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CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK PRESENTS PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST (CINCINNATI) – The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will open the new year with a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize, Sarah Ruhl’s offbeat comedy The Clean House. The story of clean homes and messy lives begins previews on January 24 and continues through February 24 in the Playhouse’s Robert S. Marx Theatre. Matilde is a young Brazilian woman who has been hired as the live-in maid to Lane, a high-powered doctor. The problem is that cleaning makes Matilde sad. The daughter of the funniest people in Brazil, whose mother literally died laughing, Matilde yearns to tell jokes instead. Lane, however, just wants her house cleaned. Fortunately for Matilde, Lane’s sister Virginia lives to clean and offers the maid a proposition: With her own home already in order by 3:00 p.m. each day, she’ll come and clean her sister’s home before Lane returns from work. The deal seems to be working perfectly until, one day, Virginia and Matilde find evidence that Lane’s perfect life isn’t as tidy as it seems. This is confirmed when Lane shares the news that her husband Charles, a surgeon, has fallen in love with one of his patients and is planning to leave her. To make matters worse, Charles shows up at Lane’s door one day with his soul mate, declaring that he wants all of them to be friends. The surprising relationships that follow send everyone reeling. This humorous and moving new play is about laughter we don’t understand, events we can’t control, houses we can’t keep clean and the power of the perfect joke. The Clean House received its world premiere in 2004 at Yale Repertory Theatre. Prior to that, it won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize based on staged readings at New Jersey’s McCarter Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre and New York’s Women’s Project and Productions. Playwright Sarah Ruhl received her master’s of fine arts degree in playwriting from Brown University, where she was a student of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel. Her other works include Melancholy Play, Orlando, Eurydice and Passion Play and have been produced at theatres across the country, including The Wilma Theater, South Coast Repertory, The Public Theater and Arena Stage. The cast for The Clean House features returning actors Paul DeBoy (A Flea in Her Ear) as Charles, Lynn Milgrim (Ah, Wilderness, The Last Night of Ballyhoo) as Ana and Priscilla Shanks (A Picasso) as Lane. Making their Playhouse debuts are Susan Greenhill as Virginia and Michele Vazquez as Matilde. The show is directed by Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Michael Evan Haney. Other members of the production team include Narelle Sissons (Set Designer), Gordon DeVinney (Costume Designer), David Lander (Lighting Designer) and Jill BC Du Boff (Sound Designer). The first stage manager is Andrea L. Shell and the second stage manager is Suann Pollock. Prices for The Clean House range from $35.50-$48.50, depending on day and seat location. All tickets are $32.50 for the preview performances at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 24 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 25. The official opening night is Thursday, January 26 at 8:00 p.m. Any unreserved tickets are half-price every day when purchased at the Playhouse between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the day of the show (for performances Tuesday through Saturday) and from 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available. Tickets to The Clean House are on sale now. For more information, 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. For single tickets purchased by telephone through the Playhouse box office, there is a $3 convenience fee per call. Tickets also are available online at www.cincyplay.com. Artists fly to and from Cincinnati on Delta Connection Comair. The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses that give to the Fine Arts Fund. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Playhouse also receives funding from the City of Cincinnati. |
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Meet the Artists 2 p.m. Sunday, January 29 Audio Described Performance Signed Performance Playhouse Perspectives Dining Options Karlo's Bistro at the Playhouse offers full-service dining prior to most evening performances. Dinners include salad, entrée and dessert. Reservations are required by noon on the day of the show. The price is $21, which does not include gratuity. Karlo's Casual Fare offers busy theatre patrons an alternative light, quick bite prior to the show. Options include salads, sandwiches, soups, pasta and desserts. No reservations are required. Sponsors Fine Arts Fund Partner: The 2005-2006 Marx Theatre Series is presented by The Marx Season Design Sponsor is the ### |
