Theatre Made Headlines in Charm City in 2007

Once again, the Baltimore theatre scene was a thriving one in 2007.  As such, it made the news a lot this past year – some for the good (a new theatre company, an established theatre company does remarkable community service), some for the bad (state arts funding is at risk, local theatre coverage shrinks).  No matter what, it sure has been an interesting year in front of and behind the footlights. 

Here are the top 10 news stories in 2007: 

10.    Hairspray: The Movie

The musical is still a smash on Broadway, and Baltimore looks to continue to make tongues wag in New York when Cry Baby opens in 2008.  But the film version of Hairspray is both a blessing and a curse.  No matter what you think of the film, Baltimore ultimately comes out smelling like a rose.  A veritable valentine to Baltimore, all of the quirkiness and style we are known for comes through.  It helps that John Waters and his original Tracy, Ricki Lake, make cameo appearances.  And it is sweet that John Travolta at least tried to do a "hon" accent.  And the barrel of film award nominations, plus a very healthy take at the box office make it a hit all over again.  The bad part, really, is that once again, Baltimore shot itself in the foot.  Instead of making some monetary concessions and building a big soundstage (useable for future projects, and certainly more than the 8 whole times a year M&T Stadium sees a Ravens game), the powers that be again failed to think long term, and Toronto subbed for Charm City.  Will we ever learn?

 

9. Menopause: The Musical

A hit nationwide, this musical romp for "ladies of a certain age", was a much more successful attempt at giving Baltimore sit-down shows like D.C. (Shear Madness, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change).  Gone is memory of The Awesome 80's Prom, a flopola by any standard.  This little show kept at it for months, bringing hot flashes and horny 50-somethings a giggle or two at the M&T Pavilion.  Hey, if you can't book enough wedding receptions and proms, why not use the space creatively?  (These people need to give ideas to the film people in #10).  I believe, though I could be wrong, that Menopause: The Musical is now the longest-running show ever in Baltimore, dethroning The Lion King.

 

8. The Hippodrome is For Sale

Early this year, LiveNation announced that it was easing out of the theatre business, and was putting up several theatres for sale across the country.  More recently, a theatre in Chicago, part of that announcement, was purchased, along with its BroadwayAcrossAmerica franchise.  We'll see what happens here.

 

7. CENTERSTAGE's Managing Director Steps Down

In mid-October, CENTERSTAGE made headlines when its Managing Director, Michael Ross, announced that he'd be stepping down, effective June 1, 2008.  His six year time in the position was particularly successful, with huge gains in corporate support.  And his expansion of CS's education program now sees that 2,000 Baltimore City Public School students get to see free matinees, INCLUDING bus transportation.  And he is no stranger to little theatres, often attending shows, and offering equipment assistance to them.  He is a friend of Baltimore theatre by any measure.

 

6. State Arts Funding in Jeopardy

Facing a budget deficit, newly-elected Governor O'Malley announced the possibility of making up the money by cutting funding to the arts.  It shouldn't really have been a surprise; whenever there is a budget crunch, the arts are the first in line at the guillotine.  To the arts community's credit, a huge grass roots effort was put out there almost immediately, and responsibly.  Instead of angry letters and rhetoric, a calm, more likely to be noticed campaign was launched to make legislators aware of the large economic impact such a cut would make, reaching far beyond the theatres and galleries themselves.  With the raise in sales tax, who knows where this stands, but I'd bet this won't be the last time we hear about this.

 

5. The Baltimore Sun Shifts Theatre Coverage

As if rallying the troops to fight budget cuts wasn't enough, an abrupt change in policy toward community theatre by Charm City's largest newspaper set off plenty of fireworks.  Once things got calm, cooler heads prevailed again, letting the paper and the community served know just how classy the Baltimore theatre community is.  The Sun will no longer review community theatre productions, leaving many smaller theatres to wonder where they'd get their biggest press from now.  Fortunately, BroadwayWorld, and other media outlets are filling in the gap (tell your Sun-reading friends we are here!)  Is it a carrot they are dangling with their online blog?  Theatre and other arts critics have a venue where they can give their two-cents worth without taking up space on the printed page.  But entries are only hit or miss – sometimes days go by with nothing new in any area of arts coverage – and the blog site is hard to navigate to.

 

4. J. Wynn Rousuck Steps Down as Baltimore Sun Theatre Critic

Judy Rousuck, a respected critic and friend to many, shocked us all when she announced that she was leaving her post at The Baltimore Sun after reviewing over 3000 shows!  Tongues are still wagging as to why, but you won't hear about it here – this is not Page Six of The Post.  But the great news for fans of Ms. Rousuck is that she is back doing what she loves, this time reviewing for WYPR radio's Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast.

 

3. Toby Orenstein is named "Marylander of the Year"

Maryland Life Magazine has named local theatre legend/entrepreneur Toby Orenstein (of Toby's Dinner Theatre fame) its Marylander of the Year.  Awarded to "a person who has best exemplified making Maryland a better place to live, work and raise a family," those of us fortunate to even know this lady in a passing fashion know she deserves this honor.  What a fitting tribute to a woman who has devoted her life to theatre as a means to educate and entertain.  As if running two successful theatres and keeping dozens of local theatre professionals employed at any one time weren't enough, she has created countless programs and productions to educate young audiences and to give young people truly serious about the performing arts as a career a place to really work at their craft, developed shows for the USO to entertain the troops, and garnered a staggering 38 Helen Hayes Award nominations, winning for her production of Jekyll and Hyde.  Congratulations, Toby!

 

2. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in DC, in the News, and in Jail!

A regional theatre mainstay, the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company has, over the course of the last few years, really become the go-to company for accessible classic theatre – not just Shakespeare, but daring works of classic plays beyond the Bard.  But 2007 was a banner year for CSC and the community it serves.  First, CSC was honored to be included in the prestigious Shakespeare in Washington Festival this past summer.  The Festival, an internationally recognized event, invited the Howard County group to participate, and, boy did they!  They turned their summer tradition of Theatre in the Ruins in repertory into truly event theatre with 2 top notch productions – As You Like It and Henry V.  Then they made news with record attendance this year and expansion of their educational outreach programs.  But they really made headlines (The Sun, The Washington Post and several TV stations, including WBAL) when they presented their production of Macbeth to the inmates of the Patuxent Institution in Jessup, Maryland.  This maximum security prison opened its doors to the company and allowed them to present this tale of murder, greed and the supernatural with only minor changes.  Macbeth proved an appropriate choice, with even the inmates agreeing that its themes hit close to home.  The event even spawned in-prison study groups about the play.  The power of theatre is far-reaching and kudos to CSC for recognizing an oft-forgotten population.  What will they have in store for us next year?  Nothing less than magic, I'm sure! 

The number one news story of 2007 will be posted in the coming days in an in-depth interview with the subject! 

Don't forget! Vote for the 2007 Readers' Choice Awards and enter to win one of a dozen theatre prize packages!

PHOTOS: Courtesy of participating theatres.  TOP to BOTTOM: Menopause: The Musical; The Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore; CENTERSTAGE's 2007 production of Hearts; Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia's 2007 production of Titanic: The Musical; Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's 2007 production of Macbeth.

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