Last night my wife and I were treated to a free dress rehearsal performance of Oliver Twist by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company thanks to Yelp. This was our first time seeing this company perform and our first time in their intimate theater that seats roughly 150 audience members. The theater space is just thirteen rows deep and there is not a bad seat in the house.

Hamlet

Prior to the performance we were provided complimentary drinks as well as Holtman’s Donuts and Patty’s Old Fashioned Popcorn, all of which were excellent. Holtman’s will be opening a shop in Over-the-Rhine soon, and I look forward to many mornings with their delicious treats. Patty’s is very close to our house and we are regular customers there. If you’ve never had their cookies ‘n cream flavored kettle corn, it is a must try!

Theater

The performance of Oliver Twist was excellent! I was blown away by the singing and acting of the company, they all appeared to be very professional. While the backdrop was fairly simple, it was perfectly transformed between scenes often times with the actors still on the stage doing most of the lifting themselves. Though I have never read Oliver Twist and only have a slight understanding of the play’s story, I found the performance very entertaining.

Oliver Twist will run September 6 – 29, 2013 with evening performances Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and matinée performances Sundays at 2 p.m. Thursday and Sunday prices are adults $31, seniors $27, and students $22. Friday and Saturday: adults $35, seniors $31, and students $26.