Talent Machine

With a well-rehearsed and thoroughly professional cast of 40 - children ages 5 to 14 - Talent Machine Company's production of "Cinderella" opened last weekend in Annapolis. Founder Bobbi Smith managed to bring some new twists to the old tale, and her sister, Vicki Smith, created some lively choreography. Sets and costumes reflected hours of behind-the-scenes volunteer work, especially the skills of the talented Scott couple - Jerry on sets and Linda on costumes. All the elements for another Talent Machine hit were there - except for the full house of families, friends and fans that the effort deserved.

With a well-rehearsed and thoroughly professional cast of 40 - children ages 5 to 14 - Talent Machine Company's production of "Cinderella" opened last weekend in Annapolis. Founder Bobbi Smith managed to bring some new twists to the old tale, and her sister, Vicki Smith, created some lively choreography. Sets and costumes reflected hours of behind-the-scenes volunteer work, especially the skills of the talented Scott couple - Jerry on sets and Linda on costumes. All the elements for another Talent Machine hit were there - except for the full house of families, friends and fans that the effort deserved.

With founder Bobbi Smith at the helm, Talent Machine Company opens its 12th summer season June 22 with "Cinderella," featuring a cast of 40 children. Smith serves as director and choreographer, guaranteeing a production that showcases the young talent. This is the first of Talent Machine Company's two summer shows. Next month, a 23-member cast, ages 12 to 19, will present the first Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice collaboration, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." TMC is known for offering fresh approaches to familiar shows.

Talent Machine Company's 11th annual holiday show, "Santa's Frosty Follies," opens tonight for a six-day run at St. John's College's Key Auditorium with a 66-member cast that could probably generate enough electricity to power half the Christmas lights in Annapolis.High energy, always a hallmark of the 11-year-old company's shows, abounds among dancers and singers ranging in age from 5 through 17 as they perform old favorites and several new numbers, all choreographed by company founder Bobbi Smith.

Expect a "42nd Street" paved with talent when the young cast of Talent Machine Company dances in July 29 for a three-weekend run at St. John's College. Talent Machine is known for imaginative choreography and high-voltage energy -- exactly what this show needs.This musical began life as a 1933 Busby Berkeley movie. Berkeley was known for his imaginative filming of elaborate Hollywood production numbers. Twenty-seven years later, another legendary dance man -- Gower Champion, a choreographer, director and dancer -- revived it on Broadway.

School is out, and the Talent Machine Company, with its 60-member cast of youngsters ages 4 to 18, will inaugurate vacation time for everyone with a show to delight audiences young in age and/or spirit: "The Wiz," upbeat and energetic, opens tomorrow.The company's second summer show -- "42nd Street" -- will open July 23, with actors ages 12 to 20.The Talent Machine Company is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to developing children's performance skills and self-esteem.Formed 11 years ago by professionally trained dancer, choreographer and master teacher Bobbi Smith, TMC has produced a string of hits including "Singin' in the Rain," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "The Wizard of Oz," and last season's "Peter Pan" and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers."

It was 1898.That year, photographs using artificial light sources were taken for the first time, the United States fought Spain over Cuba in the Spanish-American War, and Sadie Howard was born Aug. 1 in Washington, D.C.That child -- now Sadie Lipscomb and a resident of Edgewater -- turned 100 several days ago.A widow who has outlived three of her five children, she has lived in Anne Arundel County for about one-fourth of her long life.She has 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

It's only July, and already this has been an uncommonly good summer for theater in Annapolis.We've had a colorful "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and an impressive "Midsummer Night's Dream" from the Summer Garden Theatre. A deft version of "Little Shop of Horrors" still runs at the Chesapeake Music Hall.In the provinces, the Pasadena Theatre Company's "Steel Magnolias" at Anne Arundel Community College tugs nicely at the heartstrings, despite some uneven characterization. And let's not forget Second Star's "Carousel," which had me blubbering in Bowie back in June.

There's a new cog in the gears of the Talent Machine and, thanks to her, director Bobbi Smith's production of "Peter Pan" is running very smoothly indeed.She is Ally Lichtenfeld, a 14-year-old who studies at the Park School outside Baltimore and at Peabody's Preparatory Division. She plays Peter and is wonderful.Ally is the picture of poise on stage. She flies through the air gracefully in her unobtrusive "Inventorprises" harness, re-creating James M. Barrie's timeless fantasy anew with each aerodynamic twist.