Theater (or is that theaTRE?) wins the week with season openers from Know to Playhouse to Cincinnati’s brilliant community theaters. Sing along with some Broadway showstoppers or settle in for the Bach B Minor. Great jazz, Lili Boulanger, a little poetry and a couple of good films round out your week.
Wednesday, Sept. 9
Caffè Vivace, Original Farm League Big Band | 7:30 p.m. 975 E. McMillan, Walnut Hills. 513-601-9897. DETAILS: Vivace seems to have a never-ending supply of fab jazz. This big band features the important work of local arrangers and composers dedicating its work to the advancement of modern repertoire. Here’s a chance to hear up-and-coming musicians from the Cincinnati/Dayton area playing new and newer works.
Thursday, Sept. 10
Xavier Theatre, “The Guys” | 7:30 p.m. Long Recital Hall, Edgecliff Hall, 3800 Victory Pkwy., East Walnut Hills. 513-745-3939. DETAILS: True story, this. Playwright Anne Nelson’s “The Guys” is a moving story of a New York fire captain seeking to write eulogies of firefighters in his unit lost in the Sept. 11 attacks. The men come to life as the captain and a writer share stories of courage, humor and everyday life. An unexpected friendship develops as this warm and inspiring true story comes to life. Directed by Kelsey Schwarber. NOTE: This show is NOT on the Xavier campus. See Edgecliff address above. Runs through Sept. 12.
Falcon Theatre, “Eureka Day” | 7:30 p.m. 636 Monmouth St., Newport. 513-479-6783. DETAILS: Fresh off of its 2025 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, “Eureka Day,” by Jonathan Spector, draws an unexpected line between consensus-driven governance and political polarization. Eureka Day, a progressive and inclusive private school breaks out in mumps and descends into a brawl between parental rights and misinformation with few acceptable solutions. Need we explain that further? Runs through Sept. 26.
Know Theatre, “Make Believe” | 7:30 p.m. 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-300-5669. DETAILS: This show explores the lingering impact of childhood trauma. Both the child and adult versions of Chris, Kate, Addie and Karl navigate childhood ghosts that still haunt their lives in this gut-wrenching meditation by Bess Wohl. Ryker Sohmer, Layla Rowley, Giselle Aagard and Bennet Kreit play the Conlees as children. Leo Jenkins, Merritt Beischel, Tess Talbot and Nathan Tubbs play their adult versions. Runs through Sept. 26.
Footlighters, “1776” | 7:30 p.m. Stained Glass Theatre, 802 York St., Newport. 859-291-7464. DETAILS: “Someone open up a window!” If you’ve never seen this great show now’s your chance. OK, so Kentucky isn’t Philadelphia, but you can count on Footlighters to make it almost so. Can Adams, Jefferson and Franklin convince the rest to unshackle themselves from the British monarchy? Will the deadlock be broken? With music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and music by Peter Stone, “1776” explores this important historical moment with humor, insight, tension and a little romance. Spoiler alert: Enjoy this gender-bender of a cast. Directed by Libby Beiting-Lipps, choreographed by Abigail Dirr with musical/vocal direction by Elizabeth Venia. Runs through Sept. 27.
Friday, Sept. 11
St. Gertrude Parish Sacred Music Series, J.S. Bach: B Minor Mass | 7 p.m. 6543 Miami Ave., Madeira. 513-569-5954. DETAILS: Bach’s expansive and dramatic B Minor Mass was not composed as the unified work we know today. Its seperate movements were composed over a 25-year period. It was not called the B Minor Mass until much later. Bach borrowed, revised, reworked and adapted his own work to complete the mass, especially the final section. Bach never heard the complete work, widely considered one of the supreme achievements of Western civilization. Led by Christopher Holman, St. Gertrude music director, this unique performance features period instruments and orchestration and only five singers: Olivia Knutsen and Natalie Romanick (soprano I and II), Rachael Bell (mezzo-soprano), Samuel Krausz (tenor) and Michael Young (bass).
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, “Network” | 7:30 p.m. 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-2273. DETAILS: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Is there a more iconic line than the one from Howard Beale’s rage-infused meltdown on live TV? Adapted for the stage in 2017 by Lee Hall from Paddy Chayefsky’s Academy Award-winning original screenplay, “Network” immerses theater-goers and transforms them into Beale’s live studio audience. The movie (and the play) seems not so oddly prophetic as we now attempt to distinguish entertainment from news while outrage in any form sells. This CSC production stars Jim Hopkins, Hayley Guthrie and Barry Mulholland. Directed by Brian Isaac Phillips. Runs through Sept. 26.
Saturday, Sept. 12
Kennedy Heights Arts Center, “Sin Verguenza” and “Carmita” | Noon-3:30 p.m. 6620 Montgomery Rd., Kennedy Heights. 513-631-4278. DETAILS: Guest film curator Mary Leonard introduces two films.: “Sin Verguenza,” is a group of film clips and videos featuring performances by Cuban and Puerto Rican female and female-identifying singers and dancers from the 1950s until the present. The second, full-length film, “Carmita” is a portrait of Cuban actress Carmen Ignarra and her ill-fated attempt to break into Hollywood. There will be a post-film Q&A. This series is a presentation of Mary Leonard’s ongoing project, “Caribbean Eye.” Repeats on Oct. 10.
Cincinnati Song Initiative, “Mack Attack!” | 7 p.m. Liberty Exhibition Hall, 3938 Spring Grove Ave., Northside. DETAILS: This will be CSI’s third staged song project co-produced with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music opera department. The creative and cinematic music of Evan Mack, considered to be one of the “most gifted composers of his generation by industry insiders (Musical America),” is on tap for tonight. The program includes a world premiere, “Bitter and Be Grey” based on the poem of the same name by American poet and humorist Ogden Nash, with additional poetry by Kathleen Kelly and Alice Cary. Pianist Van Cliburn makes an “appearance” in “American Sputnick,” a song for baritone and small ensemble. Van Cliburn’s famous quote, “I’m not a success, I’m a sensation,” is retooled as the pianist begins to discern the difference between success and sensation during his visit to Moscow where he won the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in 1958. Performers include Amy Johnson, soprano and Will Liverman, baritone.
Cincinnati Pops, Lea Salonga | 7:30 p.m. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: Settle in with a cold drink (no ice, though) and enjoy some Broadway tunes with the Tony Award-winning Lea Salonga, known for the voice of Disney’s Jasmine and Mulan and her incredible performances in “Miss Saigon” and “Les Miserables.” An evening of storytelling, movie music and timeless classics awaits. John Morris Russell conducts. Repeats Sunday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, “Heist” | 7:30 p.m. 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Mt. Adams. 513-421-3888. DETAILS: Lasers, aerial stunts and state-of-the-art projections suck you into this high-tech mystery. Written by Aron Lakra, “Heist” intends to keep you on the edge of your seat as Marvin and his team attempt one last heist, which goes very sideways. “Heart-pounding suspense,” along with a laugh or two, makes for a suspenseful night out. Directed by Blake Robison. Runs through Oct. 11.
Sunday, Sept. 13
Matinée Musicale, Jonathan Mamora, piano | 3 p.m. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-476-7218. DETAILS: Jonathan Mamora makes his Cincinnati debut in the Matinée Musicale season opener. Mamora has won first prize at a number of international piano competitions including Hilton Head, Scottish and Maria Canals Barcelona. And he recently closed the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 season under the baton of the Cincinnati Pops’ own John Morris Russell. The New York Concert Review said, “Mr. Mamora’s playing itself is larger than life with a technique so solid that it seemed at times he couldn’t play a wrong note if he tried.” Mamora currently serves as organist at La Sierra University Church in Riverside, California. The program includes works by J.S. Bach, Alexander Scriabin, Frederic Rzewski, Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann.
Monday, Sept. 14
Mercantile Library, “All That Teethes Within” | 6 p.m. 414 Walnut St., downtown. 513-621-0717. DETAILS: Kari Gunter-Seymour is the immediate past poet laureate of Ohio. Her exploration of pain and heartache is bound to the poet’s Appalachian heritage and “overflows with sadness and anger toward the forces that cause societal and environmental damage in the region.” Gunter-Seymour is the author of several award-winning poetry collections and is a retired instructor at Ohio University. She holds writing workshops for incarcerated adults and women in recovery, and is the founder, curator and host of “Spoken & Heard,” a seasonal performance series featuring poets, writers and musicians from across the country.
Tuesday, Sept. 15
Christ Church Cathedral, Music Live at Lunch | 12:10 p.m. 318 E. Fourth St., downtown. 513-621-1817. DETAILS: Retired CSO musicians, cellist/pianist Dan Culnan and violinist Rebecca Culnan, share their talents in this week’s installment. Bring your own lunch or purchase one at the church. Program includes Lili Boulanger’s “D’un matin de printemps,” “Southland Sketches” by Harry T. Burliegh and Cesar Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Piano.
Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative, “The Opposite of Failure” | 7:30 p.m. Fifth Third Bank Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-2787. DETAILS: “The Opposite of Failure” is a full-length play by Indiana playwright Nancy Robinson Crist. In this story, Martie has been trying to get back on her feet ever since her thirty-year marriage ended. Crippled by chronic depression, she has tried, without success, to find a treatment that works. But just when she thinks her life won’t get better, hope arrives in the form of a philosophical teen, a flaky coworker, an innovative doctor and a “flustrated” nephew.” Crist has had several plays produced in New York and Chicago. CPI serves local playwrights, actors and directors pursuing the art and craft of playwrighting.
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