Think about it: With the streetcar (now officially and corporately dubbed the Cincinnati Bell Connector) making a stop at Vine and 12th streets in Over-the-Rhine, you have an easy ride to Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati from anywhere else along the 3.6 mile-loop. For example, you can park in a Riverfront garage, have dinner at the Moerlein Lager House at the Banks, hop on a streetcar at the Banks station (a quick walk up Joe Nuxhall Way), and you’ll be at ETC’s doorstep in about 15 minutes. After a performance of The Legend of Georgia McBride (about an hour and 40 minutes, no intermission), return to the Banks station. Easy peasey, as they say. You’ll be smiling all the way back to your car, thanks to this entertaining show. I saw its opening performance on Wednesday evening, and the audience loved the story of an Elvis impersonator who has to learn a new way to perform when the bar owner decides that drag is the way to go. Casey goes from incompetent to incomparable thanks to some quick lessons and a bit of serious soul searching. You’ll see three actors performing credible — and hilarious — drag routines, and you’ll come away with a better understanding of how tolerance and open-mindedness make the world a better place. Michael Gerard Carr is sweet and eager as Casey, who evolves into Georgia McBride; Darnell Pierre Benjamin is the over-the top diva Rexie (short for “Anorexia Nervosa”); and Bruce Cromer (best known for his years as Ebenezer Scrooge at the Playhouse) is Tracy, a mature performer who’s willing to cultivate new talent. This is a funny, warm-hearted piece of theater, a fine opener for ETC’s 31st season. Through Sept. 25. Tickets: 513-421-3555.
Last night, the Cincinnati Playhouse opened its 57th season with a stage adaptation of John Irving’s great novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany. It’s a story about friendship and faith, revolving around a pair of boyhood friends: the iconoclastic oddball title character and John, his doubting but loving friend. Adapter Simon Bent has condensed the sprawling novel into a two-and-a-half-hour script that focuses on their connections between 1953 and 1968, as John recalls them from a remove of 20 years or so. Tiny Owen, often a victim of bullying because he’s so tiny, has a voice described as “wrecked” (his words in the novel are in ALL CAPS); actor Sean Mellott portrays him with a rapid, high-pitched voice that’s intelligible but almost painful to hear. It surely sets him apart, as he proclaims himself to be “an instrument of God” and refuses to be persuaded otherwise by authoritarian teachers, self-important religious leaders and other inhabitants of Gravesend, N.H. (Sixteen cast members portray numerous characters.) As John, Jeremy Webb narrates the piece, piecing together his own faith journey. There’s some political commentary (a monologue that sounds as if were written for the current presidential election is spouted by Mellott, stepping outside of Owen’s screeching voice to become the foul-mouthed comedian Lenny Bruce) and a lot of moments that create both chuckles and furrowed brows as they provoke thoughts about our relationship to the divine. The condensation of the dense novel to an evening’s entertainment covers a lot of territory, but knowing Irving’s narrative is not a prerequisite for enjoying this impressive piece of theater. Through Oct. 1. Tickets: 513-421-3888.
Other productions opening around town this weekend include the moving World War II story of The Diary of Anne Frank at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (through Oct. 1; 513-381-2273) and the musical Godspell at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts (through Oct. 2; 513-241-6550).
Mark your calendar for the next three Mondays at Know Theatre. The fifth iteration of Serials! returns with “five bite-size shows in three weekly episodes” at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12, 19 and 26. This time out it’s called Mini-Serials. Should be fun. Tickets: 513-300-5669.
Rick Pender’s STAGE DOOR blog appears here every Friday. Find more theater reviews and feature stories here.
This article appears in Sep 7-14, 2016.
