By Frankie Kujawa
As the saying goes, ‘All is fair in love and war.’  This rings true at Everyman Theatre this month as James Goldman’s modern-day classic, THE LION IN WINTER takes the stage.  Running through Sunday, November 13th, the wickedly amusing tale of family dysfunction set during Christmas 1183 follows King Henry II, his imprisoned queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine [played by Resident Company Member Deborah Hazlett]; and their three entitled, double-dealing sons all vying for the throne.  Resident Company Member Jefferson A. Russell, who plays King Henry II, recently chatted about the dynamic performance, his role and why audiences are so fascinated by royal intrigue. 

By Frankie Kujawa
Imagine a world where women are extinct, everyone's gay, abortion is illegal — and you’re pregnant. Thus is the summary of Robert O’ Hara’s MANKIND now running through Sunday, October 23rd at Baltimore’s Iron Crow Theatre.  Kicking off ‘The Season of Defiance,’ Iron Crow’s latest play is an audacious, hilarious allegory that envisions an uncannily familiar future – one where abortion has been universally criminalized and women have gone extinct from centuries of mistreatment. Even the universal homosexuality that’s resulted and man’s new procreative capacity have not stopped mankind from “f**king everything up.” Performers Jake Stibbe (Jason) and Max Johnson (Mark) chat about the play and share what they hope audiences take away from the performance

By Frankie Kujawa
​HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, is back on tour! Running through Sunday, June 19th at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre, HAIRSPRAY is the story of 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad who sets out to dance her way onto the most popular TV’s show in 1960’s Baltimore - The Corny Collins Show. Performer Billy Dawson plays Corny Collins in the Charm City-set musical.  The Indiana-native, whose artistic talents catapulted them to perform as far as Japan, chatted about the upcoming performance.

By Frankie Kujawa
Actor Christopher Sears returns to Baltimore Center Stage this month as Pentheus in Anne Carson’s BAKKHAI (running Wednesday, June 1st – Sunday, June 19th). Based on the Greek tragedy from Euripides, this new version is a cautionary tale about the consequences of a civilization’s fear of the unknown. Fresh from his phenomenal performance at Baltimore Center Stage in THE FOLKS AT HOME by R. Eric Thomas earlier this spring, Sears is excited to be back in Charm City to share this new role and production with Baltimore audiences.

By Frankie Kujawa
​The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines gentrification as “the process in which a poor area (as of a city) experiences an influx of middle-class or wealthy people who renovate and rebuild homes and businesses and which often results in an increase in property values and the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents.” This idea of gentrification is explored in Baltimore Center Stage’s production of DREAM HOU$E by Eliana Pipes which runs through Sunday, May 15th. 

By Frankie Kujawa
​Everyman Theatre’s Resident Company member Megan Anderson has captivated and entertained Baltimore audiences for almost twenty years.  Currently performing in the adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel “Sense and Sensibility” (written by Kate Hamill and directed by Susanna Gellert), Anderson continues to delight audiences in this performance as eldest sister Elinor Dashwood.  Anderson recently chatted about her current performance, her recent artwork which is subsequently on display at Everyman, and what inspires her as a performer. 

By Frankie Kujawa
​The ‘Eye of the Tiger’ is laser-focused in the ring this month at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, MD!  Running through Sunday, June 5th, Rocky: A Knockout Musical, will have audiences on the edge of their seats rooting for both romance and the underdog!  The powerful musical, based on the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, tells the story of Rocky Balboa gaining the confidence he needs to take on heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Actor Patrick Gover (Rocky) recently chatted about the training that went into preparing for this role and what he hopes audiences take away from the performance.

By Frankie Kujawa
Everyman Theatre’s Behold, A Negress, the World Premiere play by playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton, is a passionate and daring examination of the challenges of intersectional feminism and the role of art during times of social unrest and political upheaval. Running through Sunday, February 27th, the play is set in Paris at the beginning of Napoleon’s reign.  With an imagined intimate relationship between real-life painter Marie-Guillemine Benoist and her muse Madeleine, a formerly enslaved black woman; both women maneuver the codes of women’s power in pursuit of their own liberty and equality.  As the play unfolds, Marie’s ambition and desire for artistic recognition overshadow Madeleine’s sense of justice and personal integrity thereby causing the women to find themselves on the brink of their own revolution. Based on the playwright’s awestruck experience upon viewing with the real-life Portrait of Madeleine (formerly known as Portrait of a Negress) by Marie-Guillemine Benoist, Lawton discusses her inspiration for the play, the influences of her work, and what this experience has taught her about writing.

By Frankie Kujawa
Polish off those disco balls, Charm City, because Summer: The Donna Summer Musical has the "Hot Stuff" to melt away your winter blues!  Running from Tuesday, February 15th through Sunday, February 20th, at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre, the music and story of the Queen of Disco will have audiences dancing in their seats. Performer, Robert Ayala, sits down to chat about the upcoming performance, as well as the enduring legacy of Donna Summer.  

By Frankie Kujawa
​Running from Saturday, November 6th – Sunday, November 7th, “Waitress” triumphantly returns to warm the hearts of Charm City audiences at the Hippodrome Theatre. Baltimore’s own David Socolar, who stars in the performance, recently sat down to discuss the upcoming show, weathering the pandemic, and his excitement to perform for his hometown audiences.