While many of Cincinnati’s professional theaters take a summer break, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has been working almost nonstop. In July it was a show derived from the Bard’s Much Ado About Nothing: Dogberry and Verges Are Scared. The central characters are a pair of bumbling clowns, minor characters now elevated to the foolish stars. It was a lot of fun. This one has come and gone — in fact, it’s now in Scotland as a production in the legendary Edinburgh Fringe, with the same cast the put it on here in Cincinnati. Here’s a link to my Talkin’ Broadway review: https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/regional/cincy/cincy607.html
In case you need to brush up on the actual Shakespearean work, Cincy Shakes is presenting a touring production in parks all over the Tristate. “Free Shakespeare in the Park” offers a brief rendition of the story Much Ado, perfect for an evening’s outing with young theater audiences. There’s a kind of magic to al fresco theater. It will be somewhere almost every evening through Sept. 6. Here’s the schedule: https://cincyshakes.com/on-stage/much-ado-park
If your taste runs to classics but with some merry pranks and a lot of tomfoolery thrown in, you’ll likely enjoy the current production on Cincy Shakes’ main stage in Over-the-Rhine is The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Abridged). through Aug. 23. Two actresses who love Austen’s 19th-century arch romances are set to show off the wonders of Regency England when the actor they need to play the romantic leads runs off. A willing actor steps up, but — alas — he doesn’t know the stories. So the actresses have to give him a quick brush-up, and things get a little wobbly … and very funny. Despite the silliness, it ends up as a rather nice tribute to Austen’s novels and to the fans who have kept them at the top of many literary fans’ lists. Here’s my review: https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/regional/cincy/cincy608.html
FOR INFORMATION AND TICKETS: https://cincyshakes.com/on-stage