Monthly Archives: March 2015

March 23, 2015 · 10:07 am

YOU’RE WELCOME Runs April 23-25

CCM_Youre Welcome promo 2YOU’RE WELCOME (A Cycle of Bad Plays)
Presented by UC College-Conservatory of Music Drama
April 23-25
University Heights

Directed by Brant Russell

Cast: Bartley Booz, Arielle DeVersterre, Andrew Iannacci, Spencer Lackey, Colleen Ladrick, Laura McCarthy, Devan Pruitt, Alison Sluiter & Emily Walton

YOU’RE WELCOME is a collection of five small plays about creation and failure; a unified theatrical myth that tells the story of an invented band of performers and their catastrophic attempts at connection. The plays are about love, death, desire, tragedy, comedy, drunk driving, sexiness, beauty, loss, the battle between good and evil, a baby born wearing a hat. And theater. They’re about theater. Kind of the last word on theater. This is You’re Welcome—five plays that pretty much nail it. You’re welcome!

Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, April 20. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

  • Thu-Fri, April 23-24 at 8pm
  • Sat, April 25 at 2pm & 8pm

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March 21, 2015 · 12:11 pm

2015-2016 Season Announced for Sinclair Theatre and Dance

SCCT_logo2THE WIZ
Oct. 9-17, 2015

QUID PRO QUO
Nov. 12-14, 2015

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
Dec. 16-19, 2015

AS IN HEAVEN
Feb. 12-20, 2016

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
April 8-16, 2016

DANCE CONCERT
May 20-21, 2016

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March 21, 2015 · 11:36 am

The Carnegie Closes Season with Steve Martin’s THE UNDERPANTS Playing April 10-26, 2015

THE CARNEGIE CLOSES 2014-15 THEATRE SERIES WITH STEVE MARTIN’S THE UNDERPANTS PLAYING WEEKENDS APRIL 10 – 26, 2015

TC_The Underpants logo(COVINGTON, KY) – The Carnegie proudly concludes its 2014-15 theatre series with comedian Steve Martin’s adaptation of Carl Sternheim’s flirtatious play, THE UNDERPANTS, playing weekends April 10–26, 2015.

Starring Erin Ward and Randy Lee Bailey, THE UNDERPANTS tells the story of an alluringly pretty housewife named Louise. Louise ignites debauchery in Dusseldorf when her underpants accidentally fall down during the king’s parade, shaming her stuffy husband and driving feverish interest in the room the couple is trying to rent. As Louise tangles with hilariously lecherous tenants, her flirtations with fantasy and adventure reveal more to a woman’s life than serving her husband.

Performances run weekends April 10 – 26, Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, Sundays at 3:00pm. Tickets for THE UNDERPANTS are $25, $18 for students and can be purchased through The Carnegie Box Office, open Tuesday – Friday 12pm – 5pm, in person or by phone at (859) 957-1940, or online at www.thecarnegie.com. Patrons seeking member discounts, group or student tickets should call to make arrangements.

A riotous sex farce a la BOEING BOEING, THE UNDERPANTS is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

About The Cast
Randy Lee Bailey (Theo) is an actor, carpenter, writer, singer, husband, and uncle, living in northern Kentucky. He has been seen onstage at The Carnegie, Know Theatre, New Stage Collective, the Fringe Festival, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, among others. Audiences at The Carnegie have seen Randy as Amos in CHICAGO and Boolie in DRIVING MISS DAISY.

Erin Ward (Louise) received her BFA from Northern Kentucky University last May. She has since performed in productions for The Know Theatre, New Edgecliff Theatre, Madcap Puppets, and Queen City Flash. Erin is also a proud cast member of OTRimprov. When Erin is not on stage, she is the Leadership and Development Coordinator of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) and Booking Manager for Petite Princess Parties.

THE UNDERPANTS Cast and Production Team List

Cast:

  • Louise Maske: Erin Ward
  • Theo Maske: Randy Lee Bailey
  • Versati: Brian Griffin
  • Cohen: Michael Hall
  • Gertrude: Jodie Schwegmann-Meyn
  • Klinglehoff: Tom Manning
  • The King: Sean Mette

Production Team:

  • Director: Drew Fracher
  • Scenic Designer: Ryan Howell
  • Costume Designer: Jim Stump
  • Lighting Designer: Sarah Andersson
  • Sound Designer: Mike Mauntal
  • Stage Manager: Carissa Gandenberger
  • Asst. Stage Manager: David Netherton

Tickets:

  • $25 Adults
  • $23 Carnegie Members, Enjoy The Arts Members
  • $20 Groups of 8 or More
  • $18 Students

Performances:

THE UNDERPANTS will include eight performances:

Friday, April 10, 7:30pm ● Saturday, April 11, 7:30pm ● Sunday, April 12, 3pm Friday, April 17, 7:30pm ● Saturday, April 18, 7:30pm ● Sunday, April 19, 3pm Saturday, April 25, 7:30pm ● Sunday, April 26, 3pm
* Please note there will not be a performance Friday, April 24, 2015.

ABOUT THE CARNEGIE: The Carnegie is a multidisciplinary arts venue serving the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. It offers professional theatre, art exhibitions showcasing the best of local and regional artists, and a comprehensive arts education program.

The largest arts venue in Northern Kentucky, The Carnegie is home to the Carnegie Galleries, comprised of more than 6,000 square feet of gallery space; the Eva G. Farris Education Center, which provides arts education to thousands of children; and the 447-seat Otto M. Budig Theatre, which is home to The Carnegie’s Theatre and Concert Series.

The Carnegie receives ongoing operating support from ArtsWave, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, The Cincinnati International Wine Festival, The Kentucky Arts Council and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. / US Bank Foundation. For more information, visit www.thecarnegie.com or call (859) 491-2030.

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March 20, 2015 · 5:40 pm

DETROIT ’67 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.

Darnell Pierre Benjamin as Sly. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Darnell Pierre Benjamin as Sly. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

DETROIT ’67 presented by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati through April 5. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening night performance.

Director D. Lynn Meyers makes great use of the space and elicits memorable performances from her cast. The solid five-person ensemble includes Darnell Pierre Benjamin as Sly, Bryant Bentley as Lank, Burgess Byrd as Bunny, Zina Camblin as Chelle and Leslie Goddard as Caroline.

Zina Camblin as Chelle Bryant Bentley as Lank. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Zina Camblin as Chelle
Bryant Bentley as Lank. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Bentley serves as the focal point for the show and does excellent work. His relationships with each character are fully-formed and very believable. Simply put, he is a good man and a bit of a dreamer.

Byrd is fun, sassy and quite the force of nature as go-to-girl Bunny. I enjoyed the underlying mother-hen quality to her character. The scene where Chelle confided her fears to Bunny about Lank’s decision-making, worked really well.

Burgess Byrd as Bunny. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Burgess Byrd as Bunny. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Part of the success of the character of Bunny has to go to costume designer Chad Phillips. The bold prints and smart accessories visually defined the character creating a great synergy with Byrd’s performance. Another highlight was Sly’s celebratory purple jacket. Across the show, all costumes were vintage and fit the characters nicely.

I also enjoyed the dynamic between Lank and Benjamin’s Sly. Their close, “partners in crime” friendship worked well.  When it comes the ladies, Sly is a bit of a good-natured player. It’s effective when he lets that persona drop a bit to reveal his honest affection for Chelle.

Leslie Goddard as Caroline & Zina Camblin as Chelle. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Leslie Goddard as Caroline & Zina Camblin as Chelle. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Camblin has a strong character in overly-protective Chelle. She handles the role well, but on opening night she didn’t seem 100% comfortable yet. I do think there were a couple of opportunities to see her character’s shell crack a bit more, especially in her second act scene with Sly. This would create an even stronger emotional impact later.

Leslie Goddard as Caroline & Bryant Bentley as Lank. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Leslie Goddard as Caroline & Bryant Bentley as Lank. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The character of Caroline is a bit frustrating to me. As written, the audience is given practically no information about her in the first act. so we go into intermission with little sense on how she fits into the narrative. The role is nicely played by Goddard. Caroline’s relationship with Lank reads as genuine and their quiet scene together works well.

Darnell Pierre Benjamin as Sly & Bryant Bentley as Lank. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Darnell Pierre Benjamin as Sly & Bryant Bentley as Lank. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Excellent work by set designer Brian c. Mehring and the properties master, Shannon Rae Lutz. The sound of the wooden staircase and the metal support beams immediately evoked memories of my childhood home. I probably say this at least once a year, but when it comes to filling a set with “life clutter,” no one does it better than Lutz. Her choices are always extremely interesting, thoughtful and fun to explore.

Bryant Bentley as Lank & Burgess Byrd as Bunny. (background) Leslie Goddard as Caroline. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Bryant Bentley as Lank
& Burgess Byrd as Bunny.
(background) Leslie Goddard as
Caroline. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

I did what to mention that there were moments I had trouble hearing and understanding the dialogue. At times the actors became a bit too soft, other times the issue seemed to be that they were facing upstage. During the confrontation between Chelle and Caroline, the latter was blocked near the bar, facing toward Chelle for a long stretch of dialogue, upstaging herself to most of audience right. Also at times, a few of the acting choices were too small or lacked a physical component to read to the back of the house.

Overall a solid production that packs an emotional punch. Another tale that puts a face to the statistics of a tragic moment in history. A moment, unfortunately, still reflected in current events.

My rating: 4.0 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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March 20, 2015 · 11:30 am

2015-2016 Season Announced by Footlighters Inc

FLI_logoWe are very excited to announce our 2015-2016 Season!

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
October 22 – November 7, 2015
Book by Abe Burrows and Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Based on the book by Shepherd Meado
Directed by Robert Weidle

PICNIC
January 14 – January 30. 2016
By William Inge
Directed by Dennis Murphy

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
March 10 – March 26, 2016
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Directed by Bill Geraghty

MY WAY: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra
May 5 – May 21, 2016
Conceived by David Grapes and Todd Olson.
Book by Todd Olson
Directed by Peggy Kenney and Robert Weidle

Details to be announced soon. Visit www.footlighters.org for updates.

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