I don’t think there’s another show that I’ve seen more productions of than Grease. High-school, community-theatre, professional-theatre, film, filmed-for-TV, now summer stock … . Had you asked me a week ago what I thought of Grease, I would have told you it’s boring and overdone. But the sixth time must be the charm, because Timber Lake Playhouse’s production was a freaking blast.

Can you call yourself a theatre buff if you haven't seen a play by Václav Havel?

The Richmond Hill Players’ latest offering, the Tom Smith farce Drinking Habits 2: Caught in the Act, is a sequel to Drinking Habits, which was a part of the company’s season last year. I didn't attend the first one, but was still able to easily follow the plot and characters. Not only that, but Richmond Hill’s Sunday performance, helmed by director Mike Skiles, was lighthearted, fun, and an easy-to-watch piece of theatre.

Prolific theatre pioneer Charles Ludlum wrote some 30 plays; taught; founded an acclaimed theatre company; and acted on stage, film, and TV. His most popular work was 1984's penny dreadful The Mystery of Irma Vep, in which he and his partner Everett Quinton played all the characters, with full costume changes for each entrance. Ludlum's life was cut short by AIDS in 1987. Quinton, who revived the show off-Broadway in 1998, died this past January. And the Black Box Theatre's current production may be seen as a fond tribute to these inspired men.