Month: December 2009

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Main Street Shop & Stroll this weekend in OTR

Well, another weekend is here and so is another reason to come out and support your local establishments in downtown Cincinnati. Last weekend was “Holidays in the Bag” in Over-the-Rhine’s Gateway Quarter, and this weekend you have the Main Street Holiday Stroll & Shop! Ever been to Second Sunday on Main? Well, it is kind of like that which means fun places, fun people, and fun things!

The main difference between this and Second Sunday? Well, Main Street Stroll & Shop officially runs Saturday from 11am to 7pm and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. While you can go at any time, I highly recommend going early on Saturday. You see, in conjunction with Stroll & Shop the Art Academy will be holding its annual Snowflake Sale. While their site says that it runs until 3pm, I have seen 2pm elsewhere so come early and check it out so you don’t miss it.

Whenever you go, there are plenty of places to visit on north Main Street. The only holdover from “Holidays in the Bag” is Atomic Number 10 which will be participating with nearly every other establishment along the stretch of Main between 13th and Liberty streets. As you probably already know there are a ton of art galleries on that stretch as well as a bunch of unique shops where you can find that gift that you cannot find anywhere else. While there is no “official” discount feel free to ask each merchant about exclusive holiday specials.

Surely you are bound to work up an appetite or get thirsty along the way! There are many options to choose from including Mixx Ultra Lounge, Iris BookCafe, and Shadeau Breads right there along Main Street. Of course there are a few just off Main like Grammers, Lucy Blue, and Coffee Emporium.

So get out and find some fun gifts this weekend, support your local businesses, and experience some of the magic of downtown! A few other things worth checking out include the ice rink at Fountain Square and the Duke Energy Train Display. Of course, you could just be a little adventurous and find your own way around!

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News

Come get your wings at "It’s A Wonderful Life"

The holiday season brings with it a bevy of Christmas-related theater productions. From the Nutcracker to Miracle on 34th Street, we’ve seen these classics as many times as we’ve watched the Charlie Brown special on TV. They speak to us, and trigger memories of happy Christmases past.

However, if you’re looking to spice up your weekend with a new twist on an old favorite, you should definitely check out the Falcon Theater’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: the Live Radio Drama.” The tale of George Bailey from Bedford Falls takes on a whole new meaning when performed by 8 voice actors, 3 sound artists and 3 musicians. The talented cast of 13 people, along with director Michael Potter, transport the audience back to the 1940s and the Golden Age of Radio. The Falcon Theater is currently celebrating its 20th season, and has conducted a reprise season of all their favorite shows. “It’s a Wonderful Life” was originally performed last year, and was a shoo-in for the Falcon Christmas show.

It’s A Wonderful Life photos provided by Falcon Theater.

The actors and actresses in this show are not wearing character costumes. They stand at the microphone, scripts in hand, and weave the tale of discovering how wonderful life is using only their voice talents. It seems strange at first, but it is enthralling and interesting to watch as Nathan Ruggles switches “characters” from Old Man Potter to Uncle Billy and back again… all in the same scene! Watching the Foley sound artists (David Levy, Amber Potter, and sound apprentice Tyson Levy) make realistic sound effects using everyday objects is another treat as well.

From the moment the “On Air” light comes on until the announcer (Jim Bussy) signs off at the end of the night, radio magic is happening, and it is fantastic. If you close your eyes during the shoe, it is easy to imagine the sounds coming through the speaker of the old Atwater-Kent back at Grandma’s house.

Yes, going to see a Christmas Carol (again) this year will be fun, I’m sure. However, if you’re looking for a truly unique experience, don’t miss It’s A Wonderful Life, the Live Radio Drama. As an added bonus, UrbanCincy writer Jenny Kessler will be reprising her role as a Jingle Belle (commercial singer) – even more reason to go check it out!

“It’s a Wonderful Life: the Live Radio Broadcast” is playing the next two weekends (12/4-12/6 and 12/11-12/13) with Friday and Saturday performances at 8pm and Sunday matinees at 3pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. The Falcon Theater is located at 636 Monmouth Street in Newport, KY (map). You can order tickets here or call the box office at (513) 479-6783.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Hopnosis At the Comet

For those of you looking to get your brew on this weekend, the Comet in Northside is hosting a rotating beer tasting tonight (Thursday), Friday and Saturday evenings. It’s almost like a music festival, only with beer:

Every hour on the hour a new beer gets rotated into the line up, and there is a list of new brews each night. This is the list for the beer lineup, though it is unlikely that this is the order in which they will appear. If we get any more information on this event, we will let you know.

Thursday:
Thirsty Dog: 12 Dogs
Allagash: Tripel
Green Flash: Barleywine
Dogfish Head: Burton Baton
Brooklyn: Black Chocolate Stout (’08)
Green Flash: Hop Head Red
Bell’s: Rye Stout
Brooklyn: Backbreaker
Founders Sappy Slappy Bastard
Great Divide: Chocolate Yeti
SPRL Brasserie Léon Huyghe: Delirium Noël
Victory: Storm King
Brasserie Dupont: Avec les bons Voeux
Avery: 16th Anniversary

Friday
Anchor: Foghorn (’09)
Great Divide: 15th Anniversary
Brew Kettle: Old 21
Founders: Breakfast Stout
Dogfish Head: Red and White
Southern Tier: Pumking
Victory: Yakima Twilight
Dark Horse: Scotty Karate
Otter Creek: Russian Imperial Stout
Boulder Brewing: Killer Penguin
Avery: Dugana
Allagash: Four
New Holland: Brother Jacob
Avery: The Czar
Founders: Sappy Slappy Bastard

Saturday
Southern Tier: Back Burner
Left Handed: Warrior IPA
Founder’s: Imperial Stout
Troëgs: Mad Elf
Rogue: Yellow Snow
Bell’s: Third Coast Old Ale (’08)
Rogue: Mogul
Brooklyn: Monster (’09)
Two Brothers: Heavier Handed
Otter Creek: Quercus Vitis Humulus
Clipper City: Big Dippa
Weyerbacher: Quad
Anchor: Christmas Ale (’09)
Southern Tier: Crème Brûlée

Categories
News

Getting an Education at Know’s "Wayside School"

If you’re looking for a theater performance that DOESN’T involve Christmas this December, you’ll want to beat feet down to the Know Theater and check out their latest production, “Sideways Stories From Wayside School.” This play chronicles the misadventures of the students at an elementary school that is most definitely “above average.” Instead of building 30 classrooms all in a row, the architect got a little confused and stacked all the classrooms on top of each other… and this is probably the most normal thing about Wayside School!

The show, based on the books by Lewis Sachar (author of Holes), is delightfully silly and challenges the audience to forget the outside world and be drawn in to the crazy goings on in the classroom – be it Mrs. Gorf (AUGHHHH!!), the meanest teacher in the world who turns her students into apples, a classroom band with fantastical instruments, or watching one of the students face an epic struggle with pigtail pulling.

Director Jason Ballweber has managed to bring a fantastical, magical story to life in a very low-tech way. Lots of crazy things happen at Wayside School, and instead of employing elaborate pulleys, bells and whistles, or smoke and mirrors, the show employs two actor/stage hands, dressed all in black with black hoods over their faces, that act as on-stage props. They make apples float through the air, write on chalkboards, and are an essential part of making the magic happen on stage. This technique hails from Japanese theater and is called “Kabuki.”

The cast of adult-children and their teacher counterparts keep the pace of the show at a breakneck but manageable speed, and have everyone in the audience chuckling with glee at their absurd antics. Memorable roles include Catherine Prevett as the gap-toothed, energetic Rondi and Liz Vosmeier as the new, lovable teacher who comes in to replace Mrs. Gorf.

I loved reading the Wayside School series as a child, and was delighted with how true the entire performance stayed to the original books. If you’ve read the books, you understand that they are filled with enough material to write at least 3 plays. John Olive, who authored the play, has translated a classic kid’s tale into an evening of fun.

The Know Theatre is known for doing plays and musicals that push the envelope with their content, be it risque, taboo, existential, or just plain weird. Wayside School definitely pushes the envelope as well. It is unabashedly, pointedly, exuberantly… fun. This show accurately captures that memory of what it is like to be 9 years old: innocent, curious, creative, and ridiculous. There were all ages and types of people at the preview show I attended last week. The thing I noticed was that EVERY single person in the audience had a smile on their face nearly the entire time. Everyone, from the grandma and her grand-daughter, to the trio of hipster college kids sitting behind me, thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

I think you will too.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School is at the Know Theatre through December 26th. Performances are 8pm Fridays and Saturdays with a 3pm Sunday matinee. Tickets are $12 with reservations. The Know Theatre is located at 120 Jackson Street (map) in Over-the-Rhine’s Gateway Quarter. Call (513) 300-5669 for reservations or order your tickets online.

Categories
News

Ohio facing ‘mobility crisis’ as transportation choices rapidly decline

Many people are aware of the dramatic cuts taking place at Ohio’s local transit authorities, but at the same time Ohio’s intercity public transportation modes – bus carriers, Amtrak, and airlines – are also seeing sharp service declines. According to All Aboard Ohio, these decreases in service are leaving many Ohioans stranded as they look for travel connections between Ohio’s many cities, towns, suburbs, and rural hamlets.

“Ohio is facing a serious mobility crisis,” said Bill Hutchison, president of All Aboard Ohio. “Ohio’s public officials and transportation company executives need to recognize a problem exists and start working together to address the lack of travel options.”

Intercity public transportation choices in Ohio. 1979 vs. 2009

The news comes out the non-profit’s new Transportation Report Card (pdf) in which the organization gave Ohio a “lump of coal” for the declining transportation choices. In the report, the following data illustrates that decline over the past 30 years.

  • Bus companies like Greyhound and Continental Trailways eliminated more than two-thirds of their Ohio departures and dozens of routes between 1979 and 2004;
  • In the past five years bus services have stabilized, but with some losses (Sandusky and downtown Dayton stops eliminated) and gains (Megabus adds Chicago service to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo);
  • Ohio has lost 1,000 route miles of Amtrak train service from 1979-2005 and saw service levels decline by 60 percent from 84 trains per week to 34;
  • Amtrak in Ohio has also stabilized since 2005 yet offers inconvenient middle-of-the-night services on just three routes;
  • Airlines have been in retreat after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with Ohio airports losing seat-mile capacity ranging from 10-100 percent, mostly due to cuts in short-distance flights;
  • Losses accelerated since 2007 due to high fuel prices and the recession. Since 2007, airports in Ohio and within 100 miles of Ohio have seen their scheduled domestic departures decrease 7-39 percent.

According to All Aboard Ohio, these cuts have an especially negative impact on Ohio’s growing elderly population, disabled citizens, and lower- and working-class families who can not afford to own their own or reliably maintain their own car.

“Given the sorry state of intercity public transportation in Ohio, it’s probably better that you travel to grandma’s house this holiday season because it’s more difficult for her to visit you,” said Hutchison.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Ohio residents over the age of 65 currently make up 16 percent of the state’s population – a number expected to grow to 20 percent by 2030. It is also estimated that in Ohio’s larger urban areas like Cincinnati and Cleveland, roughly 20 to 25 percent of the households have no car at all.

“While one can attribute this decline in transportation options to many factors, I believe it’s mostly due to complacency. Too many just blandly plod along and accept their fate without a fight. Well, we don’t accept it and this report is an early salvo in our fight.”