The Independence Day holiday is a pausing point for most Cincinnati theaters operating in the summertime, so there’s not much to point you to this weekend. Except for one hell of a fish story you might consider before heading out for fireworks on Monday.
I gave a Critic’s Pick to Know Theatre’s production of The Fisherman’s Wife by Steve Yockey (read the full review here). It’s a very Fringe-like show (that makes sense, since Know produces the annual Cincy Fringe Festival), and it won’t appeal to everyone. But if you like an oddball story — Know calls is a “sex farce with sea creatures” — you just might find this one of the funniest things you’ve seen onstage in a long time. It’s certainly unlike anything you’ll find onstage anywhere else this summer. Inspired by an erotic woodcut from Japan, the show is about a fisherman and his wife whose marriage has gone desperately stale. On the brink of lethal monotony, they turn a strange corner when a pair of magical, oversexed sea creatures washes up and an unusual traveling salesman arrives with a bag of mysterious wares. To get the rest of this wacky story, you need to show up at Know for performances on tonight or Saturday at 8 p.m. or for a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. Tickets: 513-300-5669.
Rick Pender’s STAGE DOOR blog appears here every Friday. Find more theater reviews and feature stories here.