What to Do in Cincinnati This Weekend: Sept. 14-16

FRIDAY 14-SUNDAY 16

EVENT: Cincinnati Comic Expo
The Cincinnati Comic Expo features celebrities from the varied entertainment realms the expo represents: actors, artists, writers and designers from film, television, comics and gaming. Two big 2018 appearances are Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known as Jaime Lannister from the nearly-concluded Game of Thrones, and Peter Mayhew, made supernaturally famous as Chewbacca in the Star Wars franchise. But there’s plenty of star power over the expo’s three-day stretch; check the expo’s website for the full slate of guests. And it's not just about the celebs. They're appearances are complemented by dozens of vendor booths, a cosplay element, costume competition, workshops and panels, the longstanding Geek Prom (this year is Midwest Muggle Fest, an extension of last year’s Harry Potter prom theme), and even speed dating and an annual blood drive.
The Cincinnati Comic Expo runs Sept. 14-16 at the Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown. More info: cincinnaticomicexpo.com.

FRIDAY 14-SUNDAY 16

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.
Photo: Provided by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

FRIDAY 14

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 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.

FRIDAY 14-SUNDAY 16

ONSTAGE: Fly By Night
ETC’s D. Lynn Meyers knows which shows her audiences will love, even when they’re not familiar titles. Her season kicks off with this darkly comic Rock musical launched by New York City’s Playwrights Horizons in 2014. The life of a melancholy sandwich maker changes dramatically when he meets a pair of sisters during the Northeast blackout of 1965. They set off on a star-crossed journey of love and connection told with a catchy score and inventive storytelling.
Fly By Night, presented by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine), continues through Sept. 29. Tickets/info: ensemblecincinnati.org.
Photo: Ryan Kurtz

FRIDAY 14

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
Photo: Provided

FRIDAY 14

Ava Luna with A Delicate Motor
The members of Ava Luna operate in a unique musical universe of their own creation. The Brooklyn band puts its own distinctly slanted spin on progressive, experimental Pop and the results are often mesmerizing, frequently beautiful and consistently exhilarating. The quintet’s diverse influences are distilled into a singularly dynamic, dream-like sound, which draws from Funk, Indie Rock, Post Punk, Dance and Soul music. Perhaps their closest contemporary (and most frequent “RIYL” companion) is Dirty Projectors, of which Ava Luna’s keyboardist/singer Felicia Douglass is a touring member.
10 p.m. Friday. Free. MOTR Pub, 1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com.
Photo: Richard Perez

FRIDAY 14

MUSIC: Gary Numan
If perseverance had a human face, it would look a lot like Gary Numan. Back when Tubeway Army was a standard issue Punk band, Numan fought his label to switch the band towards Electronic music, which resulted in a whole lot of gold and platinum on Numan’s wall. That directional shift in the late ’70s also helped birth a cornerstone of the Electronic movement. And when the genre he helped create considered him a relic, Numan reinvented himself with a darker, heavier, guitar-based sound that leaned toward the Industrial/Goth end of the musical spectrum. And while this might have felt like a seismic shift from an outside perspective, for Numan it was all just part of his creative journey. As much as Gary Numan has been cited as an Electronic pioneer and a huge musical influence, praised and covered by the likes of Dave Grohl and Trent Reznor, he is also a role model for people on the autism spectrum. Ultimately diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, Numan has turned his challenge into an asset.
7 p.m. Friday. $15-$25. Bogart's, 2621 Vine St., Corryville, bogarts.com
Photo: Provided

FRIDAY 14

COMEDY: ComedySportz
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.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

FRIDAY 14

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.
Photo: Bad Veins // Provided

SATURDAY 15

EVENT: Old West Fest
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 Ñ 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, oldwestfestival.com.
Photo: Kim Sheridan

SUNDAY 16

MUSIC: JEFF The Brotherhood
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. For their much-anticipated album Magick Songs, released Sept. 7, the Orralls moved the quartet concept into the studio, collaborating on the music with bassist Jack Lawrence (formerly of Cincinnati’s Greenhornes, as well as The Raconteurs alongside Jack White) and Kunal Prakash. 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.
Photo: Laura Williams