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Brian Isaac Phillips was named the third artistic director of the CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL (CSF) in December. For the group's 11th season Phillips has assembled a set of shows with a common theme, "In Love and War." The works were first announced on Feb. 22 in a story on CityBeat's Web site. (Go to The Best and The Worst for details). The 2004-2005 season will include four Shakespearean plays — two comedies (Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing), a history (Henry V) and a tragedy (Troilus and Cressida). The season also offers two "contemporary classics" — Arthur Miller's 1947 drama, All My Sons (1947), and Edward Albee's 1962 tale of a disintegrating marriage, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? For the holidays, Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol returns for year four, featuring NICK ROSE in the title role. CSF will use several local professionals to augment its own company next season: Bruce Cromer and Amy Warner will play George and Martha in Virginia Woolf; Michael Shooner (who's also the artistic director of New Edgecliff Theatre) will star in All My Sons. In the rush to announce CSF's season, our careless morning paper ran a photo of another actor (for those confused, CityBeat offers a photo of the real Shooner). Season subscriptions are on sale via 513-381-2273 or
 The real Michael Shooner will perform at CSF in All My Sons.
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Brian Isaac Phillips was named the third artistic director of the CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL (CSF) in December. For the group's 11th season Phillips has assembled a set of shows with a common theme, "In Love and War." The works were first announced on Feb. 22 in a story on CityBeat's Web site. (Go to The Best and The Worst for details). The 2004-2005 season will include four Shakespearean plays — two comedies (Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing), a history (Henry V) and a tragedy (Troilus and Cressida). The season also offers two "contemporary classics" — Arthur Miller's 1947 drama, All My Sons (1947), and Edward Albee's 1962 tale of a disintegrating marriage, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? For the holidays, Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol returns for year four, featuring NICK ROSE in the title role. CSF will use several local professionals to augment its own company next season: Bruce Cromer and Amy Warner will play George and Martha in Virginia Woolf; Michael Shooner (who's also the artistic director of New Edgecliff Theatre) will star in All My Sons. In the rush to announce CSF's season, our careless morning paper ran a photo of another actor (for those confused, CityBeat offers a photo of the real Shooner). Season subscriptions are on sale via 513-381-2273 or www.cincyshakes.com.
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If you caught the second installment of the Cincinnati Playhouse's ALTERACTIVE series on Feb. 23, you saw a collection of local acts to kick off the evening: Musical troupe I INVENTED IT! (Kendall Bruns, Scott Dennis, Gerik Forston, Annette Monnier and Matt Waldbillig created a piece based on a young adult adventure novel with tales interpreted in song), DJ CUDDLY-D (whose act featured a fetish for '60s Italian porn soundtracks, Japanese Pop, Avant-Electronica, festive lamps and tapestry; as Dana Hamblen she's a familiar presence in local music circles as a member of Culture Queer and Fairmount Girls) and SDURM (painter and former Art Academy student Steve Durm), whose images are inspired by comic book art and graffiti — he created three CityBeat covers last fall. MICHAEL HANEY, Playhouse associate artistic director and producer for alteractive, wanted to give the Monday evening series a distinctly local flavor, so he recruited two people immersed in the alternative scene in Cincinnati: CHRIS ROESING and RACHEL COOK booked a fascinating array of talent, so local audiences have a chance to see art pushing the envelope is not just a phenomenon from somewhere else. Before San Francisco improv duo BLACK & TAN performs Monday night, you'll hear from performance artist IRENE MOON (her "lecture," Scientifically Speaking, features slides, handouts and insects) and musician JOSHUA TREBLE. You can also view works by visual artist EMILY BUDDENDECK, the founder of alternative art facility SSNOVA. On March 22 the entire alteractive program will be local performers. Info: www.cincyplay.com.
Mini Reviews
CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE's The Drawer Boy tells you immediately that something's slightly askew with its cozy farmhouse kitchen, full of crazy angles. It's the perfect environment for the cockeyed play about two aging Canadian farmers in the 1970s whose lives are turned upside down by a young, idealistic actor from Toronto. Cantankerous Morgan looks out for sweet, forgetful Angus; actor Miles' naíve, well-intended presence evolves from amusement to unwelcome intrusion. The Drawer Boy's warm humor leads audiences to some profound insights about human nature, with glimpses regarding how people come to understand and care for one another. (RICK PENDER) Grade: A-
At KNOW THEATRE TRIBE, Burgess Byrd is once again one-womaning it. And that's a very good thing. She's doing a solo piece called Neat by author-actress Charlayne Woodard, shaped from fond and painful memories of growing up loved and prized in a close-knit, middle-class black family. Last year Byrd impressed in another Woodard piece, Pretty Fire (earning her a CEA nomination). This time I know I "saw" at least a dozen different people on that empty stage, from giggling schoolgirls to audacious Charlayne to a swaggering, street corner stud. Byrd's back and that's a most sweetly entertaining thing. (TOM MCELFRESH) Grade: A
