From a Jane Austen parody to the musical that inspired The Birdcage, don’t miss these August shows

Theaters in the Cincy area have a robust mix of shows and musicals in August. Keep reading to learn about some of the shows we’re looking forward to, along with ticketing info and logistics. 

The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Abridged)

Next to playwright William Shakespeare, the British writer likely most beloved is early 19th-century novelist Jane Austen. So it seems only fitting that she’s getting gently poked fun at by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company this month with the local premiere of “The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Abridged).”

Written and first produced in 2019, it’s a fast-paced, respectful and affectionate parody by Jessica Bradford, Kathryn MacMillan, Charlotte Northeast and Meghan Winch — a quartet of actors, directors and dramaturgs.

Jenny Lavery, who’s staging the show for Cincy Shakes, recently spoke with CityBeat about the show. It’s a co-production with Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, Massachusetts, where she’s currently the interim artistic director. It will be remounted at Merrimack in November and December. 

The brief, one-act script offers chaotic, witty and affectionate mashups of Austen’s six novels (“Sense and Sensibility,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Mansfield Park,” “Emma,” “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion”) and countless romances wrapped in incisive social satire. It’s done with just three nimble actors —Cincy Shakes’ veterans Hannah Gregory, Jasimine Bouldin and Patrick Earl Phillips.

The sustaining joke of the play is that, when a cast member abruptly goes missing, the remaining two must teach an understudy the entire Austen canon on the fly. Lavery noted that the four playwrights were all “Janeites,” a name coined in 1894 by a British literary critic for Austen’s committed fans. Today there are numerous active chapters across England and the U.S., including in Cincinnati and Dayton.

“One of the attributes of the Janeite community is this banter and this love for witty sparring with one another about which book is better, why it’s better and why the other person is wrong,” Lavery said. 

Thanks for reading, but eventually you need to get off the couch. Find something to do with Cincinnati’s busiest events calendar!

A lot of the jokes, she said, were borrowed directly from the Janeite community. 

“The characters in the play also hold some of the most well-known Janeite [attitudes],” Lavery said. “One is more of a romantic caught up with Darcy and the loves, the dresses and the movies and all of those things. The other one is more of a purist — she’s a stickler for the fact, for the heightened language, the poeticism. She read the books in the order they were written. Between the two different characters, we cover a lot of ground.”

The character played by Phillips is a newcomer to Austen. Lavery described him as a keyhole for the newbies or the plus-ones in the audience who aren’t as familiar with Austen’s work. 

“That addition of him is important because it allows them to do more palatable takes on every book,” Lavery said. “He becomes the one who asks all the dumb questions that people in the audience, even if you’ve read all her books, might be asking as well.”

Asked to describe the show’s appeal, Lavery called it a fast and fun and joyous 80-minute experience that stays true to the text. 

“For people who don’t know, there’s a lot to be gleaned about how wild and progressive and ahead of her time Jane Austen was and kind of still is,” Lavery said. “Her writing is pretty radical even for right now. The hope is that maybe people will go read one of her books for the first time or revisit one read long ago.”

La Cage aux Folles

The Carnegie in Covington has established itself as a go-to venue for productions, especially when teamed with talent from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Musical theater director Rachel Stevens, a CCM professor, is staging “La Cage aux Folles.” It’s onstage Aug. 14-23.

The 1996 film “The Birdcage” was based on the original play and musical, featuring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. 

“La Cage aux Folles” was the first hit Broadway musical to depict a gay relationship, receiving a Tony Award in 1983. It’s about middle-aged Albin, a drag performer, and Georges, the owner of a posh gay night club in St. Tropez. It’s been a crowd-pleaser for decades, with a tuneful score by Jerry Herman and a riotously funny book by Harvey Fierstein. 

Josh Walden, playing Albin, appeared as a Cagelle, the star performer at the club in the show’s 2004 revival. An accomplished director, choreographer and educator, Walden recently served as artist-in-residence for CCM in 2025. Several CCM musical theater students are in the cast.

One hour before each Carnegie performance, audiences are invited to step into an immersive preshow experience that transports them into the nightclub and highlights local queer talent. The Carnegie’s galleries and public spaces will be transformed into an extension of the titular nightclub.

Crazy for you

“Crazy for You” by George and Ira Gershwin is showing at the Warsaw Federal Incline Theatre in Price Hill starting Aug. 8.

One of Cincinnati’s best local theater artists, Dee Anne Bryll, will direct a cast of 20, in a compendium of tunes by the brothers, composed in the 1920s and ’30s. A city slicker falls for a hometown girl in this zany, ebullient romantic comedy featuring cowboys, show girls and high-energy production numbers. 

First produced on Broadway in 1992, this light-hearted show won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. 

We Will Rock You

Music by British rockers Queen is the score for “We Will Rock You,” featuring music by Queen at Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine for two days in late August. 

Broadway veteran Lesley Goddard will direct and choreograph Queen’s fist-pumping, foot-stomping title number, plus more than 20 Queen hits, such as “We Are the Champions” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The lightly staged production is put on by a cast of 17, including Bethany Xan Kerr, Rory Sheridan and Billy Chace (a regular with Cincy Shakes). A five-musician band led by CCM conductor Steve Goers accompanies the stage production. 

Originally produced in London, “We Will Rock You” had a 12-year run there (2002-2014). It’s been performed in 28 countries worldwide.