Reviews
Reviews of “Animal Tales” 2024–2025
Article in Kaskad:
Oleg Berzin, Ph.D.
Grateful spectator
Huntingdon Valley, PA
Recently, I had the delightful opportunity to attend the "Animal Tales" show by the Baltimore Community Arts Theater, and it was truly a great pleasure. The show, based on the works of American playwright Don Nigro, showcased the remarkable talent of this grassroots theater company. As a returning patron, I couldn't help but notice a significant improvement in the quality of individual performances. Each actor brought a depth and nuance to their roles that elevated the entire production.
Moreover, the seamless integration of music choices and simple yet organic decorations contributed to the immersive experience. It felt as though I was in a professional theater, wholly absorbed in a performance that provoked thought and stirred emotions. The dialogues and monologues, portrayed through various animal characters, resonated with complex human emotions and societal issues.
Throughout the show, I couldn't resist glancing around the audience to gauge their engagement. I was pleased to see everyone fully engrossed, listening attentively to the actors and enjoying the musical interludes and dance numbers. A particularly heartening sight was a group of spectators in front of me who didn't speak Russian, yet followed the subtitles displayed beside the stage with equal enthusiasm.
During intermission, their discussions about the show echoed the praise and appreciation shared by the Russian-speaking audience members.
Each scene featuring the animals was meticulously crafted and delivered with palpable passion and skill. However, it was the Mousetrap scene that truly captured my imagination. The masterful and passionate tango between the clever but cheese-craving Ms. Mouse and the graceful and handsome Mr. Cheese left an indelible impression on me.
I am deeply grateful to all the wonderful actors and actresses, as well as the costume designer, choreographer, and especially the director, for their masterful performance. Their dedication and talent transformed a simple tale into an unforgettable theatrical experience.
Vladimir Korolkov:
For those who have missed the theater.
Today I attended the premiere of “Animal Tales” at BHAT (Howard County Center for the Arts) in Ellicott City. There were enough emotions both to make your heart ache and to make you laugh.
Their next performances are on Sunday the 25th, and the following weekend, March 2 and 3.
The hall is small — there may not be enough tickets for everyone. :)
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For those wondering how to make their weekend more enjoyable.
The Ellicott theater, also known as the Baltimore Art Comedy Theater, or BHAT, is presenting Don Nigro’s “Animal Tales” at the Howard County Center for the Arts.
It is performed vividly, passionately, poignantly, and with love.
The coming weekend — March 2 and 3 — is just the right time to reflect on things that are not always obvious: to laugh and perhaps shed a tear as well.
Although perhaps there are no tickets left already... :)
Masha Sudarikova:
We went to this “existential” performance last weekend 🙌👍👌😍. It turned out to be very emotional and interesting — “Animal Tales,” based on the play by Don Nigro, performed by BHAT Theater.
…And suddenly a turkey appears with a dream!!!
Overall, these are very unconventional reflections by animals, BUT they are really about people — about meaning, differences, pleasure, herd instinct, neighbors… and, as usual, everyone will hear and see something of their own….🫶
It is definitely WORTH seeing!
Animal Tales Photo Gallery
Reviews of “Lysistrata” 2022
Anfisa and Igor Trubin:
“Lysistrata” turned out to be a production very faithful to the text of Aristophanes’ comedy. The performance amazed us with the actors’ talent, the well-made and witty scenery, and the magnificent live musical accompaniment.
Lysistrata, the destroyer of war, and her fellow conspirators made us laugh, feel tenderness, and feel sadness. At first it seemed that jokes about war might not be very appropriate today, but as the performance unfolded it became clear that this way of declaring “NO TO WAR!” was especially powerful because it was spoken by women, who are always and completely opposed to war.
The production explored not only the eternal questions of relationships between men and women and the problems of war and peace, but also featured spirited modern Greek dances and familiar folk songs, woven naturally and successfully into the performance. As the comedy genre demands, pompous dialogue and even indecencies were skillfully played not only through delivery but also through amusing costumes appropriate to the time and setting.
All of this made us forget everyday problems and surrender to a slightly naïve and delightful performance! The musical accompaniment was excellent and brought special pleasure. Thank you to the creators for a wonderful evening!
Irina Koltsova:
“Wonderful show! We enjoyed it immensely. Congratulations to all the actors, the musicians (a special Bravo!), and of course the director. Beautiful costumes and scenery! An excellent creative team. Well done, and thank you!”
Natalia Butusova:
“The mood was one hundred percent! Yesterday’s performance of Lysistrata — Greek style and even Sirtaki to the wonderful sounds of guitar and domra by Anna Kusner and Pyotr Omelchenko!”
“We were delighted by the magnificent acting, staging, and musical accompaniment — Anna Kusner on guitar and Pyotr Omelchenko on domra! Thank you for this celebration!”
“At the premiere of Lysistrata we found ourselves in a beautiful Greek fairy tale! The sparkling personalities of the Greek men and women, portrayed by our wonderful actors, the beautiful costumes, and the fine work of director Leonid Stepanov, choreographers, and makeup artists made the performance exciting and captivating. The dances made it even brighter! I wanted to get up, join them in that beautiful Sirtaki, and become part of their celebration.
Love will prevail — in the end, love will win and can even stop wars! The musical accompaniment flows beautifully through the production. Our wonderful duo ‘MusAlliance’ sounds like a single whole, perfectly matching the character of the performance. Time flew by unnoticed. I want to return to this atmosphere again. The feeling of a fairy tale stays with you for a long time. Many thanks to everyone — to the talented actors and to everyone who created this wonderful performance.
Good luck to you, and may you have many more such vivid, beautiful, emotional, character-filled productions! Thank you for the celebration!”
Reviews
A couple of weeks ago I saw a wonderful production by the amateur Baltimore theater — “The Tale of Fedot the Strelets.” Even the word “amateur” does not seem appropriate. It felt as though professionals were performing... I received a sea of pleasure and a wonderful burst of positive energy! I was pleasantly surprised by the skill and talent of the actors in this production. I have known some of the participants for many years, but I had no idea they had such talents. The performance flew by in one breath! Well done! I liked it very much.
Wonderful acting, excellent costumes, and very interesting scenery. I will eagerly await new productions.
Alla Kushnir, "About Faces"
“My classmate and friend Nadya Reingand once said that she acts in a theater, and now I regret that we did not go to the premiere! We saw the performance a couple of weeks ago. Well done, everyone! I liked everything — the staging and the interpretation. Wonderful ideas for the costumes, and the actors were very well cast. The director and the company have a great sense of humor — and of course so does the author of the tale.
Overall, the impression from the entire event was exceptionally positive. We are eagerly waiting for new productions.”
Ekaterina Goncharova, NIH
“Recently we attended the premiere of ‘The Tale of Fedot the Strelets, the Daring Young Fellow.’ The premiere took place on January 14, 2017 in Baltimore. When we drove from Philadelphia, we truly did not know what to expect. We knew the actors were not professionals and had only a general idea of the plot. When the show began, at first I thought the acting might be rather dry — something like a school concert.
However, within the first five minutes I realized that I was completely immersed in the performance, laughing at the jokes, amazed by the actors’ skill and by the fresh ideas with which the director approached this well-known play. I noticed that the audience around me was completely attentive and did not miss anything happening on stage. Although we personally knew many of the actors, we suddenly felt as though they had fully transformed into their characters.
On the one hand, I understood that they were not professional stage actors, but on the other hand, I absolutely felt that I was in a real theater. Even the small details felt theatrical. For example, at the end of the show the audience did not simply get up and leave — just as in a real theater after a performance, the lobby was filled with the sound of people talking to one another and sharing their impressions. People were in no hurry to leave and were very interested and grateful to the actors.
Each member of the cast demonstrated individual skill, but the sum of their individual performances became something greater than a simple sum — together they created a genuine, engaging, and entertaining performance for us, the audience. They gave us the opportunity to truly enjoy and remember the brilliant original creator of the play about Fedot, Leonid Filatov, and to share in the positive energy and warmth on that cold and rainy day in Baltimore.”
Oleg Berzin, Ph.D.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
“I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! Well done!”
Katya Denisova
“It was so funny, thank you!”
Nataly Strunnikova
“Incredible performance! Broadway doesn’t know what it’s missing”
Tanya Fey Collins
“Thank you so much for a great performance! It has truly exceeded our expectations. The children understood some of it, but the adults really loved the play! It was really very well done. You were amazing along with the rest of the troupe. I hope you have more performances — I want my parents to see it! Bravo!”
Elena Teverovsky