Robert Taylor

This week marks the beginning of what has become an enduring tradition for Playhouse Square, as they launch their annual ?Cinema at the Square.? For the next two weeks, fifteen classic films will be revived on the second biggest screen in the Cleveland area (the local Imax is bigger but, by the same token, they aren?t going to be running ?Gone With the Wind? anytime soon) at Playhouse Square?s Palace Theatre. Fifteen dollars will get you six tickets to the films of your choice, or you can pay five dollars at the door to films that are guaranteed memories in the making.

The Banks house in Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's theatrical version of Mary Poppins is a wonder to behold. Designed by Bob Crowley, the huge structure opens like a storybook, spins to reveal more secrets and has the magical ability to cause a gasp of delight from both parents and children alike. If only the happenings that occur within the Banks household were nearly as memorable as that house.

After beginning her career in Cleveland in Disney's jukebox musical On the Record, Ashley Brown has triumphantly returned armed with an umbrella, British accent and the ability to fly.

Last night, Mary Poppins played its first performance at Playhouse Square's State Theatre and seemed to magically transfer audiences into the New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City. It's not far-fetched to say that the touring production of 'Poppins' is the closest thing Cleveland audiences will get to the real Great White Way for quite some time. The show's set has been newly redesigned by the legendary Bob Crowley and all of the major special effects of the Broadway version have been recreated for this production. In addition, several cast members who originated their roles on Broadway are on the tour as well, including Ashley Brown as Mary and Gavin Lee as Bert.

Gavin Lee first took his bow as the beloved character of Bert five years ago when Mary Poppins began its first previews at the Bristol Hippodrome in England. Since then, he has performed the role at London?s Prince Edward Theatre, New York?s legendary New Amsterdam Theatre and, beginning Friday, will be taking his bows on the stage at Cleveland?s State Theatre in Playhouse Square.

?[title of show]? has always been the most intimate of stage experiences. Not only are we taking an inspiring musical journey that happens to be pretty much true, but all previous incarnations of ?[show]? also had the advantage of having the show creators playing themselves in their roles?one character even sings ?I Am Playing Me? early in the show. The original cast became Broadway celebrities through their juggernaut promotion of [show], which includes a still-going popular series of Youtube videos. So the notion of creating the show without the original cast is, at best, tricky and, at worst, suicidal. And yet the first regional production of ?[title of show]? opened last night at Playhouse Square?s 14th Street Theater and did just that.

It might have closed on Broadway earlier this season, but this weekend [title of show] returns triumphantly to life with the first regional version of the production at Playhouse Square's 14th Street Theater in Cleveland.

After pulling off the most difficult feat of appealing to both diehard Monty Python fans and newcomers to the British humorists, Monty Pythons Spamalot enjoyed a healthy and audience-pleasing run on The Great White Way before closing earlier this year. The touring version of the show is not dead yet, however, and arrived last night at Cleveland's Palace Theatre for an eight-show engagement.

Blake Bashoff misses having normal hair. Hes been playing the lovable, desperate, hairstyle-challenged Moritz in the hit show Spring Awakening for over a year, first with the Broadway company and currently with the first touring production of the show. The role of Moritz is a meaty, emotional tour de force for an actor, but it also means that Bashoff must go through not one, but two extreme hairstyles over the course of the musical?s two acts. And though Bashoff loves so many things about Moritz, he probably wishes that shampoo and conditioner were invented in late nineteenth century Germany.

To create a touring production of a Broadway hit, the production team usually has to scale down large sets, trim the corners and sometimes cut down the cast. With the ?Spring Awakening? touring production, it was just the opposite: the show would have to be made bigger. Gone would be the cozy feel of The Eugene O?Neill Theater, replaced with larger two-and-three tiered touring houses with bigger stages, and as a result the set would have to be expanded, creating more of an imposing feel than the original classroom did. But, more than any logistical problems, the question became this: Would ?Spring Awakening? even be viable as a touring show?

The current touring cast of Broadway's recently-closed hit musical Hairspray never has to worry about being without love. Indeed, the show has been welcomed with open arms and standing ovations in Canada, China, Japan and, of course, all over the United States. This weekend, the show will introduce Cleveland to the nicest kids in town when it arrives at the Palace Theatre for five performances?from February 6-8.

Despite closing recently on Broadway, Hairspray's beat is nowhere near stopping. The critically lauded tour is still going strong and bringing a little of the swingin? sixties to Cleveland?s Palace Theatre from February 6-8.

Cleveland, OH ? In partnership with Great Lakes Theater Festival, the PlayhouseSquare Arts Education Department is hosting the Cleveland Branch Finals of the annual English-Speaking Union?s (ESU) National Shakespeare Competition on Saturday, February 28. Students from 37 Northeast Ohio schools are participating. Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman will deliver the event?s keynote address at 9:00 a.m. ?We are so pleased to be partnering with PlayhouseSquare and Great Lakes Theater Festival on this project,? stated John Rampe, president of the Cleveland Branch of the English-Speaking Union. The winning student from the Cleveland Branch Finals will travel to the National Shakespeare Competition in New York City in April. The winner of that competition receives a full scholarship to the British American Drama Academy?s Midsummer Conservatory Program in Oxford, England. The Shakespeare Competition has been the primary educational program of the ESU Cleveland Branch for more than 20 years. Started with 500 students in New York City schools in 1983, the ESU?s Shakespeare Competition is now a national curriculum-based program that has helped almost 250,000 high school students develop their understanding of Shakespeare -- the beauty and scope of his language as well as the timeless themes embodied in his works -- and their ability to communicate that understanding. Currently the program reaches 16,000 students and 2,000 teachers annually via competitions run by 60 ESU branches across the United States. ?We are excited to bring the Shakespeare Competition to PlayhouseSquare,? said Colleen Porter, director of arts education at PlayhouseSquare. ?It offers yet another avenue for young people to experience the power of live theater and we are especially proud to connect them with the expertise of Great Lakes Theater Festival.? The participating schools include Beachwood High School, Beaumont School, Benedictine High School, Berea High School, Brecksville-Broadview Hts. High School, Brush High School, Carl Shuler, Cleveland Hts. High School, Cleveland School of the Arts, Cuyahoga Hts. High School, East High School, Fairview High School, Garrett Morgan, Gilmore Academy, Glenville High School, Hathaway Brown School, Hawken School, Holy Name High School, Independence High School, James Ford Rhodes High School, John Adams High School, Lakewood High School, Laurel School, Lincoln West High School, Magnificat High School, Mayfield High School, Midpark High School, Normandy High School, North Olmsted High School, Shaker Hts. High School, St. Edward High School, St. Ignatius, St. Joseph Academy, Success Tech Academy, Warrensville High School, Westlake High School and Whitney Young High School. PlayhouseSquare places incredibly strong emphasis on arts education and believes that it is essential to improving the quality of life in our community. Through a variety of workshops and classes designed for people of all ages, the PlayhouseSquare Arts Education Department offers avenues to discovery, appreciation and development in and through the performing arts, connecting participants with national and international artists in unique and meaningful ways. PlayhouseSquare initiates collaboration among educators, artists and other community organizations, and actively forms mutually beneficial partnerships with local arts organizations to create and present arts education experiences of the highest quality. Always striving to fulfill its role as an asset to the Northeast Ohio community, PlayhouseSquare is an active leader in advocating arts education both locally and within the performing arts industry.