COMEDY: BREW HA-HA
The return of Brew Ha-Ha, the popular mixture of comedy and beer that takes place at Sawyer Point on the riverfront every August, is set for Thursday through Saturday. Top local and regional comics (and there are some great ones here) are joined by national acts, including headliners Chris Porter (Thursday), Ben Bailey (Friday), and Hal Sparks (Saturday). Porter, a Kansas City native, has been to Cincinnati many times and is a fan favorite. Bailey is most widely known as the former host of Cash Cab, and Sparks dabbles in acting and music as well as comedy. Over 120 local, regional, national and rare beers will be on hand as well. 5 p.m.-midnight Aug. 25-26; 4 p.m.-midnight Aug. 27. Free admission; $5 drinking wristband plus the cost of beer tickets. Sawyer Point, 705 E. Pete Rose Way, Downtown, cincybrewhaha.com. — P.F. WILSON
ART: WELL-KNOWN PACIFICALLY AT THUNDER-SKY, INC.
Thunder-Sky, Inc. artist-in-residence Antonio Adams completes his so-called “Technicolor trilogy” that has shamed bad celebrities and celebrated the lives of everyday people since 2012. Well-Known Pacifically opens this Friday. In the four years since the outsider artist invited us to his version of a reality show, Adams has exhibited his sculpture at the Weston Art Gallery and grown even more confident in the guise of his alter ego, Art Thing, the master of loyalty and arbiter of proper behavior. A concurrent group show in Thunder-Sky’s basement, The Beautiful Ones Always Smash the Picture, celebrates the legacy of Prince. Opening reception 6-10 p.m. Aug. 26. On view through Oct. 8. Free. Thunder Sky, Inc., 4573 Hamilton Ave., Northside, raymondthundersky.org. — KATHY SCWARTZ
ART: GLENN BROWN AT THE CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER
Renowned British painter Glenn Brown comes to the Contemporary Arts Center for his first solo museum exhibition in the United States. After Cincinnati shows by Shepard Fairey, Kehinde Wiley and Brazilian photographer Albano Afonso in the past six years, expect Brown’s appearance to add to the debate over appropriation. Using Photoshop, the London-based artist meticulously transforms images originally created by Old Masters into grotesquely beautiful portraits and surreal still-lifes straight out of science fiction. When he applies paint to the picture, his brushstrokes swirl as if he’s working in a rainstorm — or maybe it’s the storm of controversy. Sept. 9-Jan. 15, 2017. Free. Contemporary Art Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, contemporaryartcenter.org. — KATHY SCWARTZ
FILM: SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILMS
Here’s a chance to see some of the best short films to emerge from the Sundance Film Festival (from a field of more than 8,000 entries) in a setting that must rank as one of the most unusual theatrical venues in the country — the Showboat Majestic. Cincinnati World Cinema will screen Sundance Film Festival Short Films there. The 100-minute package consists of eight films. If you like the setting, be sure to let CWC know — it wants to make the Showboat its permanent home. 7 p.m. Sept. 9; 4 and 7 p.m. Sept. 10 and 11. $10 advance; $12 at the door. Showboat Majestic, Cincinnati Public Landing, 435 E. Mehring Way, Downtown, cincyworldcinema.org. — STEVEN ROSEN
DANCE: DIRECTOR’S CUT
Every season of the Cincinnati Ballet is special, but this year’s upcoming season is especially worth making your way out of the house for — it’s artistic director and CEO Victoria Morgan’s 20th season. Don’t miss Director’s Cut on Sept. 16 and 17, a celebration of Morgan’s time with the Cincinnati Ballet. It has a truly exceptional lineup, including two world-premieres — one from Morgan herself, “Patriotic Pas,” and another from Ma Cong, set to music by Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds — plus additional work from renowned choreographers. Look for “Capricious Maneuvers” by famed New York Ballet soloist Justin Peck, contemporary work featuring San Francisco Ballet principal dancers and an extra-fun piece from choreographer James Cunningham. 8 p.m. Sept. 16; 2 and 8 p.m. Sept. 17. $32-$103. Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cballet.org. — MCKENZIE GRAHAM
LIT: PAUL GOLDBERGER
Goldberger, who casts a discriminating eye on American architecture and writes about it currently for Vanity Fair (and before that for The New Yorker for more than a dozen years) will present the Mercantile Library’s Pyle Urban Lecture on the evening of Sept. 22. The Pyle annual lecture series, honoring the Mercantile’s (recently retired) long-time director Albert Pyle, illuminates contemporary thinking on the vitality of cities in the 21st century and the changing nature of the urban experience. 7 p.m. Sept. 22. $15 non-members; $10 members; $5 students. The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut St., 11th Floor, Downtown, mercantilelibrary.com. — JANE DURRELL
POP CULTURE: CINCINNATI COMIC EXPO
You don’t have to shell out big bucks and travel to San Diego for the world-famous Comic-Con to geek out with fellow fans and brush shoulders with stars from movies, television and the comic world. The Cincinnati Comic Expo features appearances by the legendary Stan Lee, Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld, actors like Billy Dee Williams, David Mazouz (Gotham’s young Bruce Wayne) and Teddy Sears (The Flash, Masters of Sex) and awesome props like the 1966 and 1989 Batmobiles. 3-8 p.m. Sept. 23; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 24; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 25. $5-$350. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown, cincinnaticomicexpo.com. — JAC KERN
FILM: GOAT
James Franco’s company Rabbit Bandini Productions has sown fertile creative roots in the Cincinnati region over the last couple of years, shooting the features Goat and The Long Home here in 2015. And now Goat, the Andrew Neel-helmed project with a script by Neel, David Gordon Green and Mike Roberts, takes center stage with a major fall release. The tentative date is Sept. 23. Ben Schnetzer stars as the 19-year-old survivor of a vicious assault who enters college and follows in the footsteps of his older brother (Nick Jonas), pledging the same fraternity, which leads to a test of wills, loyalty and the definition of “brotherhood.” — TT STERN-ENZI
TELEVISION: TRANSPARENT
This fall brings Season 3 of the critically acclaimed and universally loved series that follows transwoman Maura Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor) and her family. Exploring some of the myriad transgender issues that exist — particularly transitioning later in life and living with a trans family member — this season finds Maura contemplating gender confirmation surgery and requesting the family swap her nickname “Moppa” for her preferred designation as Mom. Something tells me Pfefferman matriarch Shelley (Judith Light) will be none too pleased. Meanwhile, she and their self-indulgent grown kids (each captured excellently by actors Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass and Gaby Hoffmann) navigate their own exceedingly complicated paths, which converge on a family cruise to Mexico. Season 3 premieres Sept. 23 on Amazon.— JAC KERN
ONSTAGE: DISGRACED
Ayad Akhtar’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner gets a Cincinnati staging at the Playhouse in the Park. Ambitious lawyer Amir Kapoor has spent a lifetime distancing himself from his strict Muslim upbringing in South Asia; his wife Emily, a thoroughly American artist, finds her work increasingly inspired by Islam. At a dinner party for their friends and colleagues, Amir, Emily and their guests move from polite conversation to an explosive exploration of prejudices, identity, religion and politics. This pressure cooker of a story will provoke a lot of contemporary conversation around topics made all the more timely by world news and the presidential election. Sept. 24-Oct. 23. $30-$85. Thompson Shelterhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, cincyplay.com. — RICK PENDER
LIT: PAYING CALLS IN SHANGRI-LA
Like everything else, international diplomacy has taken new turns in the 21st century, but the subtle fine points of Embassy culture in the second half of the 20th century will be the focus of a book by Judith M. Heimann. She and her husband, John, are described as “one of the Foreign Service’s first tandem couples” and her book, Paying Calls in Shangri-La, is subtitled Scenes from a Woman’s Life in American Diplomacy. The book includes recollections from her time in Africa, Asia and Europe. Published by Ohio University Press, it will be out in October in paperback and hardcover and also in an electronic format. — JANE DURRELL
DANCE: WHAT MOVES US 4: THE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
A perennial favorite, Anaya Belly Dance comes to the Aronoff Center for the Arts once again on Oct. 1 to charm its audiences with a modern, fusion style of belly dance in a family-friendly, smile-worthy evening of bold colors, enchanting movement and upbeat music. The costumes alone are worth the price of admission as the detailing adds a special kind of magic to each choreographed move, including tiny chimes and bells throughout. This must be a special year for anniversaries because the performance happens to land on the dance company’s 15-year celebration. 7 p.m. Oct. 1. $19.75-$22.75. Jarson-Kaplan Theater, Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org. — MCKENZIE GRAHAM
FILM: PATRICK’S DAY
This Oct. 6 screening of Patrick’s Day at the Esquire Theatre is sponsored by ReelAbilities Film Festival. Patrick’s Day, by writer-director Terry McMahon (Charlie Casanova), is the story of a 20-something young man named Patrick (Moe Dunford), a virginal schizophrenic who, thanks to medication and the support of his mother (Kerry Fox), has been able to maintain his mental stability. Concerns arise when Patrick falls in love, and it turns out that his mother’s obsessive treatment might be more damaging than his desire to surrender to new and unfamiliar feelings. Also, ReelAbilities has issued a call for entries — running through Nov. 1 — to solicit short films from local filmmakers “that celebrate the life, challenges, and accomplishments of people with disabilities.” The selected titles will be featured during next year’s film festival. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6. $10. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, cincy.reelabilities.org. — TT STERN-ENZI
ART: DRINKING ABOUT ART: THE BOB ROSS DEBATE
“Happy little trees. Happy little clouds.” Now add some happy little cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. The Carnegie introduces its G.E.T. Together Series with this program. The center’s Gallery, Education and Theatre departments will host five interactive events during the inaugural series. Artist Michael Stillion and art historian Kim Paice from University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning get the party started with a humorous talk on the merits of Ross, the permed painter who taught viewers how to create landscapes on his 1983-94 PBS show and became a pop-culture icon. The lecture will also be a drinking game, so listen for the magic word — please let it be “happy” — or catch a ball in your glass for a prize. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7. $21, $18 students, includes complimentary drink and appetizers. The Carnegie, 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington, Ky., thecarnegie.com. — KATHY SCWARTZ
ART: KENTUCKY RENAISSANCE AT THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM
One of the best things about FotoFocus is that it teaches we do not live in isolation when it comes to our visual arts — photography, specifically. We are surrounded by other cities that have vital arts scenes that have made important contributions. Kentucky Renaissance, an exhibition opening at Cincinnati Art Museum on Oct. 8 and organized by photography curator Brian Sholis, looks at the impressive legacy of Lexington’s Camera Club from 1954-1974. More than 150 photographs, books, prints and other objects will be featured. This will be a sterling chance to see the impact made upon art by such Lexington-based photographers as Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Van Deren Coke, James Baker Hall and Zygmunt S. Gierlach. Oct. 8-Jan. 1, 2017. $10 (includes Van Gogh: Into the Undergrowth); free for members and FotoFocus pass holders; free parking during exhibit run. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, cincinnatiartmuseum.org. — STEVEN ROSEN
COMEDY: AMY SCHUMER
Amy Schumer’s star continues to rise. Last year she turned in an acclaimed performance in the film Trainwreck, which she co-wrote. This year, her hit Comedy Central sketch series Inside Amy Schumer completed its fourth season, and in the meantime she became the first female comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden. Now she is in the midst of a 50-city tour that comes to Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena. Her sweet and engaging stage persona is belied by her subversive jokes about feminism, race and other social issues. 8 p.m. Oct. 8. $39-$106; $10 parking. BB&T Arena, 500 Louie B. Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, Ky., thebbtarena.com. — P.F. WILSON
ONSTAGE: BROWNSVILLE SONG (B-SIDE FOR TRAY)
The Humana Festival of New American Plays at Louisville’s Actors Theatre introduces contemporary scripts that quickly show up onstage elsewhere. Kimber Lee’s timely drama, a Humana hit in 2014, is being staged at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Tray, age 18, is wrestling with his college application essay. He’s a good kid in a not-so-great neighborhood, competing in Golden Gloves boxing at a gym and earning money for college working at a Starbucks. His promising life is senselessly cut short when he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lee’s poetic script flows between past and present as Tray’s family grapples with the aftermath. Oct. 11-30. $18-$44. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, ensemblecincinnati.org. — RICK PENDER
ONSTAGE: THE ELEPHANT MAN
It’s not only great plays by Shakespeare that frequent the stage at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Bernard Pomerance’s 1977 classic drama (a 1979 Drama Desk and Tony Award winner) is a perfect example. It’s the true tale of Joseph Merrick (1862-1890), whose severe physical deformities landed him in a Victorian freak show. Frederick Treves, a young doctor, discovers the intelligent mind and sensitive soul behind the disfigured visage. Veteran actor Giles Davies will play Merrick and current standout Brent Vimtrup portrays the idealistic Treves. Together they’ll navigate a world that’s both beautiful and cruel. Oct. 14-Nov. 5. $22-$42. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 719 Race St., Downtown, cincyshakes.com. — RICK PENDER
LIT: BOOKS BY THE BANKS
With more than 100 authors from across the country, this annual literary event, which the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County helped start, is set for Oct. 15 at the Duke Energy Convention Center. Since this is its 10th year, it will be preceded by 10 community events. Authors appearing at the main event include Laura Benedict, Laura Bickle and Rick Pender, CityBeat’s contributing theater editor and writer of 100 Things to Do in Cincinnati Before You Die. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 15. Free admission. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown, booksbythebanks.org. — JANE DURRELL
ONSTAGE: JITNEY
It’s been almost three decades since one of August Wilson’s great “Century Cycle” plays has been onstage at the Playhouse. His 10 chronicles of the 20th century reflect many facets of African-American life. This play, about men who operate an unlicensed car service in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1977, was his first. Later works contain complex spiritualism and supernatural elements, but Jitney is more straightforward and character-based. This is a story of survival as urban renewal threatens to close their station and destroy their community. Playhouse Artistic Associate Timothy Douglas, one of the top interpreters of Wilson’s plays, will direct. Oct. 15-Nov. 12. $30-$75. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, 513-421-3888, cincyplay.com. — RICK PENDER
ONSTAGE: THE OTHER RHINE: A LOVECRAFTIAN HORROR
A hidden terror lurks beneath the streets of Cincinnati. Developed and staged by Hit the Lights! Theater Co. from New York City, this Halloween-timed production will take audiences on a site-specific tour of a mysterious haunted house. This company, a popular presence at several Cincinnati Fringe Festivals, knows its way around immersive works and finds inspiration in the classic horror fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. This world premiere production will be told using light and shadow to induce chills and thrills. Oct. 22-31. $25. Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine. knowtheatre.com. — RICK PENDER
ART: 2016 MID-AMERICA COLLEGE ART ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
In addition to all of the more interest-specific panel discussions and/or art-related sessions that will be happening as part of this conference held Oct. 26-28 at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, there will be three notable keynote speakers: art critic Hal Foster, artist Jon Rubin and curator Hamza Walker. Foster kicks off the conference with a lecture entitled “Sculpture, Tradition, Space and Time” as part of the school’s Annual Vista Foundation Lecture. The work “Shoe Tie” by Charles Ray will be a focus. Rubin will give an artist talk titled “Doing Stuff with People,” while Walker (currently on leave from his long-held position as curator and director of education at the Renaissance Society at University of Chicago) will lecture on “The Making of a Midwesterner, or How I Backed my Way into the Visual Arts.” Foster’s lecture is 5 p.m. Oct. 26 in DAAP Room 4400; on the University of Cincinnati’s campus; Rubin’s lecture is 4 p.m. Oct. 27 in DAAP Room 4400; Walker’s lecture is 5 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown. For more information visit macaart.org/conference.html. — MARIA SEDA-REEDER
CLASSICAL MUSIC: BRIGHT-EYED JOY! A RICKY IAN GORDON CABARET
Ricky Ian Gordon is one of the most successful songwriters you’ve never heard of. Judy Collins, Audra McDonald, Betty Buckley, and Kristin Chenoweth are among the many artists who’ve performed his songs. A poetry lover, Gordon’s settings of Langston Hughes, Dorothy Parker and Emily Dickinson enhance the singular work of each poet. For this show, voice and piano students at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music join the composer for an evening of song and commentary in the intimate Cohen Family Theater. 8 p.m. Nov. 4-5; 2 p.m. Nov. 6. Free; reservations required. Reservation tickets become available at noon on Oct. 31 by calling or visiting the CCM box office; limit two per order. University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Clifton Heights, 513-556-4183, ccm.uc.edu. — ANNE ARENSTEIN
ART: THE GOLDEN TICKET AT THE CLIFTON CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
This Clifton Cultural Arts Center exhibition is one of the better local juried art shows because of the expertise of the jurors as well as the fact winners receive enough of a monetary award to provide an extra incentive for entering. This year’s jury consists of Dennis Harrington, director of the Weston Art Gallery; Farron L. Allen, faculty member at University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning; arts patron and collector Sara M. Vance Waddell; and Matt Distel, exhibition director at The Carnegie. Best in Show will receive $800 plus a one-person show at the CCAC. Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Nov. 11. On view through Dec. 10. Clifton Cultural Arts Center, 3711 Clifton Ave., Clifton, cliftonculturalarts.org. — STEVEN ROSEN
CLASSICAL MUSIC: LA VIDA BREVE
You may recognize some of the music, although Manuel de Falla’s two-act opera La Vida Breve (The Brief Life) is rarely performed as an opera. Set to a Spanish libretto that uses Andalusian dialect, the opera tells the story of a gypsy who falls for a wealthy man in the historic city of Granada. Of course, it’s a doomed love affair, but the music is captivating and it clocks in at just over an hour. Cincinnati Chamber Opera teams up with the Northern Kentucky University School of Arts. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11 and 13. $25 adults; $20 students and seniors. Greaves Concert Hall, 1 Louie B. Nunn Drive, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Ky., cincinnatichamberopera.org. — ANNE ARENSTEIN
CLASSICAL MUSIC: SHARED MADNESS PART 1
Violinist Jennifer Koh knows what gratitude sounds like. When two generous donors provided funds for a new violin, the payback was in commissions from more than 30 composers who donated their work — including Bryce Dessner, Philip Glass, Missy Mazzoli and Julia Wolfe. The project is called Shared Madness, and Koh performs 16 excerpts at the Contemporary Arts Center’s Black Box Theater. (The CAC is in partnership with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.) Koh also is a soloist with the CSO over the Nov. 18-19 weekend. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15. $18; $12 members. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, contemporaryartscenter.org. — ANNE ARENSTEIN
This article appears in Aug 24-31, 2016.
