Baltimore, we had no idea. Thank you.

On behalf of the cast and crew of “Baltimore, You Have No Idea,” I would like to offer a hearty thank-you to everyone who has said nice things about the play. The response has been kind of amazing, really, beyond anything I imagined. We had no idea the play would please so many of you. Thank you, and thank you again.
To those who missed the play and have expressed regrets, fear not. We are planning a new run of BYHNI and there’s a second play in the works.
I expect the second play will be similar to our first production, at least in form: This columnist and his supporting cast bring to life eight or nine authentic stories in dramatic or comedic vignettes, all based on my reporting for The Baltimore Sun, illustrated with stunning video and images, laced together with original music.
Several people have told me they’ve never seen this done, that the journey of stories, the reporter’s encounters with characters, made for unusual storytelling.
And so we will be in touch when we work out dates and come up with a plan for productions in the coming year.

My personal thanks go to Will Schwarz, who directed the play and has been far too modest about his role in it. Will was the creator of my TV show in the 1990s, Rodricks for Breakfast, and I knew he had the chops to help us get BYHNI on stage.
Mat Lane wrote all the original music and the melody of “Oh, Baltimore,” the theme song he sang in the play. You can listen to it here.
Vanessa Eskridge was executive producer of my radio show on WYPR, Midday, and I was ecstatic to learn she had returned to acting and was available for multiple roles in BYHNI, including the brassy Jeanie Comi.
Vanessa also introduced us to Kay-Megan Washington, who gave a powerful performance as Lula Key, and John Dignam, who also stepped up to take on multiple roles and played Ralph Fisher just as I remembered the real Ralph.
Thanks to Jim Bigwood for sharpening his Bawlmer accent for Boss Polyester. And we were all so impressed with Kevin Richardson’s Linwood Thompson and Dwight Weems as Henry Cawley. But, more than that, they both played supporting roles for the production in general; they were great teammates. I’m a lucky guy to know all these good people.
Thanks to the young soldiers, Nick Rodricks and Garrett Case, for their contributions on stage and off stage, and to our old friend Kurt Kolaja. Thanks to costume whiz Mary Bova and to stage manager Kaite Vaught for being the backstage boss we needed, and I can’t say enough good things about Natasha Tylea, the tech director for the Meyerhoff Theater (nee Auditorium) at the Baltimore Museum of Art. She was invaluable.
And a big shoutout goes to the set artist, Christopher Winslow, and set designer and carpenter, Gary Flowers. Those guys helped create the homecoming atmosphere of “Baltimore, You Have No Idea.”
Thanks to Brian Goodman and the Young Victorian Theater Company for counsel and support. And special thanks to The Baltimore Sun for major support of my first play and for allowing me, over the last 43 years, the great freedom to tell Baltimore stories in my column.
Proceeds from the play have been donated to Baltimore area charities.
Thank you again, everyone.
Happy Holidays, and see you all next time.