CINCINNATI THEATER REVIEWS

Playhouse is the Park is putting on their production of Pride & Prejudice. Pride & Prejudice has been performed and made into movies multiple times so critiquing the play itself is kind of pointless because most of us have made up our minds already on whether we like it or not. I happen to think i...

I've seen Wicked multiple times (a few more times and I will be in double digits) and every single time, I enjoy myself. That proves how powerful this musical has become and how its themes will always be relevant. But what can make or break any performance, no matter how many times you see it, are...

The Cincinnati POPS Orchestra, under the direction of John Morris Russell, has recorded SUPERHEROES a new and incredibly fun CD. Along with the POPS the CD showcases the talents of the May Festival Youth Chorus, the CCM Musical Theatre Department, Julie Spangler, and even Adam West who played the 3...

The Cincinnati Ballet blew audiences away with its World Premier of King Arthur's Camelot. The completely original ballet truly shows the world what the Cincinnati performing arts scene is capable of. This was my first experience with the Cincinnati Ballet and I am officially a super fan. I have al...

4000 Miles by Amy Herzog tells a complicated story that involves a young man and his grandmother. Leo arrives at his grandmother's (Vera) New York apartment in the middle of the night after riding across the country on his bicycle. He ultimately stays with her for months and their relationship tak...

The performance began with a Prelude video about Colin Currie who is a famed Percussionist and who was the guest performer of the evening. It was interesting but unnecessary, and a rather lack luster opening to the performance. Before any music gets played the Concertmaster walks onto the stage and ...

The Ensemble Theater took on the daunting task of performing Tribes by Nina Raine. Tribes tells the story of Billy, a deaf young adult, who moves back in with his hearing family. That plot already seems somewhat complicated but there are some surprising developments into Billy's life and then add ...

Megan Hilty sang with the Cincinnati Pops, conducted by John Morris Russell, over the weekend. The Pops did what they always do which is play outstanding music. They didn't miss a note in any number and if their rendition of "He Lives in You" from the Lion King doesn't spark a Disney Night with th...

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company put on their production of Hamlet recently. Overall, it was a solid show and the acting was pretty good but I have to admit that there were elements that I didn't understand. Hamlet is a very long play yet there was only about a 20-30 minute period where I felt t...

Waiting for the lights to dim, I heard a few mumbles of "there's a lot of bad language in this show," "does it bother you?" and even "I've heard some people walk out!" If the standing ovation as bows had barely begun at the end of the show were any indication, not many, if any, walked out and ever...

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) opened their annual showing of Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some) over the weekend. To put it simply, it was very funny and with just a 4 person cast, they really managed to abridge almost every BHC (Beloved Holiday Classic)....

The Ensemble Theater Company (ETC) took on a daunting task with their production of Around the World in 80 Days. This production of Around the World in 80 Days was pretty good for all it had to accomplish. Did ETC accomplish everything, of course not but no production could unless it was a national...

Flashdance the Musical is a fun night at the theater. Am I going to remember some inspirational message or an overarching theme, probably not but what I will remember is that I had a great night at the theater. Isn't that ultimately what musical theater is about? Flashdance had upbeat music, emot...

Cabaret is one of the most commonly known musicals in the world which means audiences are going to come in with expectations. Now, what does that mean for a new production of it? It means the crew and cast want to try new things to make it feel fresh. That is exactly what Playhouse in the Park's ...

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company teamed up with Xavier University to put on a great production of The Crucible. Overall, the cast worked seamlessly together with the professional actors from the Shakespeare Company and the XU students. Obviously, there is going to be a difference in ability but the ...

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells a great story of hope for something more while also knowing that one's lot in life is difficult to overcome. Reviewing Steinbeck's script and/or story is a ridiculous idea so I will not even touch it other than to say that obviously it was great. And this ca...

Rapture, Blister, Burn tells an interesting story of 4 women from multiple generations all engrossed in feminist theory. Most of the dialogue in this play involves theories and is very intellectual but not so much that it's hard to follow....

I had the privilege of seeing Seven Spots on the Sun and I need to get this out of the way immediately: it was fantastic. The show was truly one of the best productions I have ever seen. Seven Spots on the Sun is a World Premiere play written by Martin Zimmerman and directed by KJ Sanchez...

Ghost was one of the most advanced productions I have ever seen because of the lighting design, magic tricks and the use of digital images. This production showed what I believe is going to be Broadway within the next 10 years. Technology is in every aspect of our lives now so it's no surprise tha...

The adaptation of Oliver Twist performed by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company was lacking in many ways. What needs to be said first is that the acting, lead by Sara Clark and Kelly Mengelkoch, was great but the overall production had some issues that hindered my ability to fully enjoy the show....

Other Desert Cities is about a stereotypical upper-class, "waspy" family and what turns out to be their very tragic past. The entire production team embodies the same unraveling imagery that the set design lays out. This can be seen in hair, costume and acting. When the family starts to unravel so...

When Michael Morpurgo heard Broadway producers were turning his children's book War Horse into a staged play, he said "They must be mad." It was an ambitious concept indeed, but one that has resulted in a beautiful, compelling piece of theater....

Sex, geriatric catfights and penis puns were aplenty at The Ohio University School of Theater and School of Dance's production of 'Lysistrata'....

If you've never had the chance to experience a Blue Man Group show, you have until Sunday, October 28th to do so before the Blue Men pack up their drums, PVC pipes, and marshmallows to head to the next town....