Cincinnati CityBeat Best of Cincinnati Performing Arts-ish Winners

BEST ONE-MAN SHOW
You might think you know Bruce Cromer through his many years at the Cincinnati Playhouse as Ebenezer Scrooge. But he demonstrated his versatility and range in AN ILLIAD at Ensemble Theatre, a one-man retelling of Homer’s great epic of the Trojan War. Like a timeless reincarnation of the poet, Cromer bemoaned the devastation and futility of warfare, painting lurid pictures with words and dynamic physicality and bringing the story to life playing heroic Achilles, conscientious Hector, coy Helen of Troy and ambitious Patroclus. Cromer had a great script to work from, but he made it memorable with a stellar performance. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-3555, ensemblecincinnati.org.

BEST OLD & NEW OPERATIC STORYTELLING
For its 2014 summer season, Cincinnati Opera showed how singing and storytelling have evolved across four centuries. At the School for Creative and Performing Arts, audiences had the chance to see a bawdy, laugh-out-loud piece of Baroque entertainment, Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto (1651). Back at Music Hall, audiences were transported to the First World War’s “Christmas Truce” with a moving production of Silent Night, the winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for music. America’s second-oldest opera company has the formula for giving operagoers a memorable sampling of the art form. Cincinnati Opera, ensemblecincinnati.org.

BEST THEATRICAL HANDOFF
After a half-dozen years of artistic leadership at Know Theatre, Eric Vosmeier handed the keys over to Andrew Hungerford, a CCM master’s grad who has been designing sets for the Jackson Street company since 2007. Vosmeier was an energetic force there, especially pushing the annual Fringe Festival in creative directions and to new heights. The transition was announced late in 2013 and occurred seamlessly during the 2014 summer. Hungerford has brought a new kick of creativity with some new directors, staff and free performances on Wednesday evenings. Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-300-5669, knowtheatre.com.

BEST VENUE FOR GETTING A MODERN DANCE FIX
If you’re looking to see modern dance in Cincinnati, you can count on the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater to deliver the goods. Several times a year, the mid-sized theater of the Aronoff’s trio of venues hosts performances from myriad companies across a broad range of contemporary styles. From local ensembles, such as the Jazz-tinged Exhale Dance Tribe and postmodern MamLuft&Co. Dance, to Contemporary Dance Theater’s Guest Artist Series (featuring national and international companies) and its annual Area Choreographers Festival, the 437-seat venue offers a rather intimate, no-bad-seat-in-the-house space to catch contemporary dance. Aronoff Center for the Arts, Jarson-Kaplan Theater, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-721-3344, cincinnatiarts.org/aronoff-center.

BEST CHANCE TO SEE BALLET DANCERS PUSH THE ENVELOPE
Catch Cincinnati Ballet at its most modern in the annual New Works season opener each September. As its name suggests, this program is designed to move dance forward, thanks to a broad range of big-name innovative choreographers, many of whom represent the cutting edge of the international dance scene. Of course, such boundary-pushing choreography demands top talent — enter Cincinnati Ballet dancers’ versatile terpsichorean prowess, which makes it all come alive. Audiences also enjoy the intimacy of these shows in a close-up space. (Until last year, New Works shows had been held in the Ballet’s home studios; now they’re in the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater.) Cincinnati Ballet, 1555 Central Parkway, Downtown, 513-621-5219, cballet.org.

BEST REASON FOR INDIE ROCK FANS TO GO TO THE SYMPHONY
It seems like only affluent old people attend the symphony, and one reason is because young people either can’t afford it or have no interest in listening to music that is 200 years old. But for the MusicNOW fest the past two years, Cincinnati-bred/Brooklyn-based group The National played an evening with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall. Yes, your fave Indie band appeared at the symphony — National member Bryce Dessner heads up MusicNOW — so suddenly it was cool to be seen among the olds, and tickets were as cheap as $25. MusicNOW,musicnowfestival.org.

BEST FLASH FROM THE PAST
Although Rosemary Clooney’s nephew George is the one making headlines today, the girl singer who grew up in Maysville, Ky., and Cincinnati made her own name back in the ’40s and ’50s. Her rise, fall and comeback were neatly documented in TENDERLY: The Rosemary Clooney Musical at the Playhouse. It was like a trip back in time at the Cincinnati Playhouse’s intimate Shelterhouse, where performer Susan Haefner wonderfully captured the essence of Rosie’s singing career. Local audiences flocked to see her through the holidays in a twice-extended run to the middle of January. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Mount Adams, 513-421-3888, cincyplay.com.

BEST EXTENDED THEATRICAL MONOLOGUE 
The one-person theatrical adaptation of Joan Didion’s acclaimed memoir THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, an anguished but poetic rumination of the death of her husband and extended (and ultimately fatal) illness of her daughter, is a tough, cathartic project to pull off. But Cate White, who starred in it in December as part of the Cincy One Act Festival of plays at College Hill Town Hall, was magnificent at portraying Didion as she addressed the audience in a small, intimate setting. She was assisted by director Lyle Benjamin, lighting designer Chris Carter and projection designer by Doug Borntrager. It deserved the revival it got this year. cincyoneact.com.

Click here for the complete list of 2015 Arts and Nightlight Readers Picks.

Performing arts-related winners include:

Local Theater Company 

Local Actor/Actress 

Local Dance Group 

Local Vocal Arts Group