Monthly Archives: November 2015

Auditions Announced for THE SMELL OF THE KILL at Beechmont Players

BPI_logoAuditions will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, and 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, with callbacks, if needed, at 7 p.m. Jan. 12.

Auditions will be held at the Anderson Center Theatre (7850 Five Mile Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45230).

Take three delicious, malicious wives, add three unlovable husbands and chill. That’s the recipe of Michele Lowe’s tantalizing dark comedy that had Broadway audiences laughing and cheering.

THE SMELL OF THE KILL revolves around Nicky, Debra and Molly who have tolerated one another during once-a-month dinners for years. While their unseen spouses play golf in the dining room, the women exchange confidences for the first time revealing that all three marriages are on the brink of disaster and all three women are facing the challenges of their lives. Nicky’s husband has been indicted for embezzlement, Molly’s husband is stalking her and Debra’s husband is leaving her for another woman. When the men mistakenly lock themselves in a basement meat locker the women are faced with a life-or-death decision–should they leave the men out in the cold–permanently–or let them thaw? One by one the women make their choices with more than a little help from one another.

Cast:

  • Three women, stage age 35-50, who are married to college buddies.
  • Three men, husbands of the women.The men are heard but not seen.

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

Resume and headshot are appreciated but not required. Please know all confirmed and possible conflicts. Rehearsals likely will occur three times per week beginning at the end of February but will increase as the production nears.

Performance dates and times are: 8 p.m. Friday May 13, 8 p.m. Saturday May 14, 3 p.m. Sunday May 15, 8 p.m. Friday May 20, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday May 21.

For more information visit http://beechmontplayers.org/

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‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS Runs Dec. 17-20

OSC_Tws the Night Before Christmas logo‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Ohio Stage Company
Dec. 17-20
Hamilton

Directed by Skip Badonsky

Cast:  Jon Jackson, Jacob Spicer, Faith Marsh, Kate Carter & Skip Badonsky

Celebrate the season with this family friendly production. The wild holiday adventures of a mouse, an elf, and a spunky little girl who just won’t take no for an answer, on their quest to find out why Santa missed their house last year. A joyful tribute to the holiday season!

  • Thu-Fri, Dec. 17-18 at 7pm
  • Sat, Dec. 19 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Sun, Dec. 20 at 2pm

Official page |

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EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY TOLD (AND THEN SOME!) Runs Dec. 16-27

Justin McCombs, Sara Clark & Billy Chance.

Justin McCombs, Sara Clark & Billy Chance.

EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY TOLD (AND THEN SOME!)
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Dec. 16-27
Downtown

Cast: Billy Chance, Sara Clark, Justin McCombs & Miranda McGee

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, CSC’s holiday smash hit EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY TOLD (AND THEN SOME!) is back! What begins as another annual production of A Christmas Carol, soon devolves into a slightly irreverent look at all of our favorite “Beloved Holiday Classics” including It’s a Wonderful Life, Frosty, Rudolph, Charlie Brown and more! Three actors (with the help of Santa) send up everything from Dickens to Dr. Seuss in 90 minutes of high octane jollity and frivolity. This show will be appreciated by adults and older teens, but is not recommended for anyone young enough to still believe in Santa

  • Wed-Fri, Dec. 16-18 at 7:30pm
  • Sat-Sun, Dec. 19-20 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Mon-Wed, Dec. 21-23 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, Dec. 26 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Sun, Dec. 27 at 2pm

Official page |

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A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS Runs Dec. 16-19

SCCT_A Charlie Brown Christmas logoA CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
Sinclair Community College Theatre
Dec. 16-19
Dayton

Directed by Gina Kleesattel
Music Direction by Katherine Frauman

Cast: Jonathan Kelly as Charlie Brown, Erin Waldon as Lucy, Bryana Bentley as Sally, David Brandt as Linus, Greyson Calvert as Snoopy,
Spencer Boden as Schroeder, Marley Judd as Frieda, Brooke Watson as Patty, Jesse MaGill as Shermy, Thomas Puckett as Pig Pen & Chelsea Overman as Violet

This classic holiday show is LIVE ON STAGE and back by popular demand due to last year’s sold out performances. First shown as an animated television special based on Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts characters in 1965, this faithful stage adaptation features Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang as they grapple with the meaning of Christmas. With colorful costumes and scenery, this 40-minute production is quickly becoming a family holiday tradition and offers a perfect introduction for young children to LIVE theatre.

  • Wed-Thu, Dec. 16-17 at 10am & noon
  • Fri, Dec. 18 at noon & 7pm
  • Sat, Dec. 19 at 2pm & 7pm

Official page |

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THE MYSTERY PLAYS Review

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

Nicole Jeannine Smith, Simon Powell, Adam Jones, Jared Earland & Becca Howell.

Nicole Jeannine Smith, Simon Powell, Adam Jones, Jared Earland & Becca Howell.

THE MYSTERY PLAYS presented by Falcon Theatre through Nov. 21. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening night performance.

The title, THE MYSTERY PLAYS, may be a bit misleading. For me, the tone of the slightly-related one-acts hearkens back to such anthology series as The Twilight Zone or Amazing Stories.

Director Lindsey Augusta Mercer gives the production a great, stylized look that I enjoyed very much. The somber color pallet of the costumes, accented at times with hoods and jackets were visually intriguing. Great work by costumer designer Tara Williams and seamstress Lisa Dirkes. Ted J. Weil’s lighting design also adds strongly to the mood.

The show boasts a strong fully-committed ensemble.

In the first act, The Filmmaker’s Mystery, Adam Jones takes the lead as horror movie-maker Joe Manning. Jones gives Manning a self-absorbed but likable personality. As potential love interest Nathan West, Simon Powell gives an honest, believable performance, which makes the truth of the character that much more surprising.

Falcon Theatre presents THE MYSTERY PLAYS, Friday-Nov. 21.

The cast.

Playwright Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa’s script is very dense, packing much information in this short story. The first act seemed to drag in places underneath that weight. There were times when the delivery of the exposition worked against the information being imparted. Nicole Jeannine Smith has a fun characterization in Joe Manning’s agent, but when the character imports crucial information near the end of the act, the delivery isn’t engaging.

For act two’s Ghost Children, Becca Howell is Abby Gilly, a lawyer returning to her hometown sixteen years after a family tragedy. I found this act to be a bit emotionally flat. In the final moments of her story, when Abby speaks her truth aloud for the first time it should be a dark revelation for the character and an emotional gut-punch to the audience. Without the memories that Abby re-lives building emotionally to this moment, the reveal lacks any true power, making the ending feel a bit anti-climatic going into the epilogue.

Overall a strong, intriguing and visually-strong production.

My rating: 4.25 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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