Cincinnati Playhouse Presents BUZZER, Now thru 4/19

Tracey Scott Wilson's provocative new play BUZZER, set in a gentrifying neighborhood, takes up residence in the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre tonight, March 21 through April 19. By turns darkly funny and heartbreaking, BUZZER pushes many timely hot buttons of race, class, sex and real estate.

Wilson brings three longtime friends together to live in an apartment in a rapidly changing community: Jackson, a successful black attorney who grew up in the neighborhood and views acquiring the upscale apartment as his triumphal return "home"; Suzy, his white girlfriend, who teaches at an inner-city school; and Don, Jackson's white prep-school friend, who squandered his birthright of wealth and privilege on a drug habit he's trying to overcome.

For Jackson, it's a complicated homecoming to a neighborhood that's only partially familiar. For Suzy, the location's tensions shadow its potential charm. And for Don, whose addiction immersed him in the neighborhood's dangerous past, it's a balancing act that leaves him tottering.

BUZZER'S triangle of 20-somethings - who have grown up in a multicultural world that is sometimes declared to be "post-racial" - have a different experience of race relations from previous generations, but it quickly becomes apparent that they still haven't figured out how to handle them openly. Their apartment is an uneasy sanctuary, and the perils of the neighborhood soon come through the door despite the barriers set up to keep them out.

"Any three individuals who share a complicated history and who are living in close quarters are bound to reignite the prickly, unresolved issues among them ... that's just human nature," says Playhouse Associate Artist Timothy Douglas, who is directing BUZZER. "Add to that BUZZER'S scrutinizing look across the lines of marriage, culture and class - and the result is a real-time example of the well-made play."

BUZZER was commissioned by Pillsbury House Theatre, where it debuted in 2012, and Guthrie Theater, where it ran in 2013. BUZZER will make its off-Broadway debut this spring at The Public Theater. Wilson's other works include The Story, The Good Negro, Order My Steps, Exhibit #9 and Leader of the People. She has also worked as a television writer, on the FX spy drama The Americans and NBC's Do No Harm.

"BUZZER is my first directing encounter with Tracey Scott Wilson's work," says Douglas, "though I was an immediate fan when I saw the New York productions of her plays The Story and The Good Negro. What most attracts me to Ms. Wilson's work is its ability to distill the innumerable angles and often confounding conversations surrounding issues of race in America in a progressive and clarifying way."

The BUZZER cast features Cincinnati native Eric Lynch as Jackson, Alec Shaw as Don and Carly Zien as Suzy. The creative team, in addition to Douglas, includes set designer/costume designer Junghyun Georgia Lee, lighting designer Peter Maradudin and sound designer Matthew M. Nielson. Jenifer Morrow is the production stage manager.

BUZZER is sponsored by Sallie and Randolph Wadsworth. TriVersity Construction is the design sponsor. The honorary producer is The Crawford Family Foundation.

Ticket prices for BUZZER start at $30. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices. The show is recommended for adult audiences.

New for the 2014-15 season is Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances priced at just $10 with a valid student ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances. In advance, student tickets are $30.

Previews for BUZZER are at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 21; 7 p.m. Sunday, March 22; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. The official opening night is Thursday, March 26, at 8 p.m.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.

Because BUZZER is a show that is designed to foster discussion, the Playhouse will host talkback sessions after each performance. There will also be a Playhouse Perspectives event at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28, which is free and open to the public. Participants will include Timothy Douglas as well as representatives from HOME (Housing Opportunities Made Equal), a Greater Cincinnati fair housing organization. Playhouse Perspectives is supported by Roderick and Barbara Barr.

Additionally, free Meet the Artists programs that allow audiences to interact with the cast

and others associated with the production will be held after the following performances: 2 p.m. Sunday, March 29; 2 p.m. Sunday, April 5; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8; and 8 p.m. Thursday, April 16.

The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

Tickets to BUZZER are on sale now. For more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.

To post a comment, you must register and login.