The sun’ll come out— TOMORROW! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow— they’ll be— A Lion!?

Charm City is packing its Bromo-Seltzer Arts District with some of the hottest tickets in town for the 2024/2025 Hippodrome Broadway Series, powered by CareFirst. With not one but TWO National Tour launches, compliments of some hard-earned tax-credits now working in the state of Maryland (by way of Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland State Legislature), several shows direct from Broadway (or in some cases— still currently on Broadway) and a whole bunch of fun for everyone, this season is going to be out of this world and you won’t want to miss all the extraordinary theatrical opportunities that are breezing through Baltimore this season.

In what has become an annual tradition for nearly half of his tenure as France-Merrick Performing Arts Center President, we’ve had a phone interview with Ron Legler to discuss all the wonderful new shows, returning glories, and everything else exciting that’s coming into town for this Hippodrome Broadway Series, this season.

Good afternoon, Ron! It’s Amanda, how are you doing? And thank you as always for giving us some time out of your very busy day, it’s always a pleasure to speak with you!

Ron Legler: Yay! Hi, Amanda! How are you doing? Thank you! Pleasure to speak with you as well! It’s really been a great day today!

Oh my gosh, wow, no kidding! I saw that season announcement drop on Facebook and I was just blown away!

Ron: It’s purple Friday and we had our season announcement!

I saw and I wonder— is it intentional that the lettering in the ‘2024/2025’ looks a little purple?

Ron: Oh we totally did that on purpose. Usually we’re blue but I told them, “We need a little purple this year, just to represent!” I always tell people, we’ve got two birds and a hippo on Eutaw Street; we’re neighbors and we want to take good care of each other. We’ve turned the buildings purple for the last month with the outdoor lights. We turned the building orange during the Orioles season when they were killing it and now we’re purple. We’ve always gotta be good neighbors, right?

That is such an incredibly true sentiment, showing a unified, supportive Baltimore. I love it. Now, I’ve been looking over that season lineup since it dropped and I’m just amazed. You weren’t kidding some months back when you said you had a good one up your sleeve for this incoming season.

Ron: We were very fortunate. If you look at it, you see that seven of the eight shows were either on Broadway this past season or still on Broadway. The only one that isn’t is Annie. But we haven’t had Annie in a long time. And it’s weird, because after the pandemic, a lot of our season ticket holders wanted to go back to what they knew. They wanted happy things. They wanted happy, easy stories. We do a lot of surveying with our season ticket holders— that’s how we really stay in touch with what our audiences want to see. Some of the old classics starting popping back up in these season surveys, like Chicago and Annie. So I looked back at our calendar and realized it’s been seven or eight years since we’ve had Annie and that’s a whole generation. We always try to listen to what they tell us on these surveys, I think that’s what keeps them happy, I guess.  

Absolutely. Can you tell us a little bit more about how a season subscription works at The Hippodrome? I know we always get all excited about the shows but I think some people who maybe haven’t yet taken advantage of becoming a subscriber to ensure they get tickets to see all these wonderful shows might like to know a little bit more about it!

Ron: Sure! We have eight shows in a season and a season subscription ticket starts at $310 which works out to about $39 a ticket. When you become season ticket holder, we even have a six-month payment plan. So it really breaks the financial barrier down for those who might think that they can’t afford a season subscription. That’s eight shows. That’s a lot.

It sounds like you’re really making this accessible for people who feel like they might be “priced out” of ‘Broadway’ shows.

Ron: Absolutely. That’s the goal, bringing theatre to more people.

And we love that for Baltimore. Now, you’ve got eight spectacular shows coming down the pipe and an add-in optional ninth show. Of those nine, which one are you most excited about?

Ron: It’s really hard for me because I’m spoiled; I get to see all of these shows when they’re up in New York. I’m always passionate about the ones that I bring through Baltimore. But I have to tell you, & Juliet is so much fun. It’s going to be built in Baltimore. It’s the official launch of the National Tour. The whole team is going to be here four to five weeks before they open. The cast will get to meet each other; they’ll do the readings in New York and then they come here and try their costumes on for the first time. They’re going to be with the orchestra for the first time, rehearse together for the first time, they’re going to be living in Baltimore. All of the creatives will come down here and our audiences will be the very first to see the National Tour launch right here in Baltimore, which is really fun.

We get to spend extra time with them and it’s just so much fun. We did it with The Wiz and it was like a theatre kids dream to spend a month with The Wiz. We loved it and we cannot wait to get to experience that ‘theatre kid dream’ again when & Juliet comes in to begin its tour here.

That’s amazing! What else do you have lined up for us?

Ron: Michael Jackson. The MJ Musical. It’s so well done. Put all the other things about Michael Jackson aside; he wrote beautiful music and he had wonderful songs. And this show is such a powerhouse of his work. So I’m super excited about that. We wish we had the MJ from Broadway because he’s from Maryland in Prince George’s County and he’s really a powerhouse, but he’s going to go to London and open MJ The Musical in London for The West End so that is super exciting for him and we couldn’t be happier for him.

So you’ve got two power-house season openers as it were— & Juliet and then MJ The Musical. And then you have this non-musical?

Ron: That’s right. We wanted to do a play. We’ve been bringing a play through every year for quite a while now and everyone’s really enjoyed it. Last year we had To Kill A Mockingbird, and for this upcoming season it will be Life of Pi. If you remember War Horse and the beautiful puppetry of that show—

I do. And it was stunning!

Ron: Perfect. So think of all that stunning puppetry, that beautiful, wonderful puppetry, and then think about all the super modern technology with all the video backdrops and the way they utilize video in today’s theatre world— it’s spectacular. It’s a beautiful story. We’re going to hopefully partner with the Maryland Zoo for some co-events and tie-ins because the story is about a family who tries to move their zoo on the water and then there’s a storm. It’s just riveting. We were blown away by this production and we cannot wait to bring it to Baltimore.

That really does sound spectacular. Hopefully the characters in that play will get all of the ‘sun coming out’ in their tomorrow like some of the other shows in this season?

Ron: Aha, so you want to talk about Annie? Okay, we’ll talk about Annie. It’s a wonderful first show to introduce a new audience to. It’s a great heart-warming story and it’s a beautiful production. We’re super excited about that.

And that’s going back to back with the other big family show this season?

Ron: Not exactly back to back, there’s about a month in-between when Annie leaves us and Disney’s The Lion King arrives. We’re lucky because we get The Lion King for three weeks— that’s a homerun. We cannot wait to get Disney back in town. Any time Disney comes to Baltimore, we’re thrilled. Their shows are top-notch; nothing but the best of the best. It really gives our audiences the chance to see the pinnacle of what productions of Broadway are about. We’re super excited to welcome them back and cannot wait for them to get here.

We go from the plains of Africa in February of 2025 and then roll into the plains of…a cornfield?

Ron: Yes in April we’ll have Shucked a new musical from Broadway. I can’t tell you, Amanda, I did not know I needed Shucked in my life when I went to see it in New York. I sort of had the, ‘hmm, what is this?’ feeling about it going in. But I adored it! I walked out realizing, “I needed this in my life. I did need Shucked in my life.” It’s corn-tastic. It’s kind of like a musical version of Hee-Haw, they move around through a lot of different vignettes, you learn about all the different people, and it all just flows together. They jokes go so quickly that you just hearing roaring in the audience and they’re already onto the next joke and the audience is roaring again. It’s absolutely amazing. I know Baltimore is going to connect with this show in an incredible way and I’m super excited about this one.

You’re so passionate and enthusiastic, I don’t think there’s a single show you’re not super excited about!

Ron: That’s right. I’m excited about them all. Including Some Like It Hot. I’m going to tell you, this is like that old, big, brassy Broadway type show. Gorgeous, lush production— just spare no expense, everything in the show is absolutely phenomenal. It’s beautiful. It’s just big and bold and ballsy and lovely. It gives you that nostalgic Broadway feel. Like The Producers and that type of musical that just leaves you feeling “WOW.” Some Like It Hot closed on Broadway recently and we’re very fortunate to get it so quickly.

Wow is right. Baltimore sounds like it’s going to be living a season of WOW!

Ron: Yeah— and wow, because we’re bringing back Chicago. I think it’s on it’s sixth visit to Baltimore? But you know, you read the news, then you hear Chicago and realize it never really gets old. It’s the same story that’s been told over and over again, it’s the longest running American musical in history. Still doing incredibly well on Broadway. It’s super sexy and super fun and our audiences were ready to see it again so we’re ready and happy to be bringing it to them again.

That wraps up the season of ‘WOW’ pretty nicely. But you said you had one add-in optional show this year? Can you tell us a little bit about that one?

Ron: I think the one thing that gets on the list every year, it goes right to the top of the list and we haven’t been able to bring it back because of the pandemic and everything else— it’s Come From Away. So we’re bringing Come From Away for three performances only— that’s all we could get. It’s going to sell out. The last time it was here, it sold out so fast— we were sold out on subscriptions so we didn’t get a chance to sell any individual tickets or group tickets. The season ticket holders added Come From Away the last time it was here and then they were GONE. And I think it’s going to get snatched up really quick just like the last time. It’s such a powerhouse of a show. 90 minutes, in and out, and you’ve gone through a whirlwind and it really is such a powerful piece.

It’s a powerful addition to a powerful season. Now I see that Baltimore is hosting not one but two national tour launches. Life of Pi is the other one?

Ron: Yes. Just like with & Juliet they will get into town four or fives weeks before the tour launches, we’ll have the creative teams here for that. They’ll be living in Baltimore those four to five weeks before the performance and it will be wonderful. Having those people come into our city is wonderful. We always try to maximize getting into the schools, letting creative kids of Baltimore and Maryland come in and get to meet them and see how its done. When The Wiz was being built here we had 900 kids in for the final dress rehearsal of that show. None of those kids had ever been in the theatre before. It was the first time the cast heard an audience and it was young kids for The Wiz. It was the most electric day— those are the days I live for in our theatre. I know that that show was changing lives that night. People saw themselves represented; they saw themselves in a different way, and that helps to see that they too can be a part of the industry and be able to do that one day. You could feel it in the air; it was that measurable.

That sounds truly incredible. And I hope you have a similar experience of Life of Pi. Personally, I’ve only ever read the book but I am thrilled to get to see the stage production. And I know, based on how well the other plays in previous seasons have done, that Life of Pi is going to charm and amaze Baltimore. It brings balance to the season, which is something you’ve always done a wonderful job of doing, Ron— little bit of something for everyone.

Ron: Thank you. We want to keep everyone excited and interested and happy.

I’m personally excited about for & Juliet as well. I’m sort of kicking myself in the pants— I had an opportunity to see it in the West End in October of 2021 and I didn’t take it. A true, musical reimagining of arguably the most recognized Shakespeare show.

Ron: Think about that for a second— Romeo & Juliet. And now think about Katy Perry and Britney Spears songs. And what if Juliet didn’t kill herself because of Romeo? What if? It’s got all of these wonderful things in the story. You get to meet Shakespeare’s wife! And she’s a very empowered woman. I thought the messaging was wonderful.

That’s really great. The audiences all across Baltimore must be so excited about this season.

Ron: I think our audiences are going to be thrilled about this season. We’re just so thankful. Our audiences have always come through for us. We’re going to have an extra ten weeks of work for our unions with these National Tour launches, thanks to the tax credit. That’s ten more solid weeks of work for our union people that missed out on working during all those years of the pandemic. We feel like we’re filling the tank back up. We haven’t had a season with eight shows in it for a long time. And there are still some people out there who are a little down, a little, “Oh, but we were hoping to get this show this season or that show…” and I have to keep saying to them. “Don’t worry. I’m already working on the 2025/2026 season…and whatever you think you’ve missed in this season we’re going to hopefully bring it through in the next one.”

You are always several steps ahead! We love that about you.

Ron: I love this work. Our season ticket holders are so good. I have ones sending messages on social media, saying “I think I guessed the season” and they’re only one show off. I mean they are getting really good at this! The Theatrical Tax Credit has thrown them off just a little bit because that’s always a different kind of monster, but for us to get these kinds of shows and be the first audiences to see them is a big feather in Baltimore’s cap. To watch the first performance of a National Touring Broadway show and to be able to say “that happened here first” is truly something. You know, there was a time when we might not have been able to get & Juliet first, and we would have had to have waited until the 2025/2026 season. But because of that tax credit it puts us to the top of the line.

I have to tell you, the state of Maryland and our Governor— amazing. If I can tell you how our first lady, Dawn Flythe Moore, is so in love with performance and performing arts and she means it. She shows up. They show up. They’ve been to a bunch of opening nights. Wes Moore has been in our building maybe six to eight times? And he’s been the Governor of Maryland for one year. I’m thrilled that they understand the value. The Governor will go back and meet the cast and say, “I just want to thank you for your talent and what you bring to our community because we need it. We need your talents on stage and we’re grateful that you come and do this for us.” It is so mind-bending that someone understands so much and cares so much about live theatre and the performing arts here in Baltimore— it makes me want to work harder. I want to bring more and do more.

That’s incredible. You’re very dedicated and Baltimore and The Hippodrome really appreciate having you on board to bring us such great programing each and every season.

Ron: Thank you. You know, The Hippodrome turns 20 this year.

Oh wow! Has it really been 20 years? That’s crazy!

Ron: Yes, 20 years since it re-opened. Can you imagine? 20 seasons already.

I definitely remember one of the early shows— Les Mis or Phantom it was right around the time I was graduating high school and I remember thinking it was so cool that Baltimore was going to have this big amazing theatre.

Ron: Isn’t that incredible? The time goes really, really fast. I mean I’ll be here ten years in April. I can’t believe a decade has passed. But there’s always something fun. There’s always something interesting in this city. Getting to see what The Ravens can do or what The Orioles can do for this community reminds me of how good we really are. And how good we can be. The energy that’s flowing around Baltimore City right now is phenomenal. I mean look at Shelonda Stokes and the Downtown Partnership (CEO Shelonda Stokes of Downtown Partnership Baltimore) and her dedication to this community and to the business community is incredible. All the things that are up and coming with the Inner Harbor, and you know Lexington Market is now open for its second year. The super-block is inching its way along, but it’s moving along and it’s getting there. And we’re proud to be a part of that super-block. Things are just happening in our community that make it stronger and better. We’re better together.

We’re working with Everyman and Center Stage Baltimore to find ways to help them generate more revenue. The Regionals have had a very rough go. None of us are great from the pandemic, it really did stunt a lot of our growth in our time period. And a lot of us aren’t fully recovered from it. There are a lot of companies here in the city— Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Everyman, Center Stage— if we care to have those organizations in our community, we need to help each other and support each other.

Did you know Center Stage is 60 years in our community now? We have got to support those regional theatres. They have a brand new artistic director and managing director over at Center Stage, they have brand new members on the board; there’s a commitment there. I’m really hoping that our patrons and our season ticket holders start to see shows there and make sure that those regional theatres are being supported. We have to watch out for our friends and our neighbors and make sure that they can get through this rough patch that they’re going through.

That is absolutely correct. It is a community; it is about supporting one another. So many other areas get it wrong. It’s not this race to the finish line of ‘who can be the last one standing’.

Ron: No. Not at all! I’ve got to tell you, we gain a lot of season ticket holders who have had their first introduction to live performances by going to Everyman or going to Center Stage. It builds up to that. And we need those stories to be told. And those stories sometimes go on to be Broadway stories. It’s really important to support those theatres. So I really urge all of your fans, all of your readers, and everyone who supports TheatreBloom to really think about doing date nights at Everyman or Center Stage and Chesapeake Shakespeare because they are really wonderful regional organizations that we do not want to lose in our community.

I feel you so very much when you say that. I felt really honored to have a personal hand in promoting Center Stage’s co-production of Cinderella (Artistic Synergy, another Baltimore staple in the theatre scene) over the Christas holidays. A neighbor read my review, got some information from me, and decided that for Christmas, instead of buying ‘stuff’ that she would get tickets to the show for herself and her adopted bi-racial daughter, and her daughter’s bio-family that they’ve all recently reconnected with. I think it was a dozen of them in total that went and she and her daughter and the family were blown away by the production but also by the experience of going to Center Stage. They had no idea it was there!

Ron: Wow. That’s amazing. And I understand that was a really hard ticket to get ahold of, that Cinderella, they said pretty early on that the run was sold out. I was thrilled to hear that for them. It was a beautiful production and such an experience for so many people of color. Getting to see yourself on stage, feeling like you’re represented, and knowing that this is a part of your story is such an important part of what live theatre can do. Especially when you’re in a room with that one audience that’s only going to see that show that night forever. It changes you. It’s a powerful experience and I’m really glad to know that! And I’m extra glad to know that more people know about Center Stage. They’ve got some really great things coming up for the remainder of this season as well! So we encourage people to go support them and the other regional theatres in the area.

I’m definitely in agreement with you there. Now, bringing it back to Baltimore City, I know in the past, when we’ve had shows like Hairspray, which takes place in Baltimore, or Funny Girl, that has that one big scene in Charm City, or with Frozen, with Caroline Bowman who basically grew up just outside of Baltimore, you’ve had some show you’re really excited about because of the ‘personal’ connection to the city it will bring with it. Do we have anything in this upcoming 2024/2025 season that has that personal connection to Baltimore?

Ron: You know I don’t think there is, now that you’ve mentioned it. And usually there is, because like you’ve said, I’m always “oh gosh, I can’t wait for Baltimore to see that because of that one part or because of that one person who’s from here.” But I will tell you I feel like Baltimore is really going to connect with a lot of these shows. Baltimore has always connected deeply with Annie. There’s just that underdog feeling, wanting the little girl to win, that success story of her, that just always resonates with Baltimore.

I think it’s Shucked that is really going to surprise Baltimore. There are some shows that don’t have that immediate Baltimore connection and that’s okay. Like when we had Kinky Boots. I had so many people who said, “I didn’t think I was going to like it but I really loved it.” And I think it’s because it’s that underdog story that just really resonates with Baltimore. I think they’re going to see some things in the season that will make them really glad that they’re season ticket holders.

I can say for sure there are definitely some shows I’m looking forward to connecting with— & Juliet being one of them! And I’m hoping that I too will discover that I need Shucked in my life. Do you have anything planned that you can talk about that will be happening in that beautiful new M&T Exchange Space this season? Or is that all still top-secret in the works?

Ron: The Exchanges is doing great. We launched in October and we’re thrilled with that because coming into the year of our 20^th anniversary, the whole performing arts center is complete. And honestly the foundation did a fantastic job under the leadership of Wally Pinkard (Chairman of the Board Walter D. Pinkard Jr.) and Olive Waxter (Executive Director of Hippodrome Foundation) raising the money to get that fully completed. We’re tightening up all the little things. We’re operating the room but realizing that we need this or that. We’ve just purchased brand new chairs and tables. They’ll all be part of the package.

We are hopefully getting Best of Baltimore back. We have several groups that have booked and will be coming back. We’re talking with the Downtown Partnership about their annual meeting and having them hopefully host that in The Exchange, we’re talking with University of Maryland to start doing those candlelight shows that are so popular all around, we’d really love to do one of those in The Exchange. And we’re talking with an organization that brings ticketed concerts into cities about doing some really special performances. There’s lots to look forward to there. We’re going to keep getting better and better and tightening it up as we go.

We had 34 wedding inquiries on January 2^nd 2024. There were a lot of proposals over Christmas and New Years and we’re thrilled that so many of them are reaching out to inquire about our space. Everyone has given us such great feedback; I think the space is absolutely stunning. We hosted The Wiz cast party there. We hosted the Moulin Rogue cast party there. And we’re going to be hosting the Mrs. Doubtfire cast party there next week as well. The more people we can introduce to the room and show people all the wonderful stuff it can do? It’s a win-win.

I had the distinguished honor of getting to be in that space twice in 2023, both for the press pre-receptions of ‘Twas the Night Before Cirque… and Moulin Rogue! And I have to agree with you, it’s a stunning, beautiful space. It feels like something from this gorgeous golden era of yesteryore but also that it’s capable of handling modernity? If that makes sense?

Ron: We started talking and somehow the phrase, “A historic space for modern events” came up and I was like “yeah, that hits it pretty good.” And we’ve worked really hard to get that space ready— the supply chain is still a really big issue. Like curtains— we ordered stuff 25-30 weeks ago and stuff is still just now arriving. We’re getting those curtains hung, adding a softness to the room, and increasing a flexibility of what that room can offer when a patron comes in. Or when a ticketed event comes in and wants a stage. We’ve still got some furniture to purchase, we’re working on getting a marquee out on the Fayette side directly opposite the apartment complex, which we think will look really beautiful. You’ll be able to see Everyman’s marquee, The Exchange marquee, and our big sign on Eutaw Street. You know, Vinny (Artistic Director and Founder of Everyman Theatre, Vincent M. Lancisi) and I are always talking about our best goal, which is to fill the whole Bromo-district with marquees. All over Howard Street, up and down Eutaw, and just all over the place.

You’re going to make a mini Broadway right here in Baltimore. That’s phenomenal. I’m really, really looking forward to this season and I know all the season-ticket subscribers— and soon-to-be-subscribers, are looking forward to it too. Is there anything else you want to say about this wonderful season? I know we’re all very lucky to have you at the helm of it.

Ron: I’m the lucky one. I have a fantastic team. This is a dedicated, wonderful team who just loves the Hippodrome. We are all stewards of this beautiful building. We all take it very seriously. It really is the patrons that love this building and we had that proven to us during the pandemic. As soon as they were able to come back and join us in this beautiful building, they did. We’re thankful to be in Baltimore. We’re thankful for all of our loyal patrons. Our season ticket holders especially, they are always our bread and butter. We always do everything for them first. We’re going to see who comes back, we’re going to upgrade those that we can, and then we’ll go on sale for individual tickets, and then for new season subscribers. So if people want to head over to— actually the best thing is our app.

We have an app?

Ron: Yes! We have an app! Just pop on over to the app store and type in “Baltimore Hippodrome” and the little Hippodrome logo will pop up. You can get on the mailing list, you can get on the wait-list for season, and it tells you everything. If Trevor Noah changes his performance date or time? It sends you a little notification— “Hey, Trevor Noah has changed his performance date/time.” It’s the fastest information you can get. Whenever you buy a ticket through the app, you are guaranteed to be buying it from us, which makes it safe, and it won’t have those inflated prices that you see out there.

I want people to know that on average our tickets start around $45, or like I mentioned earlier if you’re a subscriber, tickets can be as low as $39 a show. And you’ll see someone trying to re-sell that $45 ticket for $300. That’s not what we do. I always recommend buying your tickets through the app because we guarantee your money and you’ll never not have a ticket to get you in the building. There’s been a lot of scalping going on, and fake tickets going around, especially with bigger shows— I know Lion King will be one that we’re going to have to watch out for, Hamilton definitely was, things like Wicked and Frozen, all those bigger shows. There are always phony tickets, secondary markets, and people out there trying to capitalize on someone wanting to see that show. So if you have the app— you’re safe. You’re protected. You’re secure. And you can always get refunded through the app.

That is really brilliant. I’m downloading it right now- and I suggest all of the readers go and do the same! Check it out in the app store— Hippodrome Theatre—and you can’t mistake that red and gold Hippodrome logo. Thank you for sharing all of that with us, Ron. And really for sharing your time and your dedication and passion not just with the readers and fans here but with all of Charm City and all of the arts you support in Baltimore.

Ron: I just want to say thank you. It’s been a wonderful ten years in Baltimore. I love this city. I love living here. I love working here. It’s just given me so much of an experience and I only think it’s going to get better and better. And GO RAVENS!! Let’s go this weekend. I’m in purple today, I’ll be in purple tomorrow, and I’m going to be in purple on Sunday. I didn’t know I was even a football fan, Amanda. I love what this does for this community. You can get a glimpse of excitement and a glimpse of what people think this city can be. It’s a beautiful city, it really is. It’s a spectacular city on the water, it’s an all-American city. It deserves all of the great things that are coming to it. And it’s only going to get better and better.

Ron, it’s always a pleasure getting to chat with you, it’s always wonderful to hear your thoughts and to share your enthusiasm about the city, about theatre, and about theatre in the city with everyone. I cannot believe it’s been a decade! You came to Baltimore about the time TheatreBloom got started— we’re also turning ten but in August— and it’s just wonderful getting to speak with you. I cannot wait to see all the wonders you’ve got plotted out on a chart somewhere for 2025/2026!

Ron: Oh, but we’ll see you next week for Mrs. Doubtfire, right?

Oh absolutely! I’m actually a little stumped over what to wear. Plaid wool skirt and a cardigan, I think!

Ron: That’s wonderful. Now you know our audiences have seen Rob McClure (playing the titular role of Mrs. Doubtfire) but this time he’s with his wife. His wife divorces him eight times a week. And they’re out on tour together. But I’m telling you this show is absolutely phenomenal and I had the opportunity to hear him speak about being the role. And he said, “I have about 15 minutes that I have to get the audience to sign a contract with me to allow me to be Mrs. Doubtfire when Robin Williams was the original. I have 15 minutes and if I don’t get that signature from the audience, they’re not going to allow me to be this part.”

But I have to tell you, Amanda, he had me at about five minutes in. I remember leaving that show thinking I didn’t know that I needed another day with Mrs. Doubtfire but I got to know a little bit more about her and I’m so thankful. It’s a beloved movie and this is an extension of that. Baltimore is going to love Mrs. Doubtfire. I’m so excited for it next week.

Wonderful! Thank you again so much, Ron, and I’ll see you Tuesday!

Ron: You too, Amanda. And hey— GO RAVENS for Sunday! You take care and I’ll see you soon.

For more information on how to renew your season subscription or to become a season subscriber click here.

To see what’s currently playing and coming soon to The Hippodrome click here.

To get those last-minute tickets for Mrs. Doubtfire, click here.

The Hippodrome Theatre— a part of The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center— is located in the heart of the Bromo-Arts District of downtown Baltimore: 12 N. Eutaw Street, Baltimore MD 21201.

Broadway Across America’s Hippodrome Broadway Series 2024/2025

• & Juliet (09/22/24 – 09/28/24)
• MJ: The Musical (11/12/24 – 11/17/24)
• Life of Pi (12/07/24 – 12/14/24)
• Annie (01/07/25 – 01/12/25)
• Disney’s The Lion King (02/12/25 – 03/02/25)
• Shucked (04/01/25 – 04/06/25)
• Come From Away (04/18/25 – 04/19/25)
• Some Like It Hot (05/06/25 – 05/11/25)
• Chicago (06/03/25 – 06/08/25)