Stage

THE ROLAND PARK Second Presbyterian Church looked absolutely stunning last Saturday for the wedding of Natalia Pia Melanie Sommer and Richard Matthew Dohler. Thousands of wildflowers, miles of lace ribbons and tulle, and window sills decorated with Singapore orchids set the stage for the nuptials of the daughter of pop music star Donna Summer and her first husband, Helmut Sommer,and the son of Dick and Bonna Dohler, he's an Ellicott City builder.The church was filled with the music of German trumpeteer Langston Fitzgerald and selections of Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi, played by the church's music director Margaret Budd on the organ.

Annapolis Opera's fully staged production of Charles Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet" at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts last weekend proved a triumph to close the season. My only complaint when I attended Friday evening was the number of empty seats. Though the lower-than-usual attendance was perhaps the result of the move from the opera's usual March dates to May, the show itself was as satisfying as any this year. Based on Shakespeare's timeless tale of star-crossed lovers Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, Gounod's opera — sung in French to a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carre — debuted at Theatre Lyrique in Paris in 1867 to mixed reviews, some critics pronouncing it tuneless.

The search for America's next greatest talent continues in New York.  First up is The Flyte Cru, who I guess you could call basketball stunts-men. They use trampolines to do all sorts of somersaults as they shoot hoops. Their act is pretty entertaining, but I feel like I've seen it before, so I'm not very impressed. Judge Howie Mandel thinks the same thing and gives them a “no.” New judge Howard Stern has been surprisingly kind this season; he continues that streak and says he wants to see Flyte Cru move on to next round.

North County High School freshman Jack Andraka stood on the auditorium stage, speaking about the invention that earned him the $75,000 grand prize at the recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Behind him stood Dr. Anirban Maitra, a professor in the Johns Hopkins University's department of pathology who gave Jack use of his lab to craft his invention, a cheap and effective "dipstick-sensor" method of testing blood or urine to identify early-stage pancreatic cancer and other diseases.

North County High School freshman Jack Andraka stood on the auditorium stage, speaking about the invention that earned him the $75,000 grand prize at the recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Behind him stood Dr. Anirban Maitra, a professor in the Johns Hopkins University's department of pathology who gave Jack use of his lab to craft his invention, a cheap and effective "dipstick-sensor" method of testing blood or urine to identify early-stage pancreatic cancer and other diseases.

Sometimes the small things make all the difference in professional wrestling. Too often, critics -- especially those on the Internet -- nitpick every decision WWE makes and find the logical or creative flaws. Many times, this creates an unnecessary sense or allegation of failure. But on tonight's Raw, WWE (or, more specifically, general manager John Laurinaitis) made a mistake that is almost unforgivable. While I personally wasn't offended by Sunday's match between John Cena and Laurinaitis at Over the Limit , many people have lashed out against the match.

Every summer for three years now, Natasha Scott, 11, has participated in the Actors' Institute at Howard Community College. "It's the best camp ever," she said while sitting in the college's Smith Theatre on Thursday, waiting to begin dress rehearsals. This year, the pupil at Martin Luther King Middle School in Beltsville will share the role of the Cheshire Cat with fellow camper Betsy Burnett in a production of Alice in Wonderland. She likes the acting camp because she learns so much about being on stage, she said.

Stage 4 A 95.4-mile ride from Cambrai to the champagne capital Reims. Winner: Alessandro Petacchi of Italy. The Lampre rider collected his second stage victory of this Tour. Yellow Jersey: Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, who finished in the main pack with the expected title contenders. Defending champion Alberto Contador of Spain is ninth, 1:40 behind. Next stage: Thursday's fifth stage also is mostly flat, a 116.5-mile run from Epernay to Montargis.

Laurel Mill Playhouse presents a play based on the children's novel by E.B. White about a pig named Wilbur who is saved from being slaughtered by an intelligent spider. The show starts at 2 p.m. today at 508 Main St. Tickets are $13, $10 for students 18 and younger and seniors 65 and older. Call 301-617-9906 or go to laurelmillplayhouse.org.

The search for America's next greatest talent continues in New York.  First up is The Flyte Cru, who I guess you could call basketball stunts-men. They use trampolines to do all sorts of somersaults as they shoot hoops. Their act is pretty entertaining, but I feel like I've seen it before, so I'm not very impressed. Judge Howie Mandel thinks the same thing and gives them a “no.” New judge Howard Stern has been surprisingly kind this season; he continues that streak and says he wants to see Flyte Cru move on to next round.

Saturday's NCAA tournament quarterfinal game against Denver in Annapolis should be a momentous occasion for the Loyola program. It will also be an unfamiliar setting. The last time the Greyhounds had advanced to the quarterfinal round was 2001. That year, they edged Georgetown, 11-9, in the first round before losing to eventual national champion Princeton, 8-7, in the next round. This season's Loyola squad is 15-1 and the top seed in the tournament, but relatively inexperienced in the postseason.

Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Company" has a title that refers to the companionship provided by the main character's friends, but it also essentially refers to the acting company that's called upon to do so much singing, dancing and acting. In that respect, it plays to advantage that two of the couples in the enjoyable Silhouette Stages production at Slayton House Theatre are played by real-life married couples. The banter flowing on stage may have been rehearsed across their kitchen tables.

The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Mondays. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). We do not accept results by phone. When two Howard County teams play, players from both teams (first and last names) must be mentioned in the write-up. Questions? Call 410-332-6578. Jump rope Kangaroo Kids Twenty-two members of the Kangaroo Kids competition team competed at the USA Jump Rope Region 1 Championship April 28 at the Meadowbrook Athletic Center.

By virtue of being just one of two undefeated men's lacrosse teams in Division I and the consensus No. 1, Loyola has taken the stage nationally. But is the program prepared to do the same in Baltimore? That distinction has usually gone to Johns Hopkins, the perennial juggernaut that has captured nine national championships and is considered one of the sport's bluebloods. So how significant would a win against the No. 13 Blue Jays on Saturday at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore be for the Greyhounds?

Royal intrigue at the 17th-century French court is still good for gossip in Lynn Nottage's 2002 play "Las Meninas. " It made a striking impression when it was staged at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2010 and there's now a strikingly similar production at Howard Community College's Rep Stage. Indeed, the connections between these two productions go way beyond similarity. Director Eve Muson, set and costume designer Elena Zlotescu, and several other members of the UMBC design team also worked on the current Rep Stage production; and five of the actors from the UMBC show are in the Rep Stage cast.

The Manchester Valley High School drama department will debut its production of Rogers and Hammerstein's classic tale, "Once Upon A Mattress," on Thursday, April 26, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at the school, 3300 Maple Grove Road, Manchester. Those who think they know the story of "The Princess of the Pea" may be in for a surprise with this story of royal courtship, filled with music and humor. Additional performances are Friday and Saturday, April 27-28, also at 7 p.m. each night.

Everyone who has ever sat before a television or movie screen to enjoy the fantasy of "The Wizard of Oz" should plan to see how magical this family favorite becomes onstage at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia. The production brings the beloved characters live and up-close, so that we feel we are traveling the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and her newfound friends, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Director David James transfers this 1939 film classic — which was based on the book by L. Frank Baum — to 2012, and dazzles us with a fabulous cast and exciting special effects that include swirling tornadoes that whisk us away from Kansas.