Troupe

You can't beat Bob Fosse. The dance moves created by the late, legendary Broadway choreographer are so definitive that their interpretations by local choreographer Lori Struss are reason enough to see "Chicago," now being revived by Columbia's Silhouette Stages. The production, which runs at Slayton House until the end of the weekend, has more to offer than spiffy dance moves, however. There's also some fine acting, powerful singing and a story that's, well, pretty strange, but nonetheless interesting and very provocative.

Ballet Theatre of Maryland concluded its 35th season - and artistic director Dianna Cuatto's 10th full season - with an eclectic Director's Choice program showcasing the versatility and strengths of dancers. Four of the five works in the ensemble were choreographed by Cuatto. As staged by Amanda McKerrow, famed choreographer Antony Tudor's "Continuo" was a stunning outpouring of free movement, perfectly executed by the troupe. Cuatto's patriotic salute, "American Ballads," presented a spirited Red dance to "The Star-Spangled Banner," a White dance to the lyrical "America the Beautiful" and a Blue dance to the soulful "Were You There?"

The Annapolis Middle School Dance Company next year will become the state's first middle school to perform in a college football bowl game when it takes the field at halftime of the Orange Bowl in Miami on Jan. 3. The 12-member dance company will be among 1,000 student performers in the sporting event known for its halftime entertainment. The Orange Bowl game will be played at the 75,000-seat Sun Life Stadium, which is also the home of the Miami Dolphins and Florida Marlins. "We are very proud and excited to represent our school and all of the dancers in our country," Annapolis Middle dance company director Kendra Smith said in a statement Friday.

When Vincent Lancisi was 6 years old, his father sat the boy on his lap for a serious conversation. "Don't ever go into the music business, Vinny," Ben Lancisi told his youngest son. "You'll never make any money in the entertainment industry. And it's terrible for family life. " The boy loved and admired his father and was determined to follow his advice. So, though he showed talent at the piano and had a pleasing tenor, he didn't pursue a musical career when he grew up. He started his own theater company instead.

On Sunday, March 13, 2005, THELMA TROUPE, of Decatur, formerly of Baltimore, MD. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Linda Troupe. She is survived by her sons, Charles A. Troupe and his wife, Kelly of Annapolis, MD and R. Bruce Troupe and his partner, Jason Bovey of Decatur, GA; daughter, Jane Troupe of Palm Harbor, FL; granddaughter, Karen Yiengst and her husband, Tom; great-granddaughter, Rachael Yiengst. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the American Diabetes Association.

It's a little-known fact now, but when the musical "Chicago" made its Broadway debut in 1975, it wasn't much of a hit, running less than a thousand performances. It only became a smash musical and movie when it was revived decades later. That's because it was way ahead of its time, said Conni Ross, who is co-directing a revival of the play for Columbia's Silhouette Stages that opens Friday, May 24. "In the director's notes, one of the things I wrote was, 'This show is as relevant now as it was when it was written,' " said Ross, who is sharing directorial duties with her frequent collaborator Debbie Mobley.

Abby Trader, 22, of Anneslie, used to perform in competitions as a member of the Rebounders Gymnastics Club in Timonium. This week, though, the University of Maryland student and daughter of Anneslie residents Chuck and Miriam Trader is performing on a slightly larger stage — on national television as a member of the Gymkana team on the NBC television show "America's Got Talent. " And the stakes are slightly higher: $1 million. Gymkana was slated to be one of 12 acts competing on the talent show on Tuesday, Aug. 29. After that performance, votes from viewers via phone and the Internet would determine if the team made it into the top 10 round.

The joke began simple enough: "One hundred eighty-five gorillas walk into a bar. The bartender says, 'Sorry, we don't serve your kind here.'" Members of the Severna Park High School Improv Team stood beneath bright lights, and one by one each stepped forward and offered the best think-fast punch line. "Awww, we heard the Monkees were playing. " "What? But you served Darwin. " "But all we want is a little vine. " The exercise capped a two-hour practice of wisecracks and wit, puns and ploys designed to fine-tune the budding comedy skills of a group that regularly stages on-campus shows, often requesting material from their audiences.

Stephanie M. Troupe, a retired real estate agent, died Monday of respiratory illness at Stella Maris Hospice. The Rodgers Forge resident was 69.Services for Mrs. Troupe were being held today at St. David's Episcopal Church, 4700 Roland Ave.The former Stephanie Murphy was a native of Baltimore. She was a granddaughter of Ned Hanlon, manager of the pennant-winning Orioles of the 1890s.She is survived by her husband, Baker Hull Troupe; four sons, James Patrick Graham IV of Annapolis, Michael Hanlon Graham and Daniel Kelly Graham, both of Baltimore, and Stephen Murphy Graham of Columbia; three brothers, Clarke Murphy Jr. and E. Hanlon Murphy, both of Baltimore, and John T. Murphy II of Charlotte, N.C.; two sisters, Jane M. Kearns of Milwaukee and Celestine M. Hoffman of Wyckoff, N.J.; and eight grandchildren.

Tickets to three mid-February Baltimore performances by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater go on sale Sunday, but a four-week residency here by the acclaimed company, originally scheduled to begin this month, has been delayed until April, company officials said yesterday.The performances at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre Feb. 14, 15 and 16 -- which will kick off the company's 1991 North American tour -- were conceived as the culmination of a monthlong residency that was to have begun next week.

The holiday theater season in Anne Arundel County started early in December and lasted through this past week, with festive and sacred concerts, "The Nutcracker" ballet and annual favorites showcasing the talents of local children. Memories of these shows bring smiles that should last into the new year, and while that holiday glow lingers, we reminisce. For many, the holiday season began at Eastport United Methodist Church on Dec. 2, when the Arundel Vocal Arts Society's "A Symphony of Song" concert, conducted by JoAnn Kulesza, opened the society's 30th season.

Just a few days before their live performances of "The Nutcracker," the intensity and concentration were evident on the faces of the teenage performers at the Carroll County Dance Center in Sykesville. Each of the cast members at this rehearsal had previously performed in the legendary play, and there was a serious overtone to their latest production. This weekend, their steady rehearsal schedule will give way to the center's full-scale presentation of Tchaikovsky's classic. After two years at the Gordon Center in Owings Mills, "The Nutcracker" will return to the local stage on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 4 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 16, 2 p.m. Both performances will be held at the Carroll Community College's Scott Theater, 1601 Washington Road, Westminster.

From his seat in a darkened theater, the 14-year-old boy told the performers and his fellow audience members something that had been bugging him for a long time. "Adults think that kids don't know when there's a problem, but we do," he said, after watching the debut production of Baltimore Performance Kitchen, the city's newest theater troupe. "We're not dumb," he said. "We know something is going on, even if you don't tell us. And if we don't know what is wrong, we're going to find out. " That was more than Satarah Cheeks could take.

It will be an evening full of drama, music and comedy when the Carroll County Arts Council, in Westminster, presents its first-ever Carroll County Theater Showcase on Friday, Oct. 19. Featuring community theater groups from across the county, the showcase will highlight the groups doing what they do best, whether singing and dancing, a comedy routine or presenting Shakespeare's works with a flourish. "It's a really exciting opportunity to try and create a sense of community for all of them.

When a dozen Morgan State University students launched a theater troupe called ArtsCentric nearly a decade ago, their goal went beyond creating performance opportunities for themselves. They wanted to do work that could make a difference to people. The two goals come together this weekend with a production of the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical "Next to Normal," a groundbreaking show about a woman whose battle with bipolar disorder threatens to tear apart her family.

At age 8, Mahal Maria May started dance class and quickly made it as much a part of her education as the ABCs. She concentrated on Hawaiian routines and has spent decades mastering the nuances of the dance forever associated with America's island state. She often performs in traditional grass skirt before an audience or at a family luau. "I love the hula," said May, whose first name translates to "love" in her native Filipino. "It tells a lovely story in a feminine way. " Now, at 65, she is the reigning Ms. Maryland Senior America and is practicing her signature dance for the national pageant in October in Atlantic City, N.J. May, a retired education consultant for the federal government and a Davidsonville resident, is used to performing as a member of the South County Showstoppers, a traveling troupe of seniors.

Last September was the first time since its beginnings in 1974 that the community theater group September Song went "dark. " It was a heart-breaking decision for Joan Eichhorn, producer, but a necessary one. Financially-strapped after its sponsoring organization decided to part ways, September Song held a musical revue as a fundraiser, instead of a full-fledged production. "It is so grossly expensive to put on musical theater," Eichhorn said. "We had no choice but to go dark.

Three years ago, he was a 26-year-old college dropout cleaning carpets at the Social Security complex in Woodlawn. There, toiling away in the wee hours, Jonte Hall vowed to give basketball one last shot. The Harlem Globetrotters are glad he did. On Saturday, Hall will perform with the 'Trotters, the game's celebrated barnstormers, at the Verizon Center in Washington (1 p.m.). Billed as "Too Tall" Hall for his height (5-foot-2), he's the smallest player ever to suit up for the Globetrotters in their 86-year history.