Weird and Good! That’s how my husband and I would describe Little Shop of Horrors presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. That description may be a little too over simplified. When the plot involves a talking plant that thirst for human blood…that’s definitely a little weird, but the good came in SO many forms during the play.
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If you are looking for a lighthearted play with familiar characters with a twist, Cinderella:After Ever After is for you!…
I’ve really enjoyed watching A Christmas Carol at Playhouse in the Park in Cincinnati over the past few years. It’s become a holiday tradition with a familiar story that still offers a little something different each year. My favorite elements are observing the cast make familiar characters their own and watching the set transform. It’s really incredible to watch actors rise up from below the floor. If you have watched the play over the years, you will recognize returning cast members along with new ones who add their own personality to their character. Bruce Croomer once again delivers as a convincing Scrooge. He really becomes Scrooge after playing the role for so many years. The classic story remains the same which is a reminder to keep the main thing, the main thing.
The Playhouse’s version of A Christmas Carol, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, combines faithful storytelling with spellbinding stage magic to bring to life Charles Dickens’ familiar story of a sinner given one last chance at redemption by four persuasive ghosts. Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a miraculous Christmas Eve transformation as he views with new eyes his past, present and the possibilities of the future. Adapted by Howard Dallin, A Christmas Carol‘s heartwarming message, hundreds of costumes and thrilling special effects help to make the show one of the Playhouse’s most popular productions each year.
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.
A Christmas Carol NOV. 25 – DEC. 30, 2015
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 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.
Playhouse in the Park is located at 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
All photos by MIKKI SCHAFFNER provided courtesy of Playhouse in the Park.
Disclosure: I received tickets for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
Motown the Musical is a show that connects to you on so many levels. I’m still replaying the songs in my head the day after ….and that’s a good thing! The music features top hits from some of the most beloved Motown artists of all time that will keep a smile on your face from beginning to end.
Here is a little more about the show.
You will absolutely fall in love with actor Leon Outlaw Jr., who plays a younger version of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. His singing and dancing will put a big smile on your face.
The sweet dance moves and the flair in the group numbers will also bring you so much joy.
The storyline of Motown the Musical really helps you appreciate the history, the adversity and dedication that Berry Gordy and the artists he helped develop, sacrificed to bring Motown to life.
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will play the Aronoff Center from September 8 – 20
Tuesday –Thursday at 7:30PM
Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 2:00PM and 8:00PM
and Sunday at 1:00PM and 6:30PM.
Tickets for MOTOWN THE MUSICAL start at $29.
They are available at the Aronoff Center Box Office downtown at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS.
*For groups of 10 or more, contact the group sales department at 513.369.4363. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice.
**All Motown Musical images photographed by Joan Marcus, 2014
Disclosure: I received tickets for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash was a musical that I was looking forward to for a few reasons.
1. My husband was a huge Johnny Cash fan and this play was perfect for his first time attending a play at Playhouse in the Park.
2. The play was the celebrating the music of Johnny Cash which meant that I would be familiar with the popular songs.
Created by Richard Maltby Jr. and conceived by William Meade, RING OF FIRE was adapted from the Broadway production by Richard Maltby Jr. and Jason Edwards. Edwards, who starred in RINGOF FIRE on Broadway, will both direct and appear in the Playhouse production, which tells Cash’s story through his songs.
More than a musical biography, RING OF FIRE looks at Cash’s life thematically. From his early years picking cotton in hardscrabble fields to superstardom, the show chronicles both the lows and the highs of the man who traversed musical genres from country and rock to folk and gospel.
I was relieved that the play didn’t create one person to represent Johnny Cash.
He was such a distinct musical icon that it would have been hard for anyone to even try to be compared to him.
The play did a great job of sharing some of Johnny’s history and also telling his story through his songs with various voices of the cast. I really enjoyed hearing the songs through other voices and perspectives. It really added an interesting dimension to the show.
The talent level of the cast was so impressive!
The musicians were a joy to watch and one of them reminded me of a way younger version of my 95 year old grandfather “Pops.”
RING OF FIRE encompasses more than 30 of Cash’s classic songs, including the title tune, “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Man in Black,” “A Boy Named Sue” and “I Walk the Line,” the ballad that Rolling Stone magazine this year declared number one on its list of 25 Greatest Country Songs of All Time. Even so, it’s but an iconic sampling of the more than 400 songs that Cash, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member, has to his credit. Cash was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He placed 48 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart and more than 130 hits on the Billboard country singles chart, more than anyone in history.
I would highly recommend this play to anyone who is a fan of Johnny Cash or who just enjoys musicals.
RING OF FIRE: THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH JAN. 17-FEB. 15, 2015
Ticket prices start at $30.
Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices.
Teen and student tickets are $30 each.
*The show is appropriate for adults and teenage audiences.
New for the 2014-15 season is Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances priced at just $10 with a valid student ID.
Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances.
Performances
7:30 p.m.Tuesdays and Wednesdays,
8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 p.m.
8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m.
7 p.m. Sundays.
*There is no 7 p.m. performance on Sunday, Feb. 1, and no 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, Feb. 15.
Free post-show Meet the Artists programs that allow audiences to interact with cast members and others associated with the production will be offered at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8; and 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12.
Tickets to RING OF FIRE 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.
*All photo credit goes to Sandy Underwood
Disclosure: I was given complimentary tickets for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
I recently attended a blogger event where I got to preview the play “The 39 Steps” at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company for a blogger event. “The 39 Steps” is adapted by Patrick Barlow, from the novel by John Buchan, from the movie of Alfred Hitchcock.
I was not familar with the play, but was pleasantly surprised by how funny it was! I mean BIG SMILES and LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY!!!!!
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I recently watched a radio style twist on the classic “It’s A Wonderful Life” at Falcon Theatre. I honestly have never watched the movie in it’s entirety. I’ve seen enough clips over the years to get the just of the movie. I was really interested when I found out the play would be presented as a radio show. The concept took me back to watching the movie “Annie” as a child when they show the “behind the scenes” while making a radio announcement to try to find Annie’s birth parents.
The theatre is located in the heart of downtown Newport,KY and it’s walls boast the plays that have been presented there.
We opted for the front row to get an upclose view of the foley artists.
The play really gave you the feeling of being a live audience with the “applause” and “on air” signs that cued us when to participate.
The actors immediately kept my attention by all of their voice impressions. The cast of 7 filled was able to transform their voices into range of ages that they could transition to within moments.
Their voices as children always made the audience smile.
The foley artists also kept me super intrigued. It was really interesting to see how they would create the sounds by what looked like a kitchen experiment.
Crunching a bag of cornstarch for footprints in the snow, slamming doors, splashing water; they achieved every sound with such creativity.
I really enjoyed seeing something different vs. the usual Christmas play. It was nice to take in a different perspective of a familiar story.
You can still catch a performance at the Falcon Theatre December 13-15. Check out their website for details.
