What To Do in Cincinnati This Week: Sept. 26-Oct. 2

MONDAY 24

EVENT: Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week
Since 2016, Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week has been offering a curated craft dining experience at restaurants across the city: chef prepared, special multi-course prix fixe menus priced between $25 and $35. This year’s event is bigger than ever, with more than 50 restaurants presenting three-course meals, from New American eateries and steakhouse favorites to upscale Italian and Thai. And with liquor sponsors Marker’s Mark and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, plenty of these eateries are complementing their culinary creations with specialty cocktails from either or both distilleries (for an additional cost).
GCRW takes place Sept. 24-30. More info greatercincinnatirestaurantweek.com.

WEDNESDAY 26

FILM: Bad Reputation
Thanks to local film group Cincinnati World Cinema, the downtown space at 719 Race St. (occupied for many years by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company) recently returned as a movie theater. CWC’s Garfield Theatre is located in the same spot as former arthouse theater The Movies, which showed cult classics, indie faves and many music films in the ’80s. CWC will touch on those roots this week with a screening of Bad Reputation, a new documentary about Rock legend Joan Jett. Bad Reputation follows Jett’s remarkable career, which kicked off with the pioneering “all-girl” Rock band The Runaways and was followed by a period of superstardom as a solo artist in the early ’80s. Jett remains active and is seen as a trailblazer. The film also includes interviews with Billie Joe Armstrong, Kathleen Hanna, Iggy Pop and other peers and admirers. Bad Reputation premiered at Sundance earlier this year, where it picked up distribution from Magnolia Pictures. It hits on-demand services like iTunes and Amazon on Friday; the Garfield screening is a part of an early “one-night-only” event taking place in theaters across the country. The Cincinnati screening will be followed by a discussion about Jett led by John Alberti, pop culture expert and chair of the English department and director of the Cinema Studies program at Northern Kentucky University.
7 p.m. Wednesday. $10; $15 door. Cincinnati World Cinema, 719 Race St., Downtown, cincyworldcinema.org.

THURSDAY 27

EVENT: Slice Night
It’s a pizza party at Yeatman’s Cove with Slice Night, a pizza-tasting event hosted by Cincinnati Magazine. Tickets include access to the event plus all-you-can-eat pizza from local participating eateries like Adriatico’s, Dewey’s, LaRosa’s and Goodfellas, as well as beer, wine and cocktails for purchase. Music will be provided by Q102 and 100 percent of the ticket price goes to benefit cancer research at the UC Institute.
5-9 p.m. Thursday. $15 advance; $20 door; $5 children; $50 VIP (includes a parking pass, two drink tickets and tent seating). Yeatman’s Cove, 705 E. Pete Rose Way, Downtown, cincinnatimagazine.com.

THURSDAY 27

MUSIC: Lauren Daigle
Christian Rock superstar Lauren Daigle heads to the Taft Theatre. Her recent album Look Up Childwas expected to do big numbers in the Contemporary Christian music market, where she is a superstar, but when it was released on Sept. 7 and debuted in the No. 3 slot on Billboard’s all-genre album chart — coming in just behind the latest from superstars Paul McCartney and Eminem — many in the music industry seemed surprised. Big music press outlets have been taking notice, comparing her soul-drenched voice to Adele and Amy Winehouse. Look Up Child seems well on its way to making Daigle a crossover star. After the debut, she told Rolling Stone, “I’m inspired to see music continue to cross-pollinate through genres.”
Lauren Daigle performs 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 27) at the Taft Theatre (317 E. Fifth St., Downtown). Tickets/more info: tafttheatre.org.

THURSDAY 27-SATURDAY 29

COMEDY: The Improv Festival of Cincinnati
Cincinnati’s improvisational comedy scene has flourished in the past few years. Just look to the Improv Festival of Cincinnati as a powerful indicator of this boom. This year, it boasts 60 percent more performances than it hosted in 2017. While 13 local troupes will be performing, an additional 19 from cities such as Atlanta and Los Angeles will travel to perform here. Previously staged at Over-the-Rhine’s Know Theatre, this year IF Cincy will move a few blocks over to Memorial Hall, which allows the festival to schedule two stages at once and double its comedy offerings. Those familiar with Whose Line Is It Anyway? have already experienced the short-form version of improv, a collection of brief, structured games which typically use audience suggestions as a jumping-off point. Local performers ComedySportz and Cleveland’s Rare Form Improv exclusively perform this sub-genre. Though short-form is the most recognizable style of improvisation, IF Cincy offers audiences a chance to dive into other formats as well, including long-form performances that feel more like an on-the-fly play.
The Improv Festival of Cincinnati runs Thursday through Saturday (Sept. 27-29) at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine). More info/tickets: ifcincy.com.

FRIDAY 28

MUSIC: Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse brings oddly affecting tales about cockroaches, Orange Julius and Styrofoam boots to the Taft Theatre. Isaac Brock’s voice contains multitudes. Modest Mouse’s longtime frontperson — and only constant member over the band’s 26-year history — emits an anxious yelp that is at once world-weary and childlike, evoking a cross between Kurt Cobain and Daniel Johnston. Modest Mouse’s yearning to transcend Brock’s dour nature permeates each of the band’s eight records, which is not to say they haven’t evolved over the years. Early songs about down-and-out drifters and religious seekers gave way to more universal but no less emotionally urgent themes. After a long layoff during which the band still toured fairly regularly, 2015’s Strangers to Ourselves surfaced, confirming that Brock’s anxiety remains as strong as ever.
8 p.m. Friday. $3950-$49.40. Taft Theatre. 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org.

FRIDAY 28

EVENT: Art After Dark
At the Cincinnati Art Museum’s monthly after-hours party, the theme is “When You See It” — as in, do you know great art when you see it? Find out Friday while enjoying live music from Us, Today, art-themed scavenger hunts and craft activities, access to exhibits and cocktails and food from Che for purchase (while supplies last).
5-9 p.m. Friday. Free admission. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

FRIDAY 28-SUNDAY 30

COMEDY: David Koechner
You know David Koechner from, well, tons of things. He’s most recognized as Todd Packer, Michael Scott’s best friend on The Office, and as Champ Kind from The Anchorman films. Early in his career, though he had steady work, he sought a bit of work stability. “I didn’t ever want to be without a job, so I called my agent and asked, ‘Can you put me on the road?’ ” he says. A week later, she had 11 gigs lined up for him. “They were three months out, so I just worked up an act in town, put a bunch of character pieces together and went out on the road.” These days his set is more family-driven. “I’m married with five kids,” he says. “I call my show Symphony of Chaos, because that’s what my life is.”
7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday. $20-$50. Funny Bone Liberty, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com .

FRIDAY 28-SUNDAY 30

Event: Newport Oktoberfest
Greater Cincinnati has had Oktoberfest celebrations all month long, and now the festivities are crossing the river into Northern Kentucky. Pretend you’re in Munich as you stroll from tent-to-tent. Sponsored by Christian Moerlein, there will be traditional German bier tents and food including cream puffs, goetta, bratts, metts and more. Slip on some lederhosen and jive to German music all weekend long. Peep the Log Sawing Competition, Masskrugstemmen Beer Stein Holding Competition or the Oktoberfest Stakes Stick Horse Racing, or shop the Bluegrass Marketplace.
5-11 p.m. Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday; noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Newport’s Festival park at the Levee, 1 Levee Way, Newport, Ky., cincinnatifestivalsandevents.com.

FRIDAY 28-SUNDAY 30

EVENT: Ruya Coffee
Melissa Aydogan is the heart and soul of Rüya Coffee, her Turkish coffee pop-up at the market. Aydogan is a 2018 recipient of a People’s Liberty Globe Grant and she's turned the nonprofit's storefront into a Turkish coffeehouse. The interior is decorated in rich shades of reds and oranges accented by velvet pillows, layered rugs and billowy chiffon draped from the ceiling. Families, couples and friendly strangers find themselves nestled into cushioned benches or gathered around a big community table.
Open Friday-Sunday. Free. 1805 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, ruyacoffee.com.