Jersey Boys

Based on the world of touring Broadway shows these days, there's a good chance we'll see JERSEY BOYS during the 2007-08 season at the Aronoff Center. The 2006 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, begins its national tour with extended stops in San Francisco (starting in December) and then Los Angeles (where it moves in May). The Light in the Piazza (see review on page 76) started its national tour in San Francisco last month, then moved to the Aronoff Center. That bodes well for more early stops here: Broadway Across America likes cities with lots of subscribers, and Cincinnati is one of the best, providing more than 16,000 already-sold seats. So when you hear that Jersey Boys will land in Cincinnati, remember you read it here first. ...

Here's a safer prediction: If you head to the Cincinnati Playhouse on Monday, you'll get a preview of the 2006-07 theater season when the League of Cincinnati Theatres presents its annual CURTAIN UP! Preview at 6­9 p.m. You can to see representatives from two dozen professional and semi-professional theater companies in the Playhouse lobby offering information about upcoming shows. It's also a chance to meet performers. The event is free; there will be appetizers from local restaurants and a cash bar. D. LYNN MEYERS, recently inducted into the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards Hall of Fame, will receive LCT's "Continuing Achievement Award." Meyers, producing artistic director at Ensemble Theatre, was recognized during the 2006 CEAs on Aug. 25. Info: www.leagueofcincytheatre.com. ...

Community theaters have a "league of their own" — ACT (the Association of Community Theatres) — but don't think what they present doesn't measure up. Mariemont Players is typically a strong contender, and the odds are improved when ED COHEN is the director. The group is currently staging A MURDER OF CROWS by Ohio playwright Ed Graczyk. The drama about a town choked by toxic waste features a Who's Who of local actors — ELLIE SHEPHERD, TOM STOREY, TIM ROGERS, NORMA NIINEMETS, frequent CEA nominee BILL HARTNETT and recent CEA winner DEE ANNE BRYLL. Through Sept. 24. Tickets: 513-684-1236.