I live in Mount Vernon, and often on my way to the gym, I walk past Baltimore Center Stage, our local theater. It’s a nice, largish, five-story building that extends for half a block on Calvert Street. I used to not pay that much mind to it, until a few weeks ago, when I saw a poster for an upcoming show. It was a one-woman comedy show by an actress I had never heard of named Laura Benanti. The poster noted that she is a Tony Award winner. I was excited that a fancy theater production had chosen to come to Baltimore, and also a bit surprised. Not to knock Baltimore, but we don’t exactly have the same nonstop lineup of things to do as New York or D.C.
We don’t even have a Uniqlo. So, I had no choice but to make use of this opportunity of something happening.
A friend and I saw the one-hour show at a 2 p.m. matinee on a rainy Saturday. It was one of those experiences that fills you with childlike wonder, makes you want to dream and make something of your own. We talked about wanting to see more plays after. Something about a live performance seems like the antidote to our modern ailments. It’s a rare moment when you have no option but to pay uninterrupted attention to something (without simultaneously listening to a podcast on your earphones). And what you’re paying attention to is a real, physically present human being. It’s not a series of photographs of one being flashed on a screen fast enough to create the illusion of movement. You can’t pause this person to get a cup of water and resume it after. Add to all of this the one-woman show format, where the attention is on a single person and their story, and the show gains a quality of human connection, rather than being mere entertainment. To be clear, I was definitely entertained, and was a consumer and customer of this show, but I also felt that I learned about another human being in a real way.
I also learned other things. I learned that Laura Benanti is a Broadway actress and has also been on several TV shows. She’s a good singer and has a quick sense of humor. I also learned that Hopkins students can get a special discount at Baltimore Center Stage. And that the theater’s box office is only open noon–5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. And, when I called them, that the student discount doesn’t apply to traveling shows. It was worth it anyway.
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