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Now he's a Broadway star, but 20 years ago RON BOHMER was mostly known as a talented kid at Cincinnati's SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS (SCPA). On Monday evening, he'll be back in town for a benefit concert. He's appeared in leading roles in several dramatic works of musical theater on Broadway: The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and The Scarlet Pimpernel. He performed the Pimpernel role on tour, enjoyed by many at Cincinnati's Aronoff Center in January 2001. Later that year Bohmer proved he's not locked into the schmaltzy stuff, as in the fall of 2001 he played the lead in Adam Guittel's Floyd Collins, an interesting musical about a man stuck in a mine shaft, at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Bohmer was an early graduate of SCPA, a public high school that really works. (Did you know it has a 98 percent attendance rate and a 94.3 percent graduation rate?) He'll also offer a musical theater audition workshop Monday afternoon; there's also a reception after the concert that evening, where those in attendance will have a chance to meet Bohmer. Tickets: 513-363-8100. ...
Local playwright KEVIN BARRY has worked with Know Theatre Tribe for several seasons. The group staged his play American Standard in 1999, which led to the commissioning of a new work, In Rebel Country, premiered by Know in May 2000. A second commission from Know resulted in Track & Field, premiered in June 2001. Now Barry's back with another new work, A NOTE ON THE TYPE, which opens Thursday. Set in an abbey in medieval England, it deals with issues of faith, truth, obsession and art vs. technology. The play is a significant change of pace for Barry, whose previous works have had modern settings. His central character is Brother Thomas, a copyist who works on manuscripts. But he has other preoccupations — most notably the opposite sex. CHRISTINE DEFRANCESCO, who often evokes excellent work at Gabriel's Corner, the church basement where Know presents its shows, is directing. Tickets: 513-300-5669.
