John's Birthday 2010

Today I bought playhouse tickets for John's birthday. Although I don't think he reads my blog I'll publish after his birthday. Anyhow, here are the shows I purchased tickets for:

In early September we are going to see High.

PIP synopsis:

Movie and stage actress Kathleen Turner stars in this extraordinary world premiere that opens on Broadway after its run in Cincinnati. Ms. Turner plays the tough-talking and formerly hard-drinking Sister Jamison Connelly. Working in a church-sponsored rehab center, she reluctantly agrees to sponsor a defiant 19-year-old drug user and soon becomes convinced he is keeping a secret that is vital to his recovery. As she struggles to unlock the mystery, she begins to question her own beliefs. This powerful and gripping adult drama explores truth, forgiveness, redemption and the real courage it takes to change."

Ironically, my Cincinnati cousin texted me this evening to see if John and I wanted to see this play with her, her boyfriend and her mom. We may try to go to dinner before the play or somewhere afterwards with them.

At the end of September we have tickets to The Understudy.

This play was written by a local author, Theresa Rebeck and here the synopsis:

bitingly witty and entertaining look behind the scene of the acting world. The understudy gets no respect. The stressed-out stage manager wants him fired. The part he wants is being played by a second-tier action movie star (paid only $2.3 million per picture!) trying to be a "real actor." Their madcap rehearsal exposes all that's brilliant and ridiculous about what really goes on backstage.

Towards the end of October we have tickets to see You Can't Take It With You:

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this American comedy is pure fun. Combine the delightfully eccentric Sycamore family and their daughter Alice with her fiance Tony and his rich, straight-laced parents. Add in a dinner party on the wrong night, and the result is a wildly funny clash of family values in which fireworks erupt - literally! A light-hearted romp about love, family and what's really important in life.

So I believe we will see all of these plays before we travel to China. Right now I think we will get our referral in September, John thinks October, and I bet we travel in November while he's thinking December.

The 4th play we have tickets for (that I won at movie night) are for The Piano Teacher on Friday February 18, 2011. We can always trade these or give them away if think it is too soon for a babysitter. Anyhow here is the description:

The sweet, cookie-loving Mrs. K is the perfect picture of a caring grandmotherly piano teacher. When she decides to look up some of her old students, Mrs K unleashes a dark secret she can't quite understand. Featuring award-winning actress Dale Hodges in a tour-de-force role as the unwitting Mrs K, this cunning play artfully blends past and present to explore the mystery and unpredictability of memory and the human heart.

"An effective chiller, Julia Cho (playwright)has constructed her play with a keen sense of suspense."

The last play we have tickets for is The Pavilion.

Synopsis: Twenty years ago, Peter and Kari were the perfect couple - high school sweethearts and very much in love. When Kari got pregnant, a panicked Peter fled town. Now, at their high school reunion, Peter wants to win her back. He's still in love with her, but ... is she still in love with him? As the night progresses, Peter and Kari spin a tale of what-might-have-been with what-could-be. By turns poetic and comic, romantic and philosophical, The Pavilion has been hailed by critics as "an Our Town for our time."

I bought the seats early so we could get seats with ample leg room for him.

I also bought him some travel accessories (ones he told me he wanted) as well as a Reds video he wanted and a Red 2010 stat book.

February Plays

Today after we finished shoveling snow for the umpteenth time John asked if me if I wanted to try to get half price tickets to a play. Sounded good to me so he called and tonight we are going to see The Fall of Heaven. The Playhouse description from their website: "Tempest Landrey, a street-wise young man living in Harlem, unexpectedly finds himself at the Pearly Gates. When Saint Peter orders him to hell, the quick-witted Tempest refuses to go. A technical loophole forces heaven to send Tempest back to Earth with an angel in tow to keep him out of trouble. The resulting battle of wills takes an intriguing look at good versus evil and what it means to be human. Then on the last Saturday of this month we are going to see How? How? Why? Why? Why? with my Aunt Becky and cousin Barb. I'm hoping we can have them over for dinner before the play but have not made these plans with them yet. Anyhow here is this plays description: "Popular NPR humorist Kevin Kling performs his play exploring the difference between the trip you plan and the trip you take in life. He says trauma can't be cured, but it can be healed - and Kling's method of healing is laughter. In recounting the events of a debilitating motorcycle accident, Kling uses great skill for riveting and hilarious storytelling to examine how tragedy can positively define a person's life."

Travels of Angelica

Last Friday spouse and I saw Travels of Angelica at the Playhouse.

Here is the description from the Playhouse website:

By Joseph McDonoughWINNER OF THE MICKEY KAPLAN NEW AMERICAN PLAY PRIZE 1657: A writer wanted for treason barely escapes from England with his daughter to start a new life with a new identity in Virginia. Can he outwit his blackmailing neighbor and escape capture before completing his most important work? 2008: Two graduate students come to Virginia in search of clues about this forgotten author, hoping to make an important literary discovery. As the play twists and turns between the past and present, this time-traveling tale explores history, hope, heart and the possibility of a remarkable future. A new play by Joseph McDonough, author of One and Stone My Heart. Travels of Angelica is suitable for adult audiences. It contains some adult language and mature themes.

We both enjoyed the play. But we almost missed it. That night we went to dinner @ the neighborhood Thai restaurant and since we had an hour before the play we stopped at the Wine Bar. Well we were having so much fun talking to one of our neighbors we didn't pay attention to the time. Spouse looked at me and said "We've got 7 minutes" and I replied "Until we have to leave" and then he said "No, until the play starts".

Well I was halfway down St Gregory street still putting on my coat and gloves when spouse caught up and then passed me. I could not believe we were going to blow $52 seats (yes this was going through my mind as I was running) because we were talking to friends. Humiliating.

Fortunately we made it in time, in fact we weren't the last to be seated. It also reinforced just how out of shape I am too. I have not run that far (and it wasn't far at all) in a really long time.

Like most of the plays at PIP this one kept your attention and was unpredictable. The 2nd act brought gasps from the twist in the plot.

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.