Midday

Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins us today for her annual Preview of the new theater season. From the off-Broadway hit Miss You Like Hell that will be coming soon to both Baltimore Center Stage and Olney Theatre Center, to the touring productions of the multiple Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway musicals Dear Evan Hansen and The Band's Visit, which will be making stops at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre this coming spring, we'll get a glimpse of the great entertainment in store for the region's theater-goers. Judy also spotlights some changes in local theater venues, including Single Carrot Theatre's new self-imposed itinerant status as a more community-focused company, and Everyman Theatre's new Upstairs Theatre, a 210-seat performance space that will open in March 2020. The new room will offer what the folks at ET describe as ----a more intimate experience, while upholding Everyman’s steadfast commitment to high-quality professional theatre.----Everyman’s Resident Scenic Designer Daniel Ettinger has created an immersive, semi-circular space—pictured at right—complete with a three-quarter thrust stage to help draw the audience into the plays' dynamics. The mini-amphitheater-style space features excellent sightlines, comfortable seats, and no seat farther than 6 rows from the stage.

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As the race for the White House lurches into high gear, Tom’s guest today is Tim Alberta.He’s the Chief Political Correspondent for POLITICO, and he has written a terrific book about the recent history of the Republican Party, and the many internecine ideological and strategic battles that have raged within the GOP ever since the Presidency of George W. Bush.The book is called American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump. It is a must-read for Washington insiders, political junkies and anyone who has ever pondered how Donald Trump has engineered such a dramatic transformation of the Republican Party as well as the conservative movement in America.

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Tom's guest is Dr. Ibram X. Kendi founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University; and author of the new book, ----How to Be an Antiracist.---- In this follow up to Stamped From the Beginning, his award-winning book about the origin of racist ideas, Dr. Kendi’s latest offering is a pragmatic and instructive guide to fighting the roots of racism.

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David Blight joins Tom to talk about his new book 'Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.' The Pulitzer Prize winning Historian's latest work chronicles the life of Frederick Douglass, tracing the abolitionist leader’s journey from bondage to international fame as a social reformer and advisor to President Lincoln.

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In this archive edition of Midday: When it was ratified in 1787, the US Constitution stood alone as a beacon of freedom from tyranny and an unparalleled attempt to create a republic governed by the people, with each branch serving as a check on the power of the other. Has the power of the Executive Branch grown too much as the country has grown and the apparatus of government has expanded? Did the founders anticipate the political polarity of the current moment? What norms underlie the Constitution, and are they being abandoned?Tom's guest is University of Baltimore Law Professor Kim Wehle. Her latest book is called How to Read the Constitution, and Why.

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Today, on this archive edition of Midday: In 1896, in the infamous “Plessy v Ferguson” case, the Supreme Court allowed “equal but separate” accommodations for blacks and whites, legalizing segregation for more than 60 years. In his latest book, Steve Luxenberg tells the back story of some of the people who were central to this historic case, tracing the pernicious roots of racism in American history that are far from being eliminated in American society. The book is called Separate: The Story of Plessy v Ferguson and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation.

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Today, Live in Studio A, Tom welcomes the talented Korean master percussionist Kim So Ra with her husband and band mate Hyung Seung Hun.

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On the Midday Newswrap: the latest from Hong Kong with NPR’s Anthony Kuhn, reactions to Democrats at the Iowa State Fair with Iowa Public Radio’s Clay Master, fallout from a request to set up police surveillance at the Greater Baltimore Urban League with the Sun’s Andrea McDaniels.

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Today on this archive edition of Midday, a conversation with George Will and Thomas Frank about the state of the Conservatism in America.

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Today, on this archive edition of Midday, Tom's guest is the New York Times best-selling author Irshad Manji. Her new book is called Don’t Label Me: An Incredible Conversation for Divided Times.

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