The “Scarlet Pimpernel” came home Thursday.

        Broadway actor and singer Ron Bohmer, graduate of the School for Creative and Performing Arts and star of The Scarlet Pimpernel, returned to his alma mater to give advice to aspiring stage performers and perform songs from his album Another Life and the musical, which is at the Aronoff Center.

Ron Bohmer and Lindsay Gorman, 17, a senior at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, look over photos of Mr. Bohmer performing at the school in the 1970s. (Glenn Hartong photos) | ZOOM |

        Students and teachers listened intently as Mr. Bohmer and Pimpernel co-star Amy Bodnar, who plays Marguerite in the show, spoke about the rigors of Broadway life and the joys of performing.

        “This is a gift, to do what we get to do,” Mr. Bohmer said.

        Mr. Bohmer, 39, grew up in Cheviot and was part of the School for Creative and Performing Arts' first graduating class in 1979. While at the school, he performed in the musicals Guys and Dolls and The Music Man.

        But Mr. Bohmer's name doesn't appear in the school's yearbook: He changed the spelling of his last name from Bommer to Bohmer after graduating from Webster University in St. Louis.

Ron sings Thursday for SCPA students. | ZOOM |

        Being in theater is rewarding, but takes hard work and perseverance, the pair said. When he first moved to New York, Mr. Bohmer worked as a waiter and carriage driver between auditions.

        “There are going to be down times, but it is worth it,” Ms. Bodnar said.

        Students said the actors' stories of theatrical success gave them inspiration for their own futures.

        “It's a really cool thing when actors come back to the school and talk about (successes),” said freshman Katie Gifford, 14, from Pleasant Ridge. “There are so many people at the school who are dreamers.”

Ron Bohmer's yearbook photo

        Because the School for Creative and Performing Arts was such an important part of his theater career, Mr. Bohmer said he wanted to provide the same inspiration to current students.

        “The school has been like a parent to me,” he said.

        And returning to Cincinnati is always a plus for Mr. Bohmer.

        “I think things are really taking off here,” he said. “I'm thrilled to see more theater happening in this town.”

       The show runs through Jan. 28 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts Procter & Gamble Hall; 241-7469.
       

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