35 minute read
ARTS & CULTURE
ARTS & CULTURE ARTS & CULTURE
C. Jacqueline Wood owns Manga Manga.
PHOTO: SEAN M. PETERS
Manga Manga Is Cincinnati’s New One-Stop Manga Manga Is Cincinnati’s New One-Stop Shop for fans of Japanese comics Shop for fans of Japanese comics With a focus on art and community, the College Hill store lls a gap in Cincinnati’s fandom scene. With a focus on art and community, the College Hill store lls a gap in Cincinnati’s fandom scene. BY MACKENZIE MANLEY
BY MACKENZIE MANLEY
C. Jacqueline Wood likes to say that manga found her––not the other way around.
After years of working in the art nonpro t and freelance world, she was searching for a career change. at change came this spring in the form of Manga Manga.
Located in College Hill, the small bookshop, which shelves manga, or Japanese comics, opened in April. According to Wood, it is the rst brick-and-mortar space in Cincinnati dedicated solely to manga and lls what she saw as a void in the city. Her OTRbased experimental lm and video hub e Mini Microcinema, whose physical location closed in late 2019, showcased local and independent lmmakers. And during the pandemic, she brie y worked at a chain bookstore, where she learned how dedicated manga’s fanbase could be.
“Manga Manga is a celebration of Japanese creators who have brought universal stories to a global audience,” Wood tells CityBeat. “I am learning every day about the culture from which these stories originate, and I have so much more to learn. I am not an expert, but I am endlessly fascinated by the art form.”
Wood, who has a master’s of ne arts, says the shop carries nearly 5,000 books from an array of genres targeted toward speci c age groups, including sho nen (teen boys), seinen (men), sho -jo (teen girls), josei (women), and kodomomuke (young children) series. In slice-of-life to science- ction, LGBTQ+ issues, horror, non- ction and more, readers of all preferences can nd titles. Manga Manga also carries titles from the book publishing arm of Japan’s weekly Sho -nen Jump magazine, including One Piece, Naruto, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man and Bleach.
Along with manga, the shop carries a few manhwa (Korean) and manhua (Chinese and Taiwanese) series. ere are also DIY or underground titles, like Bubbles, a fanzine devoted to alternative comics from both America and Japan.
Wood says that having a variety of titles, artists and styles is vital.
“In the shop, too, it’s not just the popular series,” Wood says. “It’s very, very important to me to have art books and theory books. You can nd books about the history of manga and comics. To me, as a person who studied art, it’s very interesting. It’s important to provide context for the art form that you’re engaging in. ose books have been quite popular.”
Wood says that she considers Manga Manga much like e Mini Microcinema and her home studio in that everything needs to make sense and be geared toward user experience. ough the store has a clean, airy feel, parts of Wood’s personal history are placed intentionally: the chalkboard from e Mini, on which customers can answer questions or leave doodles; a oral vintage couch from her studio perfect for reading or chatting; and a small section dedicated to Studio Ghibli, an animation house of which Wood has long been a fan. Walk into Manga Manga on any given day and you may meet the store’s uno cial mascot, Dottie the shop dog, an adorable Shih Tzu.
“[Opening the store] felt like a really, really big risk in some ways because I
C. Jacqueline Wood likes to say that manga found her––not the other way around. am so new to the industry,” Wood says. “But at the same time, there was great
After years of working in the art comfort in everything that I would read nonpro t and freelance world, she was and the people that I would meet––I searching for a career change. at speci cally have two friends I reached change came this spring in the form of out to who are manga readers––thought Manga Manga. it was the greatest idea.”
Located in College Hill, the small One of those friends was Chris bookshop, which shelves manga, or Simmons, a longtime manga reader. Japanese comics, opened in April. Woods sought Simmons’ advice about According to Wood, it is the rst planning the initial inventory as well brick-and-mortar space in Cincinnati as getting a feel for what fans might dedicated solely to manga and lls what expect. Having a physical store dedi-she saw as a void in the city. Her OTR- cated to manga adds a level of comfort based experimental lm and video hub for fans, Simmons says, explaining that e Mini Microcinema, whose physical it gives younger, newer readers a safe location closed in late 2019, showcased space to engage and explore the hobby. local and independent lmmakers. Older, more established fans can walk And during the pandemic, she brie y in knowing what titles are available worked at a chain bookstore, where she without the worry of feeling awkward, learned how dedicated manga’s fanbase he adds. could be. “Basically, anyone on the spectrum
“Manga Manga is a celebration of of the fandom or the hobby is going to Japanese creators who have brought be embraced,” Simmons says. “ at is universal stories to a global audience,” just a super meaningful, super big shift Wood tells CityBeat. “I am learning for our city. A lot of cities have some-every day about the culture from which thing like this and we don’t speci cally these stories originate, and I have so for manga.” Simmons explains that the
much more to learn. I am not an expert, but I am endlessly fascinated by the art form.”
Wood, who has a master’s of ne arts, says the shop carries nearly 5,000 books from an array of genres targeted toward speci c age groups, including sho nen (teen boys), seinen (men), sho -jo (teen girls), josei (women), and kodomomuke (young children) series. In slice-of-life to science- ction, LGBTQ+ issues, horror, non- ction and more, readers of all preferences can nd titles. Manga Manga also carries titles from the book publishing arm of Japan’s weekly Sho -nen Jump magazine, including One Piece, Naruto, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man and Bleach.
Along with manga, the shop carries a few manhwa (Korean) and manhua (Chinese and Taiwanese) series. ere are also DIY or underground titles, like Bubbles, a fanzine devoted to alternative comics from both America and Japan.
Wood says that having a variety of titles, artists and styles is vital.
“In the shop, too, it’s not just the popular series,” Wood says. “It’s very, very important to me to have art books and theory books. You can nd books about the history of manga and comics. To me, as a person who studied art, it’s very interesting. It’s important to provide context for the art form that you’re engaging in. ose books have been quite popular.”
Wood says that she considers Manga Manga much like e Mini Microcinema and her home studio in that everything needs to make sense and be geared toward user experience. ough the store has a clean, airy feel, parts of Wood’s personal history are placed intentionally: the chalkboard from e Mini, on which customers can answer questions or leave doodles; a oral vintage couch from her studio perfect for reading or chatting; and a small section dedicated to Studio Ghibli, an animation house of which Wood has long been a fan. Walk into Manga Manga on any given day and you may meet the store’s uno cial mascot, Dottie the shop dog, an adorable Shih Tzu.
“[Opening the store] felt like a really, really big risk in some ways because I am so new to the industry,” Wood says. “But at the same time, there was great comfort in everything that I would read and the people that I would meet––I speci cally have two friends I reached out to who are manga readers––thought it was the greatest idea.”
One of those friends was Chris Simmons, a longtime manga reader. Woods sought Simmons’ advice about planning the initial inventory as well as getting a feel for what fans might expect. Having a physical store dedicated to manga adds a level of comfort for fans, Simmons says, explaining that it gives younger, newer readers a safe space to engage and explore the hobby. Older, more established fans can walk in knowing what titles are available without the worry of feeling awkward, he adds.
“Basically, anyone on the spectrum of the fandom or the hobby is going to be embraced,” Simmons says. “ at is just a super meaningful, super big shift for our city. A lot of cities have something like this and we don’t speci cally for manga.”
Simmons explains that the
Manga Manga carries nearly 5,000 books in genres targeted to speci c age groups.
PHOTO: SEAN M. PETERS Manga Manga carries nearly 5,000 books in genres targeted to speci c age groups.
PHOTO: SEAN M. PETERS
perception of manga and anime has shifted over the past few years. He likens the change to that of Marvel Comics and the lm universe built around Spider-Man, Iron Man and Black Widow: it’s now mainstream, not a nerdy pastime as it had been perceived in the past. ere’s also a FOMO (fear of missing out) factor at play, he says. People who grew up with the genre are able to convince others to try it out, leading more folks to nd deep, emotional stories happening within the medium, Simmons says.
Simmons notes that just a decade ago, a lot of manga simply wasn’t available, and Manga Manga’s customers agree.
“I’ve always felt like it’s harder to nd other fans of anime/manga because there aren’t many places to convene or get together unless it’s smaller friend groups,” frequent customer Jacob Cox tells CityBeat. “I look at Manga Manga as a chance for the community to come together in real-time and grow friendships and bonds that you can only get from inside a physical location.”
While bits of Wood’s personality are found throughout the store’s design, she intentionally wanted its aesthetics to be open so that customers can insert their own preferences. In the future, she hopes to add programming like book clubs, an art gallery, meetups and anime nights. In June, the store was a vendor at Anime Ohio, a convention held in Sharonville. ere are other projects in the works, too, including t-shirts and bookmarks designed by artists.
“I wanted people to come in here and feel two things,” Wood says. “I wanted them to feel at home, but I also want people to feel a little bit overwhelmed. And, so, the sheer number of books we have in this shop for the space and the number of series, I want people to feel like this is a candy store that they can explore and nd new titles they have never even heard of before.”
perception of manga and anime has shifted over the past few years. He lik- Manga Manga doesn’t have an aver-ens the change to that of Marvel Comics age customer, Wood says. On any given and the lm universe built around day, she may meet tattoo artists looking Spider-Man, Iron Man and Black for inspiration, curious neighbors, Widow: it’s now mainstream, not a college professors or avid enthusiasts. nerdy pastime as it had been perceived Plenty of families drop by, too. Megan in the past. Strasser, who owns plant store Fern in ere’s also a FOMO (fear of miss- College Hill and East Walnut Hills, says ing out) factor at play, he says. People her kids love having Manga Manga in who grew up with the genre are able their neighborhood. Her daughter is a to convince others to try it out, lead- fan of My Hero Academia and Toileting more folks to nd deep, emotional Bound Hanako-kun, while her son is stories happening within the medium, into video-game-to-manga titles like Simmons says. e Legend ofZelda, Pokémon and
Simmons notes that just a decade Splatoon. ago, a lot of manga simply wasn’t avail- “We try to limit visits to once a week, able, and Manga Manga’s customers and they will ask all week which day agree. we’re going,” Strasser says. “I can’t tell
“I’ve always felt like it’s harder to nd you how many times I picked them up other fans of anime/manga because from school and heard, ‘Remember? there aren’t many places to convene or You promised we could go to Manga get together unless it’s smaller friend today.’” groups,” frequent customer Jacob Cox As a business owner, Strasser says tells CityBeat. “I look at Manga Manga she has seen Manga Manga drawing as a chance for the community to come a diverse crowd from all over, helping together in real-time and grow friend- to bring people into College Hill who ships and bonds that you can only get otherwise may have not visited. from inside a physical location.” Manga Manga also has introduced
While bits of Wood’s personality are College Hill locals to manga and anime, found throughout the store’s design, including new customer Mike Jor-she intentionally wanted its aesthetics gensen, who lives just a few hundred to be open so that customers can insert feet from the shop. Before the store’s their own preferences. In the future, opening, Jorgensen had only read she hopes to add programming like American comics. anks to Manga book clubs, an art gallery, meetups and Manga, he started his manga journey anime nights. In June, the store was a with Spy x Family, a newer series that vendor at Anime Ohio, a convention blends humor with action, he tells held in Sharonville. ere are other CityBeat. His experience with the local projects in the works, too, including manga community is one that cel-t-shirts and bookmarks designed by ebrates everyone’s tastes and prefer-artists. ences, he adds.
“I wanted people to come in here and Wood would not have predicted that feel two things,” Wood says. “I wanted her life experience would culminate in them to feel at home, but I also want owning a manga store.people to feel a little bit overwhelmed. “Ultimately, I get to interact with And, so, the sheer number of books we really, really wonderful people every have in this shop for the space and the day, and that’s been a dream,” Wood number of series, I want people to feel says. like this is a candy store that they can explore and nd new titles they have never even heard of before.” Manga Manga doesn’t have an average customer, Wood says. On any given day, she may meet tattoo artists looking for inspiration, curious neighbors, college professors or avid enthusiasts. Plenty of families drop by, too. Megan Strasser, who owns plant store Fern in College Hill and East Walnut Hills, says her kids love having Manga Manga in their neighborhood. Her daughter is a fan of My Hero Academia and ToiletBound Hanako-kun, while her son is into video-game-to-manga titles like e Legend ofZelda, Pokémon and Splatoon. “We try to limit visits to once a week, and they will ask all week which day we’re going,” Strasser says. “I can’t tell you how many times I picked them up from school and heard, ‘Remember? You promised we could go to Manga today.’” As a business owner, Strasser says she has seen Manga Manga drawing a diverse crowd from all over, helping to bring people into College Hill who otherwise may have not visited. Manga Manga also has introduced College Hill locals to manga and anime, including new customer Mike Jorgensen, who lives just a few hundred feet from the shop. Before the store’s opening, Jorgensen had only read American comics. anks to Manga Manga, he started his manga journey with Spy x Family, a newer series that blends humor with action, he tells CityBeat. His experience with the local manga community is one that celebrates everyone’s tastes and preferences, he adds. Wood would not have predicted that her life experience would culminate in owning a manga store. “Ultimately, I get to interact with really, really wonderful people every day, and that’s been a dream,” Wood says.
Manga Manga is located at Manga Manga is located at 1612 Cedar Ave., College Hill. 1612 Cedar Ave., College Hill. Info: mangacincinnati.com. Info: mangacincinnati.com.
ONSTAGE ONSTAGE The Band’s Visit The Band’s Visit BY RICK PENDER Is a Musical Salve to Today’s Traumas Is a Musical Salve to Today’s Traumas
BY RICK PENDER
Janet Dacal and Sasson Gabay in The Band’s Visit.
PHOTO: EVAN ZIMMERMAN, MURPHYMADE Janet Dacal and Sasson Gabay in The Band’s Visit.
PHOTO: EVAN ZIMMERMAN, MURPHYMADE
How does a small indie lm from 2007 evolve into an award-winning Broadway musical hit a decade later? Itamar Moses, who wrote the book for e Band’s Visit, tells CityBeat how this musical came to be. e musical’s tour will be performed at the Arono Center for the Arts for a one-week engagement beginning July 19.
Moses says he received an email from a set of producers in 2014 asking him to consider adapting the lm’s screenplay about an Egyptian band getting stranded in a remote town in Israel. He had worked on a few musicals and knew that collaborating with a team of creators could be challenging. But legendary director and producer Hal Prince was part of the project, giving Moses some incentive.
“With Hal involved, I decided to go to the meeting,” Moses says.
Moses’s parents were from Israel, where the lm was a big hit, and he had visited the region many times.
“I immediately saw why they thought it [a musical adaptation] would work,” he recalls. “It had a small group of characters, mostly having conversations in rooms. It’s about a band, so there’s a very organic reason to have music. And it’s about trying to communicate across cultures with di erent languages. Music can be a metaphor for reaching across barriers. I felt like I was the person to do it.”
Moses’s interest gathered momentum when award-winning composer David Yazbek was being considered. Eventually, Yazbek signed on to o cially become the musical’s composer. His string of credible hits — e Full Monty (2000); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005), and Tootsie (2019) — elevated the likelihood of success. Moses says that in a phone conversation with Yazbek, he made it clear that he didn’t want to turn the show into an extravagant production.
“I wanted to keep it small and quiet, very spare,” Moses says. “David said all the same things I was thinking: Keep it small, strange, elegiac, poignant. We really connected over why we thought this could work.”
Eran Kolirin’s 2007 lm version of e Band’s Visit was inspired by a story about the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, comprised of Egyptian musicians who take the wrong bus and arrive at Bet Hatikva, a backwater Israeli settlement, rather than Petah Tikva, where they had been engaged to play at the opening of an Arab cultural center. Another bus will not come for 24 hours, so the musicians must spend the night. Under the spell of the desert sky with beautiful music perfuming the air, the band brings the town to life in unexpected and tantalizing ways.
Yazbek developed a seductive score for a show that o ers profound insights as the musicians and the townspeople intersect – especially Tew q, the band’s starchy, stand-o sh director, and Dina, the town’s de facto social director. ey seem to be on a track toward would-be lovers, but they relate awkwardly. A common connection nally occurs while sitting in a café talking about music by Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum and movie star Omar Sharif, whom both Dina and Tew q admire. Dina sings a magical song, “Omar Sharif,” about her memories of these Arab entertainers on the radio
How does a small indie lm from 2007 evolve into an award-winning Broadway musical hit a decade later? Itamar Moses, who wrote the book for e Band’s Visit, tells CityBeat how this musical came to be. e musical’s tour will be performed at the Arono Center for the Arts for a one-week engagement beginning July 19.
Moses says he received an email from a set of producers in 2014 asking him to consider adapting the lm’s screenplay about an Egyptian band getting stranded in a remote town in Israel. He had worked on a few musicals and knew that collaborating with a team of creators could be challenging. But legendary director and producer Hal Prince was part of the project, giving Moses some incentive.
“With Hal involved, I decided to go to the meeting,” Moses says.
Moses’s parents were from Israel, where the lm was a big hit, and he had visited the region many times. “I immediately saw why they thought it [a musical adaptation] would work,” he recalls. “It had a small and television as she grew up in Israel. Moses says translating a movie into a stage musical can be a challenge. “We don’t have the power of the camera to convey emotion with closeups and slow pans across a bleak
group of characters, mostly having conversations in rooms. It’s about a band, so there’s a very organic reason to have music. And it’s about trying to communicate across cultures with di erent languages. Music can be a metaphor for reaching across barriers. I felt like I was the person to do it.”
Moses’s interest gathered momentum when award-winning composer David Yazbek was being considered. Eventually, Yazbek signed on to o cially become the musical’s composer. His string of credible hits — e Full Monty (2000); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005), and Tootsie (2019) — elevated the likelihood of success. Moses says that in a phone conversation with Yazbek, he made it clear that he didn’t want to turn the show into an extravagant production.
“I wanted to keep it small and quiet, very spare,” Moses says. “David said all the same things I was thinking: Keep it small, strange, elegiac, poignant. We really connected over why we thought this could work.”
Eran Kolirin’s 2007 lm version of e Band’s Visit was inspired by a story about the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, comprised of Egyptian musicians who take the wrong bus and arrive at Bet Hatikva, a backwater Israeli settlement, rather than Petah Tikva, where they had been engaged to play at the opening of an Arab cultural center. Another bus will not come for 24 hours, so the musicians must spend the night. Under the spell of the desert sky with beautiful music perfuming the air, the band brings the town to life in unexpected and tantalizing ways.
Yazbek developed a seductive score for a show that o ers profound insights as the musicians and the townspeople intersect – especially Tew q, the band’s starchy, stand-o sh director, and Dina, the town’s de facto social director. ey seem to be on a track toward would-be lovers, but they relate awkwardly. A common connection nally occurs while sitting in a café talking about music by Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum and movie star Omar Sharif, whom both Dina and Tew q admire. Dina sings a magical song, “Omar Sharif,” about her memories of these Arab entertainers on the radio and television as she grew up in Israel.
Moses says translating a movie into a stage musical can be a challenge.
“We don’t have the power of the camera to convey emotion with closeups and slow pans across a bleak
Itamar Moses wrote the book for Itamar Moses wrote the book for The Band’s Visit. PHOTO: ANDREW ECCLES The Band’s Visit. PHOTO: ANDREW ECCLES
(L-R) Joe Joseph, Sasson Gabay and Janet Dacal in The Band’s Visit.
PHOTO: EVAN ZIMMERMAN, MURPHYMADE (L-R) Joe Joseph, Sasson Gabay and Janet Dacal in The Band’s Visit.
PHOTO: EVAN ZIMMERMAN, MURPHYMADE
desert landscape to direct viewers’ attention to a small object on a table,” he explains. “ at’s where music and songs come in. A song is like an emotional close-up. People reveal themselves and their feelings when they sing.”
For the musical version of e Band’s Visit, Moses brought together two moments from the lm when nevermarried Dina and lonely Tew q share their memories of Kulthum and Sharif. Moments of connection between Arab musicians and Israeli townspeople underscore common human desires of life, love and loss. e unassuming show began at the 200-seat o -Broadway Atlantic eater in late 2016. Following enthusiastic reviews, it moved to Broadway’s 1,000-seat Barrymore eatre a year later. ere, the show – which the New York Times called an “honest-to-God musical for grownups” – sparked more positive commentary and had 589 performances through April 2019. e Band’s Visit is one of just four musicals in Broadway history to win the uno cial “big six” Tony Awards —Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical. Its cast recording won a 2019 Grammy, and a tour began in 2019. Following a COVID-19 interruption, it’s on the move again, including this engagement in Cincinnati.
Interestingly, Tew q, played on Broadway by familiar TV actor Tony Shalhoub (who won a Tony for his performance), is now portrayed by Sason Gabay, who originated the role in the 2007 movie. Moses points out
desert landscape to direct viewers’ attention to a small object on a table,” he explains. “ at’s where music and songs come in. A song is like an emotional close-up. People reveal themselves and their feelings when they sing.” For the musical version of e Band’s Visit, Moses brought together two moments from the lm when nevermarried Dina and lonely Tew q share their memories of Kulthum and Sharif. Moments of connection between Arab musicians and Israeli townspeople underscore common human desires of life, love and loss. e unassuming show began at the 200-seat o -Broadway Atlantic eater in late 2016. Following enthusiastic reviews, it moved to Broadway’s 1,000-seat Barrymore eatre a year later. ere, the show – which the New York Times called an “honest-to-God musical for grownups” – sparked more positive commentary and had 589 performances through April 2019. e Band’s Visit is one of just four musicals in Broadway history to win the uno cial “big six” Tony Awards —Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical. Its cast recording won a 2019 Grammy, and a tour began in 2019. Following a COVID-19 interruption, it’s on the move again, including this engagement in Cincinnati. Interestingly, Tew q, played on Broadway by familiar TV actor Tony that there is a kind of “meta-layer” to Gabay’s performance. “Tew q’s story is that of someone who thought his last chance at love was past, and now he’s getting a second chance. at’s similar to what’s happened with Gabay returning to the role years later,” Moses says. Why did this unusual, small-scale show do so well? Moses suggests that initially it was because it opened on Broadway immediately after the tumultuous 2016 presidential election. “With all the rhetoric around immigration and border-crossing, a lot of people were craving a story about outsiders being welcomed,” Moses says. “Strangers can enrich everybody’s life!” at enthusiasm continued even after the tour’s COVID hiatus, Moses says. “People are still responding intensely. Now it’s more about feeling isolated, all the things we felt during the pandemic,” Moses says. “ e ice begins to melt when you get to connect with people after the trauma we went through. at message was inherent in the movie, and we were able to adapt it in a way that speaks to the pain or the trauma of almost any moment.” “ e antidote is always human connection, taking care of each other, opening the heart,” he continues. “Our show conveys that in a way that doesn’t feel preachy or sentimental. at’s why people respond to it.” Shalhoub (who won a Tony for his performance), is now portrayed by Sason Gabay, who originated the role in the 2007 movie. Moses points out that there is a kind of “meta-layer” to Gabay’s performance. “Tew q’s story is that of someone who thought his last chance at love was past, and now he’s getting a second chance. at’s similar to what’s happened with Gabay returning to the role years later,” Moses says. Why did this unusual, small-scale show do so well? Moses suggests that initially it was because it opened on Broadway immediately after the tumultuous 2016 presidential election. “With all the rhetoric around immigration and border-crossing, a lot of people were craving a story about outsiders being welcomed,” Moses says. “Strangers can enrich everybody’s life!” at enthusiasm continued even after the tour’s COVID hiatus, Moses says. “People are still responding intensely. Now it’s more about feeling isolated, all the things we felt during the pandemic,” Moses says. “ e ice begins to melt when you get to connect with people after the trauma we went through. at message was inherent in the movie, and we were able to adapt it in a way that speaks to the pain or the trauma of almost any moment.” “ e antidote is always human connection, taking care of each other, opening the heart,” he continues. “Our show conveys that in a way that doesn’t feel preachy or sentimental. at’s why people respond to it.”
THE BAND’S VISIT, presented by THE BAND’S VISIT, presented by Broadway in Cincinnati, runs July 19-24 at Arono Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. Broadway in Cincinnati, runs July 19-24 at Arono Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. Info: cincinnatiarts.org. Info: cincinnatiarts.org.
ONSTAGE ONSTAGE The Carnegie’s Summer Series Brings Energetic The Carnegie’s Summer Series Brings Energetic Performances to Covington
Performances to Covington BY RICK PENDER
BY RICK PENDER
The Carnegie’s Into the Woods production features 23 characters portrayed by only 10 actors.
PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER The Carnegie’s Into the Woods production features 23 characters portrayed by only 10 actors.
PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER
Producing musicals in July and August is a longtime theater tradition called “summer stock” – using a core company of actors to present a brief season of shows on a rotating basis. e Carnegie in Covington is taking this approach this year with a set of shows to entertain audiences in its Otto M. Budig eater. It kicked o the season in mid-June with an energetic staging of Stephen Sondheim’s fairytale musical, Into the Woods. Added into the mix as of July 16 is Jonathan Larson’s rock musical, Rent. A third show, George Remus: A New Musical, about the legendary bootlegger, will take place in August. Concluding performances of the shows happen August 26-28.
Into the Woods has been staged with nonstop energy by Katie Johannigman, a 2012 graduate of the musical theater program at University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she now teaches. Several members of her cast are standout CCM undergraduates. Tyler J. Martin plays the earnest, optimistic Baker, and Sarah Jane Nelson is his levelheaded, pragmatic wife. eir characters are desperate to have a child, and their last resort is assuaging the mercurial witch next door who put a curse on the Baker’s family. Sarah Pansing plays this nasty, mischievous character who often speaks and sings in rapid rhymes. Emma Rose Johnson, a musical theater student at Otterbein University in Columbus, is ighty Cinderella who grows up over the course of the show. August Bagg, a CCM senior, is spirited but dopey Jack. ese Carnegie summer productions are inventive but not extravagantly produced, conveying the energy and creativity of let’s-put-on-a-show summer theater. Into the Woods and Rent share several cast members and the
Producing musicals in July and August is a longtime theater tradition called “summer stock” – using a core company of actors to present a brief season of shows on a rotating basis. e Carnegie in Covington is taking this approach this year with a set of shows to entertain audiences in its Otto M. Budig eater. It kicked o the season in mid-June with an energetic staging of Stephen Sondheim’s fairytale musical, Into the Woods. Added into the mix as of July 16 is Jonathan Larson’s rock musical, Rent. A third show, George Remus: A New Musical, about the same set, an adaptable arrangement of platforms and ladders. Both are done with minimal casts. Into the Woods has 23 characters, but the Carnegie’s limited budget dictated using 10 actors, so there’s a lot of doubling with performers playing multiple roles and genders. Part of the fun of the production is seeing Jackson Reagin leave the stage as nasty stepsister Lucinda and then return moments later as the Big Bad Wolf or a preening Prince who woos Cinderella and others. Madison Mosley and Jamal Stone are also CCM students. Mosley brings to life a sassy Little Red Riding Hood and
legendary bootlegger, will take place in August. Concluding performances of the shows happen August 26-28.
Into the Woods has been staged with nonstop energy by Katie Johannigman, a 2012 graduate of the musical theater program at University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she now teaches. Several members of her cast are standout CCM undergraduates. Tyler J. Martin plays the earnest, optimistic Baker, and Sarah Jane Nelson is his levelheaded, pragmatic wife. eir characters are desperate to have a child, and their last resort is assuaging the mercurial witch next door who put a curse on the Baker’s family. Sarah Pansing plays this nasty, mischievous character who often speaks and sings in rapid rhymes. Emma Rose Johnson, a musical theater student at Otterbein University in Columbus, is ighty Cinderella who grows up over the course of the show. August Bagg, a CCM senior, is spirited but dopey Jack. ese Carnegie summer productions are inventive but not extravagantly produced, conveying the energy and creativity of let’s-put-on-a-show summer theater. Into the Woods and Rent share several cast members and the same set, an adaptable arrangement of platforms and ladders.
Both are done with minimal casts. Into the Woods has 23 characters, but the Carnegie’s limited budget dictated using 10 actors, so there’s a lot of doubling with performers playing multiple roles and genders. Part of the fun of the production is seeing Jackson Reagin leave the stage as nasty stepsister Lucinda and then return moments later as the Big Bad Wolf or a preening Prince who woos Cinderella and others.
Madison Mosley and Jamal Stone are also CCM students. Mosley brings to life a sassy Little Red Riding Hood and
A half-dozen of the actors from Into the Woods will also appear in The Carnegie’s A half-dozen of the actors from Into the Woods will also appear in The Carnegie’s Rent production. PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER Rent production.
then dons a long blonde wig to play the mournful Rapunzel, trapped in a tower. Versatile Stone rotates between playing the second ouncy stepsister Florinda, Rapunzel’s zealous Prince, and Jack’s woebegone cow, Milky White, a puppet created from a large traditional milk can and a pail. Experienced local actress Helen Anneliesa Raymond-Goers plays all “ e Mothers” to Cinderella, Beanstalk Jack, and Red Riding Hood, as well as the booming voice of the Giant’s Wife who is heard and felt but never seen. Roger Dumas Jr. is the persistent Narrator who patiently escorts the audience through the tangled web of fairy tales.
A half-dozen of the CCM actors from Into the Woods will also appear in Jonathan Larson’s Rent, a contemporary rock musical about starving artists inspired by Puccini’s opera, La Bohème. August Bagg plays aspiring documentary lmmaker Mark. Jackson Reagin and Sarah Jane Nelson are the lovers, struggling musician Rodger and the tragic drug-addicted performance artist Maureen. Jamal Stone is the outlandish
PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER Part of the fun of drag queen Angel, while Tyler J. Martin the production is and Madison Mosley are in the show’s seeing Jackson ensemble. Rent will be staged by Eric Byrd, an adjunct professor at CCM who Reagin leave the recently led a supercharged version stage as nasty of Newsies at Cincinnati Landmark stepsister Lucinda Productions’ Warsaw Federal Incline eater. Based on that production, Rent and then return promises to be a smartly staged, clevmoments later erly choreographed production. as the Big Bad e third production of the Carnegie’s summer season is George Remus: Wolf or a preening A New Musical, the story of the rise and Prince who woos fall of a penniless German immigrant Cinderella and who came to Cincinnati, worked as a pharmacist and a lawyer and eventually others. then dons a long blonde wig to play the mournful Rapunzel, trapped in a tower. Versatile Stone rotates between playing the second ouncy stepsister Florinda, Rapunzel’s zealous Prince, and Jack’s woebegone cow, Milky White, a puppet created from a large traditional milk can and a pail. Experienced local actress Helen Anneliesa Raymond-Goers plays all “ e Mothers” to Cinderella, Beanstalk Jack, and Red Riding Hood, as well as the booming voice of the Giant’s Wife who is heard and felt but never seen. Roger Dumas Jr. is the persistent Narrator who patiently escorts the audience through the tangled web of fairy tales. A half-dozen of the CCM actors from Into the Woods will also appear in Jonathan Larson’s Rent, a contemporary rock musical about starving artists inspired by Puccini’s opera, La Bohème. August Bagg plays aspiring documentary lmmaker Mark. Jackson Reagin and Sarah Jane Nelson are the lovers, became the most famous bootlegger of them all. He had politicians in his pocket, mobsters at his feet and a perfect scheme to sell barrels of whiskey during Prohibition. By 1922, Remus’ lavish mansion atop Price Hill was the scene of countless over-the-top parties. But it didn’t last. Carnegie eater director Maggie Perrino is staging Remus, which she has worked on for three years with playwright Joseph McDonough and composers and lyricists Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman. CCM performers Bagg, Martin, Mosley and Stone join a cast of local actors, led by theater veteran and Walnut Hills High School drama teacher Mike Sherman as the legendary bootlegger. is ambitious summer series at the Carnegie is a chance to see the kind of young musical theater talent that’s training at local universities, as well as a brand new musical recreating a colorful piece of local history. struggling musician Rodger and the tragic drug-addicted performance artist Maureen. Jamal Stone is the outlandish
Part of the fun of drag queen Angel, while Tyler J. Martin the production is and Madison Mosley are in the show’s seeing Jackson ensemble. Rent will be staged by Eric Byrd, an adjunct professor at CCM who Reagin leave the recently led a supercharged version stage as nasty of Newsies at Cincinnati Landmark stepsister Lucinda Productions’ Warsaw Federal Incline eater. Based on that production, Rent and then return promises to be a smartly staged, clevmoments later erly choreographed production. as the Big Bad e third production of the Carnegie’s summer season is George Remus: Wolf or a preening A New Musical, the story of the rise and Prince who woos fall of a penniless German immigrant Cinderella and who came to Cincinnati, worked as a pharmacist and a lawyer and eventually others. became the most famous bootlegger of them all. He had politicians in his pocket, mobsters at his feet and a perfect scheme to sell barrels of whiskey during Prohibition. By 1922, Remus’ lavish mansion atop Price Hill was the scene of countless over-the-top parties. But it didn’t last. Carnegie eater director Maggie Perrino is staging Remus, which she has worked on for three years with playwright Joseph McDonough and composers and lyricists Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman. CCM performers Bagg, Martin, Mosley and Stone join a cast of local actors, led by theater veteran and Walnut Hills High School drama teacher Mike Sherman as the legendary bootlegger. is ambitious summer series at the Carnegie is a chance to see the kind of young musical theater talent that’s training at local universities, as well as a brand new musical recreating a colorful piece of local history.
Into the Woods runs through Aug. 27. Into the Woods runs through Aug. 27. Rent runs July 16-Aug. 26. George Remus: A New Musical runs Rent runs July 16-Aug. 26. George Remus: A New Musical runs Aug. 13-28. Info: thecarnegie.com Aug. 13-28. Info: thecarnegie.com
Bertha G. Helmick
ATTORNEY AT LAW
DISSOLVE YOUR MARRIAGE DISSOLVE YOUR MARRIAGE Dissolution: An amicable end to marriage. Easier on your heart. Dissolution: An amicable end to marriage. Easier on your heart. Easier on your wallet. Easier on your wallet. Starting at $500 plus court costs. 12 Hour Turnaround. Starting at $500 plus court costs. 810 Sycamore St. 4th Fl, Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.651.9666 12 Hour Turnaround.
VOTED #1 TANNING SALON IN CINCINNATI
