The Whole Ruth

Go Behind the Scenes

Stay after select performances for Becoming Dr. Ruth for a behind-the-scenes discussion with the cast and crew.

April 17 at 2 p.m.

April 24 at 2 p.m.

April 27 at 7:30 p.m.

May 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets and information.

Perhaps the most unlikely sex symbol of the late 1980s was Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Before the age of the Internet, she answered callers’ most intimate questions about sex and relationships on the radio and TV.

The one-woman show, Becoming Dr. Ruth, now at Playhouse in the Park, offers a glimpse of the tiny woman behind the microphone.

With five doctorate degrees – including in family and sex counseling – she helped create a new way for people to express their feelings about intimacy and sex. But despite her familiarity, many still don’t know her whole story.

In this heartwarming portrait, Dr. Ruth narrates the harrowing and fascinating details of her life from the tragic separation of her family during the Holocaust to her experiences as an Israeli sniper to her struggles with balancing work, higher education and single motherhood in America. Becoming Dr. Ruth is a humorous, affectionate and illuminating one-woman show that’s full of grit and triumph.

Anne O’Sullivan makes her Playhouse in the Park debut, having performed the role of Dr. Ruth in theaters around the country, including the 2019 production with director Stephen Nachamie, the director of this production, at the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, Mass.

Given the subject matter, Becoming Dr. Ruth is recommended for adult and teenage audiences, as it contains discussion of healthy sex and sexuality, while also covering other mature topics. But true to its subject, these topics are addressed with a cheerful and disarming tone.

The play is sponsored by The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, one of many programs and interactive experiences included in the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial, marking 200 years of Jewish community life in the city.