Playhouse in the Park

I don't go to the theater much. I would love to, but I can't afford it. When the choice came down to have another child or having a little extra money, we've always chosen another child.

So I was thrilled when I heard on the radio last summer that Playhouse in the Park was giving away vouchers for a free ticket. I called and gave my address, and in a few weeks I got a voucher in the mail along with the schedule for the season.

I'm sure the idea was to give away a voucher for one ticket so that the recipient would also buy another ticket. But as you will find out if you read this blog for long, I am cheap. I am also a stay-at-home mom who is delighted with a chance for a free night out alone. ALONE is a beautiful word to stay-at-home moms.

So I looked over the season and decided to see Dracula. I am a sucker for vampires. Oh. I really did not intend that horrible pun. Sorry. Please don't leave.

If you have never been to Playhouse in the Park, it is definitely worth a visit. The theater is inside Eden Park, the centrally-located city park that also contains the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Krohn Conservatory. The park is wooded and hilly, with fountains and flowers and playgrounds. It is a beautiful place.

Spaces in the theater's parking garage are sold with the season tickets, so the helpful voice on the phone explained that I would need to arrive early enough to find alternate parking. There is a free, public lot along the street below the theater and it was nearly empty when I arrived. I crossed the street and climbed the long flight of stairs cut into the hill up to the theater. It was a lovely walk on a fall evening.

The Playhouse is divided into two theaters: the Marx Theatre and the Thompson Shelterhouse. The Playhouse has a bar and a coffee bar that offer drinks for two hours before performances. I had a Long Island Tea for $6. The last night of a play's run at the Marx Theatre also includes a free buffet, so I unexpectedly got dinner with my show (the desserts were uninteresting, but the mushroom marsala soup was wonderful).

The Playhouse contains many different levels reached by stairs, with a few tables and chairs at each level. This meant that even though I knew I was eating with 100 other people, in my little spot I was never around more than twenty. But heaven help you if you leave your table for long - don't expect to get it back.

I don't want to get too unnecessarily detailed, but I will mention that it was nice to be in a theater that had, ahem, facilities adequate for so many people.

The play itself was fun. Dracula is a familiar story and people expect it to be played a certain way, and the cast did not depart from that. There were a few unfortunate attempts at British accents, but one actor pulled his off quite well. I was particularly impressed with the actor who played Dr. Seward, who moved around the stage as comfortably as though it were his own living room, which it was supposed to be. The play even had a couple of floating special effects, which I did not expect.

I don't see plays very often, so I have no idea when I will be back to Playhouse in the Park, but I am very glad I made it at least once.