Like every good harvest table, this fall’s theater offerings in Cincinnati have a little bit of everything, whether you want to laugh or cry, sing or scream. The city of Cincinnati, named by Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Fine Arts in 2022 as one of the nation’s most artistically vibrant cities, has a thriving theater scene, from regional theaters to universities to community players. Of course, with so many options, it’s important to siphon down what you’re looking for. So, look no further — here’s just a sampling of productions hosted by Greater Cincinnati theater companies this fall.
For the dramatist
One of the high-profile premieres this fall is Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Rutka: A New Musical. Billed as Broadway-bound, this musical is based on the real-life diary of 14-year-old Rutka Laskier, a Jewish girl living in 1943 Poland. Through indie rock music by Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd-Styles, the teenage experience is told through one specific lens amidst the atrocities of World War II. The show premieres Oct. 13 and runs through Nov. 10.
Also in a similar time period is the Know Theatre’s Camp Siegfried by Bess Wohl, author of Grand Horizons, which premiered at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati last season. The play takes place in 1938 at a summer camp for far-right indoctrination, as two German-American teenagers fall in love. Know Theatre kicks off its first season under new artistic director Bridget Leak, with the show running Sept. 13-28 at the Know Theatre in Over-the-Rhine.
You can find more modern fare in Northern Kentucky University’s production of The Wolves by Sarah Delappe, running Oct. 24 to Nov. 3 at the Fifth Third Bank Theater in the Aronoff Center downtown. Following the members of a high school women’s soccer team, this acclaimed play balances the innocence of the teenage years with the mundane reality of suburban America. It is also an entirely female play that can satisfy your post-Olympics sporting needs with less yelling.
For lovers of social commentary, Bruce Norris’ Tony- and Pulitzer-winning play, Clybourne Park, at the Mariemont Players, will satisfy your needs. The show is told in two explosive acts, set 50 years apart, and follows one Black family planting roots and later efforts to unearth them, as gentrification takes hold. This riveting drama runs Sept. 5-22, directed by Dan Maloney.
For the comedy fan
If you’re looking to laugh, there’s no shortage of hilarious works opening this fall across the city. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park puts comedy on full blast in The Second City, the 65th-anniversary tour of the titular sketch comedy series. Boasting alumnae such as Tina Fey and Catherine O’Hara, witness one of the most influential comedy shows in its tour stop in Cincinnati from Oct. 24 to Dec. 22.
Premiering fresh off its Tony-nominated Broadway premiere, James Ijames’ Fat Ham, a modern retelling of Hamlet set at a backyard barbecue in the deep south, premieres at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company this fall. The hilarious and heartfelt show balances laugh-out-loud moments with tender commentary on Black and queer identity, and runs Sept. 6-22 at Cincy Shakes’ Over-the-Rhine theater.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati premieres The Garbologists by Lindsay Joelle Sept. 14 to Oct. 6. Following two garbage truck workers with differing pasts, we see that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and we have more in common than we assume. Despite the title, this two-person dramedy promises fresh storytelling, in line with ETC’s emphasis on new works.
For laughs that fall a bit closer to home, check out the Loveland Stage Company’s comedy-musical, Hot Damn! It’s the Loveland Frog! An original musical by Cincinnati natives Michael D. Hall and Joshua Steele, this show follows the eponymous legend of a Loveland frog whose reputation precedes it. When a community outcast disappears, the hysteria over the titular frog brings together a rag-tag team of Cincinnati stars for a hilarious romp on a local legend. The show runs Sept. 5-7 at the Loveland Stage Company.
For the musical lover
The iconic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar comes back to Cincinnati in Xavier University theater’s upcoming production. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the show follows the final chapter of Jesus’ life through a sleek, gritty lens and features some earworm hit songs, from the titular number to “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” The show runs Oct. 11-20 at Xavier University’s campus theater.
If you’re on a religious musical kick, look no further than Nunsense at Covedale Center for the Performing Arts. This satire follows a group of nuns raising funds for their convent after bouts of leprosy and food poisoning…reduced their numbers. With a hilarious score and audience interaction, this will be a fun night at the theater, running Sept. 12 to Oct. 6.
One of the best combinations of comedy and classic musicals is The Drowsy Chaperone, which opens Sept. 19 and runs through Oct. 6 at The Footlighters in Newport, Ky. Since its 2006 acclaimed premiere, this show has captivated audiences with its musical-within-a-musical hilarity and wacky characters. The show opens Footlighters’ 2024-2025 season, as a community theater with over 60 years of history-making theater in the area.
University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music will stage a new musical, In The Green, this October. The newer one-act musical by Broadway performer Grace McLean tells the story of Hildegard of Bingen, who would become a famous composer and activist. With themes of recovery, discovery and sexual assault, you can expect a deep-cutting but profoundly unique musical experience.
For spooky season devotees
Nothing rings in spooky season like a chilling play, and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has you covered with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, running Oct. 11 to Nov. 2. Billed as a new spin on the classic story, Frankenstein is alive and raises the question of who the true monster is in this spine-chilling production.
You can’t forget about witches, and The Carnegie along with UC-CCM are here to remind you in their fall staging of Witch by Jen Silverman. Complementing UC-CCM’s previous thriller, Let The Right One In, this show follows the arrival of a devil to a quiet English town. There’s soul-bargaining and passion flaring in this co-production between two strong community arts organizations at the Carnegie in Covington, Ky.
This story is featured in CityBeat's Sept. 4 print edition.
