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Cleveland Public Theatre I’ve been meaning to write about Cleveland Public Theatre for a while. They are for me one of the things that makes Cleveland worth living in, a bit of off-off-off Broadway, Soho and the West Village rolled into one, yet having the Midwestern friendliness we cherish, combined with a touch of Zen. They produce the edgy, experimental and provocative. They are also small and intimate. No theatre boxes here, you sit in cheap plastic chairs on risers. There are two stages associated with the theatre, the smaller stage called the Mainstage (a hangover from when it was the larger stage) and the newly opened, perpetually-in-the-process-of-renovation Gordon Square stage. Attending a performance or event in that theatre should be done with caution as the torn away walls and ragged edges of concrete which expose the rebar may remind some unpleasantly of September 11th. However, this renovation is restoring the oldest remaining theater (1907) in Cleveland So it was with no hesitation I accepted when my new friends at Chevrei Tikva (see that article), invited me to join them for a Sunday afternoon matinee of James Lescene’s "Word of Mouth". Mr. Lescene, directed by Eve Ensler of Vagina Monologue fame, presented about 10 different characters of all genders, sexualities and ages coming to grips with the voices of their dead, and learning how to live their lives. From my perspective the portrayals verged on caricature and stereotype, yet Mr. Lescene’s command of his voice and movement quality was so great as to make that complaint seem petty. I would swear that that one of the women was my late Grandmother’s chain-smoking gravel voiced late girlfriend named Roz. I should warn you that CPT is perceived to be in a rough part of town, located just a block east of the Cleveland GLBT center at 65th and Detroit on the West Side. My sense of wariness is this area however is not predicated on my choice of clothing for the afternoon. It’s just a good neighborhood for caution. Despite this, I have never had a problem, nor met anyone who has. Not-so-passable, not-so-little old me came, met her girl friends, bought her ticket, enjoyed the show and left with out incident, comment or even a raised eyebrow. And not for the first time. So put CPT on your list of things to do, when just looking at your new outfit in the mirror won’t. Oh, what did I wear to a matinee? A burgundy moleskin riding skirt I picked up for a song at the Talbotts’ outlet in Solon, a Western-style woven plaid (oranges and purples) blouse, salmon sneakers, matching one of the hues in the blouse and white knee socks. My girlfriends, comfortable in denim jeans, thought the shoes were cute. I didn’t dare tell them I got them drastically marked down at Dillards’ outlet in Euclid on the boy’s side of the isle. Cleveland Public Theatre 6415 Detroit Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44102 Cleveland
Public Theatre Season Calendar Diane Sofia Frank |