There’s a fine community theater production of A Chorus Line at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater. It’s by Cincinnati Music Theatre, and they’ve recruited a talented cast of dancers, singers and actors to tell the stories of 16 performers competing for roles in the chorus of a Broadway show. There are many fine performances in this show — the characters become known, one by one as they tell their stories, some humorous, some heartbreaking — but the show’s greatest emotional wallop comes when they are all in synch, wearing glitter and gold, hats cocked and performing as “One.” Final performance is Saturday evening. Tickets: 513-621-2787.
If you prefer your theater small and intimate, you might want to head to the tiny Clifton Performance Theater on Ludlow, just east of the business district. Untethered Theater opens a production of Wendy MacLeod’s The House of Yes tonight for a three-week run. It’s a very dark comedy about a dysfunctional family obsessed with the Kennedys. I haven’t seen this one, but it’s a solid script and the young Untethered company has a good track record of interesting shows. Through Dec. 7. Tickets: 513-939-0599.
If you are in the mood for something totally silly, I can recommend the Cincinnati Playhouse’s presentation of The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged) that opened last evening. (It has a long run, through the holidays, closing on Dec. 29.) It’s a world premiere by the same guys who created The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and other works — several presented at the Playhouse — comically condensing subject matter like the Bible, great literature and American history. These guys are the originators of this material, so it’s a special treat to see them at work. If you’ve enjoyed Shakespeare (abridged), you’ll find this right up your alley. The performers are truly adept jokesters, physical shtick, music, improv — they can do it all. … Also, the Playhouse’s excellent production of the legendary Kander & Ebb musical Cabaret winds up on Saturday evening. (CityBeat review here.) By now, most of the subscribers have attended, so you might be able to call at the last-minute and get a ticket. Marcia Milgrom Dodge’s production traces back to the roots of the show, adhering closely to the stories of Berlin in the 1920s that inspired the show. Worth seeing. Playhouse box office: 513-421-3888.
CityBeat‘s other reviewer, Stacy Sims, really enjoyed the production of the farce Boeing Boeing at the Carnegie by CCM Drama. (CityBeat review here.) It’s about a Casanova in Paris who’s careful juggling of three flight attendances to whom he’s engaged goes awry when Trans-Atlantic flights happen faster thanks to new aircraft. Silly but obviously a lot of fun. Through Nov. 24. Tickets: 859-957-1940.
This article appears in Nov 13-19, 2013.
