07-14-2024 Baltimore's Best - Flipbook - Page 12
12 The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, July 14, 2024
THE BALTIMORE SUN’S BEST READERS’ CHOICE 2024 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
BOWLING
GREENMOUNT
BOWL
Honorable mentions
Parkville Bowling Lanes
Mustang Alley’s
Stratosphere Social
CASINO
LIVE! CASINO &
HOTEL MARYLAND
Honorable mentions
Hollywood Casino
Perryville
Horseshoe Casino
Baltimore
CHARITY/NONPROFIT
CHESAPEAKE BAY
ASSOCIATION INC.
Honorable mentions
Harford County Public
Library
American Visionary Art
Museum
BARCS
COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY
TOWSON
UNIVERSITY
Honorable mentions
Loyola University
Johns Hopkins
University
University of Maryland
College Park
DOG PARK
BEST FRIENDS
FUR EVER
Ron Legler, president of the Hippodrome Theatre, stands for a portrait at the venue. KIM HAIRSTON/STAFF
Honorable mentions
Paw Point Dog Park,
Lake Roland
Patterson Dog Park
Locust Point Dog Park,
Latrobe Park
THEATER COMPANY
HIPPODROME THEATRE AT THE
FRANCE-MERRICK PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
12 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore. 800-343-3103. baltimore.broadway.com
GALLERY
By all accounts, the past 12 months have been a landmark year for the 110-year-old Hippodrome Theatre, a
former vaudeville palace that presents touring Broadway
musicals and plays.
With the help of a new $2 million state tax credit, the
Hippodrome mounted its first Broadway tryout in at
least two decades. A revival of “The Wiz” celebrated its
world premiere in Baltimore in September, embarked on a
six-month national tour, and transferred to Broadway this
spring.
In addition, the Hippodrome significantly enhanced
its small, flexible, state-of-the-art, second performance
space. The newly-renovated M&T Bank Exchange hosts
local performing arts and community groups, giving them
exposure to a different audience and bringing significant rental revenue into the historic — and expensive —
performing arts center.
“The new space caught on like wildfire,” venue president Ron Legler said. “We had 40 events in that space in
just two months.”
And during the post-pandemic era, in which performing groups have been losing audience members in droves,
the Hippodrome has miraculously held onto its season
ticket holders.
“We only lost one percent of our subscribers during
the pandemic,” Legler said, adding that the runs of most
Broadway tours sell out. “That’s insane.”
He expects that winning streak to continue, and pointed
out that subscribers will be the first audiences anywhere
to see two new national tours next season: “& Juliet,”
a girl-power jukebox musical that cheekily provides a
happy ending to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and
that features the tunes of Swedish hit-maker Max Martin,
and “The Life of Pi,” a widely acclaimed musical about a
teenage boy, tiger, orangutan, zebra and hyena stranded on
the same life raft.
“Our audiences love seeing Broadway shows in their
backyards,” Legler said. “I kind of feel like we’re firing on
all cylinders right now.”
— Mary Carole McCauley
AMERICAN
VISIONARY
ART MUSEUM
Honorable mentions
The Walters Art
Museum
The Baltimore Museum
of Art
Crystal Moll Gallery
GOLF COURSE
MOUNTAIN BRANCH
GOLF CLUB
Honorable mentions
Bulle Rock Golf Club
Country Club of
Maryland
The Elkridge Club
Turn to Arts, Page 14
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