Monday Matinee 4.16.18 – This Week in Cincinnati Theatre
This year’s theatre season keeps on ticking with great shows opening and currently running. Be sure to visit Rob Bucher’s BEHIND THE CURTAIN CINCY page for shows that are currently on stage.
Opening this week is CCM Acting’s studio production of H2O: A PLAY ABOUT WATER. This short original play will be heading overseas to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. Cincinnati audiences can see it at CCM this week. Tickets are free but must be reserved through the box office beginning now. Click here for more information or “like” the FaceBook event.
Playwright Lauren Gunderson
This week, there are two different readings of Lauren Gunderson’s new play, NATURAL SHOCKS. Based on Hamlet’s speech, “To be or not to be,” this 65 minute one-act tells the story of a woman waiting out a tornado in her basement. Parallels are made to our current gun violence crisis and Gunderson, who has earned the distinction of being America’s most produced playwright, uses story telling to propel change.
The first reading is on Saturday, April 21st at 3pm at Know Theatre of Cincinnati and will feature an ensemble of some of Cincinnati’s finest actresses including Miranda McGee, Burgess Byrd, Lormarev Jones, Maggie Lou Rader, Lisa DeRoberts, and Regina Pugh. Tickets are a $12 suggest donation and all proceeds will go to Women Helping Women.
Then, for a more traditional take on the play, Corinne Mohlenhoff will read the play at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company on Sunday evening at 6pm. Cost is $20 and all proceeds will go to Moms Demand Action.
Click here for information about Know Theatre’s reading click here for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s version, click here. And you can read my friend David Lyman’s feature article about the readings here.
One of my favorite actresses, Jennifer Joplin, will star as Erma Bombeck in Human Race Theatre Company’s production of ERMA BOMBECK: AT WIT’S END. This play was produced at the Playhouse last year and Joplin understudied the role, so she’s familiar with the part. Bombeck, one of America’s favorite essay writers, has history in Dayton and I expect this show to be in high demand. In fact, they’ve already extended the show’s run to May 20th! The show opens in previews on April 19th and more information is available here.
Lastly, you have two weeks but tickets are going fast for a community production of LEGALLY BLONDE by Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre. The show runs one weekend, opening April 25th.
I’ve seen several productions from this group, who performs at the Hamilton campus of Miami University, and I cannot wait to see what they do with this fun, upbeat musical. McLean Strickland directs. Tickets are available here.
NEXT WEEK: We’ll preview some of next season’s highlights at various Cincinnati theatre, with my most anticipated shows of the 2018-2019 season!
Go see a show or two this week!