FRIDAY
ONSTAGE: THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE
When his Elvis impersonation gets dumped at a small-town Florida bar and his wife tells him she’s expecting a baby, Casey has to evolve to stay employed. The bar’s new entertainment is a drag show: Can he reinvent himself? That’s what Ensemble Theatre’s season opener, a feel-good comedy, is all about. Staged by ETC’s D. Lynn Meyers, the show features several of the region’s best actors, including Michael G. Bath, Darnell Pierre Benjamin and Bruce Cromer as an aging drag queen, a role local theatergoers who know him as the Playhouse’s Ebenezer Scrooge might never have imagined seeing him play. Through Sept. 25. $25-$44. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-3555, ensemblecincinnati.org.
DANCE: DIRECTOR’S CUT: A CELEBRATION
I feel like it’s the strongest season ever in my tenure,” says Victoria Morgan about this year’s Cincinnati Ballet lineup. The season — her 20th as artistic director and ninth as CEO — opens Friday at the Aronoff Center for the Arts with Director’s Cut, which the Ballet proudly hails as an “all star” collection of works handpicked by Morgan.The show features a selection of seven of Morgan’s favorite works, including pieces by world-renowned choreographers and two world premieres. One of Director’s Cut’s works is a world premiere of the Morgan-choreographed Patriotic Pas, a duet set to the music of Morton Gould’s “American Salute.” Another duet, this one an iconic pas de deux from Swan Lake, will be performed by two new Cincinnati Ballet dancers — Chisako Oga and Jose Losada — and two longtime dancers — Daniel Wagner and Sirui Liu. The show’s second world premiere is an unnamed piece from choreographer Ma Cong, who last year completed an entire ballet for the National Ballet of China, set to the music of Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds. Cincinnati Ballet principal dancer Sarah Hairston and senior soloist Zack Grubbs will make the final performances of their careers dancing Selections from Raymonda, a classical ballet first choreographed by Marius Petipa — they will be retiring after Director’s Cut. Director’s Cut takes place at the Aronoff Center for the Arts 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. More info: cballet.org.
ONSTAGE: NATURE
Minneapolis-based theater company TigerLion Arts will give audiences an opportunity to experience Nature, a “mythic retelling of Emerson and Thoreau’s mutual love of the natural world.” Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, two of the more famous New England — and American — writers of the 19th century, shone a light on the allure of the natural world with works such as Walden, Thoreau’s reflection on his spiritual quest through a lifestyle rooted in nature.Nature’s stage is one that the Transcendentalist writers might have appreciated. It occurs amid the meadows and gardens of Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, just south of Hamilton, Ohio on Hamilton-Cleves Road. Nature is staged as an outdoor walking play, a format that its producer/director/writer Markell Kiefer has long been fascinated with. Nature runs Friday-Sunday at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum. Tickets are $35; $25 Pyramid Hill members; $10 children 12 and under. More info: pyramidhill.org.
MUSIC: HALEY BONAR
Haley Bonar isn’t exactly a household name, but it’s not from lack of effort on her part. Since 2001, Bonar has compiled a catalog of 12 full-lengths/EPs/singles as a solo act, plus two more with her band, Gramma’s Boyfriend. The connecting threads in Bonar’s work are drawn from an incredible breadth of musical history, including ’60s Baroque Pop, ’70s New Wave and ’80s Power Pop, woven into a vibrant contemporary tapestry that deftly combines simplicity and complexity. Bonar’s sound is an irresistible blend of golden-era Pop classicism, New Wave exuberance and Gothic Rock melancholy, layered with a sonic atmosphere reminiscent of Brian Eno’s productions. Bonar exhibits glints of Aimee Mann, The Tourists, Sam Phillips, Amy Rigby and Alex Chilton (her Big Star album was aptly titled), but don’t mistake her reference points for retro copycatting. Haley Bonar has used her influences, whatever they may be, to create an infectiously unique body of work. With The Hiders. 8 p.m. Friday. Free. MOTR Pub, 1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com.
MUSIC: HOLLYWOOD ACTION & ADVENTURE WITH THE POPS
The music in the movie you’re watching turns from neutral to sinister and your stomach sinks — you know something big is about to happen. Experience that suspense in concert during the Cincinnati Pops’ Hollywood Action & Adventure concert series. This electrifying weekend of movie music includes soundtracks from films like Star Trek, Mission Impossible and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Bonus: Academy Award-nominated actor Edward James Olmos (of Battlestar Galactica, for frak’s sake) narrates viewers through this riveting escapade. 8 p.m. Friday; 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $25. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, cincinnatisymphony.org.
EVENT: USS NIGHTMARE
Around the end of September and into October, tons of people voluntarily pay money to enter haunted houses to have the living shit scared out of them. If you’re brave enough to handle it, the USS Nightmare is one of the best local spots for those who thrill at the thought of being frightened. Unlike most haunted attractions, the USS Nightmare has a real-life story attached to it: the story of Captain William S. Mitchell, his beloved daughter Anna, the “clowns” he hired to amuse her and the dreadful Ohio River dredge ship that endured a strange happening known as “The Mitchell Massacre.” (Yeah, they all died — the whole freaking crew.) Get ready to pee yourself. Through Nov. 5. $17-$30. 101 Riverboat Row, Newport, Ky., ussnightmare.com.
EVENT: BOTANICAL PRESERVATION WORKSHOP
With winter just around the corner, this DIY workshop might help you keep the beauty of your favorite flowers alive a little longer. Flower preservation is pretty scientific, but the instructions in this class will be easy to follow. Learn about which flowers are best to preserve, the techniques it takes to preserve them and how to display them once the process is finished so that even when winter is hitting hard, you’ll have a reminder that spring is always on its way. 6-8:30 p.m. Friday. $18 kids; $45 adults. Lloyd Library and Museum, 917 Plum St., Downtown, lloydlibrary.org, meddlingwithnature.com.
EVENT: OKTOBERFEST ZINZINNATI
The nation’s largest feier of authentic German food, music and beer descends on Zinzinnati this weekend along with an estimated 500,000 festgoers. Festivities begin Friday with the majestic Running of the Wieners, during which 100 hot dog bun-swathed dachshunds compete in a series of races down Race Street. Official opening ceremonies begin 11:30 a.m. Saturday, with a keg tapping by Sam Adams founder Jim Koch. Then, dig into thousands of pounds of authentic German eats, ranging from pig tails and sauerkraut balls to strudel and potato pancakes. Test the limits of your stomach 3 p.m. Saturday at the World Brat Eating Championship; show off enviable moves 4:30 p.m. Sunday during the World’s Largest Chicken Dance; and listen to live music in five different beer gardens all weekend long. 5 p.m.-midnight Friday; 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Second and Third streets between Walnut and Elm, Downtown, oktoberfestzinzinnati.com.
SATURDAY
EVENT: MARZEN OKTOBERFEST TOURS
Be regaled with stories of local beer barons, brewery workers and beer drinkers during the Marzen Oktoberfest Cincinnati Brewery tour. The 90-minute walking tour begins at Moerlein Lager House’s Überdrome, a Munich-style festival tent in Smale Riverfront Park (with 1 liter das boot Oktoberfest beers, live entertainment and games), next to the site of the first recorded commercial brewery. Participants will then hop aboard the streetcar and ride to Over-the-Rhine’s historic Brewery District, where tourgoers will venture into lagering cellars beneath the Moerlein Malthouse Tap Room. Stick around for an optional tour of the operating brewery before taking the streetcar back to Oktoberfest. Tours Saturday and Sunday. $20. Smale Riverfront Park, 100 Ted Berry Way, Downtown, cincinnatibrewerytours.com.
EVENT: FIFTY FEST
Join Fifty West Brewing Company for a night of local eats and great beer during the annual end-of-summer Fifty Fest. More than 25 breweries — local and regional — will be on hand to serve specialty brews and rarities while 10 bands play on three stages, including Leggy, Whiskey Shambles and MULTIMAGIC. With food from Fifty West’s chefs, chili hut, E+O Kitchen, Graeter’s, Maribelle’s eat+drink and more, no one would fault you for wearing your yoga pants instead of anything with a zipper. Noon-midnight Saturday. $10. Fifty West Brewing Company, 7668 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftyfest.fiftywestbrew.com.
MUSIC: BLUEGRASS FOR BABIES
The Healthy Roots Foundation is bringing three of the top Bluegrass bands in the area together for the annual Bluegrass for Babies benefit concert. This year, Hocking River String Band, Comet Bluegrass All-Stars and Hickory Robot will be performing at the festival, with a special children’s performance by Jennifer Ellis Music. Bluegrass for Babies has raised more than $150,000 to support children’s health research and educational programs since the first concert in 2009. With pizza from Dewey’s and craft beer from MadTree, why not have a drink and hear some good tunes to help out some babies? 3-9 p.m. Saturday. $12-$20. Seasongood Pavillion, 1600 Art Museum Drive, Mount Adams, bluegrassforbabies.com.
SUNDAY
COMEDY: GEOFF TATE
“I realized what my problem is,” says stand-up comic and Cincinnati native Geoff Tate. “I love doing stand-up, but I really hate being a comedian. Being a comedian involves a lot of shit, a lot of glad-handing, a lot of politics and a lot of ass-kissing. You have to worry about all that stuff while sitting around waiting for someone else to tell you if you’re good enough to work.” Since returning home from L.A., Tate has been busier than ever — he’s been able to parlay his appearances on Doug Benson’s popular Doug Loves Movies podcast into a string of East Coast and Midwest dates. Tate will be recording a new album this week, tentatively titled Losing My Religion, featuring material born of his attempts to reconcile his religious upbringing with his life today. Thursday-Sunday. $8-$14. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.
ONSTAGE: A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY
Owen is the smallest person John Wheelwright ever knew, a tiny boyhood friend with a “wrecked voice.” As a self-proclaimed “instrument of God,” Owen inspired John, the story’s narrator, to a life of faith and belief. A visually arresting stage adaptation of John Irving’s popular 1989 novel, set in the upheaval of America during the Vietnam War, has opened the Playhouse’s 2016-17 mainstage season. It has a big versatile cast — 16 actors playing a multitude of colorful roles — and it uses flying technology for some remarkable scenes. It’s both philosophical and funny, a show that will challenge and intrigue audiences. Through Oct. 1. $40-$85. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, 513-421-3888, cincyplay.com.
MUSIC: THE KILLS
Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart, the long-running creative duo behind The Kills, remain as committed as ever to their version of classic Rock & Roll. The band’s latest album, Ash & Ice, again hinges on Mosshart’s impassioned, upfront vocals and Hince’s elemental guitar lines, a melding that’s as recognizable as it is timeless. Yet in an age of cross-genre pollination and polyglot sonic concoctions, the idea of a straight-up Rock band — with a few electronic textures thrown in for extra flavoring — is almost a novelty. The new record’s gauntlet-throwing opening trio of “Doing it to Death,” “Heart of a Dog” and “Hard Habit to Break” offer up swagger to spare, each bringing to mind PJ Harvey backed by an irony-free Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. 7 p.m. Sunday. $22.50. Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, bogarts.com.
EVENT: VENT HAVEN OPEN HOUSE
Vent Haven, the only museum in the world dedicated to the art of ventriloquism, is hosting its final open house of the season. If you’ve ever wanted to check out their collection of figures, puppets and dummies, here’s your excuse. See hundreds of vent figures, learn about the history of ventriloquism and see exhibits on famous ventriloquists, from classics like Edgar Bergen to modern-day comics like Jeff Dunham. 2-5 p.m. Sunday. Free; RSVP recommended. Vent Haven Museum, 33 W. Maple Ave., Fort Mitchell, Ky., 859-341-0461, venthavenmuseum.com.
MUSIC: HIP HOP HATES HEROIN
With his recently released sophomore album, Instinctive Drowning, Detroit-based MC Red Pill takes the recent trend of confessional/vulnerable lyricists to the extreme, with often painfully honest introspection about battles with depression and alcoholism. Backed by the dazzling, psychedelic beatscape of former Cincinnati Hip Hop artist Ill Poetic (the album’s producer), Instinctive Drowning is one of this year’s more compelling Hip Hop full-lengths, drawing praise from Pitchfork and other outlets. Red Pill’s local tour stop is the latest in the series of locally based Hip Hop Hates Heroin Tour events, which strive to raise awareness about addiction. The Sunday evening event — which also serves as a benefit for beloved local spinner, DJ HaRviNaTiOn, who has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) — features performances by local artists like Raised x Wolves, Devin Burgess featuring Lunar Thought, J-phunq featuring Miss Diamond Star Russell, Agonee and many others. 5 p.m. Sunday. $10; $12 day of show. Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, woodwardtheater.com.
This article appears in Sep 14-21, 2016.
