Fans of musicals, as well as thoughtful adults who want to show kids the magic of theater, should rush to UC’s College-Conservatory of Music this weekend for the final performances of Seussical the Musical. It’s a joyous celebration of the witty and clever rhyming children’s stories crafted by Dr. Seuss.
The big cast brings to life numerous characters from his fertile imagination: The Cat in the Hat (portrayed with wily, mischievous charm by Kevin Chlapecka), Horton the Elephant (Frankie Thams earnestly tends an egg for much of the first and second acts), the flighty Mayzie LaBird (extravagant Bryn Purvis), eager and yearning Gertrude McFuzz (petite and humorous Emily Royer) and Sour Kangaroo (a sassy performance by Jenny Mollet).
Derek Kastner and Marissa Hecker play Mr. and Mrs. Mayor of Whoville, and the hardworking cast bring the tiny Whos of Whoville to colorful live wearing brilliant yellow-and-blue costumes designed by Dean Mogle. In fact, this production is a gorgeous showcase of the costuming capabilities of CCM’s shop. The big question is how can actors change from one outfit to another so quickly. Seussical has a score created by 1982 alum Stephen Flaherty, today a well-established Broadway composer. Definitely worth seeing. (Performances tonight at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.) Tickets: ccm.uc.edu
Another highly imaginative production is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Cincinnati Playhouse, a chance to enter the mind of a most unusual 15-year-old boy. Christopher Boone might be diagnosed on the autism spectrum, but what he really is is a curious, literal-minded kid who’s doing his best to sort out motives in a world that induces tremendous anxiety in his own life. Director Marsha Milgrom Dodge has wonderfully staged this adaptation of Mark Haddon’s remarkable novel with significant invention and movement that underscores the storytelling. Through Nov. 11. Tickets: cincyplay.com
Cincinnati theater fans should jump at the opportunity to see This Random World at the newly renovated and expanded Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Steven Dietz’s play is about missed connections and unexpected outcomes. Come early and appreciate ETC’s comfortable lobby, order a drink from its accommodating bar and witness how ETC has lovingly incorporated several historic Over-the-Rhine buildings into its complex. (Through Nov. 4) Tickets: ensemblecincinnati.org
For several years Clifton Players have presented shows in a very cozy space on Ludlow Avenue. They’ll still work there occasionally, but they’ve added a venue to their repertoire: the Liberty Exhibition Hall at 3938 Spring Grove Ave. in Northside. The debut show at that address opens this weekend, The Drowning Girls by Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson and Daniela Vlaskalic. Staged by inventive local director Bridget Leak, this show is about three women who have two things in common: They each married the same man, and they are all dead. Mindy Heithaus, Eileen Earnest and Carol Brammer play three breathless brides who come up for air from the bathtubs in which they’ve been drowned. The not-so-happily-ever-after show is described as both a fantasia and a social critique. It’s onstage through Nov. 11. Tickets: cliftonperformancetheatre.com
With Halloween coming on Tuesday, you still can catch Young Frankenstein at the Covedale Center (through Nov. 12) and Dracula at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (through Nov. 4). There’s a creepy Halloween double-bill at Know Theatre, consisting of 13 Dead Dreams of “Eugene” by Paul Strickland and Erika Kate MacDonald and three Zombie monologues by Ricky Coates. Each piece is separately ticketed, two per evening. (Through Nov. 11)
Two interesting one-time performances coming up in the next few days: At The Carnegie in Covington, it’s Miscast on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. featuring area theater performers performing songs cabaret-style from roles in which they would never be cast, such as Chicago’s “Cell Block Tango” performed by a set of men. Sounds like entertaining fun. Tickets: thecarnegie.com … Monday night at 7:30 p.m. is the first quarterly installment of True Theatre’s eighth season, which has decamped from Know Theatre to Over-the-Rhine’s Memorial Hall (1225 Elm St.). This month’s storytelling theme is trueVETERAN, featuring stories from men and women who’ve served the United States. How appropriate, since Memorial Hall was built more than a century ago to honor Cincinnati veterans of the Civil War and the Spanish-American. Tickets: memorialhallotr.com
Rick Pender’s STAGE DOOR blog appears here every Friday. Find more theater reviews and feature stories here.
