Monday Matinee 4.30.18 – This Week in Cincinnati Theatre

Happy Monday, everyone!  What a great time of year this is as we wind down the regular theatre season and gear up for the Cincinnati Fringe Festival.  Look for extensive previews of Fringe coming soon!

I was able to see Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre’s LEGALLY BLONDE on Friday night and both TREASURE ISLAND at the Playhouse and the not-to-be-missed HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW at Ensemble Theatre on Sunday.  What a great weekend!

I am so excited to see Falcon Theatre’s A GREAT WILDERNESS this Friday night.  I love Samuel D. Hunter’s plays – A BRIGHT NEW BOISE, for instance, is one of my favorites – and I’m intrigued by the premise of this show.

A synopsis: “Walt, a gentle-natured leader of a Christian retreat, has devoted decades of his life to “curing” gay teens of their homosexuality. Packing up his life and preparing for a reluctant retirement, Walt is pressured into accepting one last client. When that client disappears into the Idaho wilderness, Walt is forced to examine the possibility that he has been deceiving himself and others for the bulk of his life. The story navigates complex moral terrain and explores the inconstant strength of personal convictions.”

I’m hoping that this is a challenging, thought-provoking, and well directed play.  It’s Clint Ibele’s first time in that chair; I can’t wait to see what he does.  Tickets and more information can be found here.

Also, Falcon’s next season is a cornucopia of contrasts:

Falcon Theatre:

Yankee Tavern
The Lion in Winter
The Exonerated
Blues for an Alabama Sky
Baskerville

Click here for information about Falcon’s Flex Pass, their version of a season subscription.

Also opening this week is BYE BYE BIRDIE at the Warsaw Federal Incline Theatre.  This all-American musical is a send up of pre-Beatles rock and roll.  Tim Perrino directs and Steve Goers provides musical direction. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Both the Incline and the Covedale Theatre have announced their next season lineups.  As usual, they know exactly how to appeal to their fervent, loyal audience base with classic titles and a couple surprises, too.  I’m most looking forward to the Ed Cohen directed A FEW GOOD MEN.  Here’s a complete list of their upcoming shows:

Click here for more information.

Speaking of classics, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has an entire season of fantastic shows in their lineup including their first ever musical!  They’ve done plays with music before (ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS, for example) but this will be a full fledged all-out musical comedy.  A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM will open the season and will be directed by Brian Isaac Phillips, with choreography from one of my favorite theatre makers, Vince DeGeorge.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) – Season Extra
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
1984
Twelfth Night
Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!) – Season Extra
Fences
The Winter’s Tale
Macbeth
A Flea in Her Ear

Click here for more information and to subscribe to the 2018-2019 season.  It’s a great space, in a great location, staffed by great people.  I’m really impressed with their growth.

A scene from PLUTO by Steve Yockey from 2014. Yockey’s play, MERCURY, will be part of Know Theatre’s 2018-2019 season.

Finally, with this week’s announcement of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival lineup, this is also a good time to talk about Know Theatre’s MainStage shows for next season.  Many remember the wonderful production of PLUTO at Know Theatre several years ago; next season includes another in Steve Yockey’s series of planetary plays.  MERCURY will cap off a season of unusual, weird, and creatively intriguing stage-work next year.  Here’s the full run down:

Know Theatre:

TBA by TBA
The Man-Beast by Joseph Zettelmaier directed by Brant Russell
Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride by Reina Hardy directed by Tamara Winters
Red Bike by Caridad Svich
Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner by Darcy Parker Bruce directed by Alice Flanders
Mercury by Steve Yockey directed by Andrew Hungerford

Click here for information about Know Theatre’s Membership program.

By the way, full a full calendar of Fringe performances, click on the “Fringe 2018” link at the top of this page or click here.  As more information is available (like casting) look for updates to the database. You can also go to the official Fringe website for a complete run down as well as ticket buying options.  I recommend the All Access Full Frontal pass, of course, but you could also opt for a few Voyeur passes to get your Fringe fix!

That’s it for this week.  What are you seeing?