Starkist Ain't Got Nothin' On Us!!!

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

So, casting has been announced for Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern's production of Greater Tuna. It is directed by Joe Pabst, whom you may remember as Lumiere in Theatre IV's production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the historic Empire Theatre. He was most recently seen in Barksdale's critically-acclaimed production of Moonlight and Magnolias (directed by Steve Perigard, and also featuring David Bridgewater, Scott Wichmann, and Joy Williams). His directing prowess was most recently displayed in The Odd Couple at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern.

I also saw the production of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's Follies at Dogwood Dell in 2006. Really fantastic director! And I'm so excited to get to work with him!

The Greater Tuna cast stars Joe Inscoe and Billy Christopher Maupin! I'm so excited!

So, the reason I write all this on the Theatre IV blog, is the let you know that the "An Actor Prepares..." series that started here during Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter will be continued soon (or resurrected, perhaps I should say) on the Barksdale Buzz following the work in Greater Tuna. YAY!

The play is absolutely hysterical! You should definitely check it out! You can find more information on the Barksdale website's Tuna page. And you can order tickets by calling the Barksdale box office at 282-2620 or online here.

Another Fantastic Cabaret at the Empire Theatre

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

I am often accused of not sharing information early enough, so even though there are a lot of exciting things going on next Friday for First Friday at the Empire, I wanted to start getting the word out about the cabaret that will be playing in the lobby FOR FREE (which seemed to be the big question last time: "How much is the cover?"). FREE ENTERTAINMENT; How cool is that?

We featured an incredibly well-received cabaret for First Friday in September; so well-received, in fact, that we are featuring another next week, with several returning faces/voices and several new ones as well.

This time around Corey Davis (most recently of Stuart Little at Theatre IV and Austin's Bridge at the Firehouse Theatre Project, also to be seen in the upcoming Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter at Theatre IV),

Billy Christopher Maupin (seen in Mr. Marmalade and Austin's Bridge at the Firehouse Theatre Project and earlier this year in Smoke on the Mountain at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern),

Audrey Snyder (Stuart Little with Theatre IV, Frankenstein Lives! at the Carpenter Science Theatre, Where's Charley? at Barksdale Theatre),

and Chloe Williams (Barksdale Theatre's smash hit production of Mame) will return to the stage.

And the vibrant new voices of Taylor Baltimore (currently rehearsing as Petra in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music with Live Arts in Charlottesville),

Catherine Dudley (who just closed as Snowbell in Stuart Little),

Jacquie O'Connor (recently seen in The Full Monty and Scapino! at Barksdale, as well as I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at Swift Creek Mill Playhouse),

and Jonathan Spivey (Barksdale's Cyrano de Bergerac, numerous performances at the University of Richmond, and a stunning Lady #3 in Paul Deiss' adaptation of The Magic Flute with Theatre IV) will join them.

The upcoming cabaret will feature songs from Cabaret, Chicago, Dreamgirls, Side Show, South Pacific, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and more!

So come check out all the exciting things happening, grab a drink at the cash bar and check out a fine cabaret. Life is, after all, a cabaret, ol' chum. So...(yeah...you're singing it...)

Friday, November 2, starting at 7:30PM at the historic Empire Theatre in Downtown Richmond!

(Pictured at right, from September's cabaret are Robin Harris-Jones, Billy Christopher Maupin, Russell Rowland, Janine Sears, Andrea Ross, Audrey Snyder, Corey Davis, Chloe Williams, and Keydron Dunn.)

(NOTE: Headshots appear in order of mention and not necessarily adjacent to name.)