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(L to R) Sara Mackie and Dale Hodges in Other Desert Cities
Lots of choices to fulfill your appetite for good theater this weekend. Best bet is to catch one of the final performances of Other Desert Cities at Ensemble Theatre (Sunday at 2 p.m. is your last chance), the story of parents and children who just can't get along. (CityBeat review here.) Heavy doses of guilt, sarcasm and politics fuel a lot of family angst, and some unexpected twists and turns keep things interesting as a daughter who's a writer blames her parents for her activist brother's suicide — in a very public way. The show features a solid cast of local favorites. It's definitely worth seeing if you can get a ticket. 513-421-3555.
A wholly different kind of show is
Fly at the Cincinnati Playhouse, an imaginative recreation of the lives of four men recruited among hundreds of African Americans during World War II to fulfill piloting roles in bombing missions over Europe. (
CityBeat review
here.) The Tuskegee Airmen were the leading edge of the Civil Rights movement, men who had to overcome prejudice to prove their worth. The production is made visually and sonically engaging with videos that recreate flight and a soulful tap dancer who brings emotion — joy, sorrow, grief and anger — to various scenes. It's a very imaginative show. Through
Oct. 5. Tickets:
513-421-3888.
On Wednesday evening, I caught the opening night of New Edgecliff Theatre's staging of William Inge's 1955 comedy-drama,
Bus Stop. It's about a collection of lost souls who end up trapped in a Kansas diner during an overnight snowstorm. They're largely caricatures, but Inge was a master of naturalistic dialogue, and in the hands of some fine local performers directed by Jared Doren the show takes on a pleasant, believable life. Some good things happen, some sad stories are told, and some lessons learned. At the Aronoff Center's Fifth Third Bank Theater, through
Sept. 28. Tickets:
513-621-2787.
And for something completely different, you might want to check out a production by community theater group Showbiz Players of Carrie: The Musical, Stephen King’s creepy novel about a bullied adolescent girl who unleashes telekinetic vengeance on her persecutors. The show originated on Broadway in 1988 and was long considered one of the worst ever, but it was reborn in 2012, and became a hit. Decide for yourself by seeing it at the Carnegie in Covington. Through Sept. 29. Tickets: 859-957-1940.
