Tag Archives: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, PRESENTED BY U.S. BANK, CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
OF HOLIDAY SPIRITS AT CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK,
NOV. 25 – DEC. 30, 2015

Ebenezer Scrooge (Bruce Cromer) celebrates his renewed holiday spirit . Photo by Sandy Underwood.

(CINCINNATI) — The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s joyous, time-honored celebration of the true spirit of the holidays achieves the quarter-century mark this season as U.S. Bank presents Charles Dickens’ iconic story A CHRISTMAS CAROL. The beloved tale, enjoyed each season by multiple generations of Cincinnatians, will be performed for its 25th year in the Playhouse’s Robert S. Marx Theatre from Nov. 25 through Dec. 30.

Dickens, considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time, wrote the instantly successful A CHRISTMAS CAROL in 1843. His most popular work among a prolific output of classics, A CHRISTMAS CAROL is credited for revitalizing the celebration of Christmas as we know it today. So renowned is the story in popular culture that “Scrooge” has become a synonym for a mean, tight-fisted person. A CHRISTMAS CAROL has also inspired countless television, film and stage adaptations, from classic interpretations to contemporary and even cartoon versions.

The Playhouse’s version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, adapted by Howard Dallin, brings Dickens’ narrative to vivid life with spectacular effects that illuminate Ebenezer Scrooge’s time-traversing pilgrimage with the spirits one magical Christmas Eve. From his kind-hearted sister Fan and first love Belle to his generous employer Fezziwig and humble clerk Bob Cratchit, Scrooge is repeatedly shown the saving grace of love and concern for humanity. The heartwarming message of A CHRISTMAS CAROL helps to make it one of the Playhouse’s most popular productions each season and a perfect way to introduce children to the joys of theatre.

The cast of the 25th anniversary production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL features a mix of new and familiar actors. Bruce Cromer, the longest-tenured of the four actors who have filled Ebenezer Scrooge’s miserly shoes, returns to the role for the 11th time this season. (Cromer previously portrayed long-suffering clerk Bob Cratchit for eight years.) Also returning are Avery Clark as Young and Mature Scrooge/Ghost of Christmas Future, Craig Wesley Divino as Fred, Joy Farmer-Clary as Belle/Catherine Margaret, Annie Fitzpatrick as Mrs. Fezziwig/Patience, Ryan Wesley Gilreath as Bob Cratchit/Schoolmaster Oxlip, Kelly Mengelkoch as Mrs. Cratchit/Laundress, Gregory Procaccino as Jacob Marley/Old Joe, Douglas Rees as Mr. Fezziwig/Ghost of Christmas Present, Nick Rose as Mr. Cupp/Percy/Rich Man at Fezziwig’s and Stephen Skiles as Mr. Sosser/Topper/Man with Shoe Shine/Guest at Fezziwig’s. New to A CHRISTMAS CAROL this season is Cincinnati native Kathleen Wise, who is making her Playhouse debut as Ghost of Christmas Past/Mrs. Peake.

Members of the Playhouse’s Bruce E. Coyle Acting Intern Company — Law Dunford, Kyle Powell, Serena Ryen, Robert Carlton Stimmel, Erin Ward, Renika Williams and Lilian Wouters — will play carolers, party guests and others.

Nine Tristate children also appear in A CHRISTMAS CAROL; this season, six new actors join the three veteran junior cast members. Returning are Nathan E. Goodlett as George/Charles/Apprentice at Fezziwig’s, Livvy Stubenrauch as Fan/Guest at Fezziwig’s and Ethan Verderber as Peter Cratchit/Gregory/Apprentice at Fezziwig’s. New to the production this year are Ella Gallagan as Belinda Cratchit/Guest at Fezziwig’s, Ari Elizabeth Johnson as Want/Guest at Fezziwig’s, Aidan McCracken as Ignorance/Matthew/Rich Son at Fezziwig’s, Ashley Taylor as Martha Cratchit/Guest at Fezziwig’s, Austin Vaughan as Boy Scrooge/Guest at Fezziwig’s/Bootblack and Henry Charles Weghorst as Tiny Tim.

“It is a recurring joy to bring Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL to life every holiday season,” says Michael Evan Haney, who is directing the production for the 23rd time. (Haney has been associated with A CHRISTMAS CAROL since 1991, its first year. He played the first Bob Cratchit for two seasons.) “I love watching the children filing into the Playhouse dressed in their holiday finery to experience this play for the very first time. I feel proud that this production has become a tradition for so many Cincinnati families.”

In addition to Haney, the creative team for A CHRISTMAS CAROL includes James Leonard Joy (set designer), David Murin (costume designer), Kirk Bookman (lighting designer), David B. Smith (sound designer/composer), Steve O’Shea (lighting contractor), Cindy Witherspoon (costume coordinator), Rebecca N. Childs (music director) and Dee Anne Bryll (choreographer). The stage manager is Andrea L. Shell, and second stage managers are Brooke Redler and Jenifer Morrow.

The production is presented by U.S. Bank. The design sponsor is American Modern Insurance Group. Artist sponsor/Ebenezer Scrooge is AAA and Provident Travel, and artist sponsor/Tiny Tim is Skidmore Sales and Distributing. Additional support is provided by The Stona Fitch Family.

All show times for A CHRISTMAS CAROL are at 2 p.m. for matinees and 7 p.m. for evening performances to accommodate families with children. Please note the earlier curtain time. There will be no performances on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and selected weekdays in early December. There is an added performance on Monday, Dec. 28.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL is suitable for all general audiences, including children ages 5 and older. Due to the full-length nature of the show, children younger than 5 cannot be admitted.

Tickets for A CHRISTMAS CAROL start at $40. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices. Tickets for children, teenagers and students are $30 and $45. Tickets for the public preview, which will be performed at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, begin at $35. The official opening night is at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27.

The production will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

Tickets for A CHRISTMAS CAROL are on sale now. For ticket 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. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.

For the 20th year, the Playhouse will partner with the University of Cincinnati’s Hoxworth Blood Center for a blood drive on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Blood donors who attend the special event will receive vouchers good for half-price tickets to select performances of A CHRISTMAS CAROL and NATIVE GARDENS. To schedule an appointment, visit www.hoxworth.org/groups/playhouse. Donation times are limited, so donors are strongly encouraged to make an appointment in advance. Questions may be directed to Hoxworth at 513-451-0910.

Spread the joy this holiday season by participating in the Playhouse’s Cratchit Family Food Drive for the Freestore Foodbank. Bring donations of non-perishable food or personal care items (no glass, please) to the Playhouse during performances in November and December and place them in barrels located near the Box Office.

Characters from A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s holiday production of CINDERELLA, Cincinnati Ballet’s FRISCH’S PRESENTS THE NUTCRACKER and The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s production of A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS will be spreading the holiday spirit at festive events throughout the Tristate this season. For a listing of events, visit www.cincyplay.com.

Club Carol, a new program this year in celebration of the 25th anniversary of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, provides behind-the-scenes access to the production with donations starting at $100. Benefit details are available on the Playhouse website.

The 2015-16 Marx Theatre Series is presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation, and the Robert S. Marx season design sponsor is Macy’s. The season sponsor of new work is The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of the community contributors to the ArtsWave 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.

LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES BRINGS THE PARTY OF THE SEASON TO CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK’S THOMPSON SHELTERHOUSE, NOV. 7 – DEC. 20, 2015

(CINCINNATI) – The club may be closing for the night, but that’s just when the party heats up in Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman’s LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES, which sashays into the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre for the holidays, Nov. 7 through Dec. 20. A celebratory tribute to America’s great blues tradition, the show is a sizzling musical revue that features nearly two dozen songs pulled from the greatest hits of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Big Mama Thornton and more.

The LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES cast features Felicia P. Fields, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her role as Sofia in the original Broadway production of The Color Purple; Chic Street Man, a performer who composed the music for and starred in the off-Broadway hit Spunk; Caron “Sugaray” Rayford, who was nominated for two 2015 Blues Music Awards; and keyboardist Fred Kaplan, who played with such blues greats as Big Mama Thornton and Big Joe Turner during his tenure with the legendary Hollywood Fats Band.

Myler and Wheetman share a 30-year working history, and they’ve struck box office gold — together and separately — at the Playhouse in the past, with shows including Hank Williams: Lost Highway and Love, Janis. LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES is their latest collaboration, and it has already earned raves in Chicago and Milwaukee.

“The setting is a nameless South Side Chicago blues club,” said Myler, who’ll direct the production for the Playhouse. “It’s Saturday night, into Sunday morning. The linking dialogue is from actual blues artists that we interviewed, but it’s the music that drives the piece.”

In the show, a group of veteran musicians assembles for an after-hours jam session to swap stories and share their favorite tunes. Their hot rhythms and non-stop riffs celebrate the bawdier side of the blues.

“This show sort of came out of a show we had written called It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues,” said Wheetman, who also serves as the show’s music director. “The idea was to look at a very particular kind of blues — low down dirty blues. The early women’s blues music, especially, was very double entendre. That is how we started. As with anything it morphed into what it is today, which is a little broader.”

The double entendre in many of the show’s songs — including “Don’t Jump My Pony,” “My Stove’s in Good Condition” and “If I Can’t Sell It” — brings both humor and sensuality to the production. The stories that are interspersed between the songs add emotional resonance.

“It is a spicier kind of blues,” Wheetman said. “This was specifically about a kind of blues that has two sides to it. On one hand, it is a more intimate look, it is a smaller group and a smaller palate … This is not so much a historic thing; it is a story about the people, these people in this club and their stories, which includes the music but it is more of a personal talk about what brought them to where they are.”

The LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES creative team, in addition to Myler and Wheetman, includes set designer Vicki Smith, costume designer Gordon DeVinney, lighting designer Don Darnutzer and sound designer Jeremy J. Lee. Jenifer Morrow is the production stage manager.

LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES is sponsored by Margaret and Albert Vontz III and Moe and Jack Rouse. The cast sponsor is Bartlett & Co., and the design sponsor is the Geiler Co.

Ticket prices for LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES start at $35. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices. The show is appropriate for adult and older teenage audiences.

Returning this season is the popular Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances (not including A Christmas Carol) priced at just $10 with a valid student ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances.

Discounted ticket prices for teens and students are available in advance for all productions for $30 and $45, depending on seat location.

The Playhouse’s new Tasting Series continues with a Soul Food Juke Joint beginning at 6:30 p.m. before each Friday night performance of LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES. Inspired by the after-hours nightclub setting of the show, this catered event will feature live music by local blues artists and a soul food dinner served at 6:45 p.m. in the Playhouse’s Room with a View. The cost is $22 per person; for reservations, call the Box Office at 513-421-3888.

Previews for LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES are at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7; 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11. The official opening night is Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.

Free Meet the Artists programs that allow audiences to interact with the cast and others associated with the production will be held after the following performances: 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25; and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10.

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

Tickets to LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES are on sale now. 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. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.

The 2015-16 Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre Series is presented by the Heidelberg Distributing Company, and the Thompson Shelterhouse season design sponsor is the Allan Berliant and Jennie Rosenthal Berliant Family Fund. The season sponsor of new work is The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of the community contributors to the ArtsWave 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.

POETIC, POIGNANT DRAMA MAD RIVER RISING CONTINUES CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK’S MARX THEATRE SEASON, OCT. 17 – NOV. 14, 2015

(CINCINNATI) – Dana Yeaton’s sweeping, compelling MAD RIVER RISING brings a flood of forces — natural, generational and emotional — to the Cincinnati Playhouse’s Robert S. Marx Theatre Oct. 17 through Nov. 14. Family patriarch and farmer Angus Stewart, the anchor of Yeaton’s captivating drama, escapes from his nursing home determined to save the land he loves from the rising tide of urbanization.

Crusty and droll, Angus is still fiercely loyal to his family’s acreage despite the toll the years have taken on him — along with the devastating impact of the 1937 flood, remembered in flashbacks from when he was a child. In the fluid unfolding of the play, the audience gets to see those costs as Angus envisions them, meandering between past and present in the stream of his mind, all in the setting of the farm’s gnarled old barn.

“I love Angus. He’s cranky and aggravating — yes — but he calls ’em like he sees ’em,” says Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison, who is directing MAD RIVER RISING. “I think he is admirable in his tenacity and his desire to instill fundamental values in his sons and grandson.

“Whether you grew up in the country or not, the play will resonate for everyone,” Robison explains. “It’s about family. And we’re all experts on the subject of family. The play deals with some very current thematic issues as well. Baby boomers are getting older, dealing with their aging parents, trying to reconcile their present with their past.” Robison originally commissioned MAD RIVER RISING when he was the artistic director of Vermont Stage Company. The play made its world premiere there and garnered the Moss Hart Award from the New England Theatre Conference. Originally set in Vermont and based on that state’s disastrous Great Flood of 1927, MAD RIVER RISING’s story was transferred to Ohio for its Cincinnati Playhouse run to reflect this region’s record-setting, devastating 1937 flooding.

Yeaton’s other plays include his adaptation of the novel Midwives; the drama Redshirts, which received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for best new play; and Swing State, a two-character musical also set in Ohio. The recipient of the 2002 New Voice in American Theater Award from the William Inge Theatre Festival, Yeaton teaches playwriting and oratory at Vermont’s Middlebury College.

Winding throughout the Playhouse’s production of MAD RIVER RISING will be the haunting folk music of Vermont compatriot and critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell. She has been compared to Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Gillian Welch and Ani DiFranco, and was the opening act for Bon Iver’s 2012 tour.

The cast of MAD RIVER RISING features stage and screen veteran Robert Hogan (Batman, M*A*S*H, original Broadway cast of A Few Good Men) who portrays Angus Stewart. Additional cast members include Billy Finn (Spencer Eddy), Grant Goodman (Charlie Stewart), Ty Joseph Shelton (Young Angus/Nick Stewart), Sheila Tousey (Mae/Marie Cousino Stewart) and Terry Weber (Hopley Stewart).

In addition to Robison and Mitchell, the creative team features Jeff Modereger (set designer), Kathleen Geldard (costume designer), Kenton Yeager (lighting designer) and Matthew M. Nielson (sound designer). Brooke Redler is the stage manager, and Jenifer Morrow is the second stage manager.

MAD RIVER RISING is sponsored by Tony Alper.

Ticket prices for MAD RIVER RISING start at $35. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices. The show is appropriate for adult and teenage audiences.

Returning this season is the popular Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances (not including A Christmas Carol) priced at just $10 with a valid student ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances.

Discounted ticket prices for children, teens and students are available in advance for all productions — $30 and $45, depending on seat location. Previews for MAD RIVER RISING are at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17; 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21. The official opening night is Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.

Free Meet the Artists programs that allow audiences to interact with the cast and others associated with MAD RIVER RISING will be held after the following performances: 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8; and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.

MAD RIVER RISING will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, and signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available. Tickets to MAD RIVER RISING are on sale now. 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. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.

The 2015-16 Robert S. Marx Theatre season is presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation, and Macy’s is the Robert S. Marx Theatre season design sponsor. The season sponsor of new work is The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of the community contributors to the ArtsWave 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.

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