Monthly Matinee - January 2023
A preview of plays and musicals opening in Greater Cincinnati this month
Happy New Year, everyone! I’m excited to jump back into more regular coverage of the local theatre scene, with monthly features previewing some of the highlights at our local professional theatres.
ANASTASIA @ The Aronoff - Broadway Across America
First up is ANASTASIA. This national tour features a recent CCM graduate, Veronica Stern, in the lead role. David Lyman wrote a beautiful article about her and the show here. (It is a subscriber-only article, but sometimes they offer great deals on trial subscriptions - and you might find that the local paper is a more worthwhile monthly sub than one of the other streaming services you’re already paying for!). ANASTASIA runs Jan 3 - 15 at the Aronoff Center downtown. Tickets are available here.
THE WILD PARTY @ CCM Musical Theatre
Speaking of CCM, THE WILD PARTY will perform at the Contemporary Arts Center downtown as a special event and not part of the regular season. If you’ve never seen it:
“Decadence and excess are the life of the party in this jazzy 1920s whodunnit. Lovers Queenie and Burrs decide to throw the party-to-end-all-parties in their Manhattan apartment. After the colorful arrival of a slew of guests living life on the edge, Queenie's wandering eyes land on a striking man named Black. As the party’s decadence and destruction reach a climax, so does Burrs' jealousy.”
Eric Santagata directs, with musical direction by Steve Goers and choreography by current CCM student Eliza Levy (whom you might have seen in GEORGE REMUS at the Carnegie this summer.) My friends Douglas Duckett and Brett Offenberger are the sponsors for this production. Tickets are only available in advance and can be purchased for this limited run (Jan 12-14) here. I’ll be there for the Saturday afternoon matinee.
GRAND HORIZONS @ Ensemble Cincinnati
I’m personally looking forward to the comedy GRAND HORIZONS opening at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati on January 18th (there are two preview performances prior). It runs through February 5th. This new play will feature legendary actors Dale Hodges and Joneal Joplin, as well as Nick Cearly (“The Skivvies,” “Buyer and Cellar,” at ETC and “Little Shop of Horrors at the Playhouse”) and real-life son of Joneal, Jared Joplin. Plus: Deb Girdler is back, as is “Queen’s” Shonita Joshi while Dan Davidson makes his ETC mainstage debut. Tickets and more info can be found here.
trueFRIEND @ Memorial Hall
David Levy produces another of his popular storytelling events at Memorial Hall on January 26th at 7:30PM. I’m sure that there will be a variety of stories told, but I can attest without hesitation that Levy himself is a “true friend.” He knows what I mean. Tickets for this one-night-only event can be found here.
LIFESPAN OF A FACT @ Falcon Theatre
January 27th kicks off a big weekend of openings. Falcon Theatre will produce LIFESPAN OF A FACT, directed by Ed Cohen. “Jim Fingal is a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking New York magazine. John D’Agata is a talented writer with a transcendent essay about the suicide of a teenage boy—an essay that could save the magazine from collapse. When Jim is assigned to fact-check D’Agata’s essay, the two come head to head in a comedic yet gripping battle over facts versus truth.”
The show stars Jay Woffington, Susan Jung, and Christopher Wells. Tickets and more information can be found here.
DICKLESS @ Know Theatre of Cincinnati
Also opening January 27th is this edgy revenge play starring Tess Talbot, Jared Earland, and Sydni Solomon. Brant Russell, one of Cincinnati’s busiest theatre artists, directs this “adrenaline-fueled quest for revenge through the brutal underworld of small-town England.” It’s definitely got the most eye-catching title of any show opening this month. Tickets can be found here.
THE REWARDS OF BEING FRANK @ Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
The final show to open on Friday, January 27th is Cincy Shakes’ new work, which is a sequel of sorts to the Oscar Wilde classic, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Kelly Mengelkoch and Jeremy Dubin star in this new work, which will then transfer to NYC for a continued off-Broadway run in the city. Tickets are more can be found here.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN @ The Carnegie
Finally, rounding out the month with a premiere on Saturday, January 28th, is the Carnegie’s SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. Directed by Maggie Perrino, this dance-heavy musical should be fun for the whole family! Steve Goers returns to direct the music after a wildly successful summer rep season. Tickets and more can be found here. I’ll see you on opening night!
It should be an amazing first month of 2023 in the theatre. Which of these shows are you going to see?