Category Archives: Press Releases

October 26, 2021 · 12:35 pm

MENOPAUSE the Musical | February 15-26, 2022 | Aronoff Center

CAA_Menopause the Musical logoNATIONAL TOUR OF MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL® PLAYS
CINCINNATI’S ARONOFF CENTER FROM FEBRUARY 15-26, 2022
FOR 15 PERFORMANCES!
Tickets On Sale Friday, October 29

CINCINNATI, OH – GFour Productions, winners of fifty-six Drama Desk and forty-four Tony Awards, are proudly bringing the international hit show Menopause The Musical® to the Aronoff Center’s intimate Jarson-Kaplan Theater from February 15-26, 2022 for fifteen performances (see performance schedule below). The show is part of Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2021-22 Presenting Season.

Tickets go on sale Friday, October 29 at 10:00 AM at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office at 650 Walnut Street, Downtown. For Group Sales (10 or more), call (513) 977-4157. Ticket price: $65 (all seats). Applicable services fees may apply.

Menopause The Musical® is a groundbreaking celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived “The Change.” Now celebrating twenty years of female empowerment through hilarious musical comedy, Menopause The Musical® has evolved as a “grassroots” movement of women who deal with life adjustments after forty by embracing each other and the road ahead.

Set in a department store, four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain, and much more. These women form a sisterhood and unique bond with the entire audience as they rejoice in celebrating that menopause is no longer “The Silent Passage.” 

Inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, Menopause The Musical® was created as a celebration of women who find themselves at any stage of “The Change.” The laughter-filled 90-minute production gets audience members out of their seats and singing along to parodies from classic pop songs of the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.

Menopause The Musical® is now in its twentieth year and fifteenth year as the longest-running musical in Las Vegas history, performing nightly at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Seen by more than seventeen million people, it has played every state in the continental U.S. and more than five hundred cities and seventeen countries worldwide; has toured internationally in Australia, Canada, Croatia, France, Hungary, New Zealand, Slovenia, South Korea and the U.K.; and has been translated into nine languages. For more information, visit www.MenopauseTheMusical.com.

Menopause The Musical® Performance Schedule 

  • Tuesday, February 15 @ 7:30 PM
  • Wednesday, February 16 @ 7:30 PM
  • Thursday, February 17 @ 7:30 PM
  • Friday, February 18 @ 7:30 PM
  • Saturday, February 19 @ 1:00 PM & 7:30 PM
  • Sunday, February 20 @ 1:00 PM & 7:30 PM
  • Tuesday, February 22 @ 7:30 PM
  • Wednesday, February 23 @ 7:30 PM
  • Thursday, February 24 @ 7:30 PM
  • Friday, February 25 @ 7:30 PM
  • Saturday, February 26 @ 1:00 PM & 7:30 PM
  • Sunday, February 27 @ 1:00 PM

About GFour Productions
GFour Productions is the proud producer of some of the nation’s highest caliber shows, from regional theatre to Broadway, including MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL®. Other recent productions include THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG on Broadway and U.S. tour, winner of London’s Olivier Award for Best Comedy; THE INHERITANCE, TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL, and SIX THE MUSICAL on Broadway; the Tony Award®-nominated production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF on tour in the U.S.; AMERICAN SON starring Kerry Washington, recently adapted for Netflix; and the premiere of David Mamet’s BITTER WHEAT, starring John Malkovich in the West End. Other selected highlights include winning the 2013 Tony Award® for their 50th anniversary production of Edward Albee’s WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF; co-financing the five-time Tony Award®, five-time Drama Desk Award, and seven-time Olivier Award winner for Best Musical, MATILDA THE MUSICAL; and producing the popular 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, and RING OF FIRE the Johnny Cash Musical Show. Their combined shows have been nominated for 121 Tony Awards®, winning 44, and 110 Drama Desk Awards, winning 56. For more information, visit http://www.GFourProductions.com.

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION SPONSORS

SEASON SPONSORS:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), FIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), CINCINNATI-NORTHERN KENTUCKY HONDA DEALERS, LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Courtyard Marriott & Residence Inn-Rookwood, Graphic Village, Heidelberg Distributing, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Cincinnati Downtown, Pepsi, Skyline Chili, TriHealth 

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 600,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education and community engagement programs in 1995, CAA has reached nearly two million students and adults. For more information, visit www.CincinnatiArts.org.

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October 26, 2021 · 10:13 am

Five-Time Grammy Winner & Oscar-Nominated Composer of DA 5 BLOODS and BLACKKKLANSMAN Offers Rare Cincinnati Concert and Workshop with Teens

MISC_Terence Blanchard

Terence Blanchard

“Jazz is a fighter,” said Wayne Shorter. “The word ‘jazz’ means to me, ‘I dare you. Let’s jump into the unknown!’” The music and legacy of jazz giant Shorter will be front-and-center as multi-GRAMMY winner, Oscar nominee, opera and film composer Terence Blanchard makes his concert debut at historic Memorial Hall OTR on Thursday, November 18, 2021, at 8:00pm, featuring double GRAMMY winners The Turtle Island Quartet. Tickets are $15 – $60 and may be purchased online at MemorialHallOTR.com, or by calling the Memorial Hall Box Office at 513.977.8838 (Tu – Fr, 1pm – 6pm). The Memorial Hall concert will be preceded by a special afternoon masterclass for Cincinnati Public School Jazz Academy at Kennedy Heights Arts Center.

The Terence Blanchard concert is supported in part by the ArtsWave Community Campaign.

ABOUT TERENCE BLANCHARD
Oscar nominee, five-time GRAMMY-winner and 2018 USA Fellow trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard has been a consistent artistic force for making powerful musical statements concerning painful American tragedies – past and present.

Blanchard received an Oscar nomination for his original score for Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman. He won a GRAMMY for Best Instrumental Composition for writing the film’s piece “Blut Und Boden (Blood and Soil).” Some of Blanchard’s other film and television credits include Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, Summer of Sam, 25th Hour, Inside Man, and Miracle at St. Anna; Kasi Lemmons’ films, Eve’s Bayou, Talk to Me, and Harriet; George Lucas’ Red Tails; Tim Story’s Barbershop; the powerful documentary On the Record which was directed and produced by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering and premiered on HBO Max in May 2020; and the critically acclaimed drama series Perry Mason starring Matthew Rhys with episodes directed by Tim Van Patten which premiered on HBO in June 2020. Blanchard also scored One Night in Miami, which marks Regina King’s feature directorial debut, and wrote the music for the feature film Bruised, the directorial debut for Halle Berry, who also stars.

More recently, Blanchard became the first black composer to premiere an opera at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera with Fire Shut Up in My Bones, based on the memoir of celebrated writer and The New York Times columnist Charles Blow. Blanchard’s first opera, Champion, also premiered to critical acclaim, featuring Denyce Graves and a libretto from Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cristofer.

Regarding his consistent attachment to artistic works of conscience, Blanchard confesses, “You get to a certain age when you ask, ‘Who’s going to stand up and speak out for us?’ Then you look around and realize that the James Baldwins, Muhammad Alis and Dr. Kings are no longer here…and begin to understand that it falls on you. I’m not trying to say I’m here to try to correct the whole thing, I’m just trying to speak the truth.”

ABOUT THE MEMORIAL HALL SHOW
Wayne Shorter’s evolution as an artist is vast & unending. Performing with and composing for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis Second Great Quintet naturally led to the formation of his own legendary groups—first Weather Report, then his musically unparalleled quartet. With Shorter’s career now focused solely on composing, his musical greatness has set the table for his protégé to carry his music forward to the next generation. In ABSENCE, 2018 USA Fellow, two-time Oscar® nominee, and five-time GRAMMY®-winning trumpeter & composer Terence Blanchard celebrates both the brilliance of Shorter’s legacy and the inspiration he has given Blanchard, influencing his ever-expanding amalgam of music and storytelling.

For this monumental task, Blanchard will unite his internationally acclaimed band The E-Collective, featuring young musical pioneers Charles Altura on guitar, Fabian Almazan on piano and synthesizers, Oscar Seaton on drums, and David “DJ” Ginyard on bass, with the double-GRAMMY®-winning Turtle Island Quartet.

MASTERCLASS WITH CINCINNATI PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS
Prior to the Memorial Hall performance, Blanchard will present a jazz masterclass to students in grades 7 – 9 for the Cincinnati Public Schools Jazz Academy at the Kennedy Heights Arts Center. The CPS Jazz Academy was started in 2019 and provides free after school jazz instruction to underserved CPS students with a passion for music. Current enrollment in the Jazz Academy has reached 100 students in 4th – 10th grade. The Jazz Academy founder and director is Dr. Isidore Rudnick, Cincinnati Public Schools’ Fine & Performing Arts Curriculum Manager.

Masterclass participants will all receive complimentary tickets to the Memorial Hall OTR performance. The class is at capacity and will not be open to the public.

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October 21, 2021 · 3:16 pm

GLASSHEART at the Know Theatre

KTC_Glassheart logo“Did you ever really like reality? This might be your only chance to leave.”

GLASSHEART
by Reina Hardy
November 19 – December 12, 2021
A tale as old as time. Mostly. 

For the holidays, we’re bringing you a fairy tale for the broken-hearted. You already know and love the characters: an enchanted beast, his devoted servant, and a kind-hearted young woman who’s been locked up … in a crappy Chicago apartment. Glassheart, running November 19 – December 12 at Know Theatre, brings you a daringly modern twist on the story of the Beauty and her Beast.

Whether you’re a young woman with her first Chicago apartment or a cursed Beast with a talking lamp who’s recently downsized, the hardest thing about moving to a big city can be making a genuine connection with people. Glassheart is a new kind of fairy tale: for the romantics, for the broken-hearted, and for everyone who’s ready to breathe a little magic back into the world.

The Know’s second show back on our Jackson Street MainStage after we were shuttered by the pandemic, Glassheart is written by Reina Hardy, who also penned the Know’s 2017 holiday show, the Victorian-lady-detective crime caper Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride. Glassheart will be presented both live onstage and as a digital streaming production.

Glassheart sets the oft-adapted tale of Beauty and the Beast firmly in the present day with the question: what if Beauty had never shown up? After centuries of waiting, the Beast and his one remaining servant, a plucky living lamp, have sold their fairy-tale European castle and decamped to Chicago, hoping that the city’s dense population holds at least one woman who can love a Beast. When Aiofe (say it “ee-fah;” it’s an Irish name that means “beautiful”) chances into their apartment in search of a runaway pet, the Beast and his Lamp think the curse’s power may soon be broken … but they may not be prepared for the sacrifices they’ll make along the way.

Tamara Winters, the Associate Artistic Director of the Know and director of this production, said of Glassheart, “After 20 months of living through a truth that is stranger than fiction, diving headfirst into a story that intentionally dances between fantasy and reality feels remarkably satisfying. It’s my favorite kind of story – one that takes what you think will be familiar and flips it on its head, asking all kinds of new questions you haven’t thought to ask before. It’s a grown-up kind of fairytale; a nice palate cleanser from predictable holiday fare. It’s a story that will keep you guessing, but ultimately one that will remind you what it takes to become human. I think, right now, we could all use that lesson.”

Adam Tran returns to the Know’s MainStage to play the Beast on the heels of this summer’s outdoor production of Mongrel, the solo show he wrote and performed. Joining him are a pair of leading ladies in their mainstage debuts: Hannah Gregory will play the Beast’s devoted Lamp, who schemes to find the true love that will break the Beast’s curse, and Julie Locker will appear as Aiofe, the young beauty who falls into imprisonment in the Beast’s home. Rounding out the cast as the Witch is Jodie Linver, who was last seen on our MainStage as the goat Bibb in 2020’s Alabaster.

Make a little magic with us this holiday season with this story of love, sacrifice, and redemption as we take a new twist on a tale as old as time.

Tickets are available on our website, knowtheatre.com, or by calling our box office at 513-300-5669.

CAST

  • Adam Tran as the Beast
  • Hannah Gregory as the Lamp
  • Julie Locker as Aiofe
  • Jodie Linver as the Witch

PRODUCTION TEAM

  • Director: Tamara Winters
  • Lighting & Scenic Designer: Andrew J. Hungerford
  • Costume Designer: Noelle Wedig-Johnston
  • Props Designer: Kayla Williams
  • Sound Designer: Douglas J. Borntrager
  • Technical Director: Jim Stark
  • Stage Manager: Ben Dudley

AT A GLANCE

Production: Glassheart by Reina Hardy

Dates: November 19 – December 12, 2021; Wednesday – Saturday shows are at 8 PM; Sunday matinees are at 3 PM.

Where: Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson Street in Over-the-Rhine

Tickets: The standard ticket price is $25. Audiences may opt to support the Know’s initiative to pay all artists and employees a living wage by selecting the $35 Living Wage Ticket. Low-cost admission available for $15. On Wednesdays, as part of our Welcome Experiment, tickets are $5 in advance or FREE beginning one hour prior to the show. The Welcome Experiment is bright to you this season by Judge Mark P. Painter (Ret). 

Know Theatre is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground. The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible. 

Know Theatre’s work is made possible, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.  

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. 

Know Theatre is also supported by The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.

 Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network. 

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October 21, 2021 · 10:55 am

World Premiere NEED YOUR LOVE Adds New Musical Chapters in the Life of R&B Singer Little Willie John

Follow-Up to the Hugely Popular CINCINNATI KING Begins Oct. 30

PIP_Need Your Love promo

Photo by Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith & Associates.

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park continues its season with a second world premiere: NEED YOUR LOVE by writer-director KJ Sanchez. The production, beginning Oct. 30 continues the unforgettable story of R&B singer Little Willie John, the King Records star who was first featured in the 2018 world premiere production Cincinnati King. Made possible thanks to support from the Rosenthal Family Foundation, NEED YOUR LOVE runs through Dec. 12. Official opening night is Thursday, Nov. 4.

With live performances of “Fever,” “My Love Is,” “Shakin'” and “Need Your Love So Bad,” the musical docudrama will please audiences who enjoy R&B renditions of some of music’s greatest songs as will fans of prior shows like Cincinnati King, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Million Dollar Quartet and Low Down Dirty Blues.

“From the first day of auditions for Cincinnati King, we could tell that Little Willie John was going to be an exciting character, and then our first preview proved how much the audience was connected with him — especially when he sang!” Sanchez says. “There was always a deep interest in Willie, and I always had a passion for spreading the word about his brilliance.”

Like Cincinnati King, NEED YOUR LOVE features an onstage band for John’s musical performances. Musicians Richard Livingston Huntley, Ralph Huntley and Cincinnati’s own Terrell Montgomery return for musical accompaniment along with Joel Greenberg. Richard Livingston Huntley also returns as Music Director.

“The story of Little Willie John is so powerful and compelling, and his music is so engrossing and current that I’m very excited to be able to share his music and story with more people,” says Livingston Huntley.

In addition to the music, NEED YOUR LOVE tells the story of Little Willie John’s childhood in Detroit, how he got his first record with Syd Nathan’s King Records, and much more about his time and life before his tragic death at age 30, including stories from his sister, Mable John, who Sanchez interviewed for the play.

“He was one of the finest singers to have ever lived. He could sing anything, and he should still be alive today,” says Sanchez, who noted his performances inspired the likes of James Brown.

Sanchez began writing NEED YOUR LOVE when the Black Lives Matter movement swept across social media in 2020, and she thought of his own life cut short – with songs unsung and stories untold – resulting in a production that’s relevant to our lives today.

“Each and every day we should be asking, what are we doing with our talent? What are we passionate about? How do we honor those that have fallen between the cracks? Who tells our story?” Sanchez explains.

CAST
Antonio Michael Woodard (Antonio/Little Willie John)

PRODUCTION 
KJ Sanchez (playwright/director); Richard Livingston Huntley (music director); Josafath Reynoso (set designer); Rachel Anne Healy (costume designer); Amber Whatley (lighting designer); Lindsay Jones (sound designer); Stephanie Klapper, CSA (casting director); Brooke Redler (stage manager); Suann Pollack (second stage manager)

TICKETS
To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. Patrons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf blind or speech disabled: dial 711 to connect to the Box Office via Ohio Relay Services.

Performances on Tuesdays through Saturdays will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. There is one Wednesday matinee at 1 p.m. on Nov. 17. Individual tickets start at just $35. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances. Discounted ticket prices for teens are available for all productions and are $30 to $45, depending on show and seat location.

ADVISORY: Recommended for adults and teenage audiences. This musical docudrama celebrates the life of a talented R&B singer, whose behind-the-scenes tales feature some mild adult language and mature themes.

HEALTH AND SAFETY
Patrons will need to be masked and fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test to attend an indoor performance. Visit the Health & Safety page for details.

SPONSORS
Production Sponsors are Digi and Mike Schueler and Jennifer and Woody Taft. Honorary Producers are Linda and Gary Greenberg and Barbara M. Weyand, with additional support from the Harold and Mimi Weinberg Charitable Trust. Rosenthal Shelterhouse Season Sponsor is Heidelberg Distributing Company. Season Sponsor of New Work is the Rosenthal Family Foundation.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of more than 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Playhouse also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation.

ACCESS
The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs, and complete wheelchair access are available.

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October 21, 2021 · 9:57 am

The Show Must Go On! ROMEO AND JULIET: Now Streaming

CSC_Rome & Juliet1

Courtney Lucien as Juliet and Crystian Wiltshire as Romeo. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Easy to access and affordable, you can now stream a recorded version of ROMEO AND JULIET for a limited time.

Savor the Stage from Home

Upon purchase, you’ll receive immediate access to enjoy the play digitally through November 13th. Tickets are Pay What You Can starting at $10 and up depending on the amount you can give to support this production for yourself and others.

Don’t miss this rare chance to watch a recorded Cincinnati Shakespeare Company production from home!

Don’t Miss the Show

ROMEO AND JULIET has swept the city with the League of Cincinnati Theatres raving, “…a fresh and engaging take on the play” and CityBeat dubbing the show “…a doomed, tender, lusty romance.” See Romeo and Juliet and join the buzz.

BONUS: All in-person ticket purchases now include digital insurance, meaning if you change your mind and decide you don’t want to see Romeo and Juliet in person, you won’t miss it and can exchange your in-person ticket for streaming!

Click here to Stream Now. Available until production closing on Nov. 13.

 

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