The Baltimore Waltz
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The Baltimore Waltz is a play by Paula Vogel.
Essentially a series of comic vignettes underlined by tragedy, the farce traces the European odyssey of sister and brother Anna and Carl, in search of hedonistic pleasure and a cure for her terminal illness, the fictitious ATD (Acquired Toilet Disease) she contracted by using the bathrooms at the elementary school where she teaches.
Knowing her life is nearing its end, Anna is driven by a lust that compels her to have casual sex with as many men as possible during their travels, a passion shared by her gay brother. Assisting the pair is the mysterious Third Man, a reference to the classic Orson Welles suspense film, to which Vogel frequently alludes in detail.
The play was Vogel's response to the 1988 death of her brother Carl, who died from complications due to AIDS before they were able to enjoy a long-planned European vacation.
The first off-Broadway production, directed by Anne Bogart, opened on January 29, 1992 at the Circle Repertory Theater, where it ran for 55 performances. The cast was Cherry Jones as Anna, Richard Thompson as Carl, and Joe Mantello as the Third Man.
Obie Awards went to Vogel for Best New American Play, Jones for Best Performance, and Bogart for Best Direction.
The following year it was staged by the Yale Repertory Theater. By then it had become one of the most popular plays for regional theatres throughout the country [1].
An off-Broadway revival produced by the Signature Theatre Company and directed by Mark Brokaw opened on December 5, 2004 at the Peter Norton Space, where it ran for slightly more than a month. The cast was Kristen Johnston as Anna, David Marshall Grant as Carl, and Jeremy Webb as the Third Man.
