Playhouse in the Park

The pictures above are our neighborhood's theatre, Playhouse in the Park. The black and white picture shows the original Thompson Shelterhouse (c. 1950) which seats 225. Now the playhouse has an additional theatre, the Marx Theatre which seats 626. Playhous in the Park is a professional regional theatre and has won 2 Tony's (1st in 2004 and again in 2007). For the past 16 years the Playhouse has produced at least one world premiere production each season. Last year it was Doubt.

Anyhow, we are so lucky this theatre is in our neighborhood (a 10 minute walk from our house). There is a lot of interest in moving to a bigger location... but I wonder if the economy may have dimmed that enthusiam. Spouse and I have purchased season tickets for the last 4 years and here is what we have seen.

2005 - 2006 season:

• Bad Dates written by a Cincinnatian Theresa Rebeck and described as " an irresistible comedy for anyone who likes to laugh and loves a killer pair of Channel pumps!" This was a one woman play and although good definitely not one of our favorites.
• Crowns which was promoted as "with a generous does of "hattitude", this joyous musical celebrates black women and their church hats." Tells the story of 6 African-American women. This was a favorite of mine and I think spouse too.
• The Underpants by Steve Martin, an adaptation of a Carl Sternham play. Described as "a bold, bawdy and sidesplittingcomedy filled with Steve MArtin's famous flashes of wit." The play is about a bored housewife from 1910 Germany whose underpants fall down to her ankles while she is watching a parade.

2006- 2007 season:

• Company a nationallly acclaimed musical described as "unconventional look at love and commitment of five married couples through the eyes of their bachelor friend Bobby weighing the pro's and con's of married life".
• Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck (this was my favorite of this season)
• Smoke on the Mountain play about a singing appalachian family
• Pure Confidence drama about slave era horse jockeys.

2007 - 2008 season

• A Sleeping Country "about sleep lost and hope found. A New York City woman with serious case of insomnia travels to Venice seeking help from a sleepless heiress who may be a relative." The write of this play has a Cincinnati connection as she lived her for 20 years when she was a copywriter for a local ad agency.
• Doubt a "fast moving suspense filled drama set in a Bronx Catholic school in 1964. The play centers around the hard edged principal Sister Aloysius who challenges Father Flynn whom she suspects of abusing a student." This play was made in to a movie starring Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius (she got an Oscar nomination for this role) and Philip Hoffman Seymour as Father Flynn.
• The Blonde, The Brunette and The Vengeful Redhead a one woman play. The redhead is left by her husband. The main point of this play is how different perspecitives tell different stories (or truths).
• Ella "set in 1966 Nice France, Ella Fitzgerald reflects on her life" not such great history with men and family and lots of great music. I think this was my favorite of this season.

2008 -2009 season

• Travels of Angelica a time travel parallel stories play. One is set in 1657 when a writer and his daughter have escaped England (religous persecution) to start a new life with a new identity in Virginial The other story is set in 2008 with 2 grad students who come to Virgiinia to look for clues about the writer hoping to make a literary discovery. Spouse and I are going to this play next Wednesday.
• Last Train to Nibroc in April we are going to this play about a man and woman who meet on a train during World War II.
• The Foreigner another play we are going to in April. This one is a comedy about a shy Englishman who moves to a rural town in Georgia and fakes not being able to speak English. The comedic part comes out because of what the townspeople say infront of him thinking he doesn't understand.