FRIDAY
ATTRACTIONS: THE ART OF THE BRICKMillions of LEGO bricks are taking over the Cincinnati Museum Center. Anticipated exhibit The Art of the Brick features more than 100 artworks created by contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya using nothing other than LEGOs. Explore life-size human figures, a 20-foot-long T-Rex skeleton and replicated famous paintings, including “Starry Night” and “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” plus familiar sculptures like “The Thinker” and the Sphinx. Sawaya has also created a Cincinnati-themed piece that will be revealed when the exhibit debuts. Create your own LEGO masterpieces in the interactive Brickopolis, and don’t miss special themed days revolving around Star Wars, dinosaurs, superheroes and more. Through May 1. $19.50 adults; $12.50 children 12 and under. Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, 513-287-7000, cincymuseum.org.
EVENT: BLOOM UNDER THE MOON This casual “flower power” party is held in conjunction with the Cincinnati Art Museum’s four-day biennial event Art in Bloom. On display Thursday through Sunday, the exhibit features the work of more than 60 florists, who have each created floral arrangements inspired by artwork from the museum’s collection; flowers interpret the color scheme, mood and other aspects of individual paintings or sculptures. Bloom Under the Moon combines the artful arrangements with light bites, cocktails, wine and a DJ. 7-10 p.m. Friday. $45. 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.
EVENT: FALL FEST WEEKEND Between music festivals and celebrations dedicated to beer, it may seem like Washington Park is more adult-playground than actual playground. But this weekend the park transforms into a family fun zone for Fall Fest. Enjoy family-friendly movies on Friday night (Scooby Doo: Decoy for a Dog Napper at 7:30 p.m. and The Addams Family at 8:15 p.m.) and activities all day Saturday and Sunday, including a performance by the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, magic shows, live music and even an apple pie-eating contest. 7:30-10 p.m. Friday; noon-7:30 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Free. 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, washingtonpark.org.
EVENT: CINCINNATI ART & ANTIQUES FESTIVAL This three-day extravaganza features 18th- to 20th-century English, American and Continental furniture, as well as fine art, posters and prints from a distinguished group of dealers, all set up in elaborate room displays in Music Hall. Proceeds benefit the Convalescent Hospital for Children and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Noon-5 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. $10 three-day admission. 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatiantiquesfestival.com.
MUSIC: LYFE JENNINGS Toledo, Ohio native Lyfe Jennings’ life could have been quite different, but it was actually a stint in jail (and inspiration from an Erykah Badu album) that turned things around. As soon as he was released (he was serving a 10-year sentence for arson), Jennings set about pursuing his dreams of a career in music, recording a demo and winning multiple “amateur nights” at the Apollo Theater in New York. He landed a major-label deal, releasing a string of critically and commercially successful albums that showcase a mix of vintage-to-modern R&B, Soul and Hip Hop, as well as his abilities as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Jennings’ sixth album, Tree of Lyfe, came out this summer. 7 p.m. Friday. $38-$48. Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St., Corryville, bogarts.com.
ONSTAGE: BUYER AND CELLARDid you know that Barbra Streisand has a personal shopping mall filled with memorabilia in the basement of her lavish Malibu estate? It’s true — she’s even published a coffee-table book about it. That’s what inspired this very funny one-man show. An out-of-work actor is hired to be the shopkeeper, and he gets to hang out and play store with the legendary musical star. It’s a fantasy, of course, but with enough reality to make the show hilarious, especially in the hands of Nick Cearley, a veteran comic New York actor who has appeared several times at Ensemble Theatre. Through Nov. 1. $28-$44. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, ensemblecincinnati.org.
EVENT: BEER BARON BALL The third-annual Beer Baron Ball at Horseshoe Casino features dining, dancing, a silent auction and craft beer. The part acts as a fundraiser for the Cincinnati Brewing Heritage Trail, which celebrates Cincinnati’s rich brewing heritage and is the next step in the Brewery District’s historical redevelopment. The event will also honor the legacy of former Cincinnati beer barons Conrad Windisch and Gottlieb and Heinrich Muhlhauser of the 19th-century Windisch-Muhlhauser brewery. 6:30 p.m. Friday. $40. Horseshoe Casino, Pendleton, beerbaronball.org.
HALLOWEEN: RUN LIKE HELL Nearly anything goes at this philanthropic run — as long as you don’t come as yourself. Run the 3.1-mile course in your most creative costume; after you cross the finish line, the event becomes a costume party with food, drinks and live music. Benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 7:30 p.m. Friday. $35 pre-registration; $45 day-of. Begins and ends at 3614 Woodburn Ave, Walnut Hills, cincyrunlikehell.com.
HALLOWEEN: GUIDED GHOST TOURS OF MUSIC HALL Is Music Hall really haunted? Find out for yourself during this guided tour that includes stops at the ballroom, freight elevator, Corbett Tower, backstage and more. Guests encouraged to bring their own ghost-hunting equipment. 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday. $25. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-621-2787, cincinnatiarts.org.
SATURDAY
HALLOWEEN: NEWPORT IS HAUNTED TOUR
Covers a wide range of grisly topics from murder and suicide to decapitation. Follow your guide by lantern light as he or she regales you with tales of haunts including Bobby Mackey’s Music World. 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday. $20. Tours begin at 18 E. Fifth St., Newport, Ky., americanlegacytours.com.
HALLOWEEN: DEAD CAN DANCE — THE DEAD WILL RISE! Dress up in costume and head to the Aronoff Center for Exhale Dance Tribe’s popular Halloween show. Choreography incorporates elements of Contemporary and Jazz dance. 3 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Aronoff Center, Jarson-Kaplan Theater, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-505-6340, cincinnatiarts.org.
ART: ETON PLACE ALLEY FESTIVAL In a rapidly transforming neighborhood like Over-the-Rhine, advocacy for historically overlooked public spaces is often left out of strategic development efforts. In an effort to combat this oversight, Cincinnati-based nonprofit Spring in Our Steps will host a pop-up art installation by artist Mary Baxter, commenting on the construct of alleyways as catalysts for fear. Baxter’s large-scale installation, Miedo, is a series of nine-foot tapestries composed entirely of clothing collected from local thrift stores, which activate window wells within the alley directly adjacent to Rhinegeist Brewery. The festival is free and will feature food and beverages, and Spring in Our Steps will offer a walking tour of the neighborhood alleys and stairways a few hours before the festivities begin. 3-7 p.m. Saturday. Free. 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/springinoursteps.
HALLOWEEN: FROM CINCINNATI TO THE MOON Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Jules Verne’s sci-fi classic, From the Earth to the Moon, with a costume party at the Cincinnati Observatory. The tale, which follows three men as they attempt to launch themselves onto the moon via a space gun, is perfect for some steampunk flair, so break out your best corsets, goggles and waistcoats for an evening of sci-fi discussion and moon viewing. 7-9 p.m. Saturday. $15; $10 in costume. 3849 Observatory Place, Mount Lookout, cincinnatiobservatory.org.
HALLOWEEN: HALLOWEEN GALA Not entirely sure what to do with yourself for Halloween? Have a costume but nowhere to go? Support a local charity and have yourself a blast at this year’s Halloween Gala, hosted by Children’s Dyslexia Centers of Cincinnati, a nonprofit dedicated to literacy. Enjoy music by the Naked Karate Girls, food from the Midwest Culinary Institute, a costume contest and more. 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $50. Cincinnati Masonic Center, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, halloweengala.org.
DANCE: LADY OF THE CAMELLIAS Imagine it’s 1998. Cincinnati Ballet is performing Val Caniparoli’s choreography for a full-length story ballet — the exquisite 1995 Lady of the Camellias. It’s the first time artistic director (now CEO) Victoria Morgan has chosen a ballet for her company from the up-and-coming choreographer. The story is from Alexandre Dumas’ Camille, the famous 1848 novel about a tragically doomed courtesan of the Paris demimonde, where high and not-so-high society mix in a heady whirl of champagne, fancy balls and fashionable romantic liaisons. Cut to 2015. This weekend, the Ballet again presents Lady of the Camellias. It’s the 20th anniversary of the production’s premiere. Choreographer Caniparoli is now very highly regarded; perhaps the busiest choreographer in the United States, with more than 100 works to his credit. Among them: Cincinnati Ballet’s popular Frisch’s Presents The Nutcracker, which ran from 2001-2011, as well as the brilliant shorter works “Caprice” and “Vivace.” And, it turns out that Lady of the Camellias, Caniparoli’s first full-length story ballet 20 years ago, has become nothing less than a modern masterpiece. “It’s one of the great dramatic ballets, like Romeo and Juliet,” Boston Ballet artistic director Mikko Nissinen has said. Read more about Lady of the Camellias here. Cincinnati Ballet will perform Lady of the Camellias 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday. More info: cincinnatiballet.org.
ONSTAGE: MAD RIVER RISING The Cincinnati Playhouse opens Mad River Rising, a play by Dana Yeaton that artistic director Blake Robison produced two decades ago in New Hampshire. It’s about an elderly man, escaped from a retirement home and hiding out in an old barn hayloft, defending the family farm where he grew up and grew old. The script has been updated and relocated to Ohio, so it’s a new work in many ways. It drifts back and forth in time, especially to a catastrophic 1937 flood. An insight into aging, it’s also a poetic tribute to hanging onto places with meaning. Through Nov. 14. $30-$85. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Mount Adams, 513-421-3888, cincyplay.com.
COMEDY: ALEX SCOTT Alex Scott is a comedic chameleon of sorts. Virginia locals know him as Comedy Dad, a blogger and TV personality who works for the local NBC and FOX affiliates. On his dad blog, he waxes about everything from baby wipes to the environment. On stage, though, he’s more freewheeling, recounting past experiences in the Air Force, working in a hospital and being a teacher. “I had one kid say ‘I’m gonna build a bomb and blow up this place,’ ” he tells an audience about a former student. “You can’t even make a Valentine’s Day card, sit your ass down.” Thursday-Sunday. $15-$17. Funny Bone on the Levee, Newport, Ky., funnyboneonthelevee.com.
ONSTAGE: DEATH OF A SALESMAN The production of Arthur Miller’s 1949 Pulitzer Prize-winning Death of a Salesman is coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the playwright’s birth. It’s unarguably one of the great plays of the 20th century, and Cincy Shakes’ artistic director Brian Isaac Phillips has put together a masterful staging featuring two of our region’s finest professional actors.Bruce Cromer pours himself into the weary nowhere man, Willy Loman, a traveling salesman at the end of his sadly frayed rope. He admits to being “a little tired,” but he’s way beyond that. He lives in a world of self-aggrandizing fantasy, haunted by his past, roads not taken and wrong-headed decisions. He vacillates between blaming others for his plight — especially his weak-willed son Biff (Justin McCombs) — and reverting to glories that never actually happened in a life that was truly humdrum. He yearns to be remembered, but of course, he’s not done much worthy of recollection. Cromer runs the gamut from delusion to regret in an anxious, wrenching performance. Read the full review here. Death of a Salesman , presented by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, continues through Nov. 7. More info/tickets: cincyshakes.com.
SUNDAY
HALLOWEEN: ANTIQUE HALLOWEEN Travel back in time while viewing the Taft’s Antique Halloween exhibit, a one-room display of objects from 1900 to the 1950s. Items range from party invitations and games to candy and cups. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday through Nov. 1. $10 adults; $5 kids 6-17; free kids 5 and under; free Sundays. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., 513-241-0343, taftmuseum.org.
HALLOWEEN: HALLOWQUEEN POP UP DRAG BRUNCH AT METROPOLE Metropole’s inaugural HallowQueen Pop Up will feature specialty cocktails, a family-style brunch and performances by local drag queens. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. $35. Metropole in the 21c Museum, 609 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-578-6660, metropoleonwalnut.com.
HALLOWEEN: HALLZOOWEEN Kids and animals alike are in for a special treat during the Cincinnati Zoo’s HallZOOween festival. This family-friendly Halloween celebration features trick-or-treat stations for the kids, costumed characters, a Hogwarts Express train ride and special pumpkin playtime for elephants, otters, meerkats and more. Bring your own treat bag to stuff with goodies and hunt for the Golden Frisch’s Big Boy. Two golden Big Boy statues will be hidden around the zoo each weekend; whoever finds them wins a special zoo/Frisch’s prize package (with tartar sauce). Follow clues on the zoo’s Twitter page: #BigBoyClue. Noon-5 p.m. Select Saturdays and Sundays in October. Free with zoo admission ($18 adult; $12 child/senior). Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.
HALLOWEEN: FALL-O-WEEN Coney Island is getting creepy for its family-friendly Fall-O-Ween Festival. In addition to the park’s 24 classic rides, the fest features pumpkin painting, magic shows, barnyard animals and a light show choreographed to Halloween music. Use a giant slingshot to smash a pumpkin against a target or opt to take the kids to make their very own apple pie. New this year is a trick-or-treat trail through Coney’s Creep County Fair, a town populated by kid-sized buildings and candy-wielding characters. Also make sure to catch the Monster Bash live show for a little eerie entertainment every hour between 2 and 6 p.m. 1-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 25. $11; $5 parking. Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, 513-232-8230, coneyislandpark.com.
MUSIC: MEAT WAVE Chicago threesome Meat Wave’s name apparently causes giggles and results in a lot of questions (fair enough, as it was reportedly taken from the headline of a 12-year-old story from The Onion: “Dozens Dead In Chicago-Area Meatwave”). But the group’s name isn’t (or at least shouldn’t be) as head-turning as its vibrant take on modern Post Punk, displayed magnificently on Meat Wave’s recent full-length (and debut for the esteemed SideOneDummy Records), Delusion Moon. The trio — singer/guitarist Chris Sutter, bassist Joe Gac and drummer Ryan Wizniak — came together in 2011 in an effort to start a project that was a bit more of an aggressive outlet than the members’ other bands at the time. As evidenced by the following year’s great self-titled/self-released nine-track album, the chemistry between the three musicians was instant. Read more about Meat Wave in this week’s Sound Advice. See Meat Wave with The Dirty Nil Sunday at MOTR Pub. More info/tickets: motrpub.com.
ART: TRANSFORMED WORLDS Land art — or earth art — is a term for when artists go outside the gallery and, often using indigenous materials like soil, water and stone, create large works that seem integrated into the surrounding natural landscape. I recently wrote about a new film called Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art, directed by James Crump, former chief curator at Cincinnati Art Museum (see “Land Art,” issue of Sept. 30).When it works, it is a sublime merging of art and nature — awe-inspiring. But that merging of art-making and “outdoors” materials can also happen inside a gallery, although it’s a difficult undertaking. Donald Kelley, a professor emeritus at the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP, is taking on that task currently at downtown’s Weston Art Gallery. Transformed Worlds is on view through Nov. 8, and the work stands out for its sensitivity, thoughtfulness and ability to thoroughly transport. Read the full feature on the exhibit here. Transformed Worlds is on view at the Weston Art Gallery through Nov. 8. More info: cincinnatiarts.org/weston-art-gallery.
This article appears in Oct 21-27, 2015.
