On Stage: Downingtown’s Morrissey hitting it big in national tour of ‘Mean Girls’

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Mary Kate Morrissey(Photo: Emilio Madrid-Kuser for Broadway.com)
Just as every young basketball player has dreams of playing in the NBA or WNBA or every young musician envisions a career as a rock star, almost every young girl or boy who acts in local theater – or even in school productions – dreams of someday being in a Broadway musical.
The...
On Stage: Female rock pioneers team up

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Cherie Currie and Brie Howard-Darling
In the 1980s, there were many all-female rock bands that wrote music, sang the songs and played their own instruments – acts such as the Bangles, the Go-Go’s, L7 and the Lunachicks.
The groundwork for their success and acceptance was laid a decade earlier by two bands who made huge inroads into the male-donated...
On Stage: A musical that really is ‘Beautiful’

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
For more than a century, many beautiful national touring productions of Broadway shows have been presented at The Playhouse on Rodney Square (10th and Market streets, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-0200, www. duponttheatre.com), which formerly has been known as the DuPont Theatre and the Playhouse Theatre.
This week, the theater in downtown Wilmington...
On Stage: Celebrating 80 years of Blue Note Records

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Kandace Springs
Area jazz fans are in for a triple treat on November 8 when The Grand Opera House (818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577,www.thegrandwilmington.org) hosts “The Blue Note 80th Anniversary Tour” featuring Kandace Springs (Vocalist and keyboards / Trio), James Francies (Piano / Trio) & James Carter (Saxophone...
On Stage: Tiffany looks to make her mark in North America

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Tiffany
Korean American pop star Tiffany, who will make her Philadelphia debut with a show at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100,www.utphilly.com) on November 6, has a lot of talent and a lot of followers on social media. She also has a lot of names.
Tiffany, as she is known in Korea, is also known as Tiffany Young,...
On Stage: Anthony Ramos looks to conquer pop music, too

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor
Anthony Ramos
Anthony Ramos is a bright young star in the entertainment world – star of stage and screen (film and television) – and now is poised to become a star in the world of pop music.
Ramos just released his debut album, “The Good & The Bad,” on October 25 on Republic Records and now is on tour in support of the new LP. The tour brings him...
On Stage: Aztec Two-Step ‘2.0’ updates beloved act

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor
Aztec Two-Step
Aztec Two-Step has been around for decades and has played the area numerous times over the years at a variety of venues – including Kennett Flash not long ago.
When the band came to the area two years ago for a show at the World Café Live, there was a buzz. The duo was touring in support of its first studio album of new material since the...
On Stage: John Byrne comes ‘home’ to Philly

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor
John Byrne
Singer/songwriter John Byrne is a native of Dublin, Ireland who first worked in the United States when he was in college and then moved to this country more than 20 years ago.
Now a resident of the Fishtown section of Philadelphia, Byrne will have a hometown show on November 1 at World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400,...
On Stage: Allegaeon ready to rock Philly

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Allegaeon
Whenever Allegaeon comes to the area for a show, metal music fans get excited.
Allegaeon plays a smorgasbord of metal music that rattles the rafters and usually tours on a bill with several top-flight metal acts.
When Allegaeon played the Voltage Lounge last year, the band was on a bill that included Rings of Saturn, Entheos, Neckrogoblikon,...
On Stage: ‘Come From Away’ brings joy to Philly stage

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Come from Away
The words “joyous” and “uplifting” are frequently used to describe plays, songs or musical acts. In reality, the words are often misused and should be put in the “hyperbole” category.
“Come from Away,” the hit musical which is running now through November 3 at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia,...