Monday Matinee 4.9.18
Happy Monday everyone! Last week I had the pleasure of seeing both the CCM Musical Theatre showcase as well as CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Read the review here.
This week sees the opening of a national tour, historic drama, contemporary comedy, and more! Let’s dig in.
First, opening on Tuesday night is the national tour of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, THE KING AND I at the Aronoff Center for the Arts. For fans of classic musicals, this will be a must see. The Broadway revival of The King and I received four 2015 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Costume Design of a Musical. The shows runs through April 22nd and tickets start at $30.
Opening on Friday, April 13th is ADA AND THE ENGINE at Know Theatre.
From the press release: “As the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace (daughter of the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron) sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soul-mate, Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge – a world she might not live to see. A music-laced story of love, friendship, and the edgiest dreams of the future. Jane Austen meets Steve Jobs in this poignant pre-tech romance heralding the computer age.”
Starring Cary Davenport, Annie Fitzpatrick, Brian Griffin, and Tess Talbot.
The creative team is full of the usual suspects: Direction, scenic and lighting design by Andrew Hungerford, costume design by Noelle Wedig, sound & video design by Douglas Borntrager, Prop Design & Scenic Art by Sarah Beth Hall.
Tickets are available online now for $25 (and don’t forget the Welcome Wednesday online price of $5 in advance or free walk-up seats for those who otherwise can’t afford to go.)
MOTHERHOOD OUT LOUD at The Carnegie opens on Saturday night. This collection of plays about motherhood features multiple playwrights including Cincinnati native Teresa Rebeck. The show features a popular cast including Erin Carr, Liz Carman, Martha Slater, Nazanin Khodadad & DeAndre Smith. Directed by Jodie Meyn, the show runs through April 29th.
The latest ambitious production from Xavier University is CABARET. This Kander and Ebb musical will be directed by Stephen Skiles and will cap off a wonderful season for this burgeoning theatre program. (Read David Lyman’s fantastic article about Xavier’s program – and others – by clicking here.). CABARET runs just one weekend. Don’t miss it!
Michael Shooner
Finally, Michael Shooner returns to the stage in A LIFE IN THE THEATRE from New Edgecliff. New Edgecliff, a curious company, uses Equity actors but has a tiny marketing budget and therefore often plays to nearly empty houses. This must change.
A LIFE IN THE THEATRE is a David Mamet play and focuses on the relationship between a veteran actor (Shooner) and a young man who’s new to the theatre (Aaron Epstein).
A fun part about seeing a show at Hoeffner Lodge is taking in Northside, with its quirky bars, hip restaurants, and neighborhood character. Ticket information for this production is available here.
NEXT WEEK we’ll cover a reading of NATURAL SHOCKS at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company AND Know Theatre – and don’t forget the annual Fringe Announcement Party coming up on April 24th. Plus H20: A PLAY ABOUT WATER from CCM Acting and ERMA BOMBECK: AT WIT’S END at Human Race Theatre starring Jen Joplin and more!
For a complete run-down of upcoming productions in the area visit Rob Bucher’s BEHIND THE CURTAIN CINCINNATI. What are you seeing this week?