Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center

12 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore. 800-343-3103. baltimore.broadway.com

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 McCauleyBowling

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