Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park replaced its larger theater with Moe and Jack’s Place–The Rouse Theatre last year for multiple reasons, mostly to use state-of-the-art technology and staging. The new space was designed with a proscenium stage, rather than the old thrust stage setup, because that’s the configuration used in the major Broadway halls—and Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison wants to mount new shows in Cincinnati that eventually head to Broadway.
The Playhouse won a 2007 Tony Award when its production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company nabbed Best Revival of a Musical. Director John Doyle, lead actor Raul Esparza, and other cast members debuted the show at the Playhouse in spring 2006, then took it to Broadway that fall.
The Rouse Theatre presents another Broadway opportunity this season, when Rutka: A New Musical opens on October 13. The world premiere indie rock musical is based on the diary left behind by Polish teenager Rutka Laskier in 1943 before she and her family were murdered in the Holocaust—a tale of hope and resilience that brings to mind Anne Frank.
New York producers are partnering with the Playhouse to stage the new show here, with hopes that it will be deemed Broadway-worthy. Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Joanie Schultz says the partnership “has attracted a top-notch creative team and cast for Rutka’s journey to Broadway. Creating a world premiere musical of this size is no small effort.”
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