Theatrical, Too: It's What We Do

Today's post is nothing but gushing praise for the local theatre scene, so save yourself while you still can.

I tweeted that this was as close as I was going to get to a
selfie with Brian d'Arcy James. He originated the role of
Nick Bottom and left the show last summer, but he's still
on all the promotional posters. 

Still here? Excellent! I've now bought tickets to three Broadway touring shows and visited the Aronoff Center soon-to-be three times, and every single person I've encountered so far has been wonderful. The box office staff, the ticket agents on the phone, the ushers--every single one of them should get their own standing ovation. I can't say enough good things about them, and they've gone a long way toward making me want a season ticket next year. Even farther than the promise of first dibs at Hamilton tix. (I'm debating a Broadway season ticket vs a Cincinnati Shakespeare season ticket vs a Blu-ray player so I can finally watch my LOTR extended editions. Stay tuned.)

Pretty close, yeah.

Last weekend I was gloriously reunited with the spectacular Something Rotten, which I've waited seven loooooonnng months to see a second time after I saw it on Broadway last summer. It was every bit--every inch--as wondrous as I remembered. I was pretty close to the front, so I could see all the actors' faces (also all their spitting), which is a nice improvement over last time. The principal actors are brilliant, the ensemble is a delight, and the jokes are fantastic. If it's coming near you, please go see it and be prepared to laugh a lot.

Also better than last time: I was surrounded by people who were also getting all the jokes, which was so much more fun than the calm and collected folks I was sat next to in NYC. After accidentally choosing a dud audience night for my Austin season tickets, I'm so happy to have been surrounded by audiences who came prepared to immerse themselves in the experience every time I've been to the theatre in Cincinnati. I can get used to this.

That's my delighted Cincy gush. What's an amazing thing about your town?

Post title is a line from the opening song in Something Rotten, "Welcome to the Renassiance."