Dale Hodges and Raymond McAnally Photo by Ryan Kurtz

Cincinnati stage veteran Dale Hodges is back as the starchy but complex title character who runs a class to train young teens the ins and outs of socially acceptable behavior. And versatile Raymond McAnally returns to play her most successful pupil–"Jeffrey Hatcher," the playwright's 10-year-old self–as well as an array of caricatured fellow students and several miscellaneous adults. It was a satisfying and well received formula in 2012, and it strikes gold again in 2026.

In its past iteration, Meyers recruited the venerable Ed Stern, the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's recently retired artistic director, to stage the show. Hodges was also a Playhouse regular and repeatedly drew audiences to ETC, where she frequently performed. McAnally had nailed the rubbery title character in a very funny Playhouse production of Larry Shue's The Foreigner, making him a perfect choice to conjure up the amusing minor characters Hatcher recalled from his childhood. Meyers, herself a very adept director, undertook the staging this time, and her result is every bit as laugh-inducing as Stern's.

The story plays out before a gigantic, cheerful 1950s-style postcard for Steubenville, Ohio where it's 1967 in playwright Hatcher's hometown. Brian c. Mehring's scenic design beyond that dominant image is simple, with a hardwood floor (perhaps the gymnasium where dance classes were held), but generic enough for a classroom and the room where the Daughters of the American Revolution meet to witness the success of Mrs. Mannerly's students. Mehring also designed the lighting, which often "freezes" the rigorous teacher in a pool of light as Jeffrey reminisces about her. A wooden chair and a small table sometimes serve as a student desk and seat, sometimes a table for practicing the stringent pattern for the timed placement of silverware and teacups.

McAnally's versatility as an actor brings to comic life a handful of Jeffrey's fellow students, full of tics and personal quirks that make them readily identifiable via the actor's quick-change versatility. He never changes from Jeffrey's grown-up clothes (costumes designed by Hannah Plessinger), but his round-lensed eyeglasses come on and off repeatedly for emotional emphasis, and his facial expressions–a smarmy know-it-all, a kid with a load of snot that he has no regard for, one who digs for sexual innuendos–are all that's needed to let you know who's speaking. An especially amusing character, Patsy, is a hot-to-trot, promiscuous teenage girl who wears pink-framed glasses: McAnally performs an incredible two-sided make out session between her and Jeffrey that's highlighted by quick exchanges between the eyeglasses and some angsty rolling around on the floor.

Hodges' portrait of Helen Anderson Kirk, aka "Mrs. Mannerly"–the nickname given to her for her 36 years of tutoring young adolescents in the rules of etiquette and manners–is firmly etched, wearing a fierce, lipstick-red suit and matching shoes. But she's more than a cartoon: She has a possibly scandalous past, and she lives in a rented room in a downtown Steubenville hotel. Young Jeffrey is an amateur sleuth doing his best to suss out her past, including an evening of drinks in the hotel lounge, with his teacher becoming increasingly unguarded. Hodges handles the transition, awkward and touching, beautifully.

The story of Mrs. Mannerly is a sort of lighthearted coming-of-age tale. Adult Jeffrey, narrating the story, intends to reveal his own motives as a young teen for trying so hard to earn a perfect score from Mrs. Mannerly. In fact, young Jeffrey is a precociously polite kid who really only needs some polishing, which he zealously takes, studying Emily Post's "Teen Etiquette" and "Table Manners for Kids." Once his classmates have disappeared one-by-one, he's the last man standing for a D.A.R. luncheon where he might be crowned as the best student ever. A failure at sports and more traditional paths, this is his big opportunity. It doesn't go exactly as planned.

While many of Mrs. Mannerly's lessons seem silly by today's standards and practices, young Jeffrey learned important lessons about growing up and thinking about others. That being said, there is nothing didactic about this story: It's rooted in the countless humorous experiences of growing up. This fine production at Ensemble Theatre will lead many of us watching to reflect on our own growing-up years. I imagine almost everyone will leave the theater with smiles on their faces. That's just the kind of tonic we need in these divided times.

Mrs. Mannerly runs through November 1, 2026, at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine Street, Cincinnati OH. For tickets and information, please visit ensemblecincinnati.com or call 513-421-3555.