My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Presents THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR, 4/21-5/20

By:

The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park brings back Keith's Glover's musical THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR in the Robert. S Marx Theatre April 21 through May 20.

Set in Bessemer, Alabama, in 1966, THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR is a musical fairy tale steeped in folklore and the mystique of the Deep South. Marvell Thunder, a blues-playing stranger and supernatural shape-shifter, pays a visit to the Dupree family. Years before he’d lost a cutting contest to Jaguar Dupree, and now, after the man’s death, he has returned to challenge the children of the only musician who ever “out-licked him” and claim the pair of charmed guitars their father bequeathed to their care. He’s convinced that winning them will set his life right again, and stop him from turning to stone. Having already beaten the son, Jaguar Dupree, Jr., he’s set to challenge the daughter, the beautiful and blind Glory Dupree. With Delta blues guitars, they come together “where the two roads meet” for a musical face-off that will decide everyone’s fate.

THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR was commissioned by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, which first produced it in 1996. It won the 1997 Osborn Award for Best Play from the American Theatre Critics Association. After that, the production received many revisions in eight cities, before coming to the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and The Playhouse in 1999.

Prices for THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR range from $25 - $71, depending on day and seat location, and are subject to change. Tickets are just $25 for the preview performances at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 21; 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 24; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 25. Some restrictions apply. The official opening night is Thursday, April 26 at 8 p.m.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets to THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR are on sale now. For more information, call The Playhouse box office at 513/421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800/582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. Call 513/345-2248 for TDD accessibility.

The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses that give to ArtsWave.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund The Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

The Playhouse also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Theater Fans' Choice Awards
2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats
Best Revival of a Play - Top 3
1. Every Brilliant Thing
29.3% of votes
2. Death of a Salesman
25.5% of votes
3. Oedipus
10.3% of votes

Need more Cincinnati Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...


Videos


Stewart Copeland's Have I Said Too Much Tour stops at The Kent Stage on July 24th! in Cincinnati Stewart Copeland's Have I Said Too Much Tour stops at The Kent Stage on July 24th!
The Kent Stage (7/24-7/24)
Salome in Cincinnati Salome
Cincinnati Music Hall (6/18-6/20)
MURDER FOR TWO in Cincinnati MURDER FOR TWO
The Carnegie (7/22-7/26)
The Lion King at Procter & Gamble Hall in Cincinnati The Lion King at Procter & Gamble Hall
Procter & Gamble Hall (6/10-7/05)
DEAR EVAN HANSEN in Cincinnati DEAR EVAN HANSEN
The Carnegie (6/19-6/28)
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES in Cincinnati LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
The Carnegie (8/14-8/23)
The House on Watch Hill in Cincinnati The House on Watch Hill
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (5/09-5/31) PHOTOS
Rob Zombie & Marilyn Manson in Cincinnati Rob Zombie & Marilyn Manson
Blossom Music Center (9/02-9/02)
SIX (Boleyn Tour) in Cincinnati SIX (Boleyn Tour)
Aronoff Center (1/05-1/10)
Carmen in Cincinnati Carmen
Cincinnati Music Hall (7/25-8/02)