Cincinnati Shakespeare Co. announces 2024-25 season
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The 2024-2025 Cincinnati Shakespeare Co. season includes three world premieres – including a new musical – alongside celebrated classics offering a season that blends tradition with innovation and collaboration.
Here's a close look at the full season.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
FREE Shakespeare in the Park 2024
July 12-September 1, 2024
While grappling with the grief of his father’s murder, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is thrust into a web of deceit, betrayal, and impending war. Not only has his mother married his father’s brother, but his uncle is the murderer. This summer, become immersed in the intrigue of Shakespeare's Hamlet — a riveting blend of passion, ghosts, and royal drama that promises to heat up your summer nights with gripping intensity.
Kindred Spirits
by Alice ScovellBased on characters by Noёl Coward
August 2-18, 2024
In this World Premiere sequel to Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, the whimsical chaos of the spirit world collides, once again, with the realm of the living. Haunted by his past loves (literally), Charles Condomine finds it challenging to finish his latest book and pursue a beguiling love interest. Romance, jealousy, and unexpected reunions combine for a spirited, comedic romp, filled with witty repartee and otherworldly surprises. In Kindred Spirits, Alice Scovell--the playwright behind the Oscar Wilde sequel The Rewards of Being Frank--brings back to life many of Coward’s beloved characters, and introduces a few new, memorable ones.
Fat Ham
by James Ijames
September 6-22, 2024
Weeks after his father’s funeral, Juicy, a queer Black man, finds himself at a barbeque with his family and friends. But here’s the rub: the barbeque is a wedding reception for his mother and his uncle. When the ghost of Juicy's father appears like a specter out of the smoke, demanding vengeance for his murder, Juicy learns revenge is a dish best served “char-cold.” This sweet and spicy reimaging of Shakespeare’s Hamlet serves up a feast of drama, with loyalty, identity, and power dynamics on the menu in what the New York Times calls “a hilarious yet profound tragedy smothered in comedy.”
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
By David Catlin
October 11-November 2, 2024
On a dark and stormy night, a group of friends challenge each other to tell a frightful tale and thus Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is born. Cast away by his creator, Victor Frankenstein’s rejected creature is thrust into a world that recoils in terror, disgusted by his inhumanity. A new spin on the gothic tale from the mother of science fiction promises to be a spine-tingling encounter with one of literature's most iconic monsters. Ideal for the Halloween season, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein will ask the question: who is the real monster, creature or creator?
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
November 15-December 7, 2024
Shakespeare's delightful comedy of mistaken identities and romantic entanglements, is a family-friendly spectacle that promises laughter and joy for all. Set in the whimsical land of Illyria, the play follows the adventures of Viola, who, disguised as a man, finds herself at the heart of a hilarious series of misunderstandings and mishaps. With a colorful cast of characters, the play is a merry dance of romance, comedy, and playful deception perfect for audiences of all ages.
Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)*
by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald, and John K. Alvarez
December 13-29, 2024
CSC's holiday smash hit Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) is back again for another season of holiday hilarity! What begins as another annual production of A Christmas Carol, soon devolves into a slightly irreverent look at all of our favorite “Beloved Holiday Classics” including pop culture favorites like It’s a Wonderful Life, Rudolph, Charlie Brown and more! Add in topical references that always keep this annual tradition fresh and fun as we send up everything from Dickens to Dr. Seuss in an evening of high-octane jollity and frivolity. *Not part of the mainstage subscription package.
A Room in the Castle
Based on the women of Hamlet. By Lauren M. Gunderson.
January 24-February 9, 2025
In this parallel retelling of Hamlet from Ophelia and Gertrude's perspectives, the focus shifts to their emotional journey amidst the chaos of the Danish court. Ophelia’s narrative begins with the blossoming of a secret romance with Hamlet, filled with promise and youthful passion. As the court's intrigue deepens, Ophelia and Gertrude find themselves ensnared in a web of political machinations and familial expectations, struggling to maintain power and agency. Will their ending be a confirmation of Shakespeare's original or a liberation from it? Find out in the World Premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s A Room in the Castle.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth
February 28-March 23, 2025
In this contemporary production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, ambition and political intrigue take center stage. When three witches foretell that Macbeth will ascend to the Scottish throne, he and his cunning wife craft a ruthless plot to make it so. Their journey into darkness is a violent portrayal of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power. Toil and trouble boil over in this timeless tale of mayhem and madness, reimagined for today, where the lines between reality and the supernatural blur.
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest
April 11-May 4, 2025
Marooned on an enchanting, yet ecologically fragile island, the exiled sorcerer Prospero waits, consumed by thoughts of revenge. So when fate places all his old enemies within his reach, tempests (both literal and metaphorical) stir. As the climate shifts, so do allegiances, while young love takes root in this unpredictable environment. This romantic tale, replete with magic and monsters, love and liquor, and retribution and redemption is a voyage not to be missed.
Mrs. Dalloway: A New Musical
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Lindsey Augusta Mercer. Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s Novel.
May 23-June 15, 2025
Mrs. Dalloway hosts tonight! You’re invited to the soiree of the century: a new musical adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s classic novel. It is 1923 and the pandemic and WWI have ravaged Europe, but Clarissa Dalloway is determined to throw the greatest party London has ever seen. While she buys the flowers and makes last-minute preparations, serendipitous reunions force her to confront the past. As she dismantles the façade she tirelessly upholds, she rekindles connections with friends and lovers, awakening her inner desires for the words she never spoke and the paths of love she never took. Don’t miss this World Premiere of Virginia Woolf’s iconic introspective novel reimagined for the stage as a musical with a sweeping neo-golden age score underpinned with a contemporary folk pop.
**The text for this story was provided via a press release from Cincinnati Shakespeare Co.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Shakespeare Co. announces 2024-25 season