In honor of the 125th anniversary of The Modell Lyric this month, we take a walk down memory lane to share some of the most noteworthy acts that have graced the Mount Royal Avenue stage. Follow the timeline to learn the who’s who of the Lyric Theatre.

Picturing Prince

Steve Parke (Cassell Illustrated) 

No matter what musical style you favor, you have to admit it: There will never be another like Prince Rogers Nelson. The high heel-wearing, guitar-shredding icon cemented himself in a category all his own, transcending musical styles and breaking all the rules. Baltimore artist Steve Parke was along for the ride, capturing Prince at the height of his fame. And that story, which Parke details in a new book that is part memoir, part photographic portrait, is as extraordinary as any of the myths surrounding Prince. Parke had worked for Prince for nearly a decade as an artist, designing tour T-shirts and even an album cover, when, in 1997, the Purple One asked him if he could use a camera. What followed were years of images that captured The Artist with an intimacy never before seen. (Where else can you see Prince shooting hoops wearing a belly chain?) Paired with Parke’s remembrances that are at times poignant, at others hilarious (like a story about Prince’s reaction to George Clinton eating fried chicken), Picturing Prince is an entertaining tribute that will keep Prince’s spirit alive for generations to come.

Talking Pictures: How To Watch Movies

Ann Hornaday (Basic Books)

Ann Hornaday says upfront that she isn’t your typical cinephile. The longtime Washington Post film critic details in her new book that her arrival at her chosen career path was not exactly intentional—after working as Gloria Steinem’s assistant at Ms. Magazine and writing film-related stories for The New York Times, she got her first critic’s job at the Austin American Statesman. But, she argues, the fact that she’s something of a self-taught cinephile might be exactly the reason she’s an ideal authority to help us decide what makes a film good. She breaks down movies by their structural components—starting with the screenplay, detailing cinematography and editing, and ending with directing. She enlightens us with her expertise and entertains us with her sometimes surprising anecdotes and opinions (for instance, that Nicholas Cage is our generation’s Bertolt Brecht for embracing the artifice of acting with his outsized portrayals). Talking Pictures is as fun to read as it is informative. And trust us—you’ll never watch a movie the same way again.

You shot literally thousands of pictures of Prince, starting in 1997. How did you ever pick what was going to go in the book?
I went through the images I had and started to really look at what, to me, was worth showing. There’s a combination of things here. One was that the technology in the cameras back then was not the best. These were really early digital cameras and they were meant to be used with flashes, and the nature of working for Prince is that we weren’t ever really that organized. It was like, “Let’s just do this,” and there wasn’t a lot of structure to the process. It was my first attempt to use strobes, so I set them up, and all I cared about was getting a well-exposed photo. It was correctly exposed, but there was no drama to it, it was very flat . . . There were inherent issues to my eye with the photos, and I wanted to make sure that I could fix that as I could, and fortunately, contemporary technology allows you to do some of that. And also what I thought would be interesting to people – what I would consider the best shot would not be as interesting because it didn’t reveal as much about Prince as a person, if that makes sense. I tried to look for stuff that would be interesting to people, and, of course, good photos. So that was my selection process.

Were there ever times for you when you would look around and think, what the heck am I doing here?
Over time, you almost couldn’t do that because it would be like if you were driving on the highway at 70 miles an hour, and all of a sudden thinking, oh my god, why am I doing this? I’m hurtling along inside this thing that could crash and I’m manipulating this thing,” and then you’d forget how to drive and just crash your car. It was the same feeling with Prince. I couldn’t stop too much and look at it because it would freak me out. Once I met Prince, which was a big hurdle in the sense that I just had to be cool about it, then everything from there on out, was like, Ok, this is the way thing’s are, we’re going to do things that you don’t get to do in normal life. He’s going to ask me to do things that are seemingly ridiculous to an outside person, but I’m just going to do it, and do it the best I can. I talk a little bit about when he was doing the most beautiful girl in the world video, and he comes running into my office and gestures to his back. And when he turns around, I can see he couldn’t get his zipper up, and I’m like, ok, I’m zipping up Prince’s outfit. It’s a weird moment where first, you’re helping someone with their clothing, which is fine, but then you look at it in context and it’s like he came in because he’s comfortable with me. Those are the moments that are a little surreal. 

Were there ever times that you were starstruck by him?
Most of my starstruck moments with him were watching him perform. He would play out of Paisley Park a lot. I could be right up next to him in the studio and he’s laying down a guitar track and I could be like, oh, that’s really cool, just like he was some friend of yours who’s playing the guitar for you. But he could be on stage in the back of Paisley Park with a crowd of 100 to 200 people or on the soundstage with 700 people and when he was on stage, just watching him was like, Oh my god, this guy is so good. You just couldn’t help but see that no matter what. A couple of times he called me out from the stage. He saw me and said something over the microphone, and of course, nobody knew what the hell he was talking about but me. And it broke that weird moment of, “whoa I’m watching Prince.”

What was the different between him on stage and off stage?
On stage, everything he did he did confidently. I’d see them do sound checks, and there were things that didn’t go as planned, but he was a professional and sometimes they’d stop and fix the problem, and sometimes they’d just go right through. You couldn’t tell if it was a mistake because he had such a mastery of music and the stage. The difference in him off stage, and dealing with him on a personal level, was that he was like everyone you know—he was a little cocky about what he did (laughs), he would discuss world events, and in some instances he was a little vulnerable about his past and opened up to me about his childhood. It was kind of like what do you say to that? It’s hard because you’re in a little bit of an odd position because it’s not just someone you’re friends with, it’s more, like you’re my boss and I’m just going to listen. He was very quiet off stage. I could hear him pretty well all the time, but he talked in a register that would make people ask, “Did you hear what he said?” I’m not kidding, he has this frequency where he spoke sometimes that he could speak at a normal level and it was hard to hear. But people in the same room as me, when he left, would say, what was he talking about? 

And I’m sure no one wanted to ask him to repeat himself.
Yeah, you didn’t want to go down that path. 

I know there’s been depictions of Prince, on Chappelle’s Show, for example, that show how quiet he was.
You want to know who does a really freaky imitation of Prince? Fred Armisen. The way he talks, the way he captures those little nuances… the first time I saw him do it, it gave me the chills. I mean, in person, Prince wasn’t whispering in someone’s ear to pass along a message like in the skit. Jaime Foxx does it pretty good too, and he even gets the voice down. I think people always assume that Prince spoke in a high voice because he did a lot of falsetto, but he was totally baritone.

Do you have favorite Prince moments?
Obviously, moments like when he talked to me about what I was going to name my son. Part of it is that I was having the conversation with someone I knew, with no pretense that he was my boss, or Prince, or any of that. Going bowling with Prince was fun. But some of the times that I was doing that I would be mildly delirious because I hadn’t slept much because I had been working so hard and it would be at 2 in the morning. He was just nailing strike after strike after strike and people were clapping for him and clapping for everybody, even me when I got a strike. It’s kind of hard to top that stuff. And I had a lot of those moments that were like, wow, that was really cool.

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

 EAT

April 16: Easter Brunch at La Cuchara

La Cuchara, 3600 Clipper Mill Road. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. $32. 

Move over boring chocolate bunnies and tired Easter ham—this Sunday, spend the holiday basking in the Basque Country cuisine of Spain at La Cuchara in Woodberry. The 2017 Best Restaurant will feature a special prix fixe brunch including the likes of charred octopus with saffron aioli, crispy oyster bocadillo, butternut squash tortilla espanol, and serrano ham. We would gladly trade in our Easter baskets for one bite of chef Ben Lefenfeld’s tribute to this pintxos holy land. And don’t worry—if you’re not into Spanish cuisine, there are hoards of other options.

 DRINK

April 15: My Lady’s Manor Steeplechase Race

Ladew Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton. 10 a.m. $40-400. 

This weekend, horseracing season kicks off in Baltimore, and there’s no better way to celebrate than to don your sundresses and sunglasses and tailgate with warm-weather cocktails. Nicknamed “the preppy cocktail,” and with good reason, the Southside is a refreshing sour sip that marks the start of spring in the Land of Pleasant Living. On Saturday, tip back some cold ones, listen to live bluegrass, and admire the luscious scenery of Ladew Gardens during the first steeplechase of the year. 

 SEE

April 14: Paisley FunkShun: A Prince CelebraShun

American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy. 7-11 p.m. $17-20. 

We can’t believe it’s been a year since we lost the one-and-only Purple One. In true Prince fashion, honor his musical legacy this Friday with a “celebrashun” as eclectic as the sensational singer. At the American Visionary Art Museum, enjoy a dance party of epic proportions with four hours of Prince’s hits and other Prince-inspired pop, rock, and funk. Expect hits like “Raspberry Beret,” “When Doves Cry,” and “Kiss,” with purple, velvet, and lace attire highly encouraged.

 HEAR

April 14: Nico Sarbanes

An die Musik, 409 N. Charles St. 8-11 p.m. $10-20.  

Jazz has deep roots in Baltimore, with the city formerly home to legends like Billie Holliday and Cab Calloway. Luckily, local artists are still leading the charge, like young Baltimore native Nico Sarbanes. This weekend, hear the music of his debut album, “Live in Baltimore,” featuring jazz standards and original compositions and featuring fellow noted musicians as Russell Kirk on sax, Deante Childers on piano, Ethan Philion on bass, and Kelton Norris on drums. Fresh off a performance at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, the group is sure to fill this Mount Vernon brownstone with a soulful sound well beyond Sarbanes years.

 DO

April 15: March for the Animals

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 333 W. Camden St. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.  

This Saturday, join the Maryland SPCA in their annual walk-a-thon to support the city’s homeless animals. As the local nonprofit’s largest fundraiser of the year, the big event helps the group aid about 15,000 homeless (yet adorable) pets, many of which are put up for adoption at their location on Falls Road. Grab your furry friends and partake in for an afternoon that will make a local difference.