Monthly Archives: December 2011

DEAD ACCOUNTS runs Jan. 14-Feb. 11

DEAD ACCOUNTS
Presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Jan. 14-Feb. 11
Eden Park

Reviews: Enquirer | CityBeat | iSpyCincy | Behind the Curtain |

At first, prodigal son Jack’s unexpected visit to Cincinnati from New York City appears to be an exercise in the mass consumption of comfort foods from his youth — Graeter’s, Skyline and LaRosa’s. However, his family soon wonders if he’s coming home or running away. And where did he get all the money? From the author of the hit comedies BAD DATES and THE UNDERSTUDY comes a world premiere that painfully and hilariously portrays Midwestern values and family dynamics to reveal why home remains important no matter where you live.

DEAD ACCOUNTS is suitable for adults and older teenagers. It contains strong adult language and mature themes.

Directed by Giovanna Sardelli

Cast: Stephen Barker Turner, Carly Street, Susan Greenhill, Haynes Thigpen & Victoria Mack

  • In preview Sat, Jan. 14 at 8pm, Sun, Jan 15 at 2pm, Tue-Wed, Jan. 17-18 at 7:30pm. $25 seats available.
  • Thu-Fri, Jan. 19-20 at 8pm
  • Sat, Jan. 21 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Jan. 22 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue-Wed, Jan. 24-25 at 7:30pm
  • Thu-Fri, Jan. 26-27 at 8pm
  • Sat, Jan. 28 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Jan. 29 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue-Wed, Jan. 31 & Feb 1 at 7:30pm
  • Thu-Fri, Feb. 2-3 at 8pm
  • Sat, Feb. 4 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Feb. 5 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue, Feb. 7 at 7:30pm
  • Wed, Feb. 8 at 1pm
  • Thu-Fri, Feb. 9-10 at 8pm
  • Sat, Feb. 11 at 4pm & 8pm

Official page with cast list and online ticketing |

Local media: Enquirer article | CityBeat article | WVXU interview |

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HENRY VIII: ALL IS TRUE runs Jan. 13-Feb. 5

Jim Hopkins as King Henry VIII. Photo by Rich Sofranko.

HENRY VIII: ALL IS TRUE
Presented by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Jan. 13-Feb. 5
Downtown

Reviews: Enquirer | CityBeat |

With a story so explosive it literally set fire to the Globe Theatre in 1613, the Bard’s final historical tale takes audiences back to the religiously charged conflict between King Henry VIII and the English church, examined earlier in the season in A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS—but this time, through the eyes of the King. After years of marriage to his brother’s widow, Henry begins to suspect that his union with Katherine of Aragon isn’t as holy as he thought. But is his doubt the only driving force behind his change of heart, or is his burgeoning love for the alluring Anne Boleyn also to blame?

The story continues as the cast of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS returns to reprise their roles to tell the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn from Henry’s perspective and in Shakespeare’s verse.

Directed by Brian Isaac Phillips

Cast: Randy Bailey, Darnell Pierre Benjamin, Ian Bond, Billy Chance, Charlie Clark*, Sara Clark*, Cary Davenport, Jeremy Dubin*, Jim Hopkins*, Travis McElroy, Miranda McGee, Kelly Mengelkoch*, Barry Mulholland*, Jolin Polasek, Maggie Lou Rader, Nick Rose* and Brent Vimtrup
*Member of Actor’s Equity Association, the professional union of actors and stage managers in the United States

  • In preview Wed-Thu, Jan. 11-12 at 7:30pm. All seats $14.
  • Fri-Sat, Jan. 13-14 at 7:30pm
  • Thu-Sat, Jan. 19-21 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Jan. 22 at 2pm
  • Thu-Sat, Jan. 26-28 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Jan. 29 at 2pm
  • Thu-Sat, Feb. 2-4 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Feb. 5 at 2pm

Official page | Online ticketing |

Local coverage: Enquirer article |

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MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN runs Jan. 13-14

Joe Hutcheson.

MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN
Presented by Know Theatre of Cincinnati
Jan. 13-14
Over-the-Rhine

Southern debutante Miss Magnolia Beatrice Devareux Beaumont has choked to death on the meat of a pork rib, only to find herself suddenly inhabiting the body of a thirty-something, gay New Yorker (to whom she refers as Master Joseph) on his way to Provincetown, Massachusetts for a birthday vacation. But before Miss Beaumont can quietly get used to Master Joseph’s cosmopolitan, gay lifestyle, an offensive painting suddenly jolts her into his awareness. After the initial shock and a few disagreements, the two spend the rest of their trip discussing the deeper meanings of life, why they were brought together, and why a simple kite can be such a magical thing. More than a monologue, MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN is a modern comic fantasy celebrating the beauty and magic of P-town.

MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN returns to Cincinnati after selling out its run at the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival and garnering the Critics’ Pick of the Fringe Award. The show also appeared in the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival at the Studio at Cherry Lane Theatre, receiving critical acclaim and a FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award. Most recently, the show appeared at the Roy Arias Cabaret in Times Square, NYC.

  • Fri-Sat, Jan 13-14 at 8pm

Official page | Online ticketing | FaceBook event |

You can read my review of the 2011 Fringe Festival performance here.

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Actor Needed for BPI’s BLOOD BROTHERS

Needed immediately: a male actor (18+) who can sing a little, act a little and dance a little to join the ensemble of beechmont players’ winter musical production of BLOOD BROTEHRS.

Synopsis
A single mother in financial desperation gives away one of her new-born sons and attempts to keep them from discovering one another’s true identity. the pressures of superstition, economics and class trap them both and seal their fate – their paths are destined to cross again in both friendship and anger with the most tragic consequences imaginable.

Rehearsals have begun.  The production will be staged Feburary 10-18, 2012, at the Anderson Center Theater in Anderson Township. contact director jef brown at jeffrey.brown@uc.edu or vocal director becky krausser at rebeccawright02@yahoo.com if interested.

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DANCING FOR THE STARS on April 14

A Benefit for Cincinnati Arts Association’s Overture Awards

CINCINNATI, OH – Who will be voted Cincinnati’s best celebrity dancer? Which stars have the right moves to rule the dance floor? Find out on Saturday, April 14, 2012 when the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) presents its sixth annual DANCING FOR THE STARS at the Music Hall Ballroom to benefit CAA’s Overture Awards– the nation’s largest locally run high school arts scholarship competition.

Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show DANCING FOR THE STARS, DANCING FOR THE STARS will feature eight Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program, at which the audience will vote for their favorite celebrity dancer. The competitive dance for the evening will be the Cha Cha, and each dance pair will have 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.

In addition, DANCING FOR THE STARS will feature:

  • Silent auction
  • Showcase performance by a 2012 Overture Award finalist in dance
  • The swinging sounds of Sound Body Jazz Band
  • Pre-event reception and wine tasting
  • Open dancing before and after the competition
  • Lite bites provided by some of Cincinnati’s finest restaurants and caterers
  • Cash bar

The event will benefit the stars of tomorrow – the talented high school artists who participate each year in CAA’s Overture Awards. DANCING FOR THE STARS committee includes: Phil Schworer (chair, Dancing for the Stars 2009 winner), Dr. Tracey Skale, MD (DANCING FOR THE STARS 2011 winner), Christina Bolden, Terry Foster, Sue Gilkey, Jim Howland, Ginger Loftin, and Rosemary Schlachter.

Tickets are currently on sale at the following levels (a portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible):

  • $100 – Patron (includes pre-event reception and two drink tickets)
  • $1,000 – Corporate Table (ten Patron level tickets and a half-page black and white program ad)
  • $1,500 – Celebrity Circle Table (premium, “first-row” viewing of competition area, ten Patron level tickets, full-page black and white program ad, recognition on event signage)

Reservations and Information:

THE STARS

  • Janeen Coyle (On-Air Personality, WGRR-FM)
  • Chief James Craig (Police Chief, Cincinnati Police Department)
  • Peter Hiltz (Financial Advisor, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC)
  • Candace Klein (Attorney, Ulmer & Berne, LLP; CEO, Bad Girls Venture)
  • Dr. Michael Leadbetter, MD (Cosmetic Surgeon, Plastic Surgery Group)
  • Joe Rigotti (Creative Director, Accent on Cincinnati; Event Planner)
  • Moe Rouse (Community Volunteer)
  • Regina Russo (Director of Marketing and Community Relations, Cincinnati Art Museum)

THE PROS:

  • Doreen Beatrice (Step-n-Out Studio)
  • Leigh Bradshaw (Cincinnati Ballroom Company)
  • Bonita Brockert (Step-n-Out Studio)
  • J. Patrick Clements (Dare To Dance Studio)
  • Brandon Etheridge (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati)
  • Desiree Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati)
  • Jeremy Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati)
  • Greg Underwood (independent dance professional)

THE HOSTS: Chris O’Brien (“Married With Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM) and Tanya O’Rourke (WCPO-TV anchor and Dancing for the Stars 2010 alum)

THE JUDGES: TO BE ANNOUNCED

EVENT SPONSOR: Stock Yards Bank & Trust

THE OVERTURE AWARDS
The Overture Awards is the largest locally run arts scholarship competition in the country. The program annually provides a $2,500 scholarship to six area high school students for education and training, with 18 finalists each winning a $500 scholarship. Each year, more than 450 students are nominated by their schools to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art or Vocal Music. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Finals and Final.

The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools. Now in its 16th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation and Leadership Cincinnati (a Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce program).

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves more than 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached three-quarters of a million students.

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