FRIDAY 17
Ken Ludwig writes some of today’s funniest plays. Lend Me a Tenor is a classic, and the Cincinnati Playhouse will soon stage his amusing Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. But currently the Covedale Center is presenting a Ludwig laugh fest about a pair of British Shakespearean actors barely getting by performing scenes in Pennsylvania’s Amish country. Learning that a fortune might soon go to two long-lost nephews, they decide to step in — only to discover that the heirs are nieces instead. The humor begins there and gets sillier as their misadventure unfolds. Through April 2. $27 adults; $24 students/seniors. Covedale Center, 4990 Glenway Ave., Covedale, cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.
DANCE: BOLD MOVES
To say that this weekend’s Cincinnati Ballet presentation is bold would be redundant. The program is called Bold Moves, after all — it features a demanding performance of the very physical “Minus 16” by Ohad Naharin, the artistic director of Tel Aviv’s Batsheva Dance Company. Naharin’s so-called Gaga style of dance, which encourages free movement and even improvisation, has become so renown he’s the subject of a new documentary, Mr. Gaga.The evening also features the world premiere of “Cut to the Chase” by Adam Hougland, Cincinnati Ballet’s resident choreographer, set to the Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 18, No. 1 in F Major. The Ariel Quartet will perform the music live. “It could be our most contemporary ballet in the entire repertoire,” says Victoria Morgan, artistic director and CEO of the ballet, of the program. Of his own “Cut to the Chase,” Hougland agrees by saying, “It’s the most physically demanding work I’ve ever choreographed.” Read more about the program here.
Many celebrate the arrival of Saint Patrick’s Day by going out with friends, enjoying a helping of kegs and eggs and figuring out where the parades are and — more importantly — where the party will be. Fountain Square is hosting a free party this Friday for everyone, whether or not they’re Irish. Celtic Rock bands will be performing throughout the day, with Saint Patrick’s Day merchandise and a lot of Guinness for sale. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday. Free. Fountain Square, Fifth and Vine streets, Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.
SAINT PATRICK’S DAY: MOLLY MALONE’S SAINT PADDY’S DAY CELEBRATION
Ol, ceol, bia agus craic! Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Restaurant takes Ireland’s national holiday very seriously. Since 2007, the restaurant has infamously thrown one of the largest, all-day Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Area. Hosted by WEBN, the festivities formally kick off at the top of the morning with 7 a.m. kegs and eggs, followed by live music and entertainment starting at 10:30 a.m. and lasting till the wee hours of the mornin’. 7 a.m.-close Friday. Free admission. Molly Malone’s Covington, 112 E. Fourth St., Covington, Ky., covington.mollymalonesirishpub.com.
“I’m remarkably the same,” Paula Poundstone reports in advance of her arrival in Cincinnati for a show at the Taft Theatre Friday night. “I’m lucky to be making a living out of something that’s really fun to make a living out of.” A frequent panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, Poundstone often just chats with her audience for part of her set. However, current events are also a topic of discussion these days. “The recent election has been coming out through our pores and our sweat during the day,” she says. “You can’t help talking about it. It’s everywhere.” On stage is where she can try and make sense of it all. “I think about it a lot. It scares me. It saddens me, and I’m trying to find the right words to articulate it. I find it’s a good coping mechanism to speak truth to power.” 8 p.m. Friday. $40. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org.
SATURDAY 18
SPORTS: CINCINNATI ROLLERGIRLS’ SEASON OPENER
The Cincinnati Rollergirls kick off their season this weekend at their new home, Schmidt Memorial Fieldhouse at Xavier University, with a triple-header featuring all three Cincinnati roller derby teams. The Silent Lambs junior varsity team will face the Black-N-Blue Gems, the Black Sheep will play the Fort Wayne Derby Girls and the Cincinnati Battering Rams welcome Springfield, Ill.’s Capital City Hooligans to town. Games last all day, so come and go as you please. 6-9:30 p.m. Saturday. $15 adults at the door, $12 advance; $7 kids at the door, $5 advance. Schmidt Memorial Fieldhouse, 3900 Winding Way, Evanston, cincinnatirollergirls.com.
Macaron Day: It’s like a bar crawl centered around sweet and colorful meringue-based confections. Just mention “Macaron Day” at bakeries across Cincinnati, including Macaron Bar, the BonBonerie, Taste of Belgium, Buona Terra and more, and you’ll receive a free macaron. Established in Paris circa 2005, Macaron Day became a time to savor the French treat and give back. Here in Cincinnati, several bakeries have their sights set on the same goal: A portion of proceeds from participating bakeries will benefit the Pink Ribbon Girls. Saturday; call for specific store hours. Free. Details at macaron-day.com.
Emily Moores’ second annual “long-term project documenting artists integral to Cincinnati’s community,” the publication Cincinnati Five, will feature a coordinating exhibition of this year’s chosen artists at Modern Makers’ newest gallery space just off of Short Vine in Corryville. Moores’ yearly selection process involves a rotating panel of three judges, and this year’s criteria heavily emphasized community engagement, a serious art practice and a minimum of five years exhibition experience. From this year’s nominations, the judges chose artists Tracy Featherstone, Carolyn L. Mazloomi, Alice Pixley-Young, Sheida Soleimani, and Carol Tyler. Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Saturday. Free. Modern Makers, 2619 Glendora Ave., Corryville, modernmakers.org.
EVENT: 2017 MARCH MADNESS FLYAWAY
March Madness is about to kick off for 2017 and sports fans are filling out their brackets strategically, analyzing teams and statistics, while the rest of our are filling out our brackets at random, basing our picks on cute team names and mascots. With the University of Cincinnati, Xavier, University of Kentucky, Louisville and Northern Kentucky University all in the tournament this year, there is a team for everyone in the Tristate. And Starfire — the local nonprofit dedicated to decreasing the social isolation felt by people with developmental disabilities — hosts their 19th-annual March Madness Flyaway, featuring an open bar, food from area restaurants, live music and live broadcastings of the NCAA Tournament games. Proceeds benefit Starfire. Read more about teams headed for the NCAA Tournament in the cover story on page 14. 7-11 p.m. Saturday. $45-$50. The Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, starfirecouncil.org.
This isn’t your ordinary Classical music festival. Over its six-year history, the Constella fest has been described by founders as a movement that aims to change the way people perceive the performing arts. Incorporating the genres of dance, opera, instrumental music, interdisciplinary works and even digital content, this year’s festival offers an entire week of strikingly unique performances, beginning with Everybody Loves Opera featuring singers Jessica Rivera and Scott Wyatt 8 p.m. Saturday at Covenant First Presbyterian Church (717 Elm St., Downtown). Visit constellaarts.com for a full schedule and see page 25 for more information. Through March 25. Ticket prices and locations vary per event. constellaarts.com.
SUNDAY 19
Sometimes a tribute band can succeed with just the sheer cleverness or uniqueness of the concept behind it. But the entertainment value of, say, Mini Kiss (which featured little people playing KISS tunes) had its limits. Dread Zeppelin, a Reggae Led Zeppelin tribute band fronted by an Elvis impersonator, proved that it helps to have interesting material, too, enjoying several years of college-radio success in the ’90s. Two of today’s best comedy/Rock tribute-band conceits (with the chops and song-parody skills to match) — Mac Sabbath and Okilly Dokilly — have teamed up for The Mockstrosity Tour. Over the past couple of years, Mac Sabbath has backed up its amusing concept (Black Sabbath songs played by full-costumed McDonaldland characters and featuring lyrics rewired with food references) with an outrageously hilarious stage show. The group is joined by relative upstart act Okilly Dokilly, which made a splash before a note of music was heard when word spread about its Metal (or “Nedal”) style, which is based on Simpsons character Ned Flanders. 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $15 advance; $18 day of show. Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, woodwardtheater.com.
Do you like beer? How about dogs? (If you answered “no” to either, I have a lot of questions.) Local bully-breed rescue organization Adore-A-Bull hosts their fourth-annual Pints & Pitties Saint Patrick’s Day celebration Sunday at Christian Moerlein Brewing Co., complete with adult-style carnival games and prizes for you and your fur kids, plus vendors, raffles and a special keg tapping. Adoptable dogs from the rescue will be onsite, channeling the luck of the Irish in hopes of finding their forever homes. Meanwhile, imbibe as many drinks as you’d like: $1 of all pints sold will benefit the rescue. In order to give adoptable dogs more exposure, humans are asked to leave owned pets at home. Noon-4 p.m. Sunday. $20; $30 VIP (only 100 available). Christian Moerlein Brewing Co., 1621 Moore St., Over-the-Rhine, adoreabull.org/event/pintsandpitties.
