…BLINK AND THEY’RE GONE

THE LARAMIE PROJECT

SSCC Theatre

The Story: In October 1998 a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay.
The Dates: March 2-4, 2012
Tickets and More Information: SSCC Theatre | BTC Listing

…NEW THIS WEEK

Pam McGinnis of Oakwood, Brian Kester of Fairborn & Eric Bracht of Beavercreek rehearse THE BIG PICTURE.

THE BIG PICTURE

Beavercreek Community Theatre

The Story: It’s the summer of 1962, college freshman Billy Carson is spending his first summer home with his mom and best friend. With only a few items to provide clues, Billy sets out with a renewed interest in discovering the father he never knew – B-Movie script writer and war hero, Jack Carson. But when old wounds are opened and new loves are discovered, Billy realizes that coming home is more difficult and ultimately more enlightening than he ever imagined and the sleepy town of Pine Springs, Illinois may never be the same. With script and lyrics by Troy native David Brush and music by Jim Farley of Piqua.
The Dates: March 2-11, 2012
Tickets and More Information: Beavercreek Community Theatre | BTC Listing

BLACKBIRD

The Story: Fifteen years ago, she was twelve and he was forty. Their relationship put him in jail and changed their lives forever. Now she has found him living a different life, under a different name. Will either person ever come to terms with the past? Or will the past consume them both? Ages 18 and up.
The Dates: March 2-11, 2012
Tickets and More Information: BLACKBIRD blog | BTC Listing

THE DINING ROOM

Stagecrafters

The Story: The play is set in the dining room of a typical well-to-do household, the place where the family assembled daily for breakfast and dinner and for any and all special occasions. The action is comprised of a mosaic of interrelated scenes – some funny, some touching, some rueful – which, taken together, create an in-depth portrait of a vanishing species: the upper-middle-class WASP.
The Dates: March 3-11, 2012
Tickets and More Information: Stagecrafters | BTC Listing

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

The Story: Stephen Sondheim’s remarkable Broadway fable of friendship and the high price of success opens in the present and moves backward in time. The triumphs and failures of a jaded composer and his two closest friends are traced from their estranged ending to their idealistic beginning. Directed by John Doyle, who led Playhouse’s Tony Award-winning production of COMPANY, the performers in this highly anticipated revival will play all of the instruments as they act and sing in one of Sondheim’s most melodic scores. Ages 13 and up.
The Dates: March 3-31, 2012
Tickets and More Information: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park | BTC Listing

TALLEY & SON

The Drama Workshop

The Story: The time is Independence Day, 1944, the place the parlor of the Talley homestead in Lebanon, Missouri. As World War II rages across the seas, the Talleys are beset with crises of a different sort. Commenting on the action, unseen by the others, is the “ghost” of the second son, Timmy, already a casualty of the Pacific war, although the family has not yet learned of his death.
The Dates: March 2-10, 2012
Tickets and More Information: The Drama Workshop | BTC Listing

Joshua Steele as Ross Gardiner & Mike Moskowitz as Mr. Green in Falcon Theatre's VISITING MR. GREEN.

VISITING MR. GREEN

Falcon Theatre

The Story: After his car narrowly avoids an elderly man wandering into traffic,bright young professional Ross Gardiner has been sentenced to community service;he must visit his almost victim,Mr. Green,once a week for the next six months. Curmudgeonly Mr. Green resists Ross’s help,still overwhelmed with the death of his wife and harboring a deep and painful secret. But Ross has a secret of his own,and together the unlikely companions learn to understand each other and themselves in a humorous and touching story of forgiveness and compassion. This two-man play features real-life grandfather and grandson, Mike Moskowitz & Joshua Steele
The Dates: March 3-11, 2012
Tickets and More Information: Falcon Theatre | BTC Listing

The First National Tour of WEST SIDE STORY. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

WEST SIDE STORY

Broadway in Cincinnati

The Story: More than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. Now it’s back, and mesmerizing audiences once again. From the first note to the final breath, West Side Story soars as the greatest love story of all time. Directed by David Saint, using Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’ Broadway direction, West Side Story remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The new Broadway cast album of West Side Story recently won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway’s finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as “Something’s Coming,” “Tonight,” “America,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere.”
The Dates: Feb. 28-March 11, 2012
Tickets and More Information: Broadway in Cincinnati | BTC Listing

…CONTINUING

Michael Shooner as Man. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

ST. NICHOLAS

New Edgecliff Theatre

The Story: A burned-out theatre critic becomes infatuated with a young actress. Leaving his wife and children in Dublin to pursue his obsession, things become complicated in London when he finds himself in the employ of a coven of vampires. This wicked and riveting one-man show is sure to captivate audiences. Intended for mature audiences only.
The Dates: Through March 10, 2012
Tickets and More Information: New Edgecliff Theatre | BTC listing | BTC review

Sara Clark as Marianne Dashwood, Giles Davies as Colonel Brandon, Kelly Mengelkoch as Elinor Dashwood & Brent Vimtrup as Edward Ferrars. Photo by Jeanna Vella.

Jane Austen’s SENSE & SENSIBILITY

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

The Story: When a lack of luck makes for difficult marriage prospects, the Dashwood sisters set sail on the volatile seas of courtship. The sisters soon discover that neither reserved Elinor’s common sense nor impulsive Marianne’s passion offer the key to happiness. Scandalous secrets, burning betrayals, and suave (and some not-so-suave) suitors line the path to true love in this fresh adaptation.
The Dates: Through March 18, 2012
Tickets and More Information: Cincinnati Shakespeare Company | BTC listing

…ENDING THIS WEEK

COLLAPSE

Know Theatre of Cincinnati

The Story: In 2007, the Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring another 145. Hannah’s husband David was driving one of the cars that went off the bridge. He is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but refuses to attend a support group. Hannah’s life is falling apart. She can’t get pregnant, she’s one step away from losing her job, and she thinks her husband, who hasn’t been to work for months, may be an alcoholic. COLLAPSE is an uncomfortably funny exploration of the crumbling structures that undergird our bridges, our economy, and our most intimate relationships.
The Dates: Through March 3, 2012
Tickets and More Information: Know Theatre | BTC listing

Chris Blem as The Baker, Victoria Cook as The Witch, Michelle Rombola as the Baker's Wife in CCM's INTO THE WOODS.

INTO THE WOODS

UC CCM Musical Theatre

The Story: Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical follows the journey of a Baker and his Wife on their quest to reverse a curse put on them by the Witch next door, forcing them to face the consequences of their actions. As the fairy tale characters work to fulfill their greatest wishes, they learn a heartwarming moral of the importance of family and community.
The Dates: Through March 4, 2012
Tickets and More Information: UC CCM | BTC listing

RENT

Footlighters, Inc.

The Story: Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway musical based loosely on Puccini’s opera “La Bohème.” RENT follows a year in the lives of seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York’s East Village.
The Dates: Through March 3, 2012
Tickets and More Information: Footlighters | BTC listing

SPEAKING IN TONGUES

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

The Story: Love, sex and deceit create the emotional labyrinth in this stylish, noir thriller. This theatrical jigsaw puzzle of parallel stories explores the betrayals of two married couples and the unexpected links among five isolated strangers
The Dates: Through March 4, 2012
Tickets and More Information: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park | BTC listing