If I were in Cincinnati this weekend (I'm in New York catching up on a few Broadway shows), I'd probably make two stops at local theaters.—- There's an independent production of a new script, Riding Shotgun, at Northern Kentucky University. It's a kind of buddy story, about four guys 30 years after high school graduation on a road trip they dreamed up when they graduated. It sounds like a lot of shenanigans but with a hefty does of drama, since they're not adolescents any more. CEA nominee Michael Bath (he was Roy Cohn most recently in Know Theatre's Angels in America) is one of the four guys. (Read more about the show here.)
If you want some lighter fare that's proven to be highly entertaining, check out Larry Shue's The Nerd, which opened this week aboard the Showboat Majestic. It's the story of Willum, a guy who feels indebted to a fellow soldier who saved his life during the Vietnam War. But when his "savior" shows up for an unexpected visit, it's apparent he's the epitome of a nerd, and his presence wreaks all kind of havoc in Willum's life. Shue is the same playwright who penned The Foreigner, another great comedy recently revived at the Cincinnati Playhouse. I guarantee you'll laugh out loud if you go to see this one.
Great choices for an August weekend.
