'Hound of the Baskervilles' at Cincy Shakes
Well, the big show that's on the way will be fireworks next week, of course. That means that most theaters are wrapping up early summer productions.
But you still have a chance to see The Hound of the Baskervilles at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. It's a daffy take on a Sherlock Holmes mystery. In truth, it pretty well follows Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle's brilliant deducer as he unthreads a mystery surrounding a diabolical dog that seems to be pursuing a cursed family on the remote moors of Devon. But the story is told using just three actors — all male performers from Cincinnati Shakespeare's corps of veterans — who play male and female, making quick (and sometimes mistaken) costume changes. Nick Rose, Jeremy Dubin and Brent Vimtrup milk every last drop of humor from this amusing script, with the able assistance of director Michael Evan Haney. Haney, who has served as the Cincinnati Playhouse's associate artistic director for more than a decade brings out the best in comic timing, so you're sure to have a rollicking good time. Final performances at Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: 513-381-2273, x1.
You can also catch The Odd Couple on board the Showboat Majestic through Sunday. Neil Simon's comedy about two divorced guys who just can't get along is an American classic, to be sure — so maybe that makes this a perfect show for the weekend before the July 4th holiday. Felix and Oscar would like nothing better than declaring their "independence," but instead, they slowly drive one another mad. Two good actors, Joshua Steele and Mike Hall, are no doubt making this an amusing piece of theater. Tickets: 513-241-6550.
