Sunday, July 29

Where in the world is our favorite composer/conductor Steve Reineke? Flying home from weekend  concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, starring Wayne Brady. (No wonder Reineke’s hair was looking so Left Coast last week.)

Turns out Brady, the very funny guy of the self-titled syndicated talk/variety show and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (to say nothing of many sitcom guest gigs) sings, too. When he was looking to put together an act, Peter Frampton recommended Reineke and what he came up with was a salute to Sammy Davis, Jr. Don’t be sad – the show is playing Cincinnati in October. As for Steve -- we knew him when!

Monday, July 30

Where in the world are Victoria Morgan, Mishic Marie Corn, Janessa Touchet and six more members of Cincinnati Ballet? Working very, very hard in Honolulu mounting Morgan’s “Cinderella” for Ballet Hawaii on Aug. 11-12. They are joined by New York City Ballet principal dancer Joaquin De Luz as The Prince.

Talk about an off-season gig.

There will not be ukelele accompaniement; Ballet musical director Carmon DeLeone will conduct the Honolulu Symphony. Touchet dances the title role, Corn is setting much of Morgan’s choreography, as well as dancing the Fairy Godmother. (Surely Morgan is researching in her spare time.)

Other company members cast in featured roles are Cervilio Amador, Sarah Hairston, Gema Diaz, Kristi Capps, Zack Grubbs and Dmitri Trubchanov.

And if you’re wondering where in the world are Joseph Gatti and Adiarys Almeida, that would be Japan.

The Gatti/Adiarys “Don Quixote” pas de deus continues to wow judges in international competition. Gatti took a gold medal earlier this month in world competition in Orlando. Now they’re taking their act to the Land of the Rising Sun. 

Tuesday, July 31

Where in the world is Sandy Foreman? (Are you starting to get the feeling nobody’s left in town?)

The Northern Kentucky University theater prof and overseer of the biennial Y.E.S. Festival is in Colorado, exercising her acting muscles as Eleanor in “The Lion in Winter”  for the Bas Blue (that’s “bluestocking” ) theater company. Rehearsals begin today, the historical drama runs through September.

Wednesday, August 1

Gone but definitely not forgotten. Doug Lowry, departed Dean of CCM starts with Eastman School of Music today. He promises he’s not all that easy to get rid of. Once again he’s collaborating with Playhouse in the Park’s Ed Stern, writing original incidental music for Shelterhouse opener “Othello.”

Lowry is also working on a piano concerto for Michael Chertock and chatting with Victoria Morgan of Cincinnati Ballet about a possible collaboration, possibly for 2009-2010. It will be a short piece, so might it show up in the annual “New Works”? He’s also written a trio (French horn, oboe, piano) for CCM faculty who will perform in the International Horn Society conference in Denver 2008.

Thursday, August 2

The New York Times called Eric Bogosian’s “suburbia” “A scathing study of rootless youth” and director Gina Cerimele-Mechley is working hard to create an intense production for Cincinnati Actor’s Studio, opening tonight (and playing weekends through Aug. 11) in pay-what-you-can performances at Essex Studio, studio 272.

The entire run is a fundraiser for Cerimele-Mechley’s home company, Clear Stage Cincinnati, which lost its sets, props and hardware in the Cincinnati Costume Company fire.

Cerimele-Mechley’s youthful cast is a long way from rootless. The company includes lots of recent high school grads heading for university theater training in fall: Seven Hills grad Brooke Howard is on her way to the Experimental Theatre Wing at New York University; Talia Amatulli, also Seven Hills, is going into Theatre Concentration at Sara Lawrence. Jeff Batchler is entering CCM’s tech theater program.

Lakota West grad Aaron Epstein is en route to Miami-Hamilton and then Miami University, where castmate John Baca is a graduate. Batavia grad Britt Spurlock has signed up for theater at Columbia College in Chicago and Joshua Pikar is an theater major at Northern Kentucky University.

The play, Cerimele-Mechley reports happily, “is very in-your-face. I literally have the audience and the actors sharing the same space.

“I’m sure people will wonder why the show needs to be this extreme, but the more we work on it the more frighteningly accurate it is.”

Tickets available at the door.

Friday, August 3

Talented actress Mahogany Scott, who first came to Cincinnati a few years back to join the Young Company of Cincinnati Shakespeare (then Festival), has been zipping in and out of town for the last few years, never onstage, doggone it, one more Equity actor who has a hard time finding paid work here.

Scott is here this weekend, and keep your fingers rossed because she has a doozie of an idea if she can pull it off (with no $$$).

Tomorrow and Sunday Scott will be madly planning, casting, and handing out scripts for a week-long series of staged readings of August Wilson’s 10-play 20^th century cycle at the Greenwich Cafe. It was a monumental life’s work and the opportunity for local theater fans to be introduced and re-introduced to his work, and to see many of our gifted African-American theater artists sharing a stage, invites a lot of save-the-dating.

(Just to make it all a real challenge, Scott leaves again and doesn’t return until the day before the readings are scheduled to begin, on Sept. 28.

While the plays, which look at the African-American experience decade by decade, weren’t written in order, Scott plans to present them in order, starting with “Gem of the Ocean” on Sept. 28 and proceeding nightly through Oct. 6. (If you’re counting, a matinee on Sept. 29 brings the total to 10.)

Capping the Wilson marathon, Scott will moderate a forum for Cincinnati Council candidates, on the topic of strategies for Cincinnati neighborhood revitalization, at the Greenwich. Scott thinks Wilson’s Pittsburgh and our Cincinnati have plenty of parallels.

Even as on-the-fly readings, I’ll take it. There are too many years between Wilson revivals in Cincinnati; it’s been a decade since The Children’s Theatre produced “Fences” and “The Piano Lesson” and five years since Know Theatre’s “Two Trains Running.”

Saturday, August 4

Terry LaBolt returns to the orchestral podium for the first time since recuperating from his successful liver transplant a couple of years back. Come to Devou Park and help him mark the occasion as Cincinnati’s Musical Man conducts the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra for a “Sing-a-long Sound of Music.” And it’s free!

The cast of the Covedale Center production will lead the fun; song lyrics projected on a large screen should help the rest of us. Of course there’s a costume contest and nuns from local convents will have VIP seating.

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m., a $5 donation happily accepted. Blankets, lawn chairs and picnics welcome. 

Jackie Demaline

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Sunday, July 22

Today is first dress rehearsal for Cincinnati Young People's Theatre's "Anything Goes" -- and Cincinnati Costume's Caren Young thanks Kathy Magistrelli, Leslie Korbee, Kathy Enos, Betsy Kline and Jim Stump, as well as Costume Gallery in Newport, Theatre House in Covingont, Costume Castle in Loveland, June Hill, Sheryl Arborgast from Mount Notre Dame, Folchis' Formalwear, Bunny Arszman of Showbiz Players, "St. X moms and crew kids and so many more" for making sure the show would go on.

"I'm sure I'm forgetting someone," says Young, who has understandably mostly been watching from the sidelines and juggling insurance forms.

"I can't believe how everyone is pitching in to get this done -- they've taken a divide and conquer approach and it seems to be working! I hate to think how many hours this is taking, but all the shops have given so much!"

See July 25 and July 26 for what's next.

Monday, July 23

Catch local actor/director Don Volpenhein at 10 p.m. tonight in Hour 4 of Spike TV miniseries "The Kill Point." (His character is 'Finton Doyle').

Coincidence? Lincoln Center Theater plans a spring long-run of "South Pacific," even as the Hollywood Bowl preps an upcoming concert (Aug. 3-5) starring Reba McEntire (and could there be a more perfect Nellie Forbush?) Casting has yet to be announced for Broadway, but the can't-improve-on concert cast includes CCM grad Aaron Lazar as madly romantic Lt. Cable. (And Lazar has already been madly romantic at Lincoln Center in "The Light in the Piazza," and for the same director, Bartlett Sher) We'll just hope casting directors are paying close attention.

In other CCM Broadway-bound news, "A Catered Affair" is a regular CCM reunion, with 2006 grad Katie Klaus joining a cast that includes Faith Prince and Leslie Kritzer in leading roles. The John Doyle-directed new musical starts previews on March 25 and opens April 17.

And according to Playbill Online, Daniel Bogart and Betsy Wolfe were both part of the ensemble last week for "Ever After" (subtitled "A Cinderella Story," and, yes, inspired by the Drew Barrymore movie) and planned for spring 2009.

Natalie Bradshaw, CCM 2007, is playing Joanie Cunningham (you know, Richie's little sister) in a developmental production of small screen-to-stage musical "Happy Days" by TV hit creator Garry Marshall with music by Paul Williams.

Goodspeed Opera, which lists "Annie" among its Broadway transfer, is giving the show a whirl from Aug. 9-Sept. 2. According to Playbill Online, the show is expected to be the season opener at Paper Mill Playhouse (just across the river from NYC) and a comercial national tour is in the works.

Know theater folks who got their start in Cincinnati and are now working on Broadway and beyond? Tell me! I love to write about them.

Tuesday, July 24

CCM grads join the cast of Broadway's current "A Chorus Line" revival tonight. Michael Gruber is Greg (stylish and gay); Jason Patrick Sands plays Don (the one who worked in a strip club).

Wednesday, July 25

Watch for the announcement of the 2008 winner of the Mickey Kaplan New American Play Prize at Playhouse in the Park in today's Enquirer. Some of us have a special reason to be delighted with the pick.

And for something completely different -- Know Theatre and the League of Cincinnati Theatres host a cabaret at the Know (1120 Jackson St.). tonight for the Youngs, to offset costs of removing debris, cleaning the site and securing/reinforcing the two Cincinnati Costume buildings that remain standing.

Entertainers include local musicians Mike Fair and the Adventure Seekers, magicians, singers, dancers and female impersonators. Show starts at 8, happy hour starts at 6. Suggested donation $10. Cash bar (Know will donate profits to the cause) and silent auction.

Thursday, July 26

Cincinnati Young People’s Theatre opens the doors of the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts to the final preview of “Anything Goes” for the benefit of Cincinnati Costume Company, destroyed in a fire on July 10.

The night of the fire Cincinnati Costume owner Caren Young got word to "Anything Goes" producer/director Tim Perrino that she would make good on the contract for the show and for the last two weeks Young and her employees have been in inventories all over town in search of the hundreds of costumes to outfit the production.

Tickets are $10 and all income will be donated to Cincinnati Costume Company to assist in recovery efforts. Performance is at 8 p.m. For reservations and information call the box office at 513-241-6550. The musical will continue through Aug. 5.

Friday, July 27

Longtime Cincinnati Ballet corps member Kelly Ann Sloan leaves the city with a final new piece of choreography -- her new work will be part of ballet tech ohio's "Hot Summer Aronoff!" tonight at 7 p.m.. Sloan joins the inaugural season of the Los Angeles Ballet this fall, according to bto's Claudia Rudolf Barrett.

The performance is in the Aronoff's Jarson-Kaplan Theater. Tickets $25. For information and reservtaions call the box office at 513-621-2787. 

Saturday, July 28

Do you PLAY AROUND? Will you PLAY AROUND? Absolutely! PLAY AROUND at Second Sunday on Main Sept. 9. At the start of the 2007-2008 season, CinStages.com and League of Cincinnati Theatres offer Play Stations throughout the afternoon for some hands-on experience with Cincinnati theaters.

Dish about “Dracula” with Paul Shortt, try your hand at stage combat, hang with theater gals including Dale Hodges and Sherman Fracher, Amy Warner, Corinne Mohlenhoff and Rebecca Bowman, get in the spotlight for Broadway karaoke – and a whole lot more.

Benefitting the Theatre Artists Project Fund. Watch for details – and Save the Date.

Jackie Demaline

posted by CinStages Buzz  # PermaLink 11:01 AM 0 Comments

Is on vacation through July 22.

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“Everyone keeps asking what they can do,” says Caren, with e-mails pouring in. “I wish there were something.”

After last night’s five-alarm fire was finally put out by Cincinnati’s finest, Caren was at what was left of Cincinnati Costume until 3:30 a.m., then was back six hours later.

The big thing now: she has to fill out an insurance form for every costume, “down to the cufflinks.”

With an inventory of over 30,000 items it’s a daunting job.

So – here’s what you can do. Have a production or personal photo featuring a Cincinnati Costume rental? Even Santa Claus outfits, Halloween wear, and tuxedos all need to be documented. Send a copy of your photo – but DON’T E-MAIL CAREN!! Send to jstump3@hotmail.com.

The latest offer of costume assistance for Cincinnati Costume’s commitment to Cincinnati Young People Theatre’s “Anything Goes” (opening in two weeks) came from Michele Mascari and costumer Leslie Korbee of Theatre Xavier, who offered St. X High School’s stock and costume shop to help outfit the several hundred costume extravaganza. Almost 20 St. X students are in the production.

“While our Fine Arts wing was under construction in 2003-04 and TX had no real home,” e-mails St. X’s Mark Motz, “Caren let our kids set up shop at Cincinnati Costume where they did all the props, costumes and sets. She’s a neat lady.”

Clear Stage Cincinnati artistic director Bob Allen called, fresh from the fire site.

The theater company had its entire stock of sets, props, furniture and raw materials stored at Cincinnati Costume.

“Gone, gone, gone,” reports Allen, sounding like his heart is heavy – more for Caren Young than Clear Stage.

“She’s our dear, dear friend,” says Allen. “There’s not a nicer person in this business in this region.”

Compounding the loss, sets for Clear Stage’s upcoming season – “The Lion in Winter” in December and educational production of “Othello” in February – were “ready to go, so we could be ahead of the game.”

Allen doesn’t even know what he needs at this point. “And we can get to us later,” he says. The loss, he says, of about $12,000, “is devastating for us, but we can re-build things. What Caren lost is irreplaceable.

“I hope the entire theater community pulls together to help Caren find the strength she needs. She gives so much of herself all the time.” 

Jackie Demaline

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Sunday, July 8

Katie Johannigman is at University of Michigan for three weeks for Musical Theatre Summer Intensive: “MPulse Ann Arbor.” The Wyoming High School senior is fresh back from Lincoln Nebraska (where else would you have a high school theater conference?) where she and Walnut Hills High School 2007 grad Michael Carr were among 47 students from 21 states who performed in the premiere of giddy, Roaring Twenties-set musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie: School Edition” for an audience of 2,500 students and teachers at the 2007 International Thespian Festival.

Johannigman played Millie chum Ethel Peas and was understudy for the title role. Carr was understudy for Millie’s pompous boss. They began the audition process more than a year ago, in March 2006.

“I wanted this part more than anything,” Katie e-mails. “For weeks all I could think about was wanting to be part of International High School Cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie: School Edition.” Katie’s mom and dad helped her prepare an audition video.

Michael auditioned because he saw Lauren Sprague in the national cast of “Ragtime” when she was a student at Lakota West. (She’s now in the musical theater program at CCM.) Carr asked what kind of experience it was, Sprague said it couldn’t be replicated, especially the friendships. “I knew it was something I’d never be able to do again,” Michael said.

“Millie has been my dream show for years,” Katie – a terrific correspondent – continues. She was originally called back for “the role of Miss Dorothy, a rich girly-girl from California, who plays Millie’s best friend.” Katie “seriously prepared” and auditioned in person at the 2006 International Thespian Festival. “This is where high school theatre is at its’ best, with thousands of students, completely and utterly obsessed with theatre attending.

“I ended up being changed to be called back for the role of Millie, so on the spot, I had to learn all of her songs and scenes for the audition as well. It was the most intense audition process I’ve been through yet. Everyone was so talented and incredible, but the amount of love and sincerity that circulated was unbelievable. I sincerely wanted every single person who auditioned to be cast. At night we would go back to our dorms and help each other work on the dance and songs. Even though it was nerve wracking, the kids and adults could not have been more encouraging. Everyone wanted a chance to perform in this show; I had no idea what a big deal this show was until I was actually there.”

Katie didn’t get the title role, and, yeah, she was disappointed, but says nice things about the girl who did get to star.

So how do kids from all over the country rehearse for a show? Three intensive rehearsals in March, May and June are held in Kenosha, Wisc. (Wisconsin? Nebraska? Apparently the show is also a lesson that showbiz ain’t all Broadway.) The kids stay with the families of students at the local high school and get plenty of social time when they’re not working.

“We rehearsed from 8-9:30 on those 14 days,” Michael reported, “which were not in a row. Months separated those rehearsals; therefore time spent

outside of rehearsals was a must.”

 “We had to put up this huge show and record a CD,” Katie explains.  “Our group included 36 cast members and 11 student technicians who did all the technical work. The adult staff of 20 came in from New York and Chicago and included acting coaches, lighting designers, conductors, make up artists, voice coaches, choreographers, costume designers, MTI representatives and the authors of the show, Dick Scanlan and Jeanine Tesori.

“When rehearsal would be over, we would say “No, let us do it one more time,”” Katie writes, and credits director Holly Stanfield. The advice Katie will hold on to most: “Love the art that you do, not yourself in the art.” 

It wasn’t all work. “There are so many things to do…,” Katie adds. “Every night there are dances after the shows, where we made many new friends. Outside of the dance there are games and hanging out or getting ice cream.”

Before the big debut on June 26, cast and crew had to load up the set on to a semi-truck then unload the morning of the performances. “Everyone was so nervous and excited. We were so tired from all the rehearsals, so we all drank energy drinks, and by the time of the opening, we were shaking we were so excited.”

“The adrenalin was incredible,” Michael adds.

“Was our show going to meet everyone’s expectations?,” Katie says. “Were the authors going to like it? We were so nervous. After doing a final sound check in the huge theatre and making sure the set was all functioning, we did our wigs and makeup and pre-set our costumes for the top of the show. Holly gave us a final inspirational speech with her usual tears, and then Dick and Jeanine came to speak with us. As they came in the room, there were gasps and beaming smiles. This is every musical theatre geek’s dream to meet Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan. We asked them questions about Millie and writing music.”

And wouldn’t you know – the girl in the title role did get sick – briefly, and not on performance day.

“It was not always easy being Millie’s understudy,” Katie notes, “especially since Millie has always been the role that I would die to play. Also, knowing that many college representatives would see the show, playing Millie would have been a great way to be seen by colleges.

“I would watch Elizabeth in rehearsal and sometimes say to myself,  “Well I would do that differently”, or wonder why I hadn’t been cast as Millie… “Watching her in rehearsal sometimes made me a bit sad.  I got to sing a lot of Millie’s songs when she would be rehearsing in another room and they needed someone to play her part.

“A few days before opening night, (she) got really sick and they made me try on her costumes and made sure I knew all of her lines. I wanted that part more than anything you can imagine. My hopes were raised. However, I didn’t get to perform the part.

“But that was okay, because (she) was amazing and was a very sweet girl. Once the show closed, I was glad that I had been in the ensemble because I was able to dance in all the really exciting numbers and the leads weren’t always included in those. Also, what was really great was that being in the ensemble, I had the opportunity to become closer to the rest of the cast” something the star couldn’t do. “It ended up working out okay and I was able to audition for all the colleges there and that went well.”

This year, Katie hopes to bring Wyoming High School’s Thespian troupe at school to our state conference. (“A few lucky schools get to bring their shows to the Nebraska festival, after being chosen at their state conferences. What makes the experience so memorable is the energy in the theatre from all the theatre-crazed students packed in there. There is such energy and a buzz that everyone can feel. The students shriek as the curtain comes up and every time a joke is made or a high note is hit, there is wild applause. One will never perform for an audience like this ever again.”)

She’ll also be applying for scholarships, auditioning for theater programs, carrying four advanced placement courses and “being a normal teenager!”

Michael enrolls in the CCM Drama program in fall. This summer he’ll be road-tripping through the Midwest to visit some of the friends he made in “Millie.” He has new best friends in “Las Vegas, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Florida and Wisconsin!”

Monday, July 9

Not so WOW – Covedale Center for the Arts has temporarily pulled the plug on its WOW (With Out Walls) series intended to serve/lure an audience beyond the steady schedule of musicals and comedies.

The first entry, “That Championship Season” (a hit in the early Seventies) died in May, possibly a victim of blissful weather. Or maybe Covedale regulars just found drama a shock to the system.

Another oldie, “Extremities,” was scheduled for the beginning of September. Exec producer Tim Perrino says he’s still committed to artistically widening the Covedale’s spectrum of offerings, but he’s willing to chart the wiser course and “have an underwriter before we try it again.”

Covedale is currently shopping for its first full-time development/marketing staffer, so Perrino hopes to have WOW back on the calendar in 2008.

Tuesday, July 10

This from Playbill Online: Georgia Engel (who everybody loves from “The Mary Tyler Moore” and “Everybody Loves Raymond”) reprises her Broadway role of Mrs. Tottendale in the national tour of The Drowsy Chaperone. It’s the Broadway Across America holiday entry at the Aronoff, Dec. 4-16.

Wednesday, July 11

Tickets are scarce as hen’s teeth for Northern Kentucky University Summer Dinner Theatre entry “She Loves Me,” opening tonight and starring Rick Roedersheimer and Lesley Hitch. We’re talking single tickets for most performances. The show continues through July 29. Best chance: a group turned tickets back for July 13. Call the box office at 859-572-5464.

Thursday, July 12

Devon Carney, ballet master of Cincinnati Ballet, is one of 30 choreographers from across the U.S. invited to create new work “30x30” for Ballet Met in Columbus. From Aug. 6-26, audiences will be given three opportunities to experience the creative process, viewing rehearsals and showcases (Aug. 6-10) and performances (Aug. 23-26.) Cincinnati native Amy Seiwert, company dancer with Smuin Ballet and director of the contemporary ballet im-ij-re, will also participate.

Friday, July 13

Michael Shawn Starks, Fairfield native and Covington resident, is back to playing El Gallo. He starred in “The Fantasticks” at Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre two years ago and now he’s reprising the role for Jersey Productions, opening tonight at The Carnegie.

He’s been back in town after a few years of theatrical wanderlust. Starks tried his luck in New York where he starred in “Babes in Toyland” for the Little Orchestra Society at Lincoln Center and went on to  six months in a non-Equity tour of “Camelot.” Then it was on to Europe for a bit, including Italy and Germany.

Starks has been a regular on Cincinnati community theater stages since his return to town a few years ago, including “Chess” at Cincinnati Music Theatre and “Sideshow” for New Stage Collective. Next up it’ll be Cincinnati Music Theatre again, where he’ll play “young Ben” in Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies.”

And, no, he hasn’t given up on the New York dream, but Starks will be on local stages for at least the near-future.

For reservations and information call the Carnegie box office at 859-957-1940.

Saturday, July 14

Northern Kentucky native and “The Producers” veteran Angie Schworer closes out a summer run at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine in Crazy for You. 

Sign up for BACKSTAGE DRAMA at Second Sunday on Main Sept. 9. At the start of the 2007-2008 season, CinStages.com and League of Cincinnati Theatres take you behind the scenes to see how theater is made. Dish about “Dracula” with Paul Shortt, try your hand at stage combat, hang with theater gals including Dale Hodges and Sherman Fracher, come on stage for theater karaoke – and a whole lot more. Benefiting the Theatre Artists Project Fund. Watch for details – and Save the Date.

Jackie Demaline

posted by CinStages Buzz  # PermaLink 11:51 AM 0 Comments