Travelogue: Germantown, MD

Marc T. Engberg working the Red Carpet in Germantown, MD

Note: Once a month a company member shares with us unique experiences on the road. This month, it's emcee Marc T. Engberg telling us about Germantown, MD,

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What can I say about Germantown, MD that hasn’t already been said? Everything. Precisely everything.

Let’s start with our visit, en route, to Chaps Pit Beef, a celebrated barbecue dive on the unvarnished outskirts of Baltimore, where several of us cast members stopped for a beefy pre-pre-show déjeuner. When he's not tickling the ivories with gusto and brilliance, pianist Eric March is scouring the nation for unique and unforgettable hole-in-the-wall eateries. As Deb Rabbai, our eventual Germantown winner, pointed out, Eric has demonstrated a particular knack for uncovering these sorts of places, and he always delivers. Chaps Pit Beef did not disappoint, and we were all delighted to gorge ourselves on hearty sandwiches and obscene gobs of delicious sauce. Everyone knows that of all the food groups, sauce is the most essential.  What's more, we scored the perfect window table with a nice view of the Pulaski Highway and the neighboring strip club. Imagine enjoying the best Reuben of your life on the set of The Wire. That's Chaps. 

A sandwich from Chaps Pit Beef. 

Germantown, which is situated about 15 miles outside the Beltway, is perhaps best known for being Maryland’s second largest city and the hometown of two of the members of Hootie & the Blowfish. The people of Germantown were an amiable lot, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect based on the name, and the BlackRock Center for the Arts is a beautiful, intimate venue – ideal for comedy. Not a bad seat in the joint! The audience was warm, welcoming, and on board from the first note, and we all had a fun time traveling back to 18th century England for a one-time-only production of the musical "Almost Like Love" featuring the hit song "I Love You, Brian." As we all know, Brian is one of the great names to come out of 18th century England - right up there with Trevor, Jason, and Stacy.

Most of the comedy venues in New York City are total dumps. But when you go out on the road, you get to perform in these beautiful, gleaming performance spaces, and the BlackRock Center was no exception. What a gem. We met some great folks after the show, and it seemed like they wanted us back. Hey, it’s a different show every time! We’d love to come back.

The next day, fellow cast member, Matt Giroveanu, and I drove back up to NYC doing impressions and characters the whole way. It was a whole back and forth. I spent four hours in the car with Matt and still don’t know what his real voice sounds like.

Thank you, Germantown!

Producer's Spotlight: Creating a Rich Life on the Road

Producer and emcee Greg Triggs takes advantage of time spent traveling to get together with far away friends.

Editor's Note: Once a month we ask the producers of Broadway's Next Hit Musical to write for the blog. Greg Triggs (emcee and producer) travels extensively for both Broadway's Next and other projects. Here is how he creates a fulfilling life despite the grind of travel.

I love everything about touring to new places with Broadway’s Next – the camaraderie of the cast, the cool local restaurants, being inspired by new ideas, the way too frequent flyer miles and observing what for better or worse makes each community we visit unique. I’ve strolled the Walk of Governors in WA.  I’ve seen a 3-legged dog in Fallon, NV.   I’ve even met the Mayor of Opelousas, LA.

The best part of touring is the reunions that happen along the way.

I’ve been able to spend the day with my college roommate Liz in Parker, CO.  I’ve performed for my siblings in Madison, WI.  In Olympia, WA I was able to hang out the kids of dear friends who happen to live on the other side of the country.

Yesterday in Hammond, LA I got to be interviewed by a young reporter just starting out. I learned that their paper the Daily Star isn’t published daily.  I discovered that their cypress forest was overrun by little rat like rodents with orange teeth called Nutrias.  When I go back home I will take comfort in good old run of the mill yellow toothed NYC rats.

Best of all, the trip provided a chance to see my good friend Mary Ellen Chamberlin, a retired music teacher from Mississippi.  Her many accomplishments include being one of Britney Spears’ choral teachers.  Mary Ellen drove over two hours listening to Sirius Escape in her Buick to see the show.

After the show, we went to a local restaurant called the Mariner Inn.  Nice place. Mary Ellen enjoyed a Popeye Pork Chop Platter topped with cheese sauce and spinach.  I had the best onion rings this side of a rat with orange teeth.

Mary Ellen and I had a great time catching up. I got to meet her new beau Dr. Dan.  They’re a perfect match.  She told me about her son’s recent wedding.  I saw pictures of her grandchildren. We reminisced about walking down Broadway doing the first post 9/11 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – a job I wasn’t sure I could do.  Mary Ellen’s confidence in me helped me believe I could and so I did.

Thank you Hammond, LA.

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See Greg Triggs at the 2016 NYC Phonys

Mark Your Calendars! BNHM is Coming to NYC!!!

Broadway's Next Hit Musical will be back in NYC for two nights only!!

We'll be putting more details up on our Tickets & Info Page once they become available. But take the time now to mark your calendars. 

We'll be back in our NYC home, The Triad (which started using the name Stage 72 and then stopped using the name Stage 72, but we keep it in there because Google Maps still uses the name Stage 72 and we don't want you to be confused).

The dates are:

Friday, January 15th 7PM

Saturday, January 16th 9:15PM.

We'll keep you posted when tickets go on sale, but consider this your Save the Date!!!

Travelogue : Traverse City

Megan Reilly backstage before the show in Traverse City, MI at the City Opera House. (Note: Rachel Bouton is behind her)

Note: Once a month we have a company member write a post about life on the road. Here is cast member Megan Reilly talking about her experience in Traverse City, Michigan October 23 - 25th.

After getting blessed on the plane by a Michigan native, I exited the airport into the Grand Rapids crispness with a huge smile on my face. From beginning to end, this tour was the true winner! It started with a delicious sandwich from the epic Fatty Lumpkins Sandwich Shack. It was a shack on the lake full of sassy ladies who were toasting bread and spreading garlic mayo like total bosses. I could have showed self-control and saved the second half of my sandwich for later, but it was too divine to put down. So, I ate it all and was constipated for the remainder of the trip.

The fall foliage in Michigan is incomparable. Mother Nature straight up gave this land the gift of rolling hills and vibrant leaves. We would be mid-conversation and someone in Car 2 would exclain "LOOK AT THOSE COLORS!" We could not control our appreciation for this beautiful state.

Traverse City is a magestic little town right on one of the great lakes. Now, this lake being called "great" is no exaggeration. It is sprawling, glassy and so serene. Deb, Rachel and I spent part of our afternoon before our show chatting on the beaches. We talked about life, we laughed about life and we questioned life. Then it started to pour on us so we ran to the theater for a wonderful show that evening.

Why did I love Michigain so much, you ask? Well, the people were lovely, the food was on-point and I got to pet a pig named Violet and a French Bulldog named Zoe in the same 5 minutes. What more can a girl ask for?

Peace, Love and Improv...Reilly.

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