Somewhere in playwright Theresa Rebeck's past there must have been a 420-too-friendly techie who smoked up the booth, a big-name hack who got the plum job and a lover who walked out without a word. Or maybe these professional disasters and personal heartbreaks, captured so hilariously and affectingly in the Cincinnati native's 'The Understudy,' are simply the products of Rebeck's rich imagination. Either way, the comedy has a ring of authenticity that anyone who's ever acted (onstage or in life) should appreciate.  

With a zippy production of Anthony Shaffer's 1970 thriller 'Sleuth,' Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park has launched a year-long 50th anniversary celebration. Almost 40 years after its 1,200-performance Broadway run, 'Sleuth' survives and thrives under Michael Evan Haney's crafty direction — surprises and intricate trickery intact. Further, while keeping the thrills chilling, Haney instilled some nicely leavening humor.