Monthly Archives: February 2015

CPI Stage-Reads Inspirational Valentine at 5th 3rd

CPI_Family Healing logoWith the help of faith, love does conquer all in FAMILY HEALING, an “inspirational drama” by CJ Johnson which will be given a Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative staged reading at the Aronoff Center’s Fifth Third Bank Theater, 7:30 p .m., Tuesday, February 10. Piper N. Davis directs.

While FAMILY HEALING finally displays a positive outcome, getting there is not half the fun for the characters, although the journey, punctuated by some sharp dialogue, does provide laughs for the audience..

A stressed-out CEO wife creates a chilly atmosphere that tempts her mechanic husband to seek the warmth of a fling with a cute but “loose” cleaning woman. Husband is found out and kicked out. From the distance that hurt has created, husband and wife attempt to travel back to each other and to the kind of love that led to their marriage. A cast of sometimes hilarious supporting characters, with their own issues, populate the trip.

FAMILY HEALING is C. J. (Cynthia) Johnson’s CPI debut. She will follow up, next season, with HOME, a dramatization of domestic disturbance. Ms. Johnson is also author of three novels. She holds a management degree (cum laude) from Park College, which she puts to use working with the Dayton, OH, EPA. She has been married to husband Drew for 28 years. Son Xavior will soon, himself, be a college grad.

FAMILY HEALING tickets are $8, and will be available at the door, the night of performance. They can also be purchased by calling (513) 621-2787, or on line at www.CincinnatiArts.org.

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Auditions Announced for THREE DAYS OF RAIN at Untethered Theater

UTC_logoUntethered Theater is auditioning actors its upcoming production for THREE DAYS OF RAIN. Auditions are for the parts of Walker/Ned and Pip/Theo. Auditions will consist of readings from the script; no prepared material needed.

[Walker/Ned Walker: A quirky and unstable young man, haunted by what he sees as a destructive and unloving relationship with his parents. He has a habit of disappearing suddenly in order to avoid dealing with real life. Ned: Walker and Nan’s father, despite his son’s depiction of him as cold and uncaring, in his youth he was a stuttering, shy, and talented architect.

Pip/Theo Pip: A proudly naïve TV actor and family friend of the Janeway’s. Handsome, and not as dumb as he looks, he is constantly frustrated by others taking their lives so seriously, and can’t fathom why people see the need to incite drama. Theo: Pip’s father and Ned’s business partner. A very charismatic man who is more interested in fame and the accolades that come with it, than creating the art that would earn it.]

Auditions will be held February 25 at the Clifton Performance Theatre (404 Ludlow Avenue) from 6pm-9pm and are by appointment only. Email director Leah Strasser at lsstrasser@gmail.com to schedule an audition.

Show dates for THREE DAYS OF RAIN are May 7-23, 2015 at the Clifton Performance Theatre.

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Auditions Announced for GREASE at Dayton Playhouse

DPH_logoMarch 2 & 3 from 7-9:30pm

GREASE is a nostalgic musical set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School. It follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love. The score recreates the sounds of early 1950’s rock and roll. The original Broadway production of Grease was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical.

The director, Tina McPhearson, will be casting the following roles:

DANNY ZUKO: Male, High School Teen (Tenor)
The leader of the Burger Palace Boys; good-looking, strong and confident, with an air of easy-going charm.

DOODY: Male, High School Teen (Tenor)
The youngest of the guys; small, boyish and open, with a disarming smile and a hero-worshipping attitude towards the other guys. He also plays theguitar.

KENICKIE: Male, High School Teen (Tenor)
The second in command of the Burger Palace Boys; tough-looking, tattooed, surly and avoids any show of softness. He has an offbeat sense of humor.

SONNY LATIERRI: Male, High School Teen (baritone)
A member of the Burger Palace Boys; funny Italian-American, he is a braggart and wheeler-dealer who thinks he’s a real lady-killer

ROGER: Male, High School Teen (Tenor)
The anything-for-a-laugh stocky type of boy; a clown who enjoys winding people up, he is full of mischief and is always dreaming up half-baked schemes and ideas

VINCE FONTAINE: Male (flexible)
A typical ‘teen audience’ disc jockey; slick, egotistical and fast-talking. He is also a veteran ‘Greaser.’

EUGENE FLORCZYK: Male, High School Teen (Tenor)
The class valedictorian; physically awkward, with weak eyes and a high-pitched voice. He’s a typical ‘apple-polisher’ – both smug and pompous, but gullible.

TEEN ANGEL: Male, Age Flexible (Tenor)
Frenchy’s suave and slick guardian angel, who encourages her to stay in school.

JOHNNY CASINO: Male, High School Teen (Tenor) (This part may double with teen angel)
All-American, rock-star “greaser” student at Rydell High, whose real name is Clarence

SANDY DUMBROWSKI: Female, High School Teen (Soprano)
New girl in town; sweet, wholesome, naive, cute, and innocent. Like Sandra Dee of the Gidget movies.

BETTY RIZZO: Female, High School Teen (Alto)
Leader of the Pink Ladies; tough, sarcastic and outspoken but vulnerable

FRENCHY: Female, High School Teen (Alto)
A dreamer; good-natured but not too smart, she is heavily made up, fussy about her appearance, particularly her hair. She can’t wait to finish high school so she can be a beautician

MARTY: Female, High School Teen (Alto)
The ‘beauty’ of the Pink Ladies; pretty and looks older than the other girls, but betrays her real age when she opens her mouth. She tries to act sophisticated.

JAN: Female, High School Teen (Alto)
Funny, loud, compulsive eater and awkward member of the Pink Ladies. Loud and pushy with the girls, but shy with boys

CHA-CHA, aka CHARLENE DIGREGORIO: Female, High School Teen (Alto)
Slovenly, loud mouthed. The best dancer at St. Bernadette’s; she wins the dancing competition with Danny.

MISS LYNCH: Female, Age Flexible (Flexible)
A no-nonsense, serious, loud, old maid English teacher
PATTY SIMCOX: Female, High School Teen (Alto)
A typical cheerleader; attractive, athletic, sure-of-herself, but can be given to bursts of disconcerting enthusiasm. She’s a bit of a pain and unpopular with the Pink Ladies, and can twirl a baton.

The Dayton Playhouse is located at 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave, Dayton, OH 45414.

Performances will be Friday through Sunday, May 2-17, 2015.

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SATURDAY THE 14TH Review

Links to all reviews can be found using the REVIEWS link at the top of the page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my Facebook fan page. You can also receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

Nik Pajic as Mitch  & Miranda McGee as Gail.

Nik Pajic as Mitch & Miranda McGee as Gail.

SATURDAY THE 14TH presented by Know Theatre of Cincinnati through Feb. 14. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening afternoon performance.

Just in time for that damn Hallmark-holiday, Know Theatre of Cincinnati re-stages a popular entry from last summer’s SERIALS.

Leads Nik Pajic and Miranda McGee are very cute together and have a fun, every-man chemistry that makes them easy to root for. Rounding out the cast as “everyone else” is Chris Wesselman who tackles the multiple roles with unabashed enthusiasm and takes butt-crack humor to a whole new level.

Co-writer of the piece, Elizabeth Martin comes to Cincinnati to direct. She successfully stages the work on the existing set, with a few minor modifications, of Know’s current mainstage production. Martin and co-writer Lauren Hynek have added some new material to the piece to create a nicely-flowing, 60-minute play. Andrew Hungerford’s lighting and sound design works well to establish the various locations.

Overall, a quirky and laugh-out-loud funny, anti-romantic comedy. Perfect for the hopelessly romantics, and the hopeful ones.

My rating: 3.75 out of 5

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or 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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PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Runs March 7-April 4

PIP_Peter and the Starcatcher logoPETER AND THE STARCATCHER
Presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
March 7-April 4 
Eden Park

Directed by Blake Robison

Cast: Andrew Carlyle as Ted, Ollie Corchado as Grempkin/Mack/Sanchez/Hawking Clam, Jamal Crowelle as Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Joanna Howard as Molly Aster, Josh Landay as Lord Leonard Aster, Sean Mellott as Prentiss, Andy Paterson as Mrs. Bumbrake/Teacher, José Restrepo as Smee, Arturo Soria as Bill Slank/Fighting Prawn, Tom Story as Black Stache, Nick Vannoy as Alf & Noah Zachary as Boy

Encounter the Neverland you never knew in this hilarious and inventive play, winner of five Tony Awards. When the insatiably curious Molly, a starcatcher in training, meets an orphan boy longing for a home, they embark on the adventure of a lifetime. A daring sea mission, not-so-swashbuckling pirates and singing mermaids combine for a magical Peter Pan prequel that will have you hooked the moment you let your imagination take flight. Advisory: Appropriate for adults and young people ages 8 and up. It’s a daring sea adventure and pirate story, complete with madcap swashbuckling and some mild innuendo that’s likely to go right over the heads of the youngest audience members (and amuse the older ones).

  • In preview Sat, March 7 at 8pm & March 9 at 2pm
  • In preview, Tue-Wed, March 10-11 at 7:30pm
  • Thu-Fri, March 12-13 at 8pm
  • Sat, March 13 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, March 14 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue, March 17 at 7:30pm
  • Thu-Fri, March 19-20 at 8pm
  • Sat, March 21 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, March 22 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue-Wed, March 24-25 at 7:30pm
  • Thu-Fri, March 26-27 at 8pm
  • Sat, March 28 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, March 29 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue, March 31 at 7:30pm
  • Wed, April 1 at 1pm & 7:30pm
  • Thu-Fri, April 2-3 at 8pm
  • Sat, April 4 at 4pm & 8pm

Official page |

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