The Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park Opens Season With SLEUTH 9/5-10/3

The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will open its 50 th Anniversary Season with one of the greatest stage thrillers of all time - SLEUTH. This edge-of-your seat mystery byAnthony Shaffer begins previews in The Playhouse's Robert S. Marx Theatre September 5 and continues through October 3.For immensely successful mystery writer Andrew Wyke, life is an elaborate game whereothers are merely pawns at his disposal.

He has amassed wealth and fame as a best-selling author of murder mysteries featuring the great detective St. John Lord Merridew. Andrew Lures his estranged wife's lover, Milo Tindle, to his country manor house andproposes a plan. Milo will "steal" the jewels that Andrew owns and sell them abroad. The plan seems like a win-win situation for both men: Milo will have the money needed to support his lover's lavish lifestyle, and Andrew will get a large settlement from his insurance agency.What unfolds is a cat-and-mouse game of epic proportions as Milo becomes unwittingly drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and gamesmanship where nothing is quite as it seems.

SLEUTH premiered in 1970 atSt. Martin's Theatre in London's West End, where it ran for more than 2,300 performances before moving to Broadway's Music BoxTheatre. During this time, it ran for more than 2,000 performances and garnered a TonyAward for best play of the year. In 1972, SLEUTH became a film starring LaurenceOlivier and Michael Caine. Harold Pinter's screenplay of SLEUTH was released in 2007 and provided a fresh take on the original film. This film starred Michael Caine as Andrew Wykeand Jude Law as Milo Tindle.Shaffer claimed that SLEUTH was inspired by his friend, composer Stephen Sondheim, whose intense interest in games is mirrored by the character of Andrew Wyke.Munson Hicks (Andrew Wyke),Michael Gabriel Goodfriend (Milo Tindle),Stanley Rushton (Inspector Doppler), Robin Mayfield (Det. Sgt. Tarrant) and Liam McNulty(P.C. Higgs) will make their Playhouse debuts. SLEUTH is directed by Associate Artistic Director Michael Evan Haney. According to Haney, SLEUTH doesn't have atraditional protagonist nor antagonist like most mysteries. Instead the audiences' loyalties and sympathy to the characters shift throughout the play."During their battle of wits, the men employ deceit, jealousy, game playing, class warfareand humiliation against each other. Hopefully, the audience will enjoy the constant subtleshifting of power as these "gentlemen" fight over the woman who is both wife and mistress," said Haney.

Other members of the production team include Paul Shortt (Set Designer), Gordon DeVinney (Costume Designer), James Sale (Lighting Designer), Drew Fracher (Fight Director) and Rocco Del Vera (Dialect Coach). The production stage manager is Jenifer Morrow and assistant stage manager is Jamie Lynne Sullivan.Prices for SLEUTH range from $25-$58, depending on day and seat location. New thisyear, tickets are just $25 for the preview performances at 8 p.m. Saturday, September 5; 2 p.m. Sunday, September 6; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 8; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 9. Some restrictions apply. The official opening night is Thursday, September 10 at 8 p.m. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays andFridays, 4 and 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sundays.Tickets to SLEUTH are on sale August 17. For more information, call The Playhouse boxoffice 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 the Fine Arts Fund. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund The Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourageeconomic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Playhouse also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation.

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