October 5th, 2012
By Rick Pender |
Arts |
Posted In: Theater
Daniel Beaty in "Through the Night" - Photo: Sandy Underwood
Stage Door: 'Through the Night,' CCM, NKU and the Carnegie
Daniel Beaty in "Through the Night" - Photo: Sandy UnderwoodYour best bet for theater this weekend, based on several
enthusiastic recommendations, seems to be Daniel Beaty's one-man
performance at the Cincinnati Playhouse in Through the Night. Harper Lee gave it a Critic's Pick in her CityBeat
review this week, and the League of Cincinnati Theatres panel described
Beaty as a "brilliant showman and interpreter” whose “beautifully and
powerfully acted” performance “weaved in, out and through real people —
multifaceted people.” The show was praised as “moving and full of hope —
an evening of pure joy, celebration and a mournful reminder as well.” Through the Night
“shatters the stereotypes of the ‘African American’ plight and shows
beautifully that these predicaments and life choices are ‘human’ ones." I
caught a performance this week and found Beaty's ability to shift from
character to character quite astonishing — he plays six men and boys, as
well as numerous other figures in their lives, each well defined and
believable. It's a tour de force performance in the Shelterhouse,
presented simply with some projected images and nothing more, not even
costume changes. Box office: 513-421-3888.
College theater has good choices for you at both UC's
College-Conservatory of Music and Northern Kentucky University.
Each is
presenting a classic, although from very different eras. NKU continues
its run of
You Can't Take It With You (through Sunday), a
classic comedy by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart that won a Pulitzer
Prize back in 1937. It's about a wacky family that marches to the beat
of several different drummers and how their "normal" daughter and her
boyfriend (the product of truly straitlaced parents) try to figure out
how to make a relationship work in the midst of a lot of craziness. At
CCM there's another form of craziness in Michael Burnham's staging of
Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, a tale of
mistaken lovers and magical transformations. In both cases, there's a
happy ending and most of the right people end up with suitable partners.
Both shows are sure to offer offer a lot of laughs, as well as plenty
of opportunities for young actors to take on entertaining roles. Either
show should make for a fun outing that doesn't require much serious
thought. CCM Box Office: 513-556-4183; NKU Box Office: 859-572-5464.
Finally, on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. you have a very
special opportunity to see a brand-new musical as a work-in-progress at
the Carnegie Center in Covington. It's a one-night-only presentation of The Sandman, a creepy musical created by Cincinnati native and Cirque du Soleil
maestro Richard Oberacker and his creative partner Robert Taylor. Using
a wildly imaginative story by E.T.A. Hoffmann (the guy who wrote the
wildly imaginative story of battling mice and toys coming to life that
became The Nutcracker), Oberacker and Taylor have crafted a show
that's getting a workshop locally with some serious star power. Narrated
by Van Ackerman (who turned in a great performance as the Man in the
Chair in CMT's recent production of The Drowsy Chaperone), the
performance will feature Tony nominee (and early CCM grad) Pamela Myers,
always watchable Bruce Cromer (fresh off his powerful turn as Atticus
Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird at Cincy Shakes), Charlie Clark
and Sara Mackie. While it's a "reading," it will have sound effects and
some slide projections to set the eerie scene. You can call 859-957-1940 for tickets, or order them online at www.thecarnegie.com. General admission is $25 (theater professionals and students can get in for $15). Sounds like a don't miss event.
