Plays about Maryland actor and assassin John Wilkes Booth, monstrous creatures, and mental health will all come to Baltimore theatre stages during the month of May.
Learn about some of the upcoming shows in this theatrical roundup:
Some Like It Hot, May 6 through May 11, Hippodrome Theatre. Pursued by gangsters after witnessing a Mafia murder, two Prohibition-era musicians flee Chicago. Disguised as women, the musicians join an all-female jazz band on a cross-country train trip bound for excitement. “Some Like It Hot” is the winner of four Tony Awards and a Grammy Award.
Lempira, May 9 through May 31, Zion Lutheran Church (400 E. Lexington St.). Baltimore Rock Opera Society will present a mytho-historic tale about Lempira, “Lord of the Mountain” and chieftain of the Lencas, an Indigenous people in the jungles of modern day Honduras and El Salvador. Lempira must unite the people he once fought against in order to face the threat of colonial imperialism.
Young Playwrights Festival, May 10, Baltimore Center Stage. The theme for the 40th annual Young Playwrights Festival is “I Love My City, I Love Myself.” Plays span tales of a Monsters Anonymous meeting, conflict at a sleepover, navigating identity as a television actor, and more.
Love, Land, Legacy, May 10 and May 11, Baltimore Theatre Project. The VTDance II ensemble will perform stories through dance choreographed by Vincent E. Thomas, in collaboration with poet Michelle A. Nelson, with music by Dave Ballou, including excerpts of his newest work The Detritus Suite for Jazz Orchestra.
Behind Closed Doors, Tuesday, May 13, doors open 6:30 p.m., event starts 7 p.m., Lyric Baltimore. Lyric Youth Theater Ensemble presents “Behind Closed Doors,” a monologue-driven piece about teens in a group counseling session.
John Wilkes Booth: One Night Only, (NOTE: This production’s run has been extended through June 22.) May 15 through June 22, Baltimore Center Stage. John Wilkes Booth, the Maryland-born actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, takes the stage again in this dark comedy play by “Mad Men” showrunner Matthew Weiner.
NOTE: The 10x10x10 Short Plays Festival was originally scheduled for May and June, but it has been rescheduled to Aug. 22 through Sept. 14. There will also be a special pay-what-you-will performance on Aug. 21. 10x10x10 Short Play Festival, May 16 through June 8, Fells Point Corner Theatre. It’s the 10th year for the 10x10x10 Short Play Festival (try saying that one 10 times fast). Watch 10 short plays written by 10 local playwrights and each performed by 10 actors.
Mary Stuart, ongoing through May 18, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. The rivalry between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I takes the stage in this play. Peter Oswald translates and adapts German playwright Friedrich Schiller’s “Mary Stuart.”
Baby with the Bathwater, ongoing through May 18, Spotlighters Theatre. After Helen and John decide their baby is a girl and name them Daisy, it is later revealed that their child is a boy. As Daisy grows up, he struggles to establish his identity, while his parents are shrouded in obliviousness.
The Mystery of Irma Vep, May 18 through June 22, Everyman Theatre. Two actors take on more than eight roles each and over 30 costume changes in this high-camp comedy filled with murder, mayhem, mummies, vampires, ghosts, and werewolves.
Ethiopia, May 30 through June 1, Baltimore Theatre Project. The Living Newspaper is a form of theatre that dramatizes current events. Arthur Arent wrote multiple Living Newspapers, including “Ethiopia,” a play that he wrote in 1937 but was banned by the Roosevelt administration and never performed. The piece tells the story of Italy’s colonialist attack on Ethiopia under Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia at the time. DC writer Sybil R. Williams and DC composer and pianist Janelle Gill have teamed up to reconstruct and expand upon Arent’s “Ethiopia” in this production.
Brown Sugar Bake-Off, May 30 through June 15, Strand Theater. In this co-production between the Strand Theater and Two Strikes Theatre Collective, enjoy eight original 10-minute plays written by Black women and nonbinary playwrights. Each of the pieces will be themed around mental health.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile, May 30 through June 22, Vagabond Players. In this absurdist comedy, Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso gather in a Parisian cafe in 1904, before the scientist and painter transform the world with the theory of relativity and the cubism art movement, respectively.
