The waiting is over. The world-wide musical sensation Ride the Cyclone opens at Church Hill Theatre on November 8, for only nine performances. Tickets started selling in August, so be sure to make your own reservations immediately. Ride the Cyclone, with music, lyrics and book by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell has been called “…the most uproarious and outrageous piece of musical theatre Canada has ever produced.”  Since its premiere in 2008, this musical about doomed students from Uranium City, Saskatchewan, has become that rarity: a viral teen favorite that appeals to all generations. That is thanks to a timeless plot of loss and redemption—and to the memorable music.

Ride the Cyclone is introduced by Karnak (Howard Mesick), a mechanical fortune teller with the macabre ability to foretell when people will die.  Unable to warn students in the St. Cassian Chamber Choir about an impending accident on a fair midway, Karnak arranges a game of life and death, pitting the teens against each other. Karnak also predicts that “the one who wants to win it the most shall redeem the loser in order to complete the whole.” Confusing, right?

The first contestant is Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg (Saige Wilson), a supremely self-confident school leader. She convincingly argues that as the most likely to succeed, she is the most worthy of continued life. Karnak seems less impressed with her song, “What the World Needs.”

Next up is Noel Gruber (Connor Christopher), who, while dishing out orders at Taco Bell, dreams of being a flamboyant French prostitute.  Believing himself the only gay boy in Uranium City, Noel emulates Edith Piaf or Marlene Dietrich in the tear-jerker “Noel’s Lament.”

The third competitor is Mischa Bachinski (JW Ruth), adopted by a Canadian family after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Instead of the toddler they expected, Mischa arrived a troubled teen and they never bonded. To cope, he projects a gangsta rap image to cover up an acute longing for his old home. His hip-hop performance transitions into the love ballad “Talia.” Although not a contestant, Mischa’s lost love Talia (Chloe Bennett) makes a poignant appearance.

Mischa is followed by Ricky Potts (Ian Stotts), who despite becoming mute and unable to walk after a mysterious illness, is a member of the choir. In compensation for his disability, he has a fully formed fantasy life that features “sexy cat women” from a far-off galaxy.  In “Space Age Bachelor Man,” we meet an entirely different Ricky.

The fifth contestant (Maya McGrory) is nameless because of the severity of her injuries.  Known only as Jane Doe, her spirit has no memory of a past life.  Her hauntingly beautiful “The Ballad of Jane Doe,” is the most memorable song in the whole show.

The final competitor is Constance Blackwood (Natalie Stinchcomb), Ocean’s side-kick and maybe the nicest girl in town. But Constance’s cheerful exterior hides self-loathing and self-harm. Only the roller coaster accident convinced her that living is “goddamn wonderful,” as she expresses in her song, “Jawbreaker/Sugar Cloud.”

Naturally, Karnak then changes the rules of the game, and it gets more exciting before we learn who wins.

Director Kat Melton has put the orchestra in the balcony and incorporated amazing video projections to transform CHT’s Art Deco jewel box theatre into the carnival ambience of a second-rate traveling amusement park.  Ride the Cyclone will open on Friday, November 8, and run through Sunday, November 24, with performances at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 pm on Sundays. More information and tickets on the website: churchhilltheatre.org

Dan Brown, a Cleveland native who appeared at Church Hill Theatre in September 2023 is returning, on October 3 and 4. Dan is a favorite at comedy clubs, theatres and corporate events all over the US. His Dry Bar Comedy Special, “Not Shopping Here Today,” was released in October 2021. He headlined the Finger Lakes Comedy Festival in Ithaca. He appeared in Walt Disney Resorts in 2023.

Dan’s combines real life observations and experiences that is honest and insightful and relatable to all audiences. Dan talks about life from the perspective of a father, family man, relations and laughing through life as a wannabe superhero. If you want a sample, danbrowncomedy.com has a few video clips.

Joining Dan this year is friend and colleague Jesse Pimpanella. His debut comedy special, HOT MESS was #1 on Amazon and is currently streaming on Roku TV. He recently shot his second special, which will be released in late 2024. When Jesse is not on the road, he is working with Good Medicine Productions, which brings live and empowering entertainment to children’s hospitals. No matter when or where, Jesse Pimpinella will have an audience rolling in laughter and wanting more!

The Church Hill Theatre will present Dan Brown on Stage on Friday and Saturday October 4 and 5 at 7 pm. Tickets are $20 if purchased online at www.churchhilltheatre.org or $25 at the box-office on performance nights.

 

August: Osage County, by Tracy Letts, swept all the major awards when it opened on Broadway in 2008, winning the Pulitzer Prize as well as multiple Tonys, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and other awards.  The 2013 film version was a critical success, with both Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts nominated for Academy Awards. The Church Hill Theatre revival, directed by Shelagh Grasso, promises to be the dramatic highlight of the season.

Although a comedy, ranging from snarky one-liners to belly-laugh physical humor, this is not frivolous entertainment. The play covers several weeks in the life of the Westons, an outwardly normal and successful Oklahoma family. But inside the sprawling country house, their dysfunctional rot is spreading. Too many secrets. Too many pills and too much booze. Too much abuse. And too damn hot. And that’s just setting the scene for the real action.

When the noted poet Beverly Weston goes missing, his wife, three daughters and other family members gather as the search for him continues.  Bev’s wife Violet, in treatment for cancer, needs their support but not as much as she needs to prove who’s in charge. Her cruelty and sharp tongue soon inflict more pain and revenge than she might have intended.

The audience gets to watch the disintegration in horrified suspense, maybe finding flickers of similar experiences or guilty memories of their own.  In his rave New York Times review, Christopher Isherwood called August: Osage County “…flat-out, no asterisks and without qualifications, the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years. Fiercely funny and bitingly sad…”

Carmelo Grasso and his team have constructed a set that amplifies the pressure cooker relationships: nobody has quite enough room to breathe, much less protect secrets. There are no small parts in this play and all actors present full, essential and complete versions of their characters.

Kathy Jones, playing the matriarch Violet, moves effortlessly from real vulnerability to full-force attack mode. While the poet Beverly Weston appears only briefly, Greg Minihan’s portrayal shadows the entire

production.

The three Weston daughters have all attempted to escape the toxicity of their childhood home. The oldest, Barbara, thought she had found safety in marriage, motherhood and a teaching career in Colorado with her husband Bill and daughter Jean. They should have known better. Tess Jones and Christopher Wallace bring exceptional chemistry to a tight but failing relationship. Addyson Crooks is sadly believable as yet another victim of the family discord.

Karen attempted to change her fate by breaking contact and having lots of fun without any real commitments. Sharon Herz is hilarious, and deeply sad, as this discarded child. Her sleazy fiancé Steve Heidebrecht, played by Steve Hazzard, doesn’t seem affected by the Weston malaise but he is not welcome—and ultimately is forced out.

Ivy is the good girl, the daughter who stays near home to care for her parents…until she isn’t. Chelsea Clough’s Ivy plays the long game, one she intends to have a happy ending. Well, she isn’t a fortune teller.

Violet’s sister Mattie Fae Akin and her family (husband Charlie and son Little Charles) live not that far away but haven’t visited in two years. The sisters share a lot of painful history and Bev and Charlie were once good friends. Still, secrets fester and, hey, why does Mattie Fae always diss her son? Debra McGuire and Gil Rambach have lots of the best comedic lines in the show and are utterly believable as a close, but squabble-prone, couple. Paul Briggs brings real depth to Little Charles, a man who has finally gotten, he thinks, what he wants.

Shortly before disappearing, Bev Weston hires Johnna Monevata, a Cheyenne woman, to oversee the household and assist Violet. She is largely ignored by the family but almost always visible in the house.  Brianna Johnson plays her as a stoic observer, not judging, but protective of her charges. The local sheriff, Deon Gilbeau, is an old high school friend of Barbara. James Diggs plays him with dignity and compassion.

August: Osage County opens on Friday, September 13 and runs through Sunday, September 29, with performances at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 pm on Sundays. While suitable for most teens, this show with strong language and strong themes is not recommended for younger children. Tickets are available through the CHT website: www.churchhilltheare.org.

Church Hill Theatre is eager to receive proposals from new talent and well-established veterans to direct the following productions in the upcoming 2025 Season.

• The Philadelphia Story, by Phillip Barry, is a comedy about Tracy Lord’s wedding weekend on the Philadelphia Main Line and the events that ensue involving her ex-husband, fiancé, a couple of journalists and her family. Production Dates: March 14-30, 2025
• The Bridges of Madison County, a musical based on the novel by Robert James Walker, with music by Jason Rober Brown and book by Marsha Norman, a sweeping “what if” love story set on the Iowa plains. Production Dates: June 6-22, 2025
• Murder on the Orient Express, adapted by Ken Ludwig from the Agatha Christie novel, a mystery with Hercule Poirot trying to solve the murder of an American tycoon while the train is stuck in a snow drift. Production Dates: September 12-28, 2025
• Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage, a drama in which truck stop sandwich shop offers its formerly incarcerated kitchen staff a shot at redemption as they aspire to create the perfect sandwich. Production Dates: November 7-23, 2025
• A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, the classic Dickens tale based on the Orson Welles radio broadcast of 1938. Production Dates: December 19-21, 2025

Note: The first production of 2025 season, The Belle of Amherst by William Luce. Production Dates: January 10-12 is already in rehearsal.

Information and instructions for submitting a proposal are on the CHT website: www.churchilltheatre.org.  Perusal copies of the scripts from the office are limited. Interested directors may also call the office (410-556-6003) to arrange a mutually convenient time to walk the stage, inspect the light booth, look at our props and costume collection, and generally get a feel for the facility. Proposals must be received by September 15. The CHT Production Committee then will review submissions and reach decisions by early October. Nobody on the Production Committee will be eligible to direct during the 2025 season.

Note that some parts of the submittal are very open-ended and require an explanation of director’s vision and how it would be created on the CHT stage. Directors who have not directed at CHT before should include enough information for the committee to evaluate proposals accurately. Any director interested in submitting a proposal should notify the CHT office of their interest so that changes in the program or proposal procedures can be communicated to them before the deadline.

Church Hill Theatre is excited about the upcoming season and hopes area directors share our enthusiasm.