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Nothing new onstage this week, but lots of good work continues as we head toward the summer when theater gets scarce. Now’s the time to stock up.
This is the final weekend for Cock at Know Theatre. (Some publications call it The Cockfight Play, but Cock is Mike Bartlett’s actual title for his play.) It’s the story of a man who thought he was gay but now finds himself powerfully drawn to a woman. (CityBeat review here.) His former lover and his new passion both push him to make a choice, and he’s torn. It’s a great piece of theater, fueled by strong acting and interesting staging. Tickets: 513-300-5669.
Ensemble Theatre’s production of The Marvelous Wonderettes: Caps and Gowns is off and running — and on its way to being another box-office hit for ETC. It’s the same four spunky gals who audiences loved back in 2010 (in ETC’s best-selling show ever), with new tuneful glimpses into their high school graduation in 1958 and a wedding reception in 1968. Talented singers, individually and as a quartet, make this a fine evening’s entertainment. If you’ve seen it before, you know the drill — and you’re probably ready for more. Tickets: 513-421-3555
James M. Cain’s novel of crime and deception, Double Indemnity, continues at the Cincinnati Playhouse. (CityBeat review here.) If you think you know this show from Billy Wilder’s 1944 film (one that defined the noir genre), you’re in for a treat: While this production adopts the elements of terse narration, tough guys and sexy dames, the playwrights tell the story differently for the stage. And the Playhouse stages it inventively — one might even say cinematically. Tickets: 513-421-3888.
Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure is a strange piece, a comedy with a deeply disturbing story about hypocrisy. (CityBeat review here.) A judgmental official condemns men for their licentious behavior, then turns around and propositions a virtuous woman pleading to spare her brother. This troublesome tale is interspersed with comic moments as minor characters wend their way through a time of sordid behavior — in Cincinnati Shakespeare’s production it’s been moved to Prohibition-era America. If you’re a Shakespeare buff, this one is worth seeing, since it’s not often staged. (It’s been 18 years since it’s been presented locally.) Tickets: 513-381-2273 x.1.
The musical Sister Act, based on the Whoopi Goldberg film from 1992, continues at the Aronoff. (CityBeat review here.) It’s an evening of silly fluff, but the touring production, onstage through Sunday, is polished and entertaining. The plot is implausible, but it’s a framework for some great singing and an eye-popping series of set pieces. Tickets: 800-982-2787.
If you prefer a musical with a little more grit, head to Dayton where the Human Race Theatre Company is presenting next to normal at the Victoria Theater. This Rock musical about a paranoid schizophrenic mom and the damage her affliction imposes on her family is a powerful show, one that Cincinnati’s Ensemble Theatre gave a well received production in 2011 that was revived a year ago. The show was an unusual winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama. It’s onstage in Dayton through May 19. Tickets: 937-228-9360.
RICK PENDER has written about theater for CityBeat since its first issues in 1994. Before that he wrote for EveryBody’s News. From 1998 to 2006 he was CityBeat’s arts & entertainment editor. Retired...
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