Area Theatres Collaborate to Make the World Go ‘Round

Premiering on Broadway in 1991, And the World Goes ‘Round showcased iconic Kander & Ebb songs from Cabaret and Chicago to The Rink and The Act. It’s been staged by theatres consistently since, but over 30 years later, one issue could no longer be ignored: what about the works of Kander & Ebb since? Actor and ArtsCentric director Kevin S. McAllister decided to produce the show with this in mind, updating the revue’s songbook to include pieces from Kiss of the Spider Woman (1992), Curtains (2006), and The Scottsboro Boys (2010). Co-produced between ArtsCentric, Everyman, and Olney Theatres, the new […]

“Exclusion” Debuts at Arena Stage

Beginning its run early in Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the world premiere of Kenneth Lin’s play Exclusion at Arena Stage offers a too-relatable exploration of the clash between truth and commercial interests. Set in the present day, the story revolves around Katie, an acclaimed historian portrayed by Karoline, whose book on the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 gains attention from Hollywood. A struggle ensues when producer Harry, played by Josh Stamberg, challenges the book’s authenticity for the sake of marketability. Set in sleek Los Angeles locales designed by Arnulfo Maldonado including a glossy office, a trendy coffee […]

FROZEN’s Tyler Jimenez on What to Let Go, and How to Thaw a Frozen Heart

Disney’s 2013 hit film FROZEN has been a cultural favorite for the past decade, spawning a 2017 live Broadway musical, and a 2019 national tour, and a film sequel. The Broadway musical became a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the national tour continues to spread Disney magic, now bringing summer snow showers to Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Original company member Tyler Jimenez talked with Baltimore OUTloud about his long tenure with the musical and the moments that warm his heart in this interview abridged for clarity. Did you see FROZEN on Broadway before being cast in the tour? No, actually. […]

From Tragedy to Comedy: Strand Theater Transforms Shakespeare in R/J

“It’s very funny. We really do treat this as a comedy until it’s not.” Which Shakespeare play are artists O’Malley Steuerman and Betse Lyons referring to? As You Like It? Perhaps A Midsummer Night’s Dream? More than just a name has been updated here. Their Romeo and Juliet, styled as R/J, brings comedy, contemporary flair, and representation to the Strand Theater Stage to complete their 15th season. Cover Image: Production photo of R/J at the Strand Theatre. Photo by Erik W Photography, erikwphotography.com, @erikwphotography on Instagram Previously cast together in Strand Theater’s production of Christmas at Pemberley, Steurman and Lyons […]

Signature Wraps Season of Sondheim with Sweeney Todd

Two days after Stephen Sondheim passed away in 2021, I attended a production of Rent at Signature Theatre. I was looking forward to one particular moment: how would the audience react to the Song “La Vie Boehme” during the lyric “To Sontag, to Sondheim, to anything taboo?” Cover photo: Bryonha Marie (Mrs. Lovett) and Nathaniel Stampley (Sweeney Todd) in Sweeney Todd at Signature Theatre. Photo by Christopher Mueller. I was in good company. The theatre shop sold t-shirts emblazoned with the lyric. The audience cheered along with me at “To Sondheim.” Signature dedicated their following season to Sondheim. Filled with […]

Life is a Dream Awakens New Ideas at Baltimore Center Stage

One of the most renowned plays from the Spanish Golden Age, Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s La Vida es Sueno (Life is a Dream), was initially published in 1636. In 1981, the “mother of Latinx playwrighting” María Irene Fornés adapted this classic into Life is a Dream, a production that has since been in a deep slumber, now awakened at Baltimore Center Stage. Cover photo: Segismund, portrayed by Jak Watson, is at the center of the narrative of Life is a Dream. (Photo by J Fannon Photography) Under the direction of Tony Nominee Stevie Walker Webb, Life is a Dream […]

Harvey Brings Joy to Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre

If you’ve ever revisited a story you remember from your childhood only to uncomfortably realize “Oh, that didn’t age well,” fear not. Mary Chase’s Pulitzer-winning play, Harvey, written in the 1940s, continues to shine a light on the timeless values of compassion and kindness, as showcased in this recent Everyman Theatre production. Led by resident company member Bruce Randolph Nelson as Elwood P. Dowd, the cast effortlessly brought the characters to life. Nelson’s portrayal of Elwood, with his infectious smile and unwavering kindness, immediately won me over. I couldn’t help but root for him, wanting to shield him from the […]

Fifties Forever: Grease at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

We’re probably at a time in history where, unless you’re a very young child, you’ve heard of Grease, most likely the classic 1978 feature film that starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as the leads Danny and Sandy. Then in 2016 the Fox television network produced a live television special that melded elements from the movie and the original 1972 Broadway show (which itself has been re-adapted for the stage in the wake of the movie’s immense popularity), so you have to have been living under a rock to never have heard of Grease. And now Paramount Plus is streaming […]

Lady First – A chat with Strand Theater director, Emma Hooks

America’s first celebrity isn’t a founding father. It isn’t even a man. The accolade belongs to Charlotte Cushman, a 19th century actress well-known for playing male and female stage roles from Romeo to Lady MacBeth. She was also openly queer. Keeping with their mission of creating theater by women for everyone, Strand Theater is telling Cushman’s story in Barbara Kahn’s play The Lady Was a Gentleman. Baltimore OUTloud spoke with director Emma Hooks about Cushman’s life, the technical challenges of the production, and the importance of acknowledging queer joy. This is the regional premiere of The Lady Was a Gentleman. […]