NEWS

Incline Theater's new season sophisticated, edgy

David Lyman

Enquirer Contributor

Tim Perrino has been saying it for ages.

The plays at Cincinnati Landmark Productions' new Warsaw Federal Incline Theater would "have some teeth." They would include "mature" subject matter. In other words, they would have a very different profile from the productions typically staged by its sister theater, the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts.

Turns out Perrino, Landmark's artistic director, wasn't exaggerating.

The premiere "District Series" announced by Perrino last week includes shows featuring corruption, graphic language, attempted rape and a variety of other adult themes. And love, of course. But the four shows are more than provocative. Each of them won dozens of major awards, from Tonys to Pulitzers, during their days on Broadway.

Covedale has had its share of mature moments, too. This season's production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" was, at times, downright harrowing. But Covedale's seasons are typically built around lighter shows – featuring plays and musicals that are either family fare or less edgy.

Perrino had already announced a summer season at the Incline. And frankly, it was a trio of shows that would not have been out of place at the Covedale. The Summer Classics Season features "The Producers" (June 3-21), "1776" (July 8-26) and "9 to 5" (August 12-30).

So all eyes were on him when he announced the Incline's new "District Series," named for the Incline District in East Price Hill where the new theater is located. It is at the corner of Matson Place and West Eighth Street, within 60 seconds' walk of two well-known restaurants, Primavista and the Incline Public House.

The season consists of:

• "Extremities" – Sept. 30-Oct. 18 – Best-known from the 1986 film it is based on, which starred Farrah Fawcett. The play deals with a would-be rapist who is captured by his intended victim. It's a disturbing and morally complex play, as the woman has to decide how she should exact revenge.

• "Rent" – Dec. 2-20 – The late Jonathan Larson's 1996 musical spoke to a generation of young adults who found in his music and script a reflection of their own end-of-the-century struggles. The affection wasn't limited to Gen Xers, though, as it went on to become a huge, multi-generation hit.

• "Avenue Q" – Feb. 17-March 6, 2016 – A show about love, soul-searching and coming of age. That could describe many shows. But a sharp score, witty lyrics and a cast that is three-quarters puppets quickly differentiated this from the crowd. Winner of a Tony Award for Best Musical.

• "Glengarry Glen Ross" – April 6-24, 2016 – David Mamet's 1984 play is not for the squeamish. The language is rough. Most of the characters are singularly unlikeable. But if you can get past all of that, the payoff is enormous. Winner of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

"Obviously, our brand is growing broader," says Perrino. "So we'll have to broaden our audience at the same time. There is a portion of our current audience who love what we do here (at Covedale), but love and enjoy titles that are more modern and have more mature content. I expect we will see them at both of our theaters."

But he knows the Incline Theatre will have to attract new people, people who have never attended a Cincinnati Landmark Productions show. And he thinks that is an achievable goal. In its favor, he cites the size of the theater – just 220 seats – the well-known titles and the location in an up-and-coming neighborhood perched on a hillside overlooking downtown Cincinnati.

For some, it still seems like an expensive pipe dream. But you'd be hard-pressed to bet against Perrino and his crew, who moved into an abandoned movie theater in a faded West Side neighborhood in 2002 and turned it into one of the area's more successful theater companies.

"Certainly it's a roll of the dice," says Perrino. "But we haven't gone into this blindly. So far, we're having fun and we haven't even opened our first show yet. It's a hell of an adventure."

Perrino also announced the Covedale Center's Marquee Series:

•"A Chorus Line" – Sept. 3-27

• "Fox On The Fairway" – Oct. 22-Nov. 15

• "Mary Poppins" – Nov. 27-Dec. 20

•"Chapter Two" – Jan. 21-Feb. 14, 2016

•"She Loves Me" –March 10-April 3, 2016

• "Brigadoon" – April 28-May 22, 2016

For information about either theater, call 513-241-6550 or go to www.cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.