Tommy Nugent is a familiar Cincinnati Fringe performer: Starting in 2007, he’s been here with Tommy Nugent’s The Show and Tommy Nugent’s Burning Man Redux. He’s a monologist grounded in public speaking — not exactly a theater guy, but someone who’s totally comfortable in front of an audience. Although in the program for this year’s Fringe offering, American Badass in Cincy, he writes, “I’m no longer compelled to put my name in every show title,” his subject matter is focused completely on … Tommy Nugent.   

Watching Howard Petrick perform his self-written, autobiographical, one-man show, Breaking Rank! was a bit of a time-machine trip for me. Petrick is just a few years older than I, and his cultural frame of reference — growing up in the 1960s and resisting American aggression in Southeast Asia — was very much the same as mine.  

Steven Strafford is one hell of a performer. But his young adult life as a promiscuous, gay, crystal meth addict was one hell of a mess. He courageously and humorously lays it all out in Methtacular, a monologue of 80 entertaining and unpredictable minutes.   

By the time you read this, the 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival will be fully under way. Even if you can’t see every show, you owe it to yourself to come for an evening or two and sample the creativity that will be flowing throughout the 10 venues across Over-the-Rhine.  

“Puppet nudity. Puppet sexual situations. Strong puppet language.” Don’t let the cute-looking characters and a resemblance to Muppets and Sesame Street fool you: Avenue Q is an entirely differen  

It’s a three-day weekend that’s more about being outdoors and kicking off summer fun. That being said, if you’re looking for a theater production that will give you some laughs for your weekend, I recommend catching a performance of see The Second City 2: Less Pride – More Pork at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park on its Shelterhouse Stage. I fo...  

Although most people think that theater awards are about recognizing excellence, the real bottom line is marketing. A half-dozen award programs in New York City — the Drama Desk, the Outer Critics Circle, the Lortels, the Obies — lead up to the big kahuna, the Tony Awards, focused on Broadway shows.  

The four images on the cover of the 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival program (included in CityBeat’s May 16 issue) featured various people smushing their faces against a window. Cross-eyed, surprised, disgruntled, quizzical, amused — it’s a diverse set of reactions, all appropriate responses to shows that Know Theatre will present May 29-June 9.  

Leah Strasser and Tyler Smetts have lived in Cincinnati. In fact, they’re first cousins. She’s an actor; he’s a writer. They’ve been talking about creating a year-round theater company that draws on homegrown talent, and the 2012 Cincinnati Fringe seemed like the perfect moment to take the next step by undertaking a production.  

If you’ve ever uttered the words, “My dad has a barn — let’s put on a show!” you should board the Showboat Majestic for Babes in Hollywood, a revue inspired by the musical careers of Judy Ga