Yearly Archives: 2012

April 9, 2012 · 7:49 pm

THE GRAPES OF WRATH Review

Justin McCombs as Tom & Sherman Fracher as Ma Joad.

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my FaceBook fan page. You can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

THE GRAPES OF WRATH presented by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company through April 29. You can read the show description here.

Everyone involved in the production brought their A-game and it shows. The effort and attention to detail is visible in every aspect of the production and elevates the entire work.

Director Brian Isaac Phillips leads the large, strong ensemble with a deft hand and clear vision. Sherman Fracher is incredible as Ma Joad, the family matriarch. The strength and determination in her performance are palpable, as if she can will the family to a better life in California.

Maggie Lou Rader as Rose of Sharon & Sherman Fracher as Ma Joad. Photo by Rich Sofranko Photography.

Solid work by Drew Fracher as Pa Joad, Jim Hopkins as Uncle John, Justin McCombs as Tom and Nick Rose as Jim Casey. I was also impressed with Jeremy Dubin’s range in portraying several supporting roles. For me, the most powerful moment of the show is Rose of Sharon’s (Maggie Lou Rader) transformation at the end of the play. The final moments, as the myriad of emotions play across her face, are near perfect.

Emotionally, favorite scenes for me include Tom’s homecoming, the end of Act I and the latter portion of Act II. I also thought the night scenes were very successful in invoking the uncertainly, apprehension and fear of the situations.

Nick Rose as Jim Casey & Jim Hopkins as Uncle John. Photo by Rich Sofranko Photography.

Andrew J. Hungerford’s scenic and lighting designs are extremely well-thought out and executed. The simplicity of the set pieces and the material choices created a great atmosphere for the play. The set also holds several surprises that I really enjoyed. Hungerford really puts the new LED lighting equipment through its paces. One thing that really stood out is the amount of control now available in lighting the set. Combined with Phillips’ blocking, it creates some truly memorable stage pictures.

Miranda McGee, Kelly Mengelkoch & Jeremy Dubin. Photo by Rich Sofranko Photography.

The addition of the house band during many of the scene changes worked very well. Great work from all band members and to Cary Davenport and Jeremy Dubin who arranged the music.

Extremely well-done emotionally, visually and technically. THE GRAPES OF WRATH is one of my favorite productions of the year.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for THE GRAPES OF WRATH. 

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the showor my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

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April 9, 2012 · 6:07 pm

LCT Announce 2012 Rising Star Awards

League of Cincinnati Theatres Announce the
2012 LCT Rising Star Awards 

Honorary Producer: Dr. Sandy Osher

The Rising Stars will be awarded at the annual LCT Gala, May 21st, 7pm, Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theatre

LCT Theatre Gala will be open to the public and if you love theatre, this will be an inspiring celebration with our talented theatre artists with few surprise guests! Tickets are $25. A reduced rate is given to working theatre artists at $10 to support their theatrical work. Your ticket cost will go directly to the area theatres and individual artists. We’re proud of that! No other awards organization in the U.S. provides monetary support in addition to an honorary award like these one-of-a-kind awards!

Reservations can be made at 513-235-4292 or ONLINE at www.leagueofcincytheatres.com.

LCT’s 2012 RISING STARS
The Rising Star award is given to local men and women under the age of 25 for a body of work to applaud exceptional performers, technicians, designers and stage managers and carries with it $1000 to assist them as the move into their professional careers.

Rising Star awards are supported in part by the Theatre Artist Project through The Greater Cincinnati Foundation.

Dr. Sandy Osher
A Cincinnati OB/GYN, when Dr Sandy Osher is not traveling the world teaching surgeries he helped pioneer, he can be found in theaters across the city. Sandy has been a part of the Rising Stars program from the beginning 7 years ago. “I’m new to all this!” he says with his infectious grin and bubbling with enthusiasm. On his theatrical experience he says with typical humility and good humor: “I acted……poorly, in Mrs. Shreive’s 4th grade drama class and am JUST recovering from the trauma!” which might explain his appreciation for the talent and work these young rising stars do. At a recent LCT gathering at Red Tree Gallery, Sandy was honored by the League for his contributions to the Rising Stars. “No one I know is more committed to our young professionals than Dr. Osher. His enduring support and enthusiastic advocacy for the new guard of professionals is unbounded!” –Cathy Springfield, LCT President

There are 5 Rising Stars this year; typically 3 are awarded. (Sandy is a persuasive committee member and advocate!) “These young professionals have provided the region with exceptional work and will enrich the craft of theatre for many years to come. We applaud them all and will look forward to following their bright and promising careers!” —Sandy Osher, Honorary Producer for The Rising Star Awards.

Rising Stars for 2012 are

  1. John Riddle: CCM Musical Theatre
  2. Brandon Holmes: Playhouse in the Park, Stage Manager
  3. Carmyn Howe: Northern Kentucky University Musical Theatre
  4. Katie Johannigman: CCM Musical Theatre
  5. Kristopher Dean: CCM Drama Department

“Performers like the ones we honor here give us inspiration and joy. They lift and sustain us”.—Cathy Springfield, LCT President.

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April 9, 2012 · 5:25 pm

TCP to Honor Sally Dowlin, 2011 OCTA Hall of Fame Inductee

Tri-County Players invites the theater community to join us in recognizing Sally Dowlin, 2011 inductee of the OCTA Hall of Fame.

We will hold a reception before the April 15th matinee performance of THE BOYS NEXT DOOR. Please join us at 2pm at the Sharonville Fine Arts Center for the event.

For more information contact Marcha Hunley at mhunly@fuse.net.

For more information on THE BOYS NEXT DOOR, visit https://behindthecurtaincincy.com/2012/03/13/the-boys-next-door-runs-april-13-21/.

 

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April 9, 2012 · 4:59 pm

ANGELS FOLLIES runs April 20-28

ANGELS FOLLIES
Presented by Guardian Angels Parish
April 20-28
Mount Washington

Come enjoy as we “Live, Love, Laugh, and Celebrate” our 49th year of Follies.

Cabaret style seating. Snacks provided, soda, and beer sold, door prizes and split the pot available.

  • Fri-Sat, April 20-21 at 8pm
  • Sun, April 22 at 3pm
  • Fri-Sat, April 27-28 at 8pm

Official page | FaceBook event |

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April 9, 2012 · 4:45 pm

Falcon Presents Emotional FROZEN April 20-May 5

Ginger Stapp, Jeremy Fischer & Tracy Schoster in FROZEN.

Falcon continues its season this April with the award-winning drama FROZEN, featuring Jeremy Fischer, Tracy Schoster and Ginger Stapp and directed by Terry Gosdin. FROZEN, a 2004- Tony nominated play written by Bryony Lavery, is the story of three people tied to a single crime– the murder of a 10-year-old girl, Rhona: her mother, her killer, and the psychiatrist brought in to analyze the killer. All three are emotionally frozen in some way and as they interact and their lives become intertwined, become “unfrozen” as they come to terms with the idea of forgiveness.

The talented cast includes Jeremy Fischer, who is making his Cincinnati theatrical premiere. He holds an MFA from the Clarence Brown Theatre Conservatory at the Univesrity of Tennessee, where he studied under Blake Robison, the newly-minted Artistic Director at Playhouse in the Park, who directed him in “As You Like It.” He was previously an Equity actor in New York, where he also appeared in “Courage Under Fire,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “Sex and the City.” Tracy Schoster, no stranger to the Falcon stage, portrays Nancy, the mother of the murdered daughter and Ginger Stapp, a local stage favorite making her Falcon debut, portrays Agnetha, the psychiatrist.

FROZEN is directed by Terry Gosdin, who is making his Cincinnati directorial debut (and his first directorial project in 13 years) though he is a familiar face at both Falcon and other theaters in the area.

Falcon is also a pioneer in local theatrical social media, offering the first local “social media seats” for their previous show, “The 39 Steps”. Due to the small size of the show, these seats will not be offered at FROZEN, but feel free to tweet, Facebook or Instagram during intermission or after the show using the Hashtag #FalconFrozen. Falcon can be found on Twitter at @falcontheatre and on Facebook at facebook.com/falcontheater

Frozen runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM from April 20-May 5 at the Monmouth Theater, 636 Monmouth Street, Newport KY 41071. Tickets may be purchased at falcontheatre.net and a limited amount of discounted tickets are available at goldstar.com. Tickets are $17, $15 for seniors and students.

Due to mature themes, FROZEN is recommended for those 17 and up.

Falcon is proud to have Yelp as their season sponsor and is supported by ArtsWave and the Purdy Foundation.

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