Sapphic Sips with a Performance of Texas Annie When: Jan. 18 with doors open at 5 p.m. and show from 6-7 p.m Where: The Know Theatre Underground Bar, Over-the-Rhine What: Start the night with the interactive, Fringe-award winning new musical, Texas Annie: The Legend of the Moan Ranger, followed by Midwestern Lesbian's Sapphic Sips event. Who: Midwestern Lesbian Why: Texas Annie is about to bring the heat Cincinnati needs. Photo: knowtheatre.com

A new interactive theater experience that aims to battle shame and oppression and offers Greater Cincinnati’s LGBTQ+ community a chance to connect will premiere in Over-the-Rhine this month.

The Know Theatre Underground Bar will host the first-ever Texas Annie Interactive Show Experience on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. The show is an updated version of Jenn Howd and Roz Mihalko’s campy, satirical musical, Texas Annie: The Legend of the Moan Ranger, which debuted to sold-out crowds at the 2022 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, where it also won the Audience Pick Award.

Texas Annie follows the musical adventures of a renegade “dildo runner” in Texas after sex toys are declared illegal, and the story is based on a real law. The reimagined version has transformed the show into a high-energy cabaret experience, complete with audience shout-backs, singalongs, digital projections and comedic sound effects.

Organizers say the show offers a night of connection, laughter and activism, and, with more and more anti-obscenity laws that target the LGBTQ+ community, this new version couldn’t come at a better time.

In addition to the performance, theatergoers will also be able to enjoy a pre-show happy hour from 5-6 p.m. with Texas Annie-themed drink specials. Following the performance, Midwestern Lesbian — a local event promotion and community engagement platform that creates inclusive and empowering spaces for LGBTQ+ folks in the Midwest — will host their signature Sapphic Sips event from 7-9 p.m. There will also be door prizes and raffles throughout the night.

Tickets are on sale now here for $25 or $15 for standing-room-only. All proceeds from the performance will go toward Texas Annie’s journey to the 2025 NYC Fringe Festival in April.

You can follow the Texas Annie team on Instagram at @texasanniemusical.

Know Theatre’s Underground Bar, 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine. More info: knowtheatre.com.

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This article appears in Dec 11-24, 2024.

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...