WEDNESDAY 12
ONSTAGE: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
After 25 years, the venerable Cincinnati Shakespeare Company tries something “new” — for it, if not for us. It is presenting a musical: Stephen Sondheim’s 1962 Tony Award-winning A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. A humorous tale about a scheming slave in ancient Rome, it has the infectious energy of vaudeville along with such songs as “Pretty Little Picture,” “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid,” “I’m Calm,” “Bring Me My Bride” and more. Through Sept. 29. $67 adult; $63 senior; $41 student. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshakes.com.
MUSIC: Chromeo brings Electro Funk to the Madison Theater. See Sound Advice and get concert details here.
ONSTAGE: Ensemble Theatre’s Fly By Night is a darkly comic Rock musical. See review here.
ONSTAGE: The Playhouse in the Park’s production of Misery is edge-of-your-seat suspenseful and highly entertaining. See review here.
MUSIC: Colorado trio The Yawpers bring Folk-flavored Rock to MOTR Pub. See Sound Advice here.
VISUAL ART: Collecting Calligraphy: Arts of the Islamic World
Collecting Calligraphy at the Cincinnati Art Museum explores the craftsmanship, skill, beauty and function of calligraphy from the 9th century to the 20th, featuring 55 works on paper including historic manuscripts, pages from the Qur’an, calligraphic practice sheets and political decrees from such countries as Spain, Turkey, Syria, Iran and India. The show celebrates a recent gift to the museum from local residents JoLynn and Byron Gustin, but the institution has been acquiring Islamic calligraphy since the 1940s and has a substantial collection. Many of these items will be on public display for the first time. Through Jan. 27, 2019. Free. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.
THURSDAY 13
Stephen Markley’s Ohio is creating buzz as a “Great American Rustbelt Novel” for its story of four former high-school classmates returning to New Canaan, Ohio after 9/11 and the start of the Great Recession to confront unresolved personal issues against a societal backdrop of foreclosures, Walmarts and opioid addiction. Its publisher, Simon & Schuster, considers it a fiction counterpart to Hillbilly Elegy or Janesville. The author will be here to discuss and sign copies of his book, a debut novel. 7 p.m. Thursday. Free. Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Norwood, josephbeth.com.
LIT: Author Luc Sante delivers this year’s Albert Pyle Urban Lecture at the Mercantile Library. See an interview here.
“Once I got out of college, I started getting interested in stand-up and going to open mics,” says comedian Steve Gillespie. A political science major, his course of study has influenced his comedy somewhat over the years. As he’s gotten deeper into the art form, those interests are surfacing onstage. “I was always interested in social and economic stuff and how we as a society dole out resources, but with an absurdist twist on it,” he says. Indeed, the sets he’s done on late night TV aren’t quite indicative of his full headlining set. “I like to get a lot more experimental on longer sets and push the envelope a bit more,” he says. There are also tends to be some crowd interaction. “Nothing’s off the table and no one is safe.” Through Sunday. $8-$14. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.
FRIDAY 14
ComedySportz Cincinnati is a local version of a national improv comedy show that pits two teams against each other in an improv competition to win audience points. The clean and family-friendly matches are entirely improvised and require audience suggestions. The troupe is hitting the road this weekend and leaving their Memorial Hall home to perform at the American Sign Museum. 6-10 p.m. Friday. $12. American Sign Museum, 1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington, otrimprov.com/comedysportz.
MUSIC: Electronic music pioneer Gary Numan brings British New Wave to Bogart’s. Read an interview and get concert details here.
MUSIC: Brooklyn experimental Pop band Ava Luna heads to MOTR Pub. See Sound Advice and get concert details here.
EVENT: The Cincinnati Comic Expo takes over the Duke Energy Convention Center with a weekend’s worth of cosplay, comics, celebrity appearances, a Harry Potter-themed geek prom and more. Read an interview with the founders and get event details here.
Projected ghosts swirl on the walls as figments of cockroaches scurry across the floors. Screams resound, mangled by the twisted churr of chainsaws. To usher in Halloween season, one of the region’s most-frequented haunts — Dent Schoolhouse — is opening its doors. Behind the haunt is the ever-evolving lore based on the legend of Charlie the janitor, who supposedly murdered multiple children from the school and hid their bodies in the basement (while you stand in line, you’ll see him stalking the perimeter). Enter if you dare, and prepare to be spooked by this horror-filled schoolhouse; you won’t be the only one, it sees 30,000 guests per year. Through Oct. 31. $20-$25; $50-$55 for front of line. Dent Schoolhouse, 5963 Harrison Ave., Dent, frightsite.com.
ONSTAGE: Luna: A Wizarding World Parody
Fans of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series know Luna Lovegood to be one of the most quirky, sincere and likable witches at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, so even muggles couldn’t ignore when Improv Cincinnati announced Luna: A Wizarding World Parody. This musically-driven stage show chronicles the dreamy titular character’s travels across Midwestern America in search of a fantastic beast. Canonically, this unlicensed fan-fiction takes place five years after the events in book seven of the series, Deathly Hallows. Luna is pursuing her interest in magizoology, the same field of study shared by Newt Scamander, the protagonist of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. This is put on by hardcore HP devotees, so pregame with some butterbeers for an authentic wizard’s Friday night out. 8 p.m. Fridays through Oct. 6. $20. Clifton Performance Theatre, 404 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, improvcincinnati.com.
FILM: Airborne 25th Anniversary Screening
Does the name Mitchell Goosen mean anything to you? If not, adjust your priorities. Airborne is a Cincinnati-filmed, 1993 Rollerblading-focused teen drama that follows California surfer Mitchell as he relocates to Cincinnati to live with his aunt and uncle while his parents are on assignment in the Australian Outback. Mitchell trades in riding waves for blading down Cincy’s sweet hills and joining the high school ice hockey team (the movie weirdly and incorrectly thinks Cincinnatians are obsessed ice hockey). Starring Shane McDermott as Mitchell, Seth Green as his cousin Wiley and Jack Black as MoonDoggy, a dude from high school, the film features awesome Cincy scenes and landmarks, an intense blading competition and a really great Seth Green outfit-change montage. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film, some diehard fans are screening it at Northside Yacht Club, followed by a ’90s dance party. Rollerblades and Baja sweatshirts are welcome and encouraged for both indoor and outdoor use. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday. Northside Yacht Club, 4227 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, northsideyachtclub.com.
EVENT: Cocktails & Couture at the Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincy Chic hosts this evening of cocktails and fashion at the Cincinnati Art Museum featuring historic fashion vignettes, a cocktail tasting led by mixologist Molly Wellmann, a vintage fashion show and shopping opportunities. 6-9 p.m. Friday. $10; $25-$35 VIP with fashion show seating. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, 2018cocktailscouture.eventbrite.com.
SATURDAY 15
Event: Fifty West’s Fifty Fest
Fifty West Brewing Company brings together a bevy of local brewers for an afternoon of local beer, local music and local food. Check out timed tappings of rare and specialty beers plus more than 80 others available to sample whenever. There will also be a cocktail booth, food trucks, petting zoo and music from the likes of 90 Proof Twang, Bad Veins, Freak Mythology and The Almighty Get Down. All ages. Noon-midnight Saturday. $7 presale; $10 door; $30 VIP (presale only). Fifty West, 7668 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftywestbrew.com.
EVENT: Cincinnati Mini Maker Faire
The Cincinnati Maker Faire is a collection of curious tinkerers and creatives who have gathered to show off their creations — like a science fair meets show-and-tell meets craft market. Everyone from engineers and scientists to kids and artists will present their hobbies, experiments and projects for guests to check out. There will be robots and fiber art, 3D printing, home brewers and booths from the likes of Cincinnati Parks, Happen Inc., Anti Fashion Boot Camp, the public library’s MakerSpace and more. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $7 adult advance; $10 day of; $5 child advance; $7 day of. Hamilton County Fairgrounds, 7700 Vine St., Carthage, cincinnati.makerfaire.com.
Travel back to the wickey wild, wicky wicky wild wild wild West this weekend with Old West Fest. Grab your cowboy boots and slip on a big ol’ belt buckle, then step back into a time when lawmen like Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp ruled frontiers and gamblers like Doc Holliday risked it all playing Faro. Period actors will wander the streets of a recreated Dodge City, where visitors can peruse antique shops brimming with handcrafted items, take old-timey photos and pan for gold. Chow on turkey legs, buffalo burgers, rattlesnake chili and more — then wash it down with some sarsaparilla. There will also be covered wagon rides, staged frontier gun fights, saloon shows and plenty of Bluegrass music. This weekend is Heroes Weekend and military members, EMS, police officers and firefighters get in free. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 14. $12.99 adult; $9.99 child. 1449 Greenbush Cobb Road, Williamsburg, Ohio, oldwestfestival.com.
SUNDAY 16
Jake and Jamin Orrall — aka Nashville Rock duo JEFF The Brotherhood — are the sons of singer/songwriter Robert Ellis Orrall, who has written for the likes of Taylor Swift, Reba McIntire and Martina McBride. The elder Orrall has also had success as a performer, producer and indie record label owner; he co-founded the Infinity Cat label with his sons when they were teenagers, right as they were getting their band project off of the ground. JEFF The Brotherhood has experienced a great level of success since those early days, building up a following and reputation nationwide throughout the ’00s that culminated with their acclaimed 2009 LP Heavy Days. The band and label linked up with Warner Music Group in 2011, which led to the duo’s Warner Bros. Records debut, Hypnotic Nights (produced by Dan Auerbach), in 2012. But the partnership was short-lived and the band parted ways with Warner, releasing the well-received Wasted on the Dream in 2015 on their own. For the Dream tour, JEFF The Brother beefed up its live presentation, becoming a touring four-piece and adding bassist Jack Lawrence (formerly of Cincinnati’s Greenhornes, as well as The Raconteurs alongside Jack White); Lawrence had also recorded with the band on Dream. For their much-anticipated album Magick Songs, released Sept. 7, the Orralls moved the quartet concept into the studio, collaborating on the music with Lawrence and Kunal Prakash. The album (released through Dine Alone Records) finds JEFF The Brotherhood at its most progressive and experimental, while still retaining the well-crafted Indie/Garage Rock heart it built its name on. Cincinnati’s The Harlequins and Spooky Dreamland open JEFF’s local tour stop. 8 p.m. Sunday. $12; $15 day of show. Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, woodwardtheater.com.
EVENT: Dog Swim at Ziegler Pool
Ziegler Park’s Ziegler Pool literally goes to the dogs on Sunday during the pool’s second annual Dog Swim. Well-behaved, licensed and vaccinated pups are invited to cool off and take a lap or two in the pool. Owners must sign a waiver and each dog must be accompanied by an adult. More rules and regulations are listed online. 5-7 p.m. Sunday. $15 online; $20 at the gate. Ziegler Pool, 1322 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine, zieglerpark.org.
This article appears in Sep 5-12, 2018.