bobby darin

A pair of scientists create chemistry in Baltimore

Earlier this year, I received a phone call from Kate Mullikin, a California art teacher who also teaches middle school students Shakespeare, about her father Bill Mullikin, a former Baltimore actor who died a year ago.

As word began spreading Tuesday that the beloved movie "Diner" was being rejiggered as a Broadway show — with Sheryl Crow music, no less — the mood of the people could best be summed up with a universal head scratch.