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Cleveland Play House doesn't need 'rebirth'
(by Herb Hammer - June 01, 2011)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
Cleveland Play House doesn't need 'rebirth'
For reasons not quite clear, the Cleveland Play House has dropped the "the" from its name, along with the theater's move from midtown Euclid Avenue to the Allen Theater in Playhouse Square. Artistic director Michael Bloom calls the move "the rebirth of Cleveland Play House." Let's hope it's just a move. The Play House doesn't need a "rebirth."
The reconfigured Allen Theater complex will house three new intimate theaters. The new season will begin Sept. 16. Longtime Cleveland Play House subscribers will surely have mixed feelings. After so many decades at East 86th Street and Euclid Avenue, this change will take some getting used to.
Bertolt Brecht's mix of drama and comedy, "Galileo," will be the season opener. Translated by David Edgar, Play House calls the play "the startlingly relevant tale of history's most famous conflict between reason and faith."
Following "Galileo," which closes on Oct. 9, "Daddy Long Legs" will open on Oct 21. This is not a staged version of the 1955 Fred Astaire movie but a new musical with music and lyrics by Paul Gordon. The book has been adapted by John Caird from a 1912 novel by Jean Webster.
When an anonymous patron agrees to pay an orphan's tuition, her life changes overnight. The benefactor is known only as Daddy Long Legs. A witty and charming old-fashioned musical comedy should be pleasing.
Ken Ludwig is at it again, this time with the world premier of his latest play, "The Games Afoot: or Holmes for the Holidays." This world premier presents famed actor William Gillette. He has invited his Sherlock Holmes co-stars to his mansion. One of his guests is murdered. This is where the fun begins. It opens Dec. 25.
"Ten Chimneys," by Jeffery Hatcher, comes to Second Stage, one of the smaller theaters at the Play House, opening Jan. 13. A backstage comedy where the Lunts are rehearsing "The Seagul," this one is expected to bring the house down.
On Feb. 10, 2012, August Wilson's "Radio Gulf" opens. This is the final play of Mr. Wilson's 10-play cycle of African-American Life in the 20th century. In 1990s Pittsburgh, a successful businessman aspires to be the city's first black mayor.
The final play on the main stage will be "Red," the 2010 Tony Award-winning play by Lou Bellamy. A famous abstract painter has landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art only to find his crowning achievement could also be his undoing. "Red" runs from March 16 to April 8.
Finally, on April 13, 2012, "In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play" will open. Sarah Ruhl's comedy is listed for mature audiences.
At the dawn of electricity, a remarkable treatment is taking place. Patients arrive troubled and depart delighted with the help of "doctor's little helper." The comedy will play the Second Stage and will close May 6.
For more information contact Play House at 216-795-7000.
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