WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING INSTEAD OF THIS?
 
 
by Rick Pender 05.17.2013 31 days ago
Posted In: Theater at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 
 
dale hodges in krisit - photo jim springfield

Stage Door: Choices, Choices

As the 2012-2013 theater season winds down, there are still several good productions worth seeing: You can still be entertained by the froth of The Marvelous Wonderettes: Caps and Gowns at Ensemble Theatre (which runs through June 1), intrigued by the dark comedy Measure for Measure at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (through May 26; CityBeat review here) or titillated by the noir tale of lust and murder, Double Indemnity, at the Cincinnati Playhouse (wrapping up on Saturday; CityBeat review here).But if you're looking for other options, you'll find them. Slightly more off the beaten path is Sunset Boulevard, the Andrew Lloyd Webber about a faded silent film star living in her grandiose memory of her glory days rather than in the cynical present of the 1940s. Cincinnati Music Theatre has assembled a fine production of the show at the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater, onstage through Saturday evening. This is a big show in terms of cast, choreography, scenery and more, but CMT, a community theater, has the personnel to pull it off. Tickets: 513-621-2787. Another tale of a film legend contemplating a return to the screen — but on a decidedly smaller scale — is offered in Krisit, a new play by local playwright Y York. Veteran actress Dale Hodges plays the title character in a show characterized by director Mark Lutwak as a funny play about a serious subject. York and Hodges have a history that goes back to New York City many years ago. It's onstage (through June 2) at Clifton Performance Theatre (the space once occupied by Sitwell's Coffee House, 404 Ludlow Ave.). Tickets: 513-861-7469. Speaking of legends, at the Aronoff tonight (Friday) you'll find Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight! He's been presenting the humor, satirical wit and timeless observations of one of America's most iconic literary figures for more than a half-century. Holbrook is now 88, more than a decade older than Twain when he passed away in 1910. But he keeps his performances fresh and timely with constant edits and changes about politics, culture and the world, carefully attuned to the moment. (He has more than 16 hours of Twain material in his repertoire!) His performance is in the Procter & Gamble Hall at the Aronoff Center. Tickets: 513-621-2787. If you've already enjoyed the Wonderettes at ETC, you might want to attend Forever Plaid, which just opened the 2013 summer season on board the Showboat Majestic. It's a similar story, a quartet of singers aspiring for their big musical break. They get it, but at a high (and highly comic) price. Lots of great tunes from the ’50s, surrounded by nostalgic humor. It's onstage through June 2. Tickets: 513-241-6550. Finally, if you're a regular theatergoer in Cincinnati, you might want to attend the League of Cincinnati's awards program on Monday evening, 7 p.m. at Know Theatre. Details here.
 
 

Sunset Boulevard (Review)

Tale of Hollywood desperation and dementia gets a big-time patina

0 Comments · Monday, May 13, 2013
David Zlatic designed a production — scenery, lighting in the style of film noir and a stream of well executed photographic and video projections in moody black-and-white — that works very well, including Desmond’s mansion with a sweeping central staircase.   

Titanic (Review)

3 Comments · Monday, May 14, 2012
 The opening 15 minutes of Titanic: The Musical, recreating the tragic 1912 sinking of the doomed ocean liner, is one of the most stirring, evocative sequences in all of musical theater. It grabs you as you meet dozens of characters boarding the ship, overflowing with great expectations — of success, of escaping poverty, of new life in America, of achieving dreams. But we know what awaits many of them in the freezing North Atlantic after the collision with an iceberg.   

A Winning Season

Cincinnati theater is off and running

0 Comments · Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Cincinnati’s Riverfest fireworks once fired the starting gun for local theater, but already several theaters have shows onstage. This week Cincinnati’s major theaters open their first productions of 2011-2012, launching a fall offering an unusual number of award-winning shows.  

The Music Man (Review)

Cincinnati Music Theatre show has esprit de corps

0 Comments · Monday, November 15, 2010
Team spirit is what Professor Harold Hill is really selling to the people of River City, Iowa. And 'The Music Man,' now at the Aronoff's Jarson-Kaplan Theater thanks to Cincinnati Music Theatre, has more esprit de corps in its piccolo-playing pinkie fingers than you might find in the entire bodies of a real brass band.   

Give Your Vote to Local Theater

0 Comments · Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Votes are rolling in for the 2009-2010 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. Already more than 1,000 local theater fans have checked off their favorite local theatrical performances. If you haven't voted yet (Aug. 9 is the deadline), please add your own feedback. Results will be announced during the CEA event at Know Theatre on Aug. 29.  

Curtains (Review)

Cincinnati Music Theatre production knocks 'em dead

2 Comments · Tuesday, May 11, 2010
'Curtains,' the final show created by the team of John Kander and Fred Ebb (who also wrote 'Cabaret' and 'Chicago' among other great musicals) is getting its regional premiere by Cincinnati Music Theatre, one of our city's best community theaters, predictable in its high quality with regular productions at the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theatre. The entertaining show has a happy ending, and you'll still be laughing all the way home.  

H.M.S. Pinafore (Review)

Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera lists a little

0 Comments · Wednesday, November 12, 2008
When done well, Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas can be a delightful blend of whimsical exuberance and lighthearted satire. Cincinnati Music Theatre's production of "H.M.S. Pinafore," directed by Rick Kramer, has a modicum of these qualities, but not enough.  

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