Stage Door: Shakespeare, For Better AND For Worse

If you need of an evening of laughter, there’s a good chance you’ll find it at the Aronoff Center, where the current touring production of Something Rotten is onstage through March 5. I haven’t seen the tour yet, but I saw the Broadway production back in November 2015 (I took this photo of a digital billboard in Times Square), and I can say with confidence that this tour will replicate all the great humor I enjoyed then. By the way, the show is still running on Broadway; Cincinnati is an early stop on the production’s national tour. What’s so funny? Well, it’s about a pair of theatrical brothers who are sick and tired of Shakespeare sucking up all the publicity in Elizabethan England; he’s portrayed as a 16th-century Rock star. From a none-too-competent soothsayer they learn that the next big thing onstage will be something called a “musical.” So they set out to create one. They make some strange and funny choices, and the results are a lot of one-off gags about Shakespeare and amusing nods to famous musical theater shows. It’s been said that if you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love this show — and if you love Shakespeare, you’ll love this show. In other words — you can’t miss. Tickets: 513-621-2787.

To see why Shakespeare got all that attention back in the 1590s, you need to check out Richard III, the current production at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. You’ll see why this history play has been a favorite with audiences and actors for more than four centuries. Actor Billy Chace digs into the Bard’s first great villain and turns in a bravura performance, bringing to life a monarch with no moral compass who’ll do anything to grab the crown. He’s a guy you’ll love to hate. I gave the production a Critic’s Pick in my CityBeat review this week. Through March 11. Tickets: 513-381-2273.

Want something a bit more serious and a tad mysterious? I highly recommend Summerland, the world premiere by Arlitia Jones at the Cincinnati Playhouse. It’s based on a pair of real characters in 1869: William Mumler, a “spirit photographer,” and Joseph Tooker, a New York City marshal charged with investigating what might be a scam. Jones’ script is a great cat-and-mouse game between a believer and a skeptic: Are Mumler’s photos of living subjects visited by ghostly apparitions — someone who has passed over to “Summerland,” a beautiful resting place outside of heaven — a scam or something more? The story gets cranked into high gear by Mumler’s wife, who’s something of a mystery herself. There are as many questions as answers on the Shelterhouse stage, and that makes this production an exciting evening of theater. Read more about the show here. Through March 5. Tickets: 513-421-3888.

Ensemble Theater opened When We Were Young and Unafraid this week on Wednesday. I’ve been out of town for several days, so I’m not seeing it until tonight, but I’m expecting an engaging drama. Set in the early 1970s, it’s about Agnes, the proprietor of a quiet B&B that’s actually a refuge for women who are victims of domestic violence. Director D. Lynn Meyers says she picked the show because of its deep honesty. Meyers has an unerring compass for meaningful scripts, and playwright Sarah Treem, who’s written for TV’s House of Cards and The Affair, has crafted a powerful drama that’s sure to offer an evening of thoughtful entertainment.  Through March 12. Tickets: 513-421-3555.

---

Rick Pender’s STAGE DOOR blog appears here every Friday. Find more theater reviews and feature stories here.