Lots of local theater kicking off, honoring Stephen Flaherty at CCM, early FotoFocus arrivals, a bunch of music and much more…
Wednesday, Sept. 21
Mercantile Library, Albert Pyle Urban Lecture | 6 p.m. 414 Walnut St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. 513-621-0717. DETAILS: Award-winning author Dr. Nisha Botchwey has expertise in public health and community engagement and this talk will address how cities can and must adapt to prepare for a wide variety of future challenges, and do so equitably.
Thursday, Sept. 22
(Photo by Irene Meritzel)
Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, CCJO Meets the Rolling Stones Project | 7 p.m. The Redmoor, Mt. Lookout Square. 513-280-8181. DETAILS: No, Mick and Keith are not visiting Cincinnati this week, but in “next-best-thing” fashion, two members of the Stones’ current touring band – saxophonist Tim Ries and singer Bernard Fowler – bring their insider perspective to big band arrangements of Stones’ rock hits by Cincinnati native Matt Harris. And on Sunday, 2 p.m., Ries and CCJO pianist Phil DeGreg present their new album, “My Little Song,” at First Unitarian in Avondale.
Footlighters, “Pippin” | 7:30 p.m. Stained Glass Theatre, 802 York St., Newport, KY 41071. 859-291-7464. DETAILS: This is the twisted tale of Pippin, son of King Charlemagne, and his ciruitous journey to a love for simple pleasures, with infectious music by Stephen Schwartz (“Godspell,” “Wicked”) and stage direction by local theater fixture Amanda Emmons Shumate. Runs Thursday evenings through Sunday afternoons until Oct. 9.
Friday, Sept. 23
UC College-Conservatory of Music, 30 Years of Stephen: The Music of Stephen Flaherty | 8 p.m. Corbett Auditorium. DETAILS: Stephen Flaherty is one of CCM’s most illustrious alums, having charted a celebrated career as a Broadway composer, including…
- “Once on This Island” (1990; Broadway revival 2017)
- “My Favorite Year” (1993)
- “Ragtime” (1998; Broadway revival 2009)
- “Seussical” (2000; revival 2007)
- “A Man of No Importance” (2002)
This theatrical concert, staged by award-winning director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge, features alumni and Broadway stars Christy Altomare, Ashley Brown, Jason Graae, Bryonha Marie, Stephanie Jae Park, Alton Fitzgerald White and other surprise guests performing with CCM students from seven of CCM’s eight divisions. It should be quite the night.
Falcon Theatre, “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” | 8 p.m. Falcon Theatre, 636 Monmouth St., Newport, KY 41071. 513-479-6783. DETAILS: Lauren Gunderson‘s plays are produced more than any other working playwright because actors love performing them and audiences love experiencing them. In 1912, not long after receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Marie Curie found herself on the other end of the popularity spectrum, the result of an alleged affair. She took refuge at an English seaside retreat owned by a friend and colleague, the setting for “Half-Life,” a spirited exploration of the relationship between two brilliant women, both of whom are mothers, widows, and fearless champions of scientific inquiry. Continues Thursdays through Saturdays until Oct. 8.
Know Theatre, “it’s not a trip it’s a journey” | 1120 Jackson St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. 513-300-5669. DETAILS: Produced at Know as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, this is a road trip story with a feminine twist, as four best friends explore their own identities and relationships as diverse, young Black women on a cross-country journey. Shows happen Wednesday through Sunday until Oct. 9.
Kroger Wellness Festival | 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The Banks, Cincinnati OH. DETAILS: Kroger is bringing some high-powered celebrity talent to The Banks this weekend, – including Grammy winner Carrie Underwood, soccer champion Abby Wambach, entrepreneur and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen, author Bethenny Frankel, Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes and Bravo Top Chef’s Brian Malarkey – for fitness-challenges, cooking demos, a family fun zone, product sampling and industry experts focused on physical, mental and emotional well-being. Repeats Sunday.
kroger.com/f/wellness-festival
Northern Kentucky University, “Violet” | 7:30 p.m. NKU Corbett Theatre, 100 Nunn Dr., Highland Heights, KY 41099. 859-572-5464. DETAILS: This quiet gem of a musical flourished not once, but twice in Manhattan – off-Broadway in 1997 and on Broadway in 2014, which was something of a coming out party for actress Sutton Foster. The story tells of a disfugured girl traveling from North Carolina to Oklahoma in hopes of being healed by a televangelist. This, like the Know Theatre show above, is more about the journey than the destination. Through Sunday afternoon, and then next Wednesday-Sunday.
Solway Gallery Building, “Urban Dwellers” | 5-9 p.m. Studio V, 424 Findlay St., Cincinnati, OH 45214. 513-621-0069. DETAILS: By night, Maurice Mattei makes music with his bandmates The Tempers, but his day job is visual art and copywriting, and he teaches drawing at the Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center in Covington. (Some people have so much talent they don’t know what to do with it all.) On this night, he debuts a new collection of drawings and associated poems as part of an open house at the Solway Building, which also houses artist studios of Jolie Harris, Jimi Jones and the Carl Solway Gallery, among others. And yes, The Tempers will share some scattered songs along the way, in between Maurice’s minglings. Through Oct. 7, but by appointment only.
Saturday, Sept. 24
Cincinnati Song Initiative, “To the Distant Beloved” | 7:30 p.m. Presbyterian Church of Wyoming, 225 Wyoming Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45215. DETAILS: CSI opens its 7th season poetically examining the effects of long distance relationships through music by Tosti, Albeniz, Beethoven, Florence Price and an award-winning recent song cycle by Jeffrey Ryan.
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, “Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony” | 7:30 p.m. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: CSO opening nights often feature a statement work, and this year is certainly no exception. One of the most popular symphonies in the repertoire, Mahler’s Second is not performed all that often due to its scale (an augmented CSO, plus 200 singers) and length (85-90 minutes). So this is a rare opportunity, especially given Louis Langrée‘s leadership and the two magnificent soloists: soprano Joélle Harvey and mezzo-soprano Kelly O’Connor. Repeats Sunday at 2 p.m.
Kennedy Heights Arts Center, “What’s Left Behind” | 6-8 p.m. 6546 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45213. 513-631-4278. DETAILS: Some galleries are getting a head start on FotoFocus, which officially kicks off Sept. 28. Local Eyes, a group of five esteemed Cincinnati photographers – Helen Adams, Jymi Bolden, Melvin Grier, Samantha Grier and Amanda Cawdrey – curates this group exhibition of images by 41 local artists that explores how what we consume, what we collect, and what we discard affects the environment we live in and our lives in the greater context. On display through Nov. 12.
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, Art Fair | 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Hamilton-Cleves Road, near Hamilton. DETAILS: One of the organization’s largest events features more than 70 artist vendors displaying their works amongst the monumental sculptures that dot the grounds. More than just an art event, the weekend provides entertainment and activities for all ages including live music, family-friendly activities, food trucks, and a beer garden. Repeats Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., with a performance by the Butler Philharmonic at 2 p.m.
archival inkjet print, 2019
Wave Pool Gallery, “Photography and Tenderness” | 6-9 p.m. 2940 Colerain Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45225. DETAILS: This FotoFocus group show of works by 10 photographers, curated by Lorena Molina and Eliza Gregory, is intended to reflect a broad spectrum of what “tenderness” means in the face of a world filled with aggressive hostility. “How do we build a society that is different–more loving, more accepting, more responsive–than the one we have now?” On display through Nov. 5.
Sunday, Sept. 25
Collegium Cincinnati, “Our Desire For Life” | 4 p.m. Christ Church Cathedral, 318 E. Fourth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. DETAILS: This season-opening concert spotlights both the choral and instrumental talents of this excellent professional organization. The choir, led by Christ Church Cathedral’s Stephan Casurella, offers two Renaissance masterpieces: “The Lamentations of Jeremiah” by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices. The principal string players share a rare performance of Viktor Ullmann’s String Quartet No. 3, composed while a Nazi prisoner in Theresienstadt.
Photo by Zach Rosing
Playhouse in the Park, “Murder on the Orient Express” | 7 p.m. Jarson-Kaplan Theater, Aronoff Center, Cincinnati, OH 45202. 513-421-3888. DETAILS: And so the journey begins… While waiting for the completion of it spanking new home atop Mt. Adams, The Playhouse is conducting a round of “play dates,” visiting other area venues to hopefully make new friends along the way. First stop is the Aronoff for this classic by Agatha Christie, which runs through Oct. 23. Sometimes we see things in a fresh light when out of context…
Monday, Sept. 26
Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery, “Eroded Histories” | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mount St. Joseph University, 5701 Delhi Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45233. DETAILS: This FotoFocus-sponsored exhibition creates a dialogue about human society through the juxtaposition of two different bodies of work that deal with the artists’ overlapping interests in how we remember the past. Ruth Adams (University of Kentucky) and Deborah Orloff (University of Toledo) both draw upon their cultural heritage and family histories to investigate memory within the context of the forced migration and persecution of their ancestors which caused the erasure of cultural histories. On display through Oct. 28, with a public reception on Oct. 8, 2-4 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 27
College-Conservatory of Music, Faculty Artist Series | 7:30 p.m. University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. DETAILS: It’s a shame that you have to choose between these two programs featuring such gifted faculty and guest artists. In Werner Recital Hall, pianist Michael Chertock is joined by faculty artist Dror Biran, piano, and guest artist Charles Morey, violin, in works by Grieg, Rachmaninoff and CCM composer Michael Fiday. In the Cohen Family Studio Theater, guitarist Ric Hordinski performs original works for six- and 12- string, fretted and fretless, prepared and under-prepared guitar with with guest artists Ted Nelson, cello, and Eric Bates, violin. An embarrasment of riches, especially for a Tuesday.