Monthly Archives: August 2013

August 13, 2013 · 2:29 pm

REDFORD’S RULES on Sept. 10

CPI_Redfords RulesREDFORD’S RULES
Presented by Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative
Sept. 10
Downtown

Written Doug Decatur & Joe E. Bobbitt
Directed by Jim Waldfogle
Music Coordianted by Bart Collins

Cast: Andrew Hensley as Steve, Ric Young as Greg “Doc”, Vernon Burns as JOE, Pat Hopkins as Austin, Tyler Boothe as Doug, Adrianne Underhill as Aunt Clara/Caitlin, Jodi Dunavan as Nancy/Tina, Tisha Boone as Julie/Marcy/Teller, Morgan Woodring as Keri/Receptionist & Greg Reinert as McFarland/Flasher

Steve is struggling with dating. His buddies’ conflicting ideas are more humorous than helpful. As a possible solution, Steve has invited their old college Professor to poker night. REDFORD’S RULES is a collection of good laughs and perhaps some thought provoking wisdom.

  • Tue, Sept. 10 at 7:30pm

Official page |

Leave a comment

Filed under On Stage

Tagged as

August 12, 2013 · 8:40 pm

GHOST THE MUSICAL Coming to the Aronoff Center on Sept. 24

THE FIRST U.S. NATIONAL TOUR OF
BIC_Ghost)logo

IS COMING TO CINCINNATI
OPENING SEPTEMBER 24 AT THE ARONOFF CENTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

The supernatural power of love is taking Cincinnati by storm as the new Broadway and West End musical Ghost The Musical, adapted from the Academy Award-winning film, opens at the Aronoff Center, September 24 and runs through October 6, presented as part of the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati 13/14 Season.

Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased from an authorized ticket agent in person at the Aronoff Center Box Office downtown at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS.

Ghost The Musical is directed by Tony Award-winner Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage, The Norman Conquests, Boeing-Boeing) and created by a team of Grammy and Academy Award-winners, including an original score by Dave Stewart (half of the multi-Grammy Award-winning Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s Man In The Mirror, Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill). Ghost The Musical features a book by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost, Jacob’s Ladder, The Time Traveler’s Wife) who has adapted his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for the stage. This brand new score also includes the iconic song “Unchained Melody,” famously performed in the film by The Righteous Brothers.

Set in modern day New York City, Ghost The Musical is a timeless fantasy about the power of love. Walking back to their apartment one night after a romantic dinner, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam dead on a dark street. Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next and unable to leave Molly, who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a phony storefront psychic, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hopes of saving and protecting her.

GHOST The Musical has been enjoyed by over 1 million people worldwide and has been nominated for numerous awards including five Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards. The Associated Press calls Ghost The Musical “Eye-poppingly brilliant” while Variety assures the audience will experience “A limitless array of dazzling effects.” Newsday promises that Ghost The Musical is “Unlike anything seen on stage before” and the Daily Telegraph says that Ghost The Musical “Will keep you gasping!”

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film in 1990, Ghost became a blockbuster hit and an instant classic, winning numerous awards worldwide. The film starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg and was directed by Jerry Zucker. Bruce Joel Rubin’s script won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Whoopi Goldberg won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of psychic Oda Mae Brown.

GHOST The Musical will play the Aronoff Center from September 24 – October 6, 2013: Tuesday- Thursday at 7:30PM*, Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 2:00PM and 8:00PM, and Sunday at 1:00PM and 6:30PM. Tickets for GHOST The Musical start at $28. They are available at the Aronoff Center Box Office downtown at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS. For groups of 10 or more, contact the group sales department at 513.369.4363. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice. For more information, please visit www.BroadwayInCincinnati.com. *Please note: the 7:30PM start change for Tuesday- Thursday performances is a change from last season.

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

Tagged as

August 12, 2013 · 10:11 am

CSC Opens 20th Anniversary Season with Regional Premiere of OLIVER TWIST

Cincinnati Shakespeare opens their 20thAnniversary season by welcoming Michael Evan Haney back to direct this Charles Dickens classic at their Race Street theatre

Jeremy Dubin as Fagin, Ethan Verderber as Oliver Twist & Sara Clark as the Artful Dodger. Photo by Jeanna Vella.

Jeremy Dubin as Fagin, Ethan Verderber as Oliver Twist & Sara Clark as the Artful Dodger. Photo by Jeanna Vella.

CINCINNATI, August 9, 2013 — Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Cincinnati’s stage for the classics, is thrilled to kick off their 20th Anniversary Season with the Charles’ Dickens classic “Oliver Twist” adapted by Neil Bartlett, playing September 6-29, 2013. This production is directed by Michael Evan Haney and features CSC Resident Ensemble members Jeremy Dubin, Sara Clark and Jim Hopkins. Oliver Twist is played by Ethan Verderber in his CSC debut. The production is generously sponsored by BKD and the ensemble is sponsored by Taft.

Audiences will re-experience the harrowing adventures of the orphan boy who dared to ask for “some more”. The regional premiere of this riveting new stage adaptation uses a large cast to create the sights, sounds, songs and spirit of Dickens’ London, as well as a rogue’s gallery of literature’s most infamous ne’er-do-wells: the devious Fagin (Jeremy Dubin), the crafty Artful Dodger (Sara Clark), and the murderous Bill Sikes (Jim Hopkins). CSC kicks off its Twentieth Anniversary Season with this unforgettable journey through the seamy side of Victorian England, seen through the eyes of a child.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is thrilled to welcome back director Michael Evan Haney to the director’s chair to helm this regional premiere of “Oliver Twist”. Mr. Haney recently directed two sold-out runs of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in July 2012 and June 2103. No stranger to the work of Charles Dickens, Mr. Haney has directed the Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” for the past 20 years at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park to great critical and audience acclaim. In was in a recent production of “A Christmas Carol” that Mr. Haney worked with the young actor Ethan Verderber who portrayed “Boy Scrooge”. Ethan has been cast as Oliver Twist and will be making his CSC stage debut in this production.

Performances of “Oliver Twist” are scheduled from September 6-29, 2013 on Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Preview performances are on Tuesday Sep. 4 and Wednesday Sep. 5 at 7:30pm and tickets are $20. No performance on Sunday Sep. 7. The theater is located at 719 Race Street, downtown Cincinnati, two blocks west of the Aronoff Center. Single ticket prices range from $22-$31 on Thursdays and Sundays and from $26-$35 on Fridays and Saturdays. If available, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before a show with a valid student ID. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees may apply. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups as well as Enjoy the Arts and AAA members. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at www.cincyshakes.com.

For additional information on “Oliver Twist”, including photography or press passes, or for interviews with any member of the cast or company, please contact Jeanna Vella by email jeanna.vella@cincyshakes.com or by phone 513.381.2273 x. 3202 or visit http://www.cincyshakes.com.

Performance Schedule

  • Wednesday September 4th at 7:30 pm (Preview)
  • Thursday September 5th at 7:30 pm (Preview)
  • Friday September 6th at 7:30 pm (Opening)
  • Saturday September 7th at 7:30 pm
  • Thursday September 12th at 7:30 pm
  • Friday September 13th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday September 14th at 7:30 pm
  • Sunday September 15th at 2:00 pm
  • Thursday September 19th at 7:30 pm
  • Friday September 20th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday September 21st at 7:30 pm
  • Sunday September 22nd at 2:00 pm
  • Thursday September 26th at 7:30 pm
  • Friday September 27th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday September 28th at 7:30 pm
  • Sunday September 29th at 2:00 pm (Closing)

About the Director
MICHAEL EVAN HANEY* (Director, Second Season) is celebrating his 40th year in the professional theatre. He is an Associate Artist at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. For CSC, he has directed “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and the upcoming “Oliver Twist”. For the Playhouse he has directed “Double Indemnity”, “Speaking in Tongues”, “The Syringa Tree”, “Crime & Punishment”, “The Understudy”, “The History of Invulnerability”, “Blackbird”, “Bad Dates”, “Hiding Behind Comets”, and “A Christmas Carol” productions from 1993-2012. Off-Broadway, he directed “Around the World in 80 Days” for the Irish Repertory Theatre. For Ensemble Theatre he directed “Freud’s Last Session”, “Time Stands Still” and “Souvenir”. He has also directed for Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Vienna’s English Theatre, St. Louis Rep. and Actor’s Theatre of Louisville among many others. He is married to actress Amy Warner.

About the 20th Anniversary Season:
The 20th Anniversary is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The season design sponsor is Mark & Sue Ann Painter. Production dates and information on the 20th Anniversary are available online at www.cincyshakes.com. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages. Located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, CSC produces a dozen mainstage productions each season. CSC employs a resident company of actors and artists who live and work in Cincinnati year-round, and performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reached nearly 30,000 young people and underserved community members last season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions at its home on Race Street. This season, CSC is proud to become one of only five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

Tagged as

August 12, 2013 · 9:12 am

BAREFOOT IN THE PARK Runs Sept. 13-29

mpi_logoBAREFOOT IN THE PARK
Presented by Mariemont Players Inc.
Sept. 13-29
Mariemont

Directed by Roberto Henriquez
Produced by Jo Anne Bessette

Cast: Samantha Isler as Corrie Bratter, Robert Warfel as Telephone Repairman, Art Kibby as Delivery Man, Joe Hooker as Paul Bratter, Sandy Schlueter as Mrs. Ethel Banks & Arny Stoller as Victor Valasco

Newlyweds Paul, a buttoned-down lawyer, and Corie, his free-spirit wife, have a passionate relationship. But dealing with their tiny fifth floor walk-up, a nosy neighbor who lives in the attic, a loopy mother and bad plumbing leads to loads of laughs and learning to live and love.

  • Fri-Sat, Sept. 13 & 14 at 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 15 at 2pm
  • Thu, Sept. 19 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, Sept. 20-21 at 8pm
  • Sun, Sept 22 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Thu, Sept. 26 at 7:30pm
  • Fri, Sept. 27 at 8pm
  • Sat, Sept 28 t 3pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 29 at 2pm

Official page |

Leave a comment

Filed under On Stage

Tagged as

August 9, 2013 · 12:29 pm

THE 39 STEPS Review

CSC_The 39 Steps1

Nicholas Rose and Miranda McGee. Rich Sofranko Photography

THE 39 STEPS presented by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company through Aug. 11. You can read the show description here.

CSC kicks off their 20th anniversary season with a special event production of THE 39 STEPS. This comedic take on the Alfred Hitchcock thriller features the solid cast of Nicholas Rose, Miranda McGee, Billy Chance and Justin Combs under the direction of Brian Isaac Phillips. I attended the opening night performance on July 19. (My apologies for the delay in this review. I promise to be more timely for the rest of the season.)

CSC_The 39 Steps2

Billy Chance, Justin Combs & Nicholas Rose. Rich Sofranko Photography.

One thing obvious on opening night was that CSC has a very invested fan base, who have a real connection to its performers. This, combined with a few breaks of the fourth wall, led to a very vocal audience swept along in the fun.

The chase scene aboard the train was my favorite in the show. All elements came together brilliantly.

The only “complaint” I had was with the pacing in a several places. Part of this stems from a few of the comedic bits going on too long. Most notable was the political rally scene near the beginning of act two. One comedic old man is funny, two of them slows the show momentum considerably. Also the black-outs between several scenes (I assume required due to limited backstage space) interrupted the pacing.

Overall a very entertaining production and a great “thank you” to their patrons for making their first 20 years such a success.

Click here for a complete list of show times for THE 39 STEPS.

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as