Panelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have awarded Clifton Player“™s production of The Riverside with a 4 star recommendation.
The Riverside is a new play by Kevin Crowley, that takes place in Cincinnati in 1989. That year was a seminal year: Tiananmen Square, the fall of the Berlin Wall and, in Cincinnati, icon Pete Rose was permanently banned from the game of baseball. As the denizens of the Riverside bar in Cincinnati closely follow the Rose saga, other big changes are afoot and decisions regarding the future of this family owned bar will irrevocably change the family and its patrons.
Panelists called The Riverside “œa lively and ambitious new play“¦an exciting work, balancing a kind of magical realism, black comedy, and suspense in a historical era rich in ironic undercuttings of generational American ideals of family, sports, and localized notions of success.“ The entire ensemble showed “œdeep engagement with the characters“¦they worked so well together and seemed entirely natural in their portrayals of the characters.“ Buz Davis“™s scenic design was praised, “œThe staging of the bar rose to the challenge inherent at Clifton’s Theater with beautiful creativity and an invitation to the audience members to feel a part of the play itself“¦the set decor seemed completely authentic to 1989.“
Clifton Player“™s The Riverside runs through September 27th. Tickets can be purchased at http://cliftonplayers.wordpress.com/tickets.
Nominations for LCT awards will be determined and announced at the end of the season and winners awarded at the annual LCT party in the summer.
