Baltimore Center Stage to host one-night reading of Squeaky by Jeff Cohen

Baltimore Center Stage hosted a one-night-only staged reading of SQUEAKY, bringing playwright Jeff Cohen’s autobiographical comedy to 700 North Calvert Street and ending with a live audience Q&A after the 7:30 p.m. performance on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tickets for the evening had been priced at $35 and were available through Baltimore Center Stage’s event page and at the box office, 410-332-0033.

SQUEAKY, written by Baltimore native and Friends School alum Jeff Cohen, leans into local memory and caregiving themes as it follows Stan “Squeaky” Cohen and his family’s fraught decisions around aging parents. Center Stage’s program describes the play as taking “audiences on a poignant journey of caring for aging parents,” and the script peppers the narrative with Baltimore signposts such as the Kibbitz Room at Attman’s Delicatessen, Memorial Stadium, Ritchie Highway, Lexington Market, Atrium Village, Druid Hill Park, and Mondawmin Mall.

The drama centers on Stan “Squeaky” Cohen — “the man who was banned from every Old Country Buffet in greater Baltimore” — and the fraternal strife with his brother Rob, described in promotional materials as a libidinous Gilman grad. SQUEAKY has been framed by Cohen and promoters as a sequel to his award-winning Men of Clay; Men of Clay was named Baltimore City Paper’s Best New Play of 2005.

The staged reading assembled a cast of seasoned actors: D.B. Sweeney, Craig Bierko, Richard Masur, Benja Kay Thomas, and Lizbeth MacKay. Bierko is billed as a Tony Award nominee; Masur is described in promotional copy as an Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee; Benja Kay Thomas is listed as a two-time Obie Award winner; and Lizbeth MacKay carries Drama Desk, Theater World, and Elliot Norton Award credits. Sweeney’s resume cited in local listings includes The Cutting Edge, Lonesome Dove, and Eight Men Out. Cohen noted the evening was also a reunion with Sweeney, saying, “I was lucky to know him before he was a movie star.”

Cohen spoke of the play’s tone and future prospects during promotional interviews: “You know, nobody would really ever believe it. It’s pretty funny. So, hopefully people will find it as funny as I do,” and, “Hopefully, this is a steppingstone. You know, if people like it, they’ll say ‘do the play,’ and hopefully, maybe that’ll happen.” Promotional materials circulated before the reading said SQUEAKY “has drawn praise from prominent theater leaders nationwide, with many calling it ‘beautiful,’ ‘resonant,’ and ‘ready for Broadway.’”

Baltimore Center Stage offered a digital program for the reading and followed the staged performance with an audience Q&A. For patrons planning future arts outings that weekend, related events included US Karagöz Theatre Company shadow plays at Baltimore Theatre Project (45 W. Preston St.) Feb. 26–28 and Maryland Opera’s New Voices in Opera double bill at Grace United Methodist Church (5407 N. Charles St.) on Feb. 28.

Cohen closed promotional remarks by underscoring the play’s Baltimore roots: “I’m thrilled that a play so deeply rooted in Baltimore will be heard in the city that shaped me.” The staged reading at 700 North Calvert Street served both as a homecoming for Cohen and as a test run for whether SQUEAKY will move toward a full production.