Playwright Keith Glover (Blusical, Dancing on Moonlight, Coming of the Hurricane) has returned to the Cincinnati Playhouse with a new work, Dark Paradise: The Legend of the Five Pointed Star. The play starts previews Jan. 30 and runs through March 2 at the Robert S. Marx Theatre.
Based on a showdown between good and evil where cowboys wrangle with vampires, Glover's play won the 2001 Lois and Richard Rosenthal New Play Prize, making the playwright "the award's first ever two-time recipient." Dark Paradise conjures up western heroes like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, as a young woman bearing "a secret as powerful as immortality itself" struggles for "the very soul of the town."
The Dark Paradise cast includes Tony Todd , Gary Sloan, James Horan, Leland Gantt, Kim Brockington, Mike Hartman, Ron Riley, Elena Aaron and Sean Haberle.
The creative team comprises set designer David Gallo, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward, special effects by Jim Steinmeyer, lighting designer Thomas C. Hase, sound designer David B. Smith, fight director Drew Fracher and dramaturg Maxine Kern. Bruce E. Coyle is the production stage manager and Jenifer Morrow is stage manager.
According to production notes, the special events for the run include "Playhouse Perspectives," a free pre-show lecture series, which takes place Feb. 11 at 6 PM. The guest speaker is playwright and director Glover. A ticket to the performance is not required to attend "Playhouse Perspectives." Four "Meet the Artists" programs will follow selected performances on Feb. 4, 7, 18 and 22. Audio-described performances of Dark Paradise for the hearing-impaired take place Feb. 3 -4, and audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are also available. Tickets range from $29-$41. For tickets call the Playhouse box office at (513) 421-3888 or toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at (800) 582 3208. Call (513) 345-2248 for TDD accessibility. Tickets also can be purchased on the Playhouse web site at www.cincyplay.com.
—By Murdoch McBride
