Artistry is all around us. Art is an exhilarating dance in a food market. Art is relished in old, beautifully restored buildings. Art is participatory on historic bridges. Well-appointed concert halls are nice. Expertly curated museums are comfortable, but try on something new this week. In an unexpected place. A library. A bridge. Some beautiful, old buildings and yes, Frankenstein in a church. The nooks and crannies of the Queen City are encrusted with cultural and artistic gems. Find a shiny one and add some sparkle to your week!
Wednesday, Sept. 20
Over-the-Rhine Museum, “Three Acts: Sculptural Art in Over-the-Rhine” | 6:30 p.m., Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-813-7309. DETAILS: Feel inspired when you listen to the history of local artists and their work across the region: Over-the-Rhine sculptor Leopold Fettweis (1848-1912), wood carver Benn Pittman (original owner/designer of that cool house on Columbia Parkway) (1822-1910) and the mosaics featured in Imagination Alley. Dr. Theresa Leininger-Miller, Suzanne Fisher, and Thea Tjepkema will discuss their research on these noteworthy artists and personal experience in contributing to public artworks.
Xavier University, Jazz Quest | 8:00 p.m., The Lounge, Liberty Exhibition Hall, 3938 Spring Grove Ave., Northside. 513-813-7469. DETAILS: Jazz Quest continues with the Andrew Haug Quartet, Feat. Ben Tiberio. Haug is a CCM Jazz Studies graduate currently living in New York City. His band On a Limb formed in 2016, initially as a way for three musicians to collectively practice free improvisation. Ben Tiberio‘s bass playing has been a fixture in the bands of his generation’s biggest torchbearers: Joel Ross, María Grand, Veronica Swift and Immanuel Wilkins to name a few. Liberty Exhibition Hall was Cincinnati’s first Vaudeville theater. I bet you didn’t know that.
Thursday, Sept. 21
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, “Gaslight” | 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-2273. DETAILS: Last chance to see the world premiere of playwright Patrick Hamilton‘s haunting thriller based on the acclaimed play and classic film. The sanctity of marriage is threatened when sanity is at stake. Strange things start to happen to newlyweds Bella and Jack in this turn of the century Victorian thriller as their seemingly perfect marriage devolves into something sinister. Don’t miss it. Only through Sept. 24.
Friday, Sept. 22
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Little Amal | 1 p.m., Schmidlapp Event Lawn, 124 E. Mehring Way, downtown. DETAILS: “Little Amal is the 12 foot puppet of a 10 year old Syrian refugee child at the heart of The Walk. She has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees.” So goes the description of a little girl on a big journey across the US. The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra sponsors Little Amal’s Cincinnati stop with an afternoon full of activities. Convene at the Schmidlapp Event Lawn at 1 p.m. for craft activities. At 2:45 walk with Amal across the Roebling Suspension Bridge and enjoy a musical performance on the Covington side. Return with her in silence to Cincinnati and enjoy other activities including a performance by the CCO streamed live, outdoors, from inside the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Contemporary Arts Center, “A Permanent Nostalgia for Departure” | 8 p.m. Opening public reception. 44 E. Sixth St., downtown. 513-345-8400. DETAILS: This exhibition is a take on architectural legacy that wants to actively use Zaha Hadid‘s architectural thinking as a starting point. Through site-specific and all-new commissioned works, the show reflects upon the idea of distance in time, history, cultural background, and landscapes, and how a legacy can become a passageway for these concepts. This exhibition is part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Zaha Hadid-designed Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art. 6 p.m. Members reception (Not too late to join). 7 p.m. Artist talk ($10 for non-members). Exhibition runs through Jan. 28.
Mercantile Library, “The Art of the Storyboard” | 6 p.m., 414 Walnut St., downtown, 513-621-0717. DETAILS: A storyboard is the visual planning of a film in a comic book format. Join other cinephiles for an evening with J. Todd Anderson, storyboard artist for the Coen Brothers as he discusses his process, working in Hollywood, and more. Copies of his book, “The Big Lebowski: The Official Storyboards” will be available for sale & signing. Reservations required.
(Photo by Nathan Johnson)
Cincinnati Pops, Defying Gravity: An Evening with Stephen Schwartz & Friends | 7:30 p.m., Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: Was “Godspell” the musical of your youth? Yours Truly knows every word, every note. Grammy and Oscar-winning composer Stephen Schwartz joins conductor John Morris Russell and the Pops for performances of his exquisite songs in an unforgettable evening of musical theater from Godspell to Wicked and beyond. Featuring award-winning Broadway vocalists, the legendary songwriter and his friends open the season with classics like “Day by Day,” “Popular,” “Corner of the Sky,” “Beautiful City” and “Defying Gravity.” You guessed! It’s all for the best!
Saturday, Sept 23
Pyramid Hill, Art Fair | 11-6 p.m., 1763 Hamilton-Cleves Rd., Hamilton. 513-868-8336. DETAILS: Art Fair brings together artists vendors to sell their one-of-a-kind handmade creations. Peruse vendor’s works amongst the monumental sculptures that dot the Park grounds, grab lunch and refreshments to be enjoyed in the beer garden, and listen to live music at the Pavilion. Queen City Silver Stars, Dravin & the Ravens, Xander Wells and others perform. Kabobske, Fabulous Funnel Cakes, 513BubbleTea and other tasty treats for sale. Repeats Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Findlay Market, Salsa Night | 5-8 p.m., 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: Dancing in a food market? Why not? Come on down to Jane’s in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month for an evening of salsa dancing. If you don’t know how, you’ll learn and if you know how you’ll have a blast. In case you didn’t know, Jane’s is that bar you’ve passed a hundred times on your way into the market from the Elm St. side. You’ve probably ordered a beer or two to drink with the delicious Findlay lunch you just bought. It has a name, yes, it does! One, two, three, rest, five, six, seven, rest. (Now, you know how to do the salsa.). See you there.
Sunday, Sept. 24
Know Theatre, “Monsters of the American Cinema” | 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-300-5659. DETAILS: After the sudden death of his husband, Remy Washington – a Black man – finds himself the guardian of both the Good Time Drive-In movie theatre and his husband’s white teenage son, Pup. Christian St. Croix has written a haunting and heartening drama about fathers and sons, queerness and loss, and the monsters inside of us. Runs through Oct. 8.
Cincinnati Song Initiative and Cincinnati Music & Wellness Coalition, “Under Your Wing” | 3 p.m., ARCO, 3301 Price Ave., Price Hill. 513-251-3800. DETAILS: The Mainstage season opens with a unique opportunity to explore the human condition through song. World-class vocal artists share musical stories of life, love, struggle and triumph, all through the lens of physical, mental and emotional well-being. Pre-concert lecture (2 p.m.) and post-concert HealthRHYTHMS session.
Footlighters, “Young Frankenstein” | 2 p.m., Stained Glass Theatre, 802 York St., Newport. 859-291-7464. DETAILS: Mel Brooks wrote a musical? He’s a talented guy, that Mel. Everybody knows the classic Mary Shelley novel, but Brooks has taken it two generations later to the lab of Victor Frankenstein’s grandson, Frederick. What Frederick creates easily rivals his grandfather’s work, but when the monster escapes hilarity that only Brooks can write ensues. Community theater regular, Chuck Ingram, plays the monster. Frankenstein’s monster in a church, you ask? The home of the Footlighters is the former Salem United Methodist Church. Not a bad seat in the house. Runs through Oct. 1.
Monday, Sept. 25
Jazz at the Park, Steely Organ Trio | 6 p.m., The Porch, Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: Steve Schmidt and his buddies Brad Myers on guitar and Dan Dorff on drums take the stage for an evening of tribute to the Hammond organ. Enjoy a wide selection of beverages, and BYO dinner, as the sun sets. Maybe we’ll hear some Steely Dan? One can only hope. Free.
Tuesday, Sept. 26
Mercantile Library, In Pieces: “The Splendid and the Vile” | Noon, 414 Walnut St., downtown. 513-621-0717. DETAILS: The Mercantile’s “In Pieces” series tackles big, intimidating books, breaking them into manageable pieces by focusing on one book over a handful of sessions. If you like Erik Larson, check out the second of three sessions discussing “The Splendid and the Vile.” Larson delivers the saga of Winston Churchill‘s first year in office as the German air force launched a full-scale assault on London. Niehoff XXXIV, the Mercantile’s primary fundraiser, features Larson on Oct. 21 at the Hyatt Regency.