Author Archives: robbucher

October 15, 2018 · 12:42 pm

Rising Star Resort and Casino to Present A CHRISTMAS STORY: The Musical

GL_A Christmas Story logo

NEW DINNER THEATRE OFFERING FEATURES PROFESSIONAL CAST

Ghostlight Theatricals in association with Rising Star Resort & Casino in Rising Sun, Indiana will present A CHRISTMAS STORY: The Musical, a professional dinner theatre production at the Grand Theatre at Rising Star Resort & Casino. Performances will be Thursday through Sunday beginning November 15 and continuing through December 28. Show times are as follows: Thursday through Saturday buffet dinner starts at 5:45 with the performance at 7:00; Saturday and Sunday matinee buffet starts at 11:45 with the performances at 1:00. Tickets are $50 per person and include a holiday-themed buffet meal and the show. Group rates are available. Tickets may be purchased by calling 1-800-472-6311 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com. More information about the show is available at www.risingstarcasino.com or www.gltheatricals.com.

A CHRISTMAS STORY: The Musical is a musical version of the film A Christmas Story. The musical has music and lyrics written by Ben Pasek & Justin Paul and the book by Joseph Robinette. The musical takes place in the 1940s in Indiana and focuses on a child named Ralphie, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. This musical, which received rave reviews on its Broadway run, is based on the movie classic that runs round-the-clock on television every Christmas. Set in the 1940s in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, the musical follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest for the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts—an Official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Rebuffed at every turn with a similar echoing response, Ralphie plots numerous schemes to achieve his desperate desire for the coveted BB gun. All the iconic scenes from the movie are here: Ralphie’s friend, Flick, getting his tongue stuck to the flagpole; his brother, Randy, getting dressed in his snowsuit; the bullies, Farkus and Dill; the leg lamp award; the bunny suit; the Chinese restaurant; Christmas dinner; and many others. The delightfully versatile score ranges from gentle ballads to show-stopping full-ensemble numbers such as “Ralphie to the Rescue!”, “A Major Award,” “Sticky Situation,” “Up on Santa’s Lap,” “Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana” and the inevitable “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!” A Christmas Story, The Musical will bring an exciting new dimension to those who have seen the movie and will certainly stand on its own for those who haven’t.

This production marks the first dinner theatre project at the Rising Star Resort & Casino and features a themed buffet-style dinner including entrees, sides, salads, desserts, coffee, tea and soft drinks. A cash bar will also be available.

The production features a professional cast and production team from Ghostlight Theatricals who have recruited top talent from across the country. The role of “The Old Man” is played by John Vessels, a regular on regional stages including Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis and Derby Dinner Playhouse near Louisville. Another Indianapolis performer is Carrie Neal who plays “Mother.” “Ralphie” is played by Finn O’Hara of Youngstown, Ohio. The cast is filled out by Randa Meierhenry, Sarah Willis, Lauren Bass, Crystal Nichols, Hope Pauly, Wendell Hester, Todd Tucker, Jake Smith, Gray Lynn and Gerard Pauwels. The show is directed by Darrin Murrell with music direction by Cincinnati-based Griff Bludworth and choreography by Cincinnati-based Heather Hale. Costumes are by Natalie Cagle with scenic design by Shane Cinal.

More information about the project can be found at www.risingstarcasino.com/entertainment and www.gltheatricals.com.

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October 15, 2018 · 11:34 am

THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE Comes to Cincinnati Christian Schools

CCS_The Women of Lockerbie logo“When evil comes into the world, it is the job of the witness to turn it to love.” This quote is from Cincinnati Christian Schools’ first show of the 2018-19 school year, THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE, which debuts on October 19th. It is not the usual story that graces a high school stage. It is filled with sorrow and grief, yet the themes are cathartic, compelling, and gripping. The actors have been working hard for the past three months on developing authentic portrayals of hope, mourning, trust, and endurance.

The play tells the story of a mother from New Jersey who is roaming the hills of Lockerbie, Scotland, looking for her son’s remains that were lost in the crash of Pan Am 103 in 1988. She and her husband meet the women of Lockerbie, who are fighting the U.S. government to obtain the clothing of the victims found in the wreckage. The women, determined to convert an act of hatred into an act of love, want to wash the clothes of the dead and return them to the victim’s families. Their plea brings them up against George Jones, the American government representative in charge of the warehouse storing the remains from the Pan Am 103 crash. The play is loosely inspired by a true story, although the characters and situations in the play are purely fictional. Written in the structure of a modern Greek tragedy, it is a poetic drama about the triumph of love over hate.

“The story is powerful, the script is beautiful, the characters are convicting, and the context is startling,” said Leah Perry, the head of the department and director of this production. “But, it’s the performances and work of the students that make me proud to share this show. It’s worth it to be reminded of joy, faith, hope, and trust. It’s worth it to expose yourself to the hard, the painful, the uncomfortable, the awkward.”

The show is performing at the Fairfield Community Arts Center, where the stage has been made to look like the hills of Lockerbie, Scotland, and running water will flow down a creek into a pond. Completely built by Cincinnati Christian Schools students in their Technical Theatre class, the students are looking forward to submitting their production into this season of Cappies.

Cincinnati Christian Schools’ production of THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE will definitely be a tear-jerker due to the mature and very capable performances of the actors. The play has been advertised with the hashtags “#tearsarefree” and “#ticketsarenot.” Know that as an audience member, you are stepping into an environment of great energy and a driven motivation to educate you on what you may not know or remember about a terrorist attack which spurred on great fear in our country. The purpose of theatre is to create a space where challenging and provoking perspectives can be introduced to the public, and THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE offers just that.

Featuring Luke Schlake as Bill Livingston, Merrick Heid as Madeline Livingston, Maggie Brown as Olive Allison, Parker Wilhelm as George Jones, Olivia Reese as Hattie, and Mackenzie Turner, Briahna Bush, Abigail Bowling, and Megan Ramsey as the Women.

Directed by Leah Perry.

Show Dates:

  • October 19 at 7pm
  • October 20 at 1pm & 7pm

Tickets: $15 students:
http://sa1.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/EventSearch?presenter=COF&testingCookie=true

Cincinnati Christian Schools Theatre Department Website: https://www.facebook.com/CCStheatreboosters/?ref=bookmarks

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October 15, 2018 · 11:23 am

Actor Needed for MADELINE’S CHRISTMAS at CenterStage Players

CSPOH_logoCenterStage Players, Inc. is looking for an actor for their upcoming production of MADELINE’S CHRISTMAS, a musical play based on the popular Madeline books for children by Ludwig Bemelman.

Role: Harsha – male, age flexible – The magical Rug Merchant who helps to make the twelve little girls’ Christmas wishes come true. Role includes a song, movement and simple, prepackaged magic tricks.

Performances are Thurs – Sun, Dec. 6-9. Rehearsals are scheduled to start this week. Contact the director Karen Vanover at karenmdv@aol.com.

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October 12, 2018 · 3:47 pm

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR Review

CCM_The Government Inspector1

Photo by Mark Lyons.

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR presented by UC College-Conservatory, closed Oct. 7. Click here for a synopsis and more information on the production. I attended the Saturday matinee performance.

UC College-Conservatory of Music kicks off its 2018-19 MainStage season with Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of the 1834 play by Russian dramatist Nikolai Gogol, performed by CCM Acting.

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Carter LaCava as Ivan Alexandreyevich Hlestakov & Zoe Cotzias as Marya. Photo by Mark Lyons.

The two-sided, storybook set design by Lindsey Purvis impressed and worked really well for the production. The wig and make-up design by Kelly Yurko, combined with the wonderful costumes designed by Dean Mogle, made for a visually interesting and diverse set of characters. Regarding the make-up execution, I’m assuming the actors were responsible for their individual looks and were successful for the most part. The blending of some of the age lines could have used a bit more finesse here and there, but nicely done on the whole.

I was impressed with the character work by the ensemble. It was fun watching them find that mixture of over-the-top yet believable characters within the confines of the play. That being said, it could have been fun to see Ivan a bit more of a slave to his vices. This was the first time seeing this production and I thought the final reveal worked well. The intercepted letter at the end of the show did reveal a few plot points that didn’t necessarily come across in the performance. I was surprised to learn that The Mayor and the School Principal had known each other for 40 years. Visually they did not look like contemporaries to me. I also found the description of the Mayor’s wife in the letter as a woman with her best years behind her to be at odds with her on stage appearance.

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Carter LaCava as Ivan Alexandreyevich Hlestakov, Graham Rogers as the Mayor, Reid Robison as Bobchinsky & Trey Peterson as Dobchinsky. Photo by Mark Lyons.

I did find the pacing of the performance to be a bit sedate. Part of this was due to slow pickups among the cast, almost as if they were waiting for expected laughs. The structure of the show seemed to add to this problem. For example, several cast members, in succession, had an audience with the “government inspector.” As performed in the matinee, scenes came across more as individual vignettes instead of one scene flowing immediately into another.

Overall, an entertaining piece highlighted by smart character work and supported by a very strong design team.

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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October 12, 2018 · 12:19 pm

ALMOST, MAINE Announced as Final Production of Stagecrafters

SC_logoIt is with great sadness that we announce that after our production of ALMOST, MAINE on October 27, 28, November 2, 3 & 4, Stagecrafters will no longer be producing plays.

his is a decision that the Board has agonized over for several years. We have done everything we can think of to keep going, even attempting a re-organization in the late spring but that did not result in the amount of interest necessary to maintain a community theater organization.

Much of the agonizing over this decision is because of all of you who have supported Stagecrafters over the last 67 years – audience members, patrons, subscribers, Board members, actors and behind the scenes people who have been there through good times and bad. We truly appreciate you all.

Please join us for the very special final production of ALMOST, MAINE. Let’s fill the seats of the Sharonville Cultural Arts Center – our wonderful home for the last 7 years!

You may purchase tickets online through our website at www.stagecraftersinc.org. Click on the link that says “Purchase Tickets or Make a Donation Here”. You may also order tickets by calling our ticket line at 513.238.7769. Leave a message and someone will return your call.

THANK YOU!

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