CINCINNATI — When Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's world premiere comedy "The Rewards of Being Frank" closes this Saturday, the run isn't over. The show travels to an off-Broadway stage in New York City, opening for those audiences in March.
"We run Tuesday through Sunday so it is work, but it's good work," said Kelly Mengelkoch, who plays Gwendolen in the production.
It's a sequel to Oscar Wilde's iconic comedy "The Importance of Being Earnest," set seven years later as two couples are navigating the seven-year itch of their marriage. Cast members say it's just as funny as the original work, with plenty of Easter eggs for its fans, but also accessible to those unfamiliar with its source material.
The production is a partnership between Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and the New York Classic Theatre, which will house it for one month at its A.R.T. Mezzanine Theatre on West 53rd Street in Manhattan.
"It's honestly the ideal circumstance, to get to go there with a show already as opposed to going there and trying to audition and book a show," said Jeremy Dubin, who plays Ernest. "It's like 'Oh no, we have work.' And that's a great way to go to that city."
This is the first time this local theatre has sent a play to NYC, a unique opportunity that caught both Mengelkoch and Dubin's attention during the audition process. She was cast before he was, making for an awkward wait.
"I moved to New York right out of college and busted my butt waiting tables and didn't get to do what I grew up loving since age 5," said Mengelkoch, who is originally from Kansas but now lives in Cincinnati. "So getting to find a place in the universe that says 'You can have what you want in life and be an artist' — I'm one of the lucky ones right?"
Mengelkoch had another reason to put down roots here.
The pair doesn't just play a married couple in the show, they've been married in real life for a dozen years. And they met working together at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.
They plan on spending a week in New York after the show's run there, to sightsee and watch more theatre since they'll be performing seven shows over six days a week. And they're already thinking about what to pack.
"Our dog is coming with us," Mengelkoch said. "What a gift!"
"The Rewards of Being Frank" will end its Cincinnati run with a toast to the NYC sendoff before its final performance Saturday night. Afterward, the set gets carefully taken down and the costumes get packed to be trucked to Manhattan and rebuilt in a similarly-sized theatre for another run, starting March 3.
"About a week before we head up there, the production team will be heading up there and driving this stuff up there and be loading in and trying to figure out what adjustments they need to make," Dubin said.
Tickets were still available on Thursday.
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