Photos courtesy of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
Rehearsals for Rutka
Submitted by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
A powerful new indie-rock musical based on the international bestseller Rutka’s Notebook: A Voice from the Holocaust debuted Oct. 13 at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Presented by MC and Tom Brennan, Linda and Gary Greenberg, and The Lemmerman Family and based on the diary of Rutka Laskier, RUTKA: A NEW MUSICAL runs through Nov. 10. Opening night is Oct. 17. “We are thrilled to launch this world premiere musical on its journey to Broadway right here in Cincinnati,” stated Blake Robison, Osborn Family Producing Artistic Director. “It fulfills a promise to our community to make the most of Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre’s state-of-the-art technology and overall capabilities, enabling the work we create to gain national attention on the industry’s largest stages.”
RUTKA features a powerful ensemble of young performers who bring the true story of Rutka Laskier, a Jewish teenager who lived in 1943 Poland during the Holocaust, to life on stage with original songs and a raw and emotional sound that promise an extraordinary musical experience. Music and lyrics are by Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd-Styles, formerly of the Brooklyn-based band Pearl and the Beard, and the book is written by Emmy nominee Neena Beber, known to many for her work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The show was conceived by Amy Langer and David B. Schwartz of Think System Productions.
The world-premiere musical is based on Rutka’s Notebook: A Voice from the Holocaust, the personal diary of Rutka Laskier, which her friend discovered and kept safe for decades before it was eventually published.
“Working and creating from such important source material gives the project a great deal of import and emotional resonance,” says Playhouse Associate Artist Wendy C. Goldberg, director of RUTKA. “I have been deeply inspired by the idea that Rutka’s friends are trying to create their own world under such horrible circumstances, and they are also trying to fight back and keep a sense of hope. That message remains essential during times of crisis. The enormity of loss that the Holocaust wrought is a story we do need to return to, so we never forget, and we never repeat.” Goldberg’s directorial credits at the Playhouse include The Lifespan of a Fact (2019) and the world premiere of Leveling Up (2013). Goldberg is a nationally acclaimed theatre artist and serves as the artistic director of the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center — an organization that, under her tenure, has been awarded the 2010 Regional Tony Award and the 2016 National Medal of Arts from the White House.
Tickets
Prices vary based on seating location and performance day. Preview performances take place at 2 p.m. on Oct. 13 and at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 15 and 16. Opening night is Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Regular performances will take place on Tuesday-Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A weekday matinee will be offered Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Playhouse Box Office. Patrons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled: dial 711 to connect to the Box Office via Ohio Relay Services.
Advisory
RUTKA is recommended for ages 12 and up. The teenage characters in Rutka try to live normal lives with discussions of first feelings of love, first kisses and new haircuts. Yet, the reality of the world around them includes descriptions of the violence and death associated with the Holocaust.
