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

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.