Category Archives: Reviews

February 13, 2015 · 12:27 pm

CHAPATTI 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.

Dan (Jonathan Gillard Daly) and Betty (Sarah Day) take turns telling the story of how they met. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Dan (Jonathan Gillard Daly) and Betty (Sarah Day) take turns telling the story of how they met. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

CHAPATTI presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park through March 8. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening night performance.

“All that matters, is love.” -Betty

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park opens this Irish gem of a love story.

Sarah Day as Betty. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Sarah Day as Betty. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

On entering the theater, the audience is greeted by Scott Bradley’s excellent and detailed set of an Irish pub. As the play begins, the Barman, played by Jay Hobson, is busied with various tasks as two patrons enter the pub. Dan (Jonathan Gillard Daly) and Betty (Sarah Day), who greet the audience as fellow bar patrons, order their respective drinks, and take seats near the fireplace to tell their story.

The play is delivered mostly as narrative, as the leads take turns recounting their lives leading up to their meeting and the events that follow. This gives surprising strength to those moments when the two interact directly, and quite the emotional punch to the final few scenes.

Jonathan Gillard Daly as Dan. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Jonathan Gillard Daly as Dan. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Their story unfolds at a leisurely pace and at first feels a bit mundane. As in life, as the characters (and the audience) gain a more intimate knowledge of each other, and their respective pasts, the story that unfolds is anything but.

Smartly directed by Anne Marie Cammarato, both Daly and Day do excellent work in their roles, individually and together. Their characters are easily likable and relate-able. Dan carries the burden of the recent loss, of the love of his life, while Betty quietly yearns for a true love she has never known. I have to admit, as the play neared its conclusion, I was taken by surprise by how emotionally vested I became in their story.

Overall a simple, yet beautifully-told and emotionally-satisfying love story.

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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February 8, 2015 · 3:11 pm

SATURDAY THE 14TH 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.

Nik Pajic as Mitch & Miranda McGee as Gail.

Nik Pajic as Mitch & Miranda McGee as Gail.

SATURDAY THE 14TH presented by Know Theatre of Cincinnati through Feb. 14. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening afternoon performance.

Just in time for that damn Hallmark-holiday, Know Theatre of Cincinnati re-stages a popular entry from last summer’s SERIALS.

Leads Nik Pajic and Miranda McGee are very cute together and have a fun, every-man chemistry that makes them easy to root for. Rounding out the cast as “everyone else” is Chris Wesselman who tackles the multiple roles with unabashed enthusiasm and takes butt-crack humor to a whole new level.

Co-writer of the piece, Elizabeth Martin comes to Cincinnati to direct. She successfully stages the work on the existing set, with a few minor modifications, of Know’s current mainstage production. Martin and co-writer Lauren Hynek have added some new material to the piece to create a nicely-flowing, 60-minute play. Andrew Hungerford’s lighting and sound design works well to establish the various locations.

Overall, a quirky and laugh-out-loud funny, anti-romantic comedy. Perfect for the hopelessly romantics, and the hopeful ones.

My rating: 3.75 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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February 5, 2015 · 5:22 pm

TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 Review (GYTN)

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.

Torie Wiggins. Photo by Daniel R Winters Photography.

Torie Wiggins. Photo by Daniel R Winters Photography.

TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 presented by Diogenes Theatre Company through Feb. 8. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening night performance. GYTN = Get You Tickets Now.

The streak of beautifully-performed one-person plays continues with Torie Wiggins in TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992.

The book of the show is deeply personal and riveting. Instead of having the events of 1992 analyzed by media and political talking heads (like recent, similar events), the words come verbatim from interviews with those directly affected by the Rodney King verdict and the subsequent rioting. Heartfelt and brutally honest, at times, their words are also amazingly profound.

Torie Wiggins. Photo by Daniel R Winters Photography.

Torie Wiggins. Photo by Daniel R Winters Photography.

Performed in the Aronoff’s black box, the Fifth-Third Bank Theater, the show is simply staged and starkly lit. Actress Torie Wiggins is barefoot and costumed in black. An added costume piece or the addition of a hand-held prop are all that is used to transform her into nearly four dozen, ethically-diverse individuals.

Torie’s vocal and physical range is impressive. There is an attention to detail in her performances that I really enjoy and admire. Some of the longer vignettes allowed her to totally disappear into a role for the audience. Even with such serious subject matter, Wiggins and director Brian Isaac Phillips find the humor, strength of character and hopefulness in the interviews to maintain an emotional balance. Her turn as the Haitian shooting victim and the Korean store-owner were personal favorites.

Torie Wiggins. Photo by Daniel R Winters Photography.

Torie Wiggins. Photo by Daniel R Winters Photography.

On entering the space and seeing the set on the floor, without any levels, I had an initial concern about sight lines. However, the show is smartly blocked with minimal movement, but it never felt static. Yes, the audience may have to shift in their seats with the character changes to get a clear line of site, but it never devolved into the need for an ongoing bob and weave to see the performance.

Torie Wiggins. Photo by Daniel R Winters Photography.

Torie Wiggins. Photo by Daniel R Winters Photography.

Doug Borntrager succeeds with the demanding sound and video elements of the show. Projected placards are used to introduce the characters prior to each scene and are narrated by, I believe, by Phillips. Just a thought, but it night have been interesting to have a second female narrator, so that each placard were read by the appropriate sex, but I quibble. The video also includes actual footage from some of the discussed events. It’s a bit surreal to see a truck driver being attacked by rioters, knowing that similar incidents happened, literally, blocks away from where you are sitting, during the Cincinnati riot in 2001. Solid work by the rest of the technical team, stage manager Justin McCombs, lighting designer Daniel R. Winters, costumer Amanda McGee and props mistress, Ally Landen.

In their press information, the Diogenes Theatre Company asks, “How much have things changed since then? Or not?” For me, this play definitely answered that question.

If you are a fan of Torie Wiggins work, you definitely do not want to miss this excellent production. Based on the size of the opening night audience, I suggest you purchase your tickets sooner, rather than later.

My rating: 4.5 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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January 29, 2015 · 3:38 pm

THE OTHER PLACE 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.

Regina Pugh as Juliana Smithton. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Regina Pugh as Juliana Smithton. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

THE OTHER PLACE presented by the Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati through Feb. 15. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening night performance.

Pardon my french, but Juliana Smithton is a bitch. Considering how she treats the people in her life, its no wonder that her husband is divorcing her and her estranged daughter dreads the thought of a simple phone conversation. But there is more to Juliana’s story than meets the eye.

Michael G. Bath as Ian Smithton & Regina Pugh as Juliana Smithton. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Michael G. Bath as Ian Smithton & Regina Pugh as Juliana Smithton. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Lead Regina Pugh does excellent work in the demanding role of Juliana. The gamut of emotions and the personal motivations of her behavior all make sense, even when that understanding only becomes apparent to the audience later in the script. Also solid is Michael G. Bath as Juliana’s husband Ian. Until the audience is privy to what is really happening, Ian’s responses to Juliana’s behavior comes off a bit psychotic. The complex truth of his struggle to be strong and supportive for his wife, while dealing with this upheaval of their lives together is very well-acted.

Regina Pugh as Juliana Smithton & Kelly Mengelkoch as The Woman. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Regina Pugh as Juliana Smithton & Kelly Mengelkoch as The Woman. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Kelly Mengelkoch, as The Woman, shows off her versatility in several different characters, As The Man, Billy Chace provides believable characters in his ETC debut. I just wish the script had given him a bit more to do. Late in the show, the emotional payoff plays out at “the other place.” This superbly acted scene, between Pugh and Mengelkoch, is remarkable. Somehow both heart-breaking and strangely heart-warming, the actresses are simply brilliant.

Regina Pugh as Juliana Smithton. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Regina Pugh as Juliana Smithton. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

The over-used (just an observation, not a complaint) contemporary theatrical conceit of time-hopping is handled well by director D. Lynn Meyers and performers. Brian c. Mehring’s lighting design smartly provides the audience with visual clues to help determine “when” we are. I also enjoyed the splash of color added to Juliana & Ian’s costumes (designed by Chad Phillips) for “the other place” flashback. Mehring’s set design is solid as usual, and very much in keeping with his personal style. That being said, I would like to, at some point, walk into the theater to see one of his sets that, at first glance, makes me think there is a guest set designer.

ETC_The Other Place 04

Billy Chace as The Man. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Smartly directed and acted, THE OTHER PLACE is compelling theater.

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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January 29, 2015 · 11:38 am

GREATER TUNA 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.

Justin Smith as Arles & Matthew Wilson as Thurston. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

Justin Smith as Arles & Matthew Wilson as Thurston. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

GREATER TUNA presented by the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts through Feb. 15. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening Sunday matinee performance.

The wacky denizens of Greater Tuna, Texas, have taken up residence at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts. Actors Justin Smith and Matthew Wilson do a good job of defining the nearly two dozen characters that inhibit the small town. For the most part, they were aptly costumed by Caren Young, although some of the character wigs were more successful than others. For the actors, my one complaint would be that the performances were not big enough in personality and physicality to overcome the size of the Covedale stage.

The set for GREATER TUNA. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

The set for GREATER TUNA. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

The bulk of the set is quite literally, the side of a barn. The details of the set including the antennas and signage are fun and interesting elements. I also liked the idea of the radio studio behind the hayloft doors. That being said, there does seem to be a disconnect between the design by Brett Bowling and its usage in blocking by director Bob Brunner.

Also confusing to me was the decision to pantomime all but one of the hand-held props, especially when most of the time, the needed prop was a piece of paper. The only prop that made the “cut” was a knife, used in a bit, because it was funny. I would argue that taking props away from the cast deprives the actors the opportunity for similar comic moments. The sheriff using his fingers as a gun comes off more silly, than funny.

Justin Smith as Charlene Bumiller & Matthew Wilson as Bertha Bumiller. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

Justin Smith as Charlene Bumiller & Matthew Wilson as Bertha Bumiller. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

The production also stumbled with the quick changes. Aside from a few scripted radio show recordings used to cover some of the bigger changes, the lightning-fast costume switches are a cornerstone of the show. There were times when music queues were added to cover costume change delays, which adversely affected the pacing of the show. The distance the actors had to travel, at times, didn’t seem to help. At the performances I attended, at least one of these stalling sound queues was no longer needed, as we had an actor dressed and on stage waiting for the queue to end.

Overall a visually successful production that is, for me, too small and sedate for the huge play space. To quote a patron behind me after the curtain call, “Well, that was cute.”

My rating: 3.5 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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