Category Archives: League of Cincinnati Theatres Reviews

This review has been reposted courtesy of the League of Cincinnati Theatres. For more LCT reviews click here to visit their reviews page.

Q: “What do you get when you cross three crazy actors and 5,000 years of American history?”
A: “The Complete History of America (Abridged)!”
Ba-dum-bum-CHING!

This production, having its regional premiere at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, is created by the same trio who created the wildly popular The Complete History of Shakespeare (Abridged). The basic premise is that there is much to be made fun of with respect to American history—and they deliver many very funny moments.

Miranda McGee, Geoffrey Barnes & Justin McCombs. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

Having to cover 5,000 years of American history, playwrights Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor cover a lot of ground, but leave out some important elements of American history. I was surprised that they did not discuss the Westward expansion and taming of the frontier.

This show delivers major laughs and the three CSC actors (veterans Justin McCombs and Miranda McGee and newcomer Goeffrey Barnes) are up to the challenge in poking fun at everything in American history, from Amerigo Vespucci’s role in naming the continents of North and South America to a slide show of the Civil War.

Special praise goes to Justin McCombs, who was outstanding playing a large number of female roles in drag. There is one scene at the end of Act II where he comes on stage playing a seductive Madame Chiang-Kai-Shek that is a showstopper. Coming on stage, McCombs has this exaggerated cross-legged shashay that is completely hysterical.

Fellow cast members Miranda McGee and Geoffrey Barnes also had their fair share of funny moments. I loved the premise given at the top of the show that McGee needed to do this play as extra credit for her to get her green card. It added more weight to the exploration of American history. Barnes does a very funny imitation of President Obama and shines with being the lead in the film noir review of the last thirty years of history.

Despite the load of laughs, there were several jokes that fell flat which did not showcase these actors not nearly as well as they should have. I suspect that these problems with be corrected as the actors fine-tune the production over its run.

The Complete History of America (Abridged) is a great summer offering from Cincinnati Shakespeare. I hope that they reprise this play again next year, so that the production can grow to become even funnier the next time out.

For more information on the production, click here.

This review has been reposted courtesy of the League of Cincinnati Theatres. For more LCT reviews click here to visit their reviews page.

I have been looking forward all year to see the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s regional premier of One Man, Two Guv’nors, after having seen the original version on the London Stage. The play, based on Italian Commedia Dell’Arte with a good dash of vaudeville, Monty Python, and audience participation thrown in, requires tremendous energy and comic flair; as usual, CSC did not disappoint, providing an uproarious production every bit as entertaining as the original.

One Man, Matthew Lewis Johnson as Francis Henshall (center) tries to serve his two “guvnors”, Justin McCombs as Stanley Stubbers & Caitlin McWethy as Rachel Crabbe. Photo by Cal Harris.

Key to success is a charming and both physically and verbally gifted leading man to play Francis Henshall, our everyman protagonist who juggles the demands of two bosses while simultaneously looking for a good meal and a good…woman. Matthew Lewis Johnson, who wowed theatre-goers last year as Falstaff in CSC’s Henry IV, was perfectly cast and once again demonstrated his impeccable comic timing and connection with the audience. He was backed up by CSC’s outstanding stable of character actors, highlighted by the eternally reliable Justin Combs, Miranda McGee, and especially Jeremy Dubin as the nonagenarian waiter, Alfie. Certainly not to be forgotten are “The Shakes”, the jazzy/bluesy skiffle band who provide entertaining musical interludes throughout the show, led by Kelly Mengelkoch, Cary Davenport and other CSC regulars who for a change of pace got to show off their musical talents. Finally, kudos to director Brian Isaac Phillips who nailed the pace and timing of this non-stop foolishness.

One Man Two Guv’nors may not be high art—maybe not even high comedy. But it’s an irreverent homage to the art of comedy itself that breaks down the fourth wall of theater and never fails to surprise and amuse. Tickets are almost sold out, although two shows have recently been added, so don’t miss this production. I hope CSC continues to take similar opportunities to produce fresh, contemporary productions with enough of a classical twist to fit into their otherwise traditional repertoire.

For more information on the production, click here.

This review has been reposted courtesy of the League of Cincinnati Theatres. For more LCT reviews click here to visit their reviews page.

There are many reason why you should put Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s production of Henry V on your must see list of shows this year. Of course, Shakespeare’s war epic is a masterpiece and its language makes English majors tingle in their ears (you could hear it in the audience), but this particular production, directed by Brian Isaac Phillips with Justin McCombs in the starring role, is quite simply a love affair of theatrical genius.

Justin McCombs as Herny V.

It is not that the production transplants the Bard’s play into some unique setting, suddenly giving the story new meaning; this production remains in England and then Agincourt where Henry’s army of nobles and commoners battle and massacre the French army’s much larger fighting force.

No, what makes this production of Henry V so startling, so fantastic, is the pure breath of humanity that Phillips’ and his fabulous ensemble of actors have given to its story. This production is so utterly human, in fact, that you will laugh, feel heartsick (Act Three’s death of Falstaff is heartbreaking as the hostess describes trying to keep him warm until she realized he was dead), become suddenly uplifted, and then totally distraught all in a matter of 3 hours. In the end, however, you will leave the theatre aware of just how powerful Shakespeare’s Henry V can be.

The way McComb handles the text and embodies the character is so totally genuine that you will not have to suspend your disbelief; he makes Shakespeare’s words so much the king’s and provides such authentic behavior that you will find yourself identifying with this young man in every scene.

The rest of the ensemble also does a superb job, from Paul Riopelle’s chorus setting the scene to Caitlin McWelthy’s Katherine of France, whose courtship scene with Henry was an absolute gem, capturing with awkward grace the warrior Henry’s naïveté in matters of romance, even as it demonstrates Katherine’s growing comfort with the idea of marrying a man who just slew thousands of her countrymen.

Phillips’ direction takes its cues from Shakespeare’s own meta-theatrics, explicitly drawing on the audience to buy into the make-believe necessary to make “this wooden O” of the little stage hold throne rooms, taverns, the ocean, and the towns and fields of France.

I truly think that one could not ask for anything more from the stage. If there is only one Shakespeare show that you will see in CSC’s Henry V must be that show. Not only will it give you a glimpse of theatrical excellence, but it will also reveal a level of humanity that our contemporary artistic culture rarely brings to light.

For more information on the production, click here.