March 4th, 2012
By Rick Pender |
Arts |
Posted In: Theater
A few of the characters who will show up at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company next season - Photo from Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (Jeanna Vella)
Familiar Faces and Fantastic Tales at Cincy Shakes
A few of the characters who will show up at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company next season - Photo from Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (Jeanna Vella)A bunch of
classic characters will be showing up at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company to
entertain us for the 2012-2013 theater season, announced today: Sherlock Holmes
and Dr.
Watson; Atticus Finch; Romeo and Juliet; Lady Bracknell; Nick Bottom
and Puck. Oh, and a few kings and generals — Richard II and the bloody Titus
Andronicus — plus a hearty dose of laughs with reprises of Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
(Abridged). Here’s the rundown:
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (July 20-Aug. 12, 2012). A regional
premiere of a three-actor adaptation by Steve Canny of this memorable Sherlock
Holmes mystery.
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Sept. 7-30, 2012). A reminder that
all classics need not be British. One of our region’s best professionals, Bruce
Cromer, will play Atticus Finch in this adaptation of Harper Lee’s 1960 novel
about prejudice, violence and hypocrisy in 1932 Alabama.
- Romeo & Juliet (Oct. 12-Nov. 11, 2012). You
probably know the details of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy of star-crossed
lovers. The cast features Sara Clark, Billy Chace, Annie Fitzpatrick and
Sherman Fracher.
- Titus Andronicus (Oct. 20-Nov. 11, 2012). Cincy
Shakes enjoys providing a bloodbath every year for Halloween, and Shakespeare’s
play about a tyrannical Roman military leader is the perfect vehicle
— revenge, murder, betrayal and gruesome murders.
- The Importance of Being Earnest (Nov. 23-Dec. 16, 2012). The
smile-inducing production for the holidays will be Oscar Wilde’s delirious 1895
comedy of manners and intentionally mistaken identities, with Jim Hopkins in
the cross-dressed role of the imperious grand-dame, Lady Bracknell.
- Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And
Then Some!) (Dec.
16-30, 2012). An added holiday treat from Cincy Shakes — for the grown-ups —
back for its seventh season.
- Richard II (Jan. 11-Feb. 3, 2013). As the
company marches toward the completion of Shakespeare’s canon in 2014, this one
notches the final history play in the repertoire.
- Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous
Liaisons) (Feb.
15-March 10, 2013). This 1985 play (and a 1988 Oscar-nominated movie) was
adapted by Christopher Hampton from a 1782 novel about French courtiers who
used sex as a weapon to manipulate and degrade. It’s a cynical, dark comedy,
directed by Drew Fracher and starring Giles Davies, Sherman Fracher and Corinne
Mohlenhoff.
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (March 22-April 21, 2013). Shakespeare’s
most popular comedy — four young lovers lost in a magical forest and a troupe
of amateur actors rehearsing a silly play. Nick Rose plays Bottom the Weaver,
he of the donkey’s head.
- Measure for Measure (May 3-26, 2013). Shakespeare’s
play about the virtuous Isabella, played by Kelly Mengelkoch, one of Cincy
Shakes’ best actresses, who must contend with hypocritical, religious double
standards.
- Complete Works of William
Shakespeare (Abridged) (June 7-30, 2013). A final bit of summer fun.
