2015: A Transformative Year for the LGBT Community

When it comes to LGBT history and its ongoing struggle for equal rights, every year, especially recent ones, has produced landmark accomplishments and setbacks.  Yet 2015 seems to have outdone past years as victories and defeats have taken on new shapes with longer-lasting effects.

Nationally, we witnessed the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage throughout the country—a decision rooted on Constitutional grounds.  Following that epic 5-4 ruling, attempts to quell the victory were met with resistance and ultimately defeat. 

The discriminatory religious freedom law in Indiana whereby corporations joined with activists to thwart that attempt and the Kim Davis saga in Kentucky proved that gays’ influence even in red states is increasing.  You know there is progress if conservative NASCAR joined hands with LGBT activists in stopping the Indiana law.

These were just a couple of significant developments in the movement, but what happened in LGBT Baltimore and Maryland all in one year is simply mindboggling.

Shifting directions of organizations

For all intents and purposes we lost Equality Maryland (EQMD).  Technically, the organization is still alive with only a board of directors, but it’s on life support.  Funding shortfalls doomed EQMD thanks in large part to the achievement of marriage equality in Maryland.  Donations needed to staff the organization and its initiatives simply dried up.

In June the board laid off Carrie Evans, the executive director.  Then it relinquished its Sharp Street office space.  Not long after that the acting executive director Keith Thirion parted ways as he found new employment. 

So, for the first time in decades, the Maryland General Assembly, which will begin next month, will not have a viable EQMD presence.  This is sad as the organization, warts and all, worked hard on behalf of Marylanders with plenty of less glamorous and money-attracting work remaining. 

FreeState Legal's executive director Patrick Paschall
Photo: Bob Ford

Fortunately, a rising organization, Baltimore-based FreeState Legal Project, will attempt to fill that void by continuing to be a watchdog on behalf of the LGBT community and as an advocate for policies and legislative actions at the state level.  Under the capable leadership of its executive director Patrick Paschall, FreeState Legal, a non-profit that provides legal services to low income LGBT community members, will assume a greater role in the near future.

One organization in flux, however, is the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB).  The 38 year-old LGBT Baltimore institution has experienced a multitude of leadership and board changes over the past few years, and 2015 was no exception.  The instability created by these changes has damaged its brand as many wonder what the GLCCB’s purpose is other than running the annual Pride events.  And a criminal trial to begin in late January 2016 against the former Pride coordinator Paul Liller could drive a wedge into the community at a time when fence-mending and sustainable fundraising are crucial to its success. 

Regardless of the outcome, the GLCCB is pinning the hopes on board president Jabari Lyles and the remainder of the new board to stabilize the center, assert its relevance, and resume its program mission moving forward to help attract a steady stream of much-needed revenue. 

The emergence in 2015 of the LGBT Health Resource Center (LHRC) at Chase Brexton under executive director Nate Sweeney has been a breath of fresh air.  The fledgling group, among other objectives, focuses on LGBT health and wellness and linking community members with competent service providers.

Through a partnership with SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders), LHRC launched the SAGECAP program that addresses the needs LGBT folks who provide eldercare services and also focuses the needs of LGBT elders who are becoming a growing segment of the LGBT community.

A new culture of activism

Bryanna Jenkins  Photo: Brian Gaither

As older, established organizations are becoming less relevant today to a younger group of impatient activists, a new wave of leaders are emerging to try to create visibility and support to help reach the goal of equality for all.  Inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests that followed a spate of police-involved killings of unarmed African-American men including Freddie Gray in Baltimore, transgender advocates—mostly but not entirely African-Americans—banded together, took to the streets in protest marches and formed a #BaltimoreTRANSUPrising movement to air a list of grievances. 

Much of the disquiet centers on police relations with transgender individuals and unsolved murders of transgender victims.  Other issues include homelessness among transgender people, better access to health care in general as well as trans-specific health care, and other forms of discrimination, particularly towards transgender people of color. Led by Bryanna Jenkins, Ken Jiretsu, Monica Yorkman and others, many trans folks believe that they have been ignored during the fight for marriage equality and their concerns have been brushed aside.

Last Call

Photo: Bob Ford

Arguably the most crushing change in 2015 was the closing of the Club Hippo on October 3.  The announcement in May sent shockwaves throughout Baltimore’s LGBT community and beyond.  As the acknowledged anchor of the Mount Vernon “gayborhood” and the state’s largest gay bar, hundreds of thousands of people had passed through the doors of the Hippo over its 43 year-old history.  The final night of the dance bar occurred September 26 with an emotional crowd experiencing the last dance.

For many the Hippo was the first gay bar they ever patronized.  It was a safe space for those first coming to grips with their sexuality but the nightclub was also a favorite of straight patrons.  The community felt disappointed that the building is being converted to a CVS drugstore.  A large number of people are questioning if the LGBT community is indeed losing its identity.

Undoubtedly this was a year of change for our community—good and bad.  Time will tell what 2016 will bring, but it will be hard to top 2015.

'The Sound of Music' Visits the Hippodrome at the Right Time

For decades The Sound of Music has enthralled audiences worldwide with its superb score and its uplifting message that the power of love can prevail against all odds during a dangerous period in our history.  It is fitting that in these precarious times this classic musical is on display at the Hippodrome Theatre, albeit briefly, to shine a bright beam of hope through its charming story as well as its delightful music and performances. 

Kerstin Anderson as Maria leads the von Trapp children in song
Photo: Matthew Murphy

Under the meticulous direction of three-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien, the talented cast and adept crew bring to Baltimore a sparkling production of The Sound of Music.  O’Brien’s goal was “to tear off the varnish of the past and reveal one of the great, fresh glories of musical theater.”  #hocoarts

The mounting of this classic is a beauty to behold—both visually and through its superb score that was penned by the legendary team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The book, written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, was based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

For Oscar Hammerstein II, The Sound of Music represented his final production as he died nine months after the show debuted on Broadway in November 1959 with Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel as the leads. It closed in 1963 after 1,443 performances.

Several revivals both on Broadway and London followed and, of course, the Oscar-winning 1965 film based on the musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, went on to become a spectacular box office success and is presented on television regularly. Two years ago, the live version of The Sound of Music was performed on NBC that attracted tens of millions of viewers.

The Sound of Music possesses a catalogue of well-known songs, such as, “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” “So Long, Farewell,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” as well as the title song, “The Sound of Music.”  Musical Director Jay Alger leads the outstanding orchestra through the exquisite score.

In the familiar story, The Sound of Music is set in Salzburg, Austria in 1938.  The inevitability that the homeland will fall (Anschluss) to Nazi Germany forms the backdrop for the musical, and the improbable love between two disparate individuals is the focus.

Paige Silvester as Liesl and Dan Tracy as Rolf
Photo: Matthew Murphy

Maria, performed superbly by Kerstin Anderson, is a former postulant, who has been sent by the Mother Abbess (Ashley Brown) to be the governess of the seven children of Captain Georg von Trapp (Ben Davis), a widower and former Austro-Hungarian Navy Captain.

He treats his children like military underlings.  However, Maria teaches them to sing and a whole new world opens up to the kids and Maria as she is conflicted by her devotion to God and her growing love for Georg.

Simply put, Kerstin Anderson, making her tour debut, nails it as the plucky Maria.   Radiant throughout the show, her crystal clear soprano voice does justice to such songs as, “My Favorite Things,” Do-Re-Mi,” and “Something Good.” Ms. Anderson’s chemistry with the loveable children is a joy, and she displays the romantic connection to Captain Georg with eye-watering tenderness.

As Captain Georg von Trapp, Ben Davis commands the stage with the vigor of an authoritarian father whose icy demeanor slowly melts upon meeting Maria.  There have been sterner versions of the character to be sure, but Mr. Davis portrays the role admirably.  His muscular baritone voice is on display when he joins the children in “The Sound of Music.” And he particularly shines in the moving number “Edelweiss.”

Ben Davis as Captain Georg von Trapp
and Kerstin Anderson as Maria
Photo: Matthew Murphy

Teri Hansen competently plays Baroness Elsa Shraeder, a wealthy socialite who the Captain had originally intended to marry.   But differences in the way they see the imminent Anschluss and a growing affection for Maria doom the union.  

As Max Detwiler, a mutual friend of the Baroness and the Captain whom the kids refer to as Uncle Max, Merwin Foard convincingly plays a pushy music promoter. Max persuades the Captain that the children should perform at the upcoming Salzburg Music Festival as a means to escape in the climactic, tense conclusion.

Handsome Dan Tracy plays Rolf, the love interest of Liesl (Paige Silvester), the von Trapp’s eldest daughter.  Rolf gets soaked up in the Nazi movement and provides a key piece of the drama.  Their duet, “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” is excellent.

Every great musical has a blockbuster showstopper.  In The Sound of Music “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” is that number.  Ashley Brown as The Mother Abbess with back-up from the Nuns, brings that song home in a truly virtuoso performance that concludes the first act on a high note in more ways than one.

The remainder of the cast supports the leads proficiently.  And, of course, three cheers for the adorable and talented von Trapp children who are on stage throughout most of the show: Paige Silvester, Jeremy Michael Lanuti, Maria Suzanne Knasel, Quinn Erickson, Svea Elizabeth Johnson, Mackenzie Currie and Audrey Bennett.

Douglas W. Schmidt designed a gorgeous set that shifted seamlessly for scene changes from the Abbey to the Villa’s great room to exterior sets—all designed with artistry.

Natasha Katz does a wonderful job with the lighting design that is well-coordinated with the scene changes.  Also, Jane Greenwood’s costumes are spot-on.

The Hippodrome’s dazzling presentation of The Sound of Music brings the classic musical to life and is sure to lift the spirits of theatergoers during this holiday season.

Running time: Two hours and 45 minutes with an intermission.

The Sound of Music runs through December 13 at the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 12 N. Eutaw St, Baltimore, MD 21201.  For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 800-982-ARTS or click here ticketmaster.com or click here for Hippodrome information.