Baltimore Center Stage has revealed details for its upcoming 2023-2024 season, which will include the stage adaptation of the 1997 ABC-TV movie of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, 2021 Pulitzer winner The Hot Wing King, and more.
The Maryland company will present Artscentric's production of Cinderella (Enchanted Edition) November 25-December 23. Opening night is December 1. This version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical favorite is adapted by Tom Briggs from Robert L. Freedman's teleplay, which interpolates songs from other Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals and even one Rodgers and Hart tune. The Baltimore run will be directed by Kevin S. McAllister, choreographed by Shaylce Hemby, and music directed by Cedric D. Lyles.
Katori Hall's The Hot Wing King is being presented in association with Hartford Stage, with a run set for April 11–28, 2024, and an April 13 opening night. Christopher D. Betts will direct the work, which follows Cordell as he marinates and fires up his pan in a bid to reclaim the crown at the annual Hot Wang Festival. Supported by his beau Dwayne, they risk losing more than just the first-place trophy when the arrival of a troubled family member becomes a recipe for disaster. The work played a world premiere run in 2020 at Signature Theatre Off-Broadway, taking the Pulitzer Prize for Drama the following year.
The season will open with Lanie Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, a play with music that sees Billie Holliday sharing stories from her tumultuous life and singing some of the legendary artist's most beloved hits. Directed by Nikkole Salter and featuring musical arrangements by Danny Holgate, the work will play September 14–October 8, opening September 22. The work premiered at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre in 1986, playing a Broadway run in 2014 that earned leading lady Audra McDonald her historic sixth Tony Award.
Following Cinderella, Mexodus will hit the stage in a world premiere co-production with Mosaic Theater Company, running March 14–April 7, 2024, with a March 21 opening. The new work, which blends hip-hop and history to tell the story of the Underground Railroad, is written and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson and directed by David Mendizábal. Press notes describe the piece as a "live-looped musical, composed in real time."
The season will close with a world premiere Bridgerton-inspired reimagining of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, adapted and directed by Jenny Koons. The new take on the time-honored classic play will run May 9–26, 2024, with opening night set for May 11.
The Maryland theatre will also present the Locally Grown Festival October 20-22, highlighting local performers, artists, and makers in a weekend celebrating Baltimore's arts community.
Casting and additional creative team members for the season's shows will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more details, visit CenterStage.org.
