Monthly Archives: June 2016

June 4, 2016 · 7:33 am

Actors Needed for ANYTHING GOES at Rivertown Players

RP_logoRivertown Players based out of Lawrenceburg is looking for a few good men to help crew our ship as it gets ready to sail this July 15 & 16 for Cole Porter’s ANYTHING GOES.

If you want to sing in the chorus, great! If you want to dance, excellent! If you want to just stand around and look sailor-ish, awesome! There could be a few one liners or wolf whistles thrown in as well.

If you are interested contact Lynn Wuest Minges through their Facebook event for rehearsal details.

Check out our website at  www.rivertownplayers.com.

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June 4, 2016 · 7:21 am

Cast Announced for ROCK OF AGES at The Carnegie

TC_logo_newCast List for ROCK OF AGES at The Carnegie

WHAT: The Carnegie presents ROCK OF AGES

WHEN: Weekends August 13-28, 2016
Saturday, August 13, 7:30pm ● Sunday, August 14, 3pm
Friday, August 19, 7:30pm ● Saturday, August 20, 7:30pm ● Sunday, August 21, 3pm
Friday, August 26, 7:30pm ● Saturday, August 27, 7:30pm ● Sunday, August 28, 3pm

WHERE: The Carnegie | 1028 Scott Boulevard | Covington, KY 41011

DESCRIPTION: ROCK OF AGES is a classic boy-meets-girl tale, set at the end of the 80s to all the hair-band hits you loved. Drew is an aspiring rock star working at a bar when he meets Sherrie, a young woman who has just arrived in L.A. to seek fame and fortune as an actress. The two quickly find they have feelings for each other, but the trials and tribulations of the rock and roll lifestyle keep them apart. Drew must decide between his dreams of stardom and the woman he loves before she boards a midnight train going out of town.

Full of your favorite 80s hits, ROCK OF AGES features such songs as “Hit Me with your Best Shot,” “Sister Christian,” “We Built this City,” “The Final Countdown” and many, many more. This fun-filled evening of rock anthems will have you dancing in the aisles and singing along in your seat.

CAST LIST:

  • Sherrie, Ellie Chancellor
  • Drew, Kelcey Steele
  • Regina, Heather Hale
  • Stacee Jaxx, Tyler Kuhlman
  • Justice, Spring Starr Pillow
  • Dennis Dupree, Daniel Cooley
  • Lonny, James Jones
  • Hertz, Matt Hudson
  • Franz, Spenser Smith
  • Joey Primo/Ensemble, Robert Breslin
  • Mayor/Ja’Keith/Ensemble, Brandon Bentley
  • Ensemble, Rhys Boatwright
  • Ensemble/Dance Captain, Madeleine Burgoon
  • Ensemble, Natalie Bellamy
  • Ensemble, Sarah Willis
  • Ensemble, Sophia Dewald
  • Ensemble, Taylor Reynolds Benner
  • Ensemble, Jack Manion
  • Ensemble, Aaron Marshall

About The Carnegie
The Carnegie is northern Kentucky’s largest multidisciplinary arts venue providing theatre events, educational programs and art exhibitions to the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. The Carnegie facility is home to The Carnegie Galleries, the Otto M. Budig Theatre; and the Eva G. Farris Education Center.  More information about The Carnegie is available at www.thecarnegie.com or by calling (859) 491-2030.

The Carnegie receives ongoing operating support from ArtsWave, Cincinnati International Wine Festival, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, the Kentucky Arts Council and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. / US Bank Foundation.

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June 3, 2016 · 5:44 pm

TESLA EX MACHINA 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.

TESLA EX MACHINA presented by Ricky Coates as part of the 2016 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

CFF_Tesla4_sm

Photo by JMC Photography.

Ricky Coates, in his first appearance at the Cincy Fringe, performs a brand new work, his one-man biopic about inventor Nikola Tesla. For those of us in attendance opening night, we have the bragging rights of being his first fringe audience.

Coates is a strong performer and very enjoyable to watch. He handles the multiple characters well and I enjoyed his characterization of Tesla himself.

I found it to be an interesting, but not yet compelling work. Not a bash against the production, just understanding that it’s still a new work. Getting that first one out of the way does wonders. I hope I have the chance to see him perform TESLA again (unfortunately not possible at this fringe), and that he makes it back in a future fringe to perform A ZOMBIE ODYSSEY…hint, hint.

Four performances remain through June 10.

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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June 3, 2016 · 5:43 pm

I HATE IT HERE 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.

I HATE IT HERE presented by SHEatre: Cincinnati Women’s Theatre as part of the 2016 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

CFF_I Hate It HereOn the front of their program, I HATE IT HERE is described as “A romantic dramedy about two women trying to become one.” It sounds like a good concept for a fringe show, but a concept doesn’t make a show work. You have to be the snake-oil salesman who makes me believe what you are selling. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case for me.

The opening “entangled” scene does nothing to help set the tone for the performance. It’s not big or funny enough to make me think the show is a comedy or sincere enough to take the dialogue seriously.

I also felt like the show was staged and performed too intimately for the space. It may have worked for the front row, but from 25 feet away it’s too conversational and sedate. The first two-thirds of the script is extremely repetitive and fails to build much forward momentum. The dialogue seems better suited to a “newlywed” couple, not-so-much two people who have been together since college. In fact, the relationship didn’t ring true for me.

Considering the importance of the cat to the story, using a stuffed toy on stage might have helped establish its relationship to the two humans a bit better, and cut down on some of the exposition. Less telling, more showing if you get my meaning. Even if you stick with an “off-stage” cat, leaving a stage empty as one actress “baby talks” to the cat does not make for interesting theater. Bring the actress on stage so we can see her talking to the off-stage cat. Done well, it could be a funny moment or two.

As presented opening night, the script, performances and staging didn’t come together, for me, to create a satisfying whole.

Four performances remain through June 11.

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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June 3, 2016 · 7:13 am

My Fringe Schedule: Day 3

Third day, three shows…

CFF_The Unrepentant NecrophileFirst is THE UNREPENTANT NECROPHILE, this year’s offering from The Coldharts, the husband and wife team Nick Ryan and Katie Hartman from New York.

Other Cincinnati Fringe performances include  EDGAR ALLAN (2015 – Full Front Pick of the Fringe) and THE LEGEND OF WHITE WOMAN CREEK (2014).

In THE UNREPENTANT NECROPHILE:

A mortician falls in love with a man as she prepares his corpse for burial. She has three days until the funeral… but three days just isn’t enough.

CFF_Naked Strangers promoOut of School Productions is a collective of nine like-minded actors from the Acting Department at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Directed by Richard Hess, the cast of  Jabari Carter, Lauren Carter, Mafer Del Real, Annie Grove, Landon Hawkins, Carter LaCava, Katie McDonald, Graham Rogers & Rupert Spraul present NAKED STRANGERS:

We all enter the world as naked strangers. We clothe ourselves in etiquette to navigate the twists and turns of life together on this planet. We are taught what is right at a young age and we do our best by each other. Or do we? NAKED STRANGERS is a theatrical journey that will rock your world. These are nasty times.

CFF_The BiscuiteaterI’m finishing up the night with THE BISCUITEATER:

Based loosely on his childhood, THE BISCUITEATER is told in Jim Loucks’ distinctive Southern storytelling style with songs and humor. Granddaddy was his hero, a big man with a bigger personality, haunted by demons from his days as Chief of Police in small-town Georgia. A moving tribute to an imperfect hero.

Loucks’ previous show in the Cincy Fringe, CEMETERY GOLF, was the 2009 Critic’s Pick.

Last night’s opening performance of FURLESQUE was SOLD OUT. If you plan on seeing tonight’s or any other future performance, I suggest you get your tickets early, because after all, Mike Hall (also appearing in CESSNA: A Drama Noir, which sold out its opening night performance as well) is box office gold. 🙂

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