firm. "I love decorating for Christmas. " He doesn't exaggerate. Imagine seeing the most beautifully embellished department store window and being able to walk through the glass and become a part of that other-worldly tableau.

J. Paul's has embraced its location. The Harborplace restaurant, which originally opened in 1997, reopened last June after an eight-month renovation. With six months under its belt, the revamped restaurant's food is mostly on point, but the staff still seems to be working out a few kinks. The space is smaller than it was before, but open, airy and noticeably nautical. With ropes here and shiny metal ship fixtures there, the room is welcoming, if a bit too bright. Right now, the restaurant's white walls and floors seem stark, but in the summer months, when floor-to-ceiling windows facing the water open out to the harbor, those touches will likely feel fresh.

I got lost on the way to the church. A few weeks ago, I was heading down Wolfe Street into the complex that is Johns Hopkins Hospital when I drove past Ashland Street. I had to stop at a Citgo station for directions to get back on track. There it was - the City of Hope Missionary Baptist Church - a two-story building that shared a block with some of the vast medical encampment that is both swallowing and saving East Baltimore. Just beyond the church were abandoned rowhomes, some of them roofless, all of them boarded up. This particular weekend marked City of Hope's fifth anniversary.

We were lucky; our drive into St. Michaels was, somehow, sans traffic, despite the fact that it was Friday evening and we surely were not alone in our desire to escape the city for a relaxing getaway on the Eastern Shore. As we drove through the downtown, stopping to let families cross the street for a dinner cracking shellfish at the Crab Claw, we looked for the turnoff for the Inn at Perry Cabin, our destination for the weekend. Beneath an umbrella of large linden trees lining the driveway, we eagerly anticipated seeing the results of the inn's four-month, $2.7 million renovation.

Halloween doesn't scare Melanie Brzozowski into a fit of random decorating. She treats the holiday with the approach she takes to other seasonal events. Two weeks ago, Brzozowski switched out the blue seascape decor from the warmer summer months in favor of a little black magic perfect for October's spooky vibe. "It's not so much about the gore. It's embracing a great holiday," said Brzozowski, the event design consultant for Chef's Expressions. "I am like a mad scientist with my Halloween entertaining: I add a cup of funky, a spoonful of elegance and a pinch of sparkle — always have to have sparkle — to get the proper balance with my decor, events and menus.

After a successful inaugural three-play season at its Eastport Shopping Center location, Compass Rose Studio Theater opens its second season with Christopher Sergel's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's acclaimed novel "To Kill a Mockingbird. " The play's strong script and powerful message make it an ideal vehicle for the Annapolis acting academy-theater. "Since opening its doors to students in 2010, Compass Rose has reached over 400 from age 3 to senior citizens in 10 Anne Arundel venues," founding artistic director Lucinda Merry-Browne said.

Erin Michael ran the relay race in the Baltimore Running Festival last year and saw a few disabled racers — but thought there could be more. The 29-year-old therapist at Kennedy Krieger Institute encouraged and then helped train nine patients who finished the race Saturday. Michael ran the 5K, then raced back a mile to watch her proteges. "I was moved to tears during what was one of the proudest moments of my life," she said. "I saw several walking to the finish line and one rolling by on his bike.

When the Orioles signed left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, 10 days into 2012, they did so because they believed the 27-year-old had displayed unflappability in big games. He represented his native Taiwan in the Olympics four years ago. He overcame all the obstacles of pitching in a different country, shining for four seasons in Japan with the Chunichi Dragons. When Chen won his 12th game of the season Aug. 19 in Detroit, he became the first Orioles' pitcher to record that many wins since 2007.