There is plenty of seasonal entertainment on local stages this weekend. Let’s start with the world premiere of The Dancing Princesses at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati that opened on Wednesday evening and continues through Dec. 30. For the 20th consecutive year ETC is producing a family-friendly musical with fairytale roots and contemporary humor by local playwright Joe McDonough and composer David Kisor. This year it’s a brand-new show about five princesses who are ruining their shoes nightly by sneaking off for dance parties in “dreamland.” The music this time around is very sprightly, and there’s so much dancing ETC needed three choreographers: Dee Anne Bryll, CCM’s Patti James and Cincinnati Ballet’s Victoria Morgan. The production’s polish shows what local actors can do with spirited direction by ETC’s Lynn Meyers. She knows how to make a show fun for kids and still entertaining for adults. It’s an ideal holiday outing, providing meaningful messages about love and caring with traditional holiday trappings. Costumes by Reba Senske are especially amusing, a veritable Technicolor rainbow. ensemblecincinnati.org
The classic musical about the ever-chipper, can-do orphan, Annie, is onstage at the Covedale Center. I was at the opening last evening and I can report that this production is another good holiday destination for families. The story is set during the 1933 Christmas season at Daddy Warbucks’ posh mansion in New York City, so there’s lots of holiday cheer and décor. This show, a 1977 multiple Tony Award winner, rises and falls on its ensemble of orphans, and director Tim Perrino has assembled seven spunky girls who rock the production whenever they’re onstage for iconic numbers including “It’s the Hard Knock Life” and “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile.” Jordan Darnell brings a strong singing voice and a feisty presence to the title role. This is a fine, old-fashioned musical, the kind that predictably appears on the Covedale stage — up next is Guys and Dolls, then Oklahoma — so it’s a bit on the hammy side, but it is based on a legendary comic strip. I guarantee audiences walk out of this one humming “the sun will come up tomorrow.” Through Dec. 23. cincinnatilandmarkproductions.org
A few community theaters are on the holiday bandwagon with seasonal musical comedies. Footlighters is staging The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical, set in a “mobile-living community” in North Florida’s Armadillo Acres, with lots of beer-flavored holiday cheer. It’s running through Dec. 17 at the Stained Glass Theatre (802 York St., Newport). Tickets: footlighters.org … The Drama Workshop is presenting Inspecting Carol, a backstage show about mistaken identities and behind-the-scenes shenanigans around a disaster-prone production of A Christmas Carol. It’s also onstage through Dec. 17; TDW performs at the Glenmore Playhouse (3716 Glenmore Ave., Cheviot). Tickets: thedramaworkshop.org
If you’re looking for other productions suitable for the kids, you might consider The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, onstage at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (cincyshakes.com) for one more week [LINK TO MY COLUMN ABOUT THE SHOW], or the musical Beauty and the Beast at Northern Kentucky University (artsscience.nku.edu/departments/theatre), through Dec. 10. Another good choice for teens with a sharp sense of humor is Frank Ferrante’s performance of An Evening with Groucho at the Cincinnati Playhouse’s Shelterhouse Theater through Dec. 17. (cincyplay.com)
More grown-up fare is to be found at Know Theatre, presenting a stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere through Dec. 17. (knowtheatre.com). … This is the closing weekend for Falcon Theatre’s production of Theresa Rebeck’s Poor Behavior, pretty much what the title implies about two couples who turn arguing into a competitive sport. Final performance is Saturday. (falcontheater.net) … Xavier University is staging The Laramie Project this weekend, the story of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man in Wyoming in 1999. It’s a kind of theatrical documentary about the town and the people who lived there through this tragic event.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati hosts its sixth annual Meals 4 Monologues on Monday and Tuesday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days). Actors from across the Midwest — Equity union or non-union individuals — are invited for a general audition call to perform for ETC’s Lynn Meyers, a respected member of the Casting Society of America. To be eligible, a performer needs to present at least three non-perishable food items to benefit Cincinnati’s Freestore/Foodbank. Five-minute time slots are available by appointment only, reserved by mail to: [email protected]; no walk-ins. Actors must bring a current headshot and résumé (do NOT email), the food items and be prepared to present a brief monologue and a song (performed a cappella) or two prepared monologues.
Need a gift idea for someone who’s hard to please? How about tickets to a Cirque du Soleil show? The production of Corteo has already visited 64 cities in 19 countries. The title is the Italian word for a joyous procession preceding a funeral. In Cirque’s world, it’s imagined by a clown, anticipating his own passing in a carnival atmosphere. The show’s Cincinnati stop happens at U.S. Bank Arena in the spring: May 3-6, 2018. Tickets go on sale today: cirquedusoleil.com/corteo
Rick Pender’s STAGE DOOR blog appears here every Friday. Find more theater reviews and feature stories here.
