Tag Archives: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

CINCINNATI  – One of the most beloved entertainers of all time comes home to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in the exhilarating and inspiring musical biography TENDERLY: THE ROSEMARY CLOONEY MUSICAL, opening in previews March 21. Presented by Ellen and Ray van der Horst, the show runs through May 17 in the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre. Opening night is March 26.

The musical follows Clooney’s meteoric rise from Maysville, KY, to Cincinnati to Hollywood, her battles with addiction and depression and her eventual comeback. The story unfolds at Clooney’s therapy sessions with her life-long doctor who she admired and trusted. Nineteen songs help tell the tale, including some of her most popular: “Come On A-My House,” “Tenderly,” “Sisters,” “Mambo Italiano,” “Hey There,” “Botch-A-Me” and more.

TENDERLY enjoyed a sold-out, extended run at the Playhouse in 2014. Since then, it’s been a hit for theatres across the country. Michael Marotta, who performed in the original Playhouse production, returns to direct TENDERLY after performing in and directing numerous productions nationwide, bringing a depth of experience and insight into the all-new production.

“I have learned so much from doing this show,” Marotta said. “From the women whom I’ve played opposite and examining their interpretations to the audience who adored her and had to learn things they were not prepared for. From directors who shared insights that were new to me or exposed misgivings that I had to challenge. Being an old Hollywood film buff, I consider myself well-versed in the rights and wrongs in telling a story like this one.”

Cincinnati-based playwrights and songwriters Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman based the musical on extensive interviews and Clooney’s two biographies, offering a personal portrait of the woman whose unparalleled talent and unbridled personality made her a legend. 

“There are so many layers to her story,” Vogt said. “Of course, there is her unique and lush voice that captures the ear from the very first word she sings in every song — truly mesmerizing. But behind that voice is a compelling story of a woman who meets some very difficult challenges in her life head-on. Rosie was always very forthright about sharing those moments, and I find so much inspiration in her honesty. Her ability to push forward as she reinvented herself, both personally and professionally, continually broadening her horizons as an artist and singer, is a life lesson for all of us.” 

ARTISTS

• Mollie Vogt-Welch*                                           Rosemary Clooney
• Sam Simahk*                                                   The Doctor/​Dance Captain
• Janet Yates Vogt                                              Playwright/​Composer/​Lyricist
• Mark Friedman                                                 Playwright/​Composer/​Lyricist
• Michael Marotta                                                Director/​Choreographer
• Matthew Umphreys                                          Music Director
• Tamara L. Honesty                                           Set Designer
• Gordon DeVinney                                             Costume Designer
• Amber Whatley                                                 Lighting Designer
• Amoirie Perteet                                                 Sound Designer
• Stephanie Klapper, CSA                                   Casting Director
• Brooke Redler*                                                 Stage Manager*
• Carolyn Fast*                                                   Stage Manager (April 9–15)

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

TICKETS
Tickets begin at $35.00. Prices vary depending on performance. Preview performances take place on March 21, 24 and 25. Opening performance is March 26 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performances will take place on Tuesday-Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A matinee performance will be offered on April 8 at 1 p.m. 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.

EVENTS

Preview Performances
Be among the first to see the show before opening night and save! Preview performance tickets are discounted.

• Sat., March 21 at 7:30 p.m.
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• Tue., March 24 at 7:30 p.m.
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• Wed., March 25 at 7:30 p.m.
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Opening Night

Share the excitement of the opening performance!

• Thursday, March 26, 7:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT) 

Art Talks (Formerly Meet the Artists)
Stay after select performances for a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the artistic team.

• Sun., March 29 at 2 p.m.
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• Sun., April 5 at 2 p.m.
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• Thu., April 16 at 7:30 p.m.
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• Wed., April 22 at 7:30 p.m.
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Audio-Described Performance
Trained volunteers describe the visual elements of the production via a hearing enhancement system, allowing patrons to hear dialogue, music and other sound effects. The description is timed to avoid interfering with dialogue. Before the show and during intermission, show and actor information are shared.

• Tue., Apr. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
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Come On-A My House: Post-show Sing-Along
Join our pianist and fellow audience members as we sing through the Rosemary Clooney songbook. A piano player will lead you through the Golden Age standards made famous by Rosemary Clooney. Attendees are invited to sing along or to sit and enjoy. Lyrics will be available. All are welcome at this free, informal sing-along. Cash bar.

• Saturday, May 2 

ADVISORY
TENDERLY: THE ROSEMARY CLOONEY MUSICAL is appropriate for teenage and adult audiences. The inspiring story of Rosemary Clooney’s life contains mild adult language and other mature themes, most notably involving her nervous breakdown and one-time addiction to pills.

SPONSORS
Presented by Ellen and Ray van der Horst. Production Sponsor is Huntington Bank. Honorary Producers are Charles and Joann Mead and In Honor of Jan Denton. Design sponsors are Kelly Dehan and Rick Staudigel. Artist Sponsors are 19/19 Investment Counsel, Geiler, Kathryn Merchant and Betsy and Jerry Shroat. Artist Sponsor of Michael Marotta is Dr. Susan R. Strick. The 2025-2026 Rosenthal Shelterhouse Season is sponsored by the Vontz Family.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

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CINCINNATI ( March 3, 2026) – The curious, real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie sets the stage for MRS. CHRISTIE, now in previews in Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre and presented by the Leading Ladies. The charming mystery, which Broadway World called “sophisticated, smart, funny, heartbreaking and hopeful,” runs through March 29. (Opening night is March 5.)

When Agatha Christie was 37 years old in 1926, she vanished for 11 days, prompting a nationwide search. Then, she reappeared without explanation. The reasons behind her disappearance remain unknown to this day, but Christie left clues behind including in her documented biography. A century later, a devoted superfan emerges to solve the case. MRS. CHRISTIE follows the parallel journeys of Agatha in 1926 and Lucy, the superfan determined to solve the disappearance in 2026.

Playwright Heidi Armbruster, an Agatha Christie superfan herself who has read all 37 novels, blends historical detail with theatrical invention, inviting audiences to consider not only what happened during those missing days but also how Christie’s life and legacy continue to resonate a century later.

MRS. CHRISTIE “cracks open the mythology around Agatha and lets us sit with the human being inside it – brilliant, wounded, funny, furious, searching,” explained Associate Artistic Director Joanie Schultz, director of MRS. CHRISTIE, which is a co-production with Milwaukee Repertory Theater. “Heidi doesn’t flatten her into a legend. She lets her be contradictory. Brave and petty. Lost and luminous. And through Lucy – who represents all of us who love Christie’s work – we see ourselves reflected back.”

“There’s also a tension in the play between Agatha’s public mask and her private self. I’m interested in the idea that the work and the woman are inseparable. Her secrets, her shame, her reinvention — those things don’t exist apart from the books. They fuel them,” noted Armbruster. “Learning about her life gave me a deeper appreciation for her work. Americans, especially, love a reinvention story. Christie’s life is a chrysalis story as much as it is a mystery.”

ARTISTS

Matt Bowdren*                                      Archie

Blake Hamilton Currie*                         William/Collins

Amira Danan*                                       Nancy/Chloe

Zoë Sophia Garcia*                              Lucy

Dale Hodges*                                       Jane

Betsy Hogg*                                         Charlotte/Mary

Alex Keiper*                                         Agatha

William Sturdivant*                               Monsieur

Heidi Armbruster                                  Playwright

Joanie Schultz                                      Director

Se Hyun Oh                                         Set Designer

Valérie Thérèse Bart                            Costume Designer

Keith Parham                                       Lighting Designer

Thomas Dixon                                      Sound Designer/Original Music

Deanie Vallone                                     Dramaturg

Jonathan Hetler, CSA                          Casting Director

Andrea L. Shell *                                  Stage Manager

Shelby Scaffidi*                                    Assistant Stage Manager

Madison Stone*                                    Assistant Stage Manager

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

TICKETS
Tickets begin at $37.00. Preview performances take place on March 3 and 4. Prices vary depending on performance. Opening performance is March 5 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performances will take place on Tuesday-Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A matinee performance will be offered on March 18 at 1 p.m. 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.

EVENTS

Preview Performances
Be among the first to see the show before opening night and save! Preview performance tickets are discounted.

• Tuesday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m.

Opening Night
Share the excitement of the opening performance!

• Thursday, March 5, 7:30 p.m.

Wine Pairing Dinner
$75 per person, tickets sold separately
Wine Pairing Dinner from 6-7 p.m.
Performance at 7:30 p.m.

• Thu., March 12 at 6 p.m.
• Fri., March 27 at 6 p.m. (SOLD OUT)

Join us for an evening where storytelling meets fine wine. Enjoy a curated wine tasting experience where we pair four delicious courses that complement every sip. Mingle with fellow theatre lovers, indulge your palate, and enjoy community and connection. It’s a celebration of everything we love—exceptional performances, exquisite wines, delicious food, and memorable moments. Cheers to a night to remember! Reservation is required 10 days prior to the event.

To purchase a Wine Pairing Dinner event as an add on only (without a ticket to the show) click here.

Agatha Christie Film Screenings
Dive deeper into the world of Agatha Christie with local film historian Joe Horine at the Esquire Theatre. Join us for a movie screening followed by a Q&A session. For tickets and more information, esquiretheatre.com.

• Sun., March 8 at 7 p.m. Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
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• Mon., March 9 at 7:30 p.m. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
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Art Talks (Formerly Meet the Artists)
Stay after select performances for a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the artistic team.

• Sun., March 8 at 2 p.m.
  Buy Tickets
• Thu., March 12 at 7:30 p.m.
  Buy Tickets
• Wed., March 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Read Between the Wines Book Club
Join us in reading and discussing one of Agatha Christie’s novels that ties in with the play at our pre-show Read Between the Wines Book Club events. Each one includes wine, hors d’oeuvres and a fun book discussion. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the discussion runs 6:15 to 7 p.m. in the Kaplan Lobby. Cost is $25 per person, per event, which includes the hors d’oeuvres, two glasses of wine and doesn’t include tickets to the play (sold separately).

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

• Thursday, March 19, 2026, 6:15-7 p.m.

Pay What You Can
Pay What You Can performances are an additional way we try to make live theatre accessible to those who otherwise might not be able to attend our shows. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 513-421-3888 or in person beginning at noon, day of the performance only. Tickets are subject to availability.

• Wed., March 11 at 7:30 p.m.
• Wed., March 18 at 1 p.m. (Tickets available for purchase at 11 a.m.)

Audio-Described Performance
Trained volunteers describe the visual elements of the production via a hearing enhancement system, allowing patrons to hear dialogue, music and other sound effects. The description is timed to avoid interfering with dialogue. Before the show and during intermission, show and actor information are shared.

• Sat., March 21 at 2 p.m.

Signed ASL Performance
Each Rouse Theatre production offers one signed ASL performance during the show’s run.

• Sun., March 22 at 2 p.m.

College Night
Join other students who love theatre at College Night and enjoy an exclusive post-show gathering with an artist from the show. College students can purchase advance tickets for just $15 and stay after the performance for a curated discussion with one of the artists — and free pizza! Student ID required.

• Thu., March 26 at 7:30 p.m.

ADVISORY
MRS. CHRISTIE is recommended for ages 13 and up. Using minimal adult language, the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie leads to depictions of attempted murder as well as references to violence, infidelity and death. Two characters discuss having suicidal thoughts.

SPONSORS
Presented by the Leading Ladies. Honorary Producer is the Lemmerman Family. Design sponsors are Karen and Bill Neyer. Artist Sponsors are Frost Brown Todd, Geiler and Brooks and Beth Ewing. The 2025-26 Season is presented by The Scheuler Group. Rouse Season Designer Sponsor is Kerry Automotive.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

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