Silverware — and napkin folding and thank-you-card writing — are major topics of conversations in Jeffrey Hatcher’s semi-autobiographical Mrs. Mannerly, but the play is never dull or dry. Who knew place settings could be so entertaining?   

If you spent some of last spring watching the TV series Smash, you learned that Broadway producers look for talent whose names attract audiences. The commercial concerns of Broadway producers are surely a big factor in their decision-making, especially how much magnetism a star can bring. This led me to speculate whether we have bankable stars in Cincinnati.  

There are several obvious reasons why Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is wrapping up its 50th anniversary season with 'The Fantasticks.' For one, the long-running musical began its onstage life the same year the Playhouse first presented plays in a Cincinnati Parks shelter house in Mount Adams. The show's staying power is amply displayed by the current charming production, staged by Producing Artistic Director Ed Stern.