At the Cincinnati Playhouse, Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery uses one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s best-known mysteries, The Hound of the Baskervilles, as its starting point. But playwright Ken Ludwig has ramped up the theatricality of the tale by having it told by five actors — one as Holmes, another as Watson and three more in more than 40 additional roles. Director Brandon Fox staged Shipwrecked! An Entertainment for the Playhouse four seasons ago, and it was another show that tested the abilities of actors to leap from one character to another — with tongue firmly in cheek. (A more familiar example: The frequently produced five-actor rendition of The 39 Steps.) Tickets: 513-421-3888.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is undertaking its final production at its Race Street theater in Downtown Cincinnati.The Tempest is a perfect choice: it’s the play most believe was the Bard’s farewell to his theatrical career. The production features company co-founder and longtime actor Nick Rose in the role of Prospero, the magician who seeks revenge on his enemies but learns the power of forgiveness in the process. The next time Cincy Shakes stages a show it will be at its new theater in Over-the-Rhine in September. For more about the play and its significance to the company, read my Curtain Call column in this week’s issue of CityBeat. Tickets: 513-381-2273.
Know Theatre opened the final production of its current season, Kara Lee Corthron’s Listen for the Light, a week ago. Read Erica Reid’s CityBeat review for more about this interesting production that journeys back to 1844 to explore the intertwined lives of a former slave, a rebellious girl and the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith. Reid cites a statement from the playwright’s website: “I write weird, dark, sad and often funny plays.” She says that’s a perfect summary of this world-premiere script that’s onstage at Know’s Over-the-Rhine mainstage through May 13.
The Covedale Center opened its production of the classic Golden Age musical My Fair Lady this week. It’s onstage through May 21. Tickets: 513-241-6550.
You have just a few more days to see two comedies, Mark Eisman’s Unfrozen and Tom Baum’s Human Services, getting their first productions as part of Northern Kentucky University’s biannual Y.E.S. Festival. Performances through Sunday at 6 p.m. Tickets: 859-572-5464.
One final note about one final note: Showbiz Players, with a 30-year history of excellent community theater productions, calls it quits in May. But it’s going out in a blaze of glory, based on past success with Frank Wildhorn’s The Civil War, onstage at the Carnegie in Covington offering perspectives from abolitionists, soldiers, politicians and slaves. Bunny Arszman previously directed award-winning productions of the show in 2002 and 2006, and it seemed like the right show for her to stage as the final curtain comes down. The odds are good that this will be a memorable production. Tickets: 859-957-1940.
Rick Pender’s STAGE DOOR blog appears here every Friday. Find more theater reviews and feature stories here.
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 3, 2017.
