Monthly Archives: January 2020

January 21, 2020 · 12:56 pm

Cincinnati Ballet Presents SWAN LAKE Just in Time for Valentine’s Day!

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Photo by Aaron M. Conway.

CINCINNATI, OH.  (January 21, 2020) — Cursed by an evil sorcerer, the beautiful princess Odette spends her days as a swan and her nights in human form. Only true love can break the spell, but an evil imposter is out to steal her prince and their happy ending. Experience what may be the most recognizable ballet of all time at Cincinnati Music Hall Thursday, February 13 to Sunday, February 16. With Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s spectacular score performed by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and choreography by Kirk Peterson, it’s a classic love story that can’t be missed. The ballet is also a tour-de-force experience for the dancer playing the dual role of Odette/Odile, the white swan and the black swan, her evil nemesis. On stage for much of the ballet, the dancer is required to perform a head-spinning 32 turns in a row as Black Swan.

CB_Swan Lake256

Photo by Aaron M. Conway.

Cincinnati Ballet also got creative with this production and decided to put our ‘swans’ in Mirror Lake at Eden Park. As our production is in the middle of winter, we planned the photo shoot during the summer. On a sweltering day in August, our dancers, videographer, production and wardrobe staff, and Artistic Director Victoria Morgan spent several hours creating some unbelievable photos in Mirror Lake. Clever photographer Aaron M. Conway didn’t just want our ‘swans’ in the water, he also wanted them en pointe ON the water! So how do you make dancers walk on water? Conway and his team brought along cinder blocks for the dancers to balance on. Principal dancers Sirui Liu and Melissa Gelfin took turns balancing on the blocks. What you may not know — pointe shoes are made of densely packed layers of fabric, cardboard, and sometimes paper hardened by glue, when immersed in water they quickly disintegrate. Each dancer, supported by staff, had seconds to create an indelible pose while balanced on the stacked cinder blocks. Bravo! What we ended up with are truly magical photos.

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Photo by Aaron M. Conway.

Cincinnati Ballet would also like to thank the City of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Parks for all their help in the creation of these images.

WHO:                   Cincinnati Ballet

WHAT:                 Swan Lake

WHEN:                 February 13 – 7:30 pm

February 14 – 8:00 pm

February 15 – 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

February 16 – 1:00 pm

WHERE:               Music Hall
1241 Elm St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202

TICKETS:               Call 513.621.5282, visit cballet.org or visit the Cincinnati Ballet Box Office at 1555 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45214

Tickets start at $29

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About Cincinnati Ballet
Since 1963, Cincinnati Ballet has been the cornerstone professional ballet company of the region, presenting a bold and adventurous array of classical, full-length ballets and contemporary works, regularly with live orchestral accompaniment. Under the artistic direction of Victoria Morgan, Cincinnati Ballet has become a creative force within the larger dance community, commissioning world premiere works and exploring unique collaborations with artists as diverse as Grammy winning guitarist Peter Frampton and popular, Ohio-based band Over the Rhine. With a mission to inspire hope and joy in our community and beyond through the power and passion of dance, Cincinnati Ballet reaches beyond the stage in programs that allow every person in the region to be part of the continued evolution of dance. To that end, Cincinnati Ballet presents exhilarating performances, extensive education outreach programs and offers top level professional ballet training at Cincinnati Ballet Otto M. Budig Academy.

CONNECT: READ / WATCH / LISTEN / LEARN / ENJOY at cballet.org

Cincinnati Ballet 2019-2020 Season Sponsors: Rhonda & Larry A. Sheakley, ArtsWave, Mercy Health, Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Ohio Arts Council, John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, Frisch’s Big Boy, Knowlton

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January 21, 2020 · 12:23 pm

Xavier University Theatre Presents HEATHERS The Musical, Jan. 31-Feb. 8

XU_Heathers logo(CINCINNATI, Jan. 21, 2020) – Xavier University Theatre begins 2020 with its production of the off-Broadway hit Heathers the Musical. Written by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy and based on the 1989 cult classic movie starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, the show runs Jan. 31 through Feb. 8 in Xavier’s Gallagher Student Center Theatre.

Veronica Sawyer is a brainy, beautiful misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High School. But before she has time to get comfortable atop the teenage food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid, J.D. When the almighty Heather Chandler kicks her out of their group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather’s aerobicized ass … until J.D. suggests a more sinister plan for that bullet. Heathers is a hilarious, heartfelt, and homicidal show based on one of the all-time great teen comedies.

Stage Manager Emi Suarez believes the juxtaposition of the show’s style and unconventional set design will provide a uniquely intimate experience for audiences. “Our production of Heathers is unusual, as we have chosen to perform this big musical using an arena stage,” she said. “As an audience member, it’s impossible to look away from Veronica Sawyer as she battles with her peers to find beauty in her world.”

Senior Gigi Relic, who plays Heather Chandler, agrees. “Seeing the musical in this setting will be eye-opening,” she said. “I hope audiences leave inspired to speak up and be kinder to one another.”

That intimacy is important, according to sophomore Connie Kavensky, who plays Veronica. “It’s a dark yet relatable show,” she said, “that has taught me how we are all capable of being better to each other.”

The cast for Heathers includes first-year students Annalese Cahill, Anna Campise, Anthony Contreras, Faith Macko, Zac Martin, Lillian Reynolds, Liz Sundstrom, and Jenna Treinen; sophomores Elliot Auch, Danielle Jacobs, Connie Kavensky, and Ryan Whitford; juniors Matthew Benedek, Caroline Conard, Andrew Leonard, Julia Olinger, Amara Shroba, and Dylan Van Camp; and seniors Andy Girmann, Emily Jorgenson, and Gigi Relic.

The creative team includes Stephen Skiles (director/producer), sophomore Nick Minion (assistant director), Scot Buzza (music director), Ashley Goos (choreographer), junior Grant Zentmeyer (assistant choreographer), Joe Leonard (set designer/technical director), junior Tatum Mann (lighting designer), and junior Steven Stapleton (sound designer). The stage manager is senior Emi Suarez, and the assistant stage managers are first-year student Sam Sadler and sophomore Josie Daley.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on January 31 and February 1, 6, 7, and 8, as well as at 2 p.m. on February 1. Tickets are available now at the Gallagher Student Center Theatre Box Office. They are $18 each for adults and $13 each for students, as well as Xavier faculty and staff. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.xavier.edu/theatretickets or call 513-745-3939.

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January 21, 2020 · 12:00 pm

Frederic Chiu Bringing “Classical Smackdown” to NKU SOTA

NKU_Smackdown logoHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Get ready to rumble as world-renowned pianist Frederic Chiu brings an epic classical piano showdown of Prokofiev versus Debussy to Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts. The concert will take place on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 at 7 p.m. at NKU’s Greaves Concert Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. Funding for this program has been made possible by the Ohio Music Teachers Association – Southwest District, the Northern Kentucky Music Teachers Association, and NKU SOTA’s Visiting Artist Fund as part of the Annual Winter Piano Pedagogy Conference.

Inspired by reality talent shows like “American Idol,” “Classical Smackdown” is a “tongue-in-cheek wrestling match” between contrasting composers with the audience voting for their favorite composer during the concert. The format is built so that any novice or professional can come and have an opinion. The program for Prokofiev-Debussy is arranged in four “rounds” of pieces specifically to provide an opportunity to compare and contrast.

Additionally, Frederic will present a session on “New Pedal Techniques” at 10:30 a.m. and facilitate a Masterclass at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 for students and teachers in Greaves Hall on the second day of the Conference. All events are free and open to the public. Advanced registration at nku.edu/piano is encouraged.

ABOUT FREDERIC CHIU
Frederic Chiu has recorded the most extensive complete piano works of Prokofiev, and his personal relationship with the Prokofiev family has made him a world-recognized advocate of the composer. Across 28 albums, he has recorded works of Chopin, Liszt, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Rossini, and Grieg, and most recently, the Beethoven/Liszt Symphonies V and VII. “Hymns and Dervishes,” music of Gurdjieff/de Hartmann, Distant Voices: Music of Claude Debussy & Gao Ping and Schubert’s Fantasy for Violin and Piano demonstrate his vast legacy in recording.

His innovative programming includes “Classical Smackdown,” where composers face off in head-to-head comparisons, with listeners voting for their favorite composer: Debussy vs. Prokofiev, Bach vs. Glass, etc. Results tracked at ClassicalSmackdown.com. With his wife, Jeanine Esposito, he co-created the arts non-profit, Beechwood Arts & Innovation, to explore collaboration across art genres and the use of the arts and technology to create community. His innovative vision of Romeo & Juliet – The Choice, an immersive, interactive production of the famous Prokofiev ballet, debuted in 2018. Frederic teaches at both Carnegie Mellon University and The Hartt School. • fredericchiu.com

ABOUT THE WINTER PIANO PEDAGOGY CONFERENCE
The Northern Kentucky Winter Pedagogy Conference has drawn local music teachers to the NKU campus to discuss important topics pertinent to music education for the past eleven years. The conference is co-sponsored by the Northern Kentucky University School of the Arts Music Program, Northern Kentucky Music Teachers Association, and the Ohio Music Teachers Association – Southwest District. Funds for the conference are provided by OhioMTA-SW, NKyMTA, and NKU-SOTA, allowing the conference to be offered at no charge to members of the community.

ABOUT NKU SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
SOTA is the Creative Engine of NKU. The School of the Arts combines Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts to bring unparalleled artistic opportunities to current and future students. In a changing world, SOTA prepares students to be creative trailblazers in the Arts and their careers. Whether we are creating motion graphics, producing on the stage, or utilizing our dance classes to collaborate with therapeutic exercise in health sciences, we are on the cutting edge of transdisciplinary studies. SOTA offers 11 degrees with 30 specializations in addition to 7 minors to develop graduates that are personally engaged, innovative, and curious with advanced skillsets in collaboration and creative risk-taking.

For more information about NKU’s School of the Arts, please visit nku.edu/sota or follow on social media @NKUSOTA.

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January 20, 2020 · 2:46 pm

2020-2021 Season Announced by Covedale Center for the Performing Arts

CCPACovedale Center for the Performing Arts
2020-2021 Marquee Season
at the
Arnold and Mary Jo Barnett Performance Hall

ON SALE NOW!!!!
All 5 Shows $130
    Call 513-241-6550 to renew or become a New Subscriber!

Click Here to fill out an Online Form

Come enjoy great theatrical entertainment – at a great price!  The subscriber rate is only $26.00 per ticket ($130.00 for 5 show package).  The Covedale has plenty of great subscriber seats available with a great view of the stage!  New subscribers are encouraged to get their seats now, for best seating choices.  Be sure to check out the seating chart at www.CLPShows.org

 

THE ODD COUPLE
September 10 – October 4, 2020
By Neil Simon

This classic comedy opens as a group of the guys assemble for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. And if the mess is any indication, it’s no wonder that his wife left him. Late to arrive is Felix Unger, who has just been separated from his wife. Fastidious, depressed, and none too tense, Felix seems suicidal, but as the action unfolds, Oscar becomes the one with murder on his mind when the clean freak and the slob ultimately decide to room together with hilarious results as The Odd Couple is born.  Winner! 1965 Tony Award, Best Author of a Play.

OLIVER!
October 22 – November 15, 2020
Book, Music and Lyrics by Lionel Bart

Consider yourself at home with Lionel Bart’s classic musical based on Charles Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist. The streets of Victorian England come to life as Oliver, a malnourished orphan in a workhouse, becomes the neglected apprentice of an undertaker. Oliver escapes to London and finds acceptance amongst a group of petty thieves and pickpockets led by the elderly Fagin. When Oliver is captured for a theft that he did not commit, the benevolent victim, Mr. Brownlow takes him in. Fagin employs the sinister Bill Sikes and the sympathetic Nancy to kidnap him back, threatening Oliver’s chances of having the true love of a family. With great songs like, “Food Glorious Food”, Consider Yourself”, “As Long As He Needs Me” and “Who Will Buy”!

ELF The Musical
December 3 – 27, 2020
Book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin;  Music by Matthew Sklar;  Lyrics by Chad Beguelin  Based on the New Line Cinema film by David Berenbaum

Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh realities that his father is on the naughty list and his half-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.  Based on the cherished 2003 hit movie, this modern-day holiday classic features great holiday songs like, “Nobody Cares About Santa”, “Never Fall in Love With an Elf”, “There Is a Santa Claus” – sure to make everyone embrace their inner elf. After all, the best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES
February 4 – 28, 2021
Music by Jule Styne;  Lyrics by Leo Robin;  Book by Anita Loos and Joseph Fields;  Adapted from the novel by Anita Loos

Diamonds really are a girl’s best friend as Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw travel to Paris, pursued by a detective hired by the suspicious father of Lorelei’s fiancé, as well as a rich, enamored old man and many other doting admirers.  There’s the delightfully rich Gus Esmond, son of America’s Button King, The American Olympic Team, the richest widow from Philadelphia, plus Sir Francis and Lady Beekman (she has a diamond tiara that Lorelei just knows would look its best on her own blonde head!) Maybe there’s a future merger between the button business and the zipper business that will bring lots of success (and lots more diamonds) to Lorelei!. Tunes include:  “Bye Bye Baby” and “A Little Girl from Little Rock”, “You Say You Care” and the showstopper –  “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend”!

SEASON EXTRA at the Incline
THE FULL MONTY
March 4 – March 21, 2021
Book:Terrance McNalley; Music/Lyrics: David Yazbek Based the Fox movie, written by Simon Beaufoy.

While spying on their wives at a “Girls’ Night Out,” a group of unemployed steelworkers from Buffalo sees how much the women enjoy watching male strippers. Jealous, out of work and feeling emasculated, the men come up with a bold and unclothed way to make some quick cash. Though extremely exposed; not merely physically but emotionally, they seek to conquer their self-consciousness and prejudices. The men discover that they’re stronger as a group, yet each finds the individual courage to “let it go.” The Full Monty is a story full of heart, reazor-sharp humor and toe-tapping pizzaz. With hilarious songs like “Let It Go”, “It’s a Woman’s World”, “The Goods” and “You Rule My World”.

GREASE
April 1 – April 25, 2021
Book, Music and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Here is Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding “T-Birds” and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking “Pink Ladies” in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical. Head “greaser” Danny Zuko and new (good) girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive the high romance of their “Summer Nights” as the rest of the gang sings and dances its way through such songs as “Greased Lightnin’,” “Look at Me I’m Sandra Dee,” “Hand Jive”, “Beauty School Dropout” and more –  recalling the music of Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley that became the soundtrack of a generation.

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

Subscriptions on sale Saturday, January 18, 2020

Subscription renewal deadline is Monday, July 6, 2020

Subscription package tickets will be mailed Friday, July 17, 2020

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January 20, 2020 · 10:31 am

Loveland Stage Company’s GYPSY in Rehearsal for March 6 Opening

LSC_Gypsy rehearsal

Larry Harmon as Herbie and Lisa Breithaupt as Rose rehearse for the next Loveland Stage company production of GYPSY opening March 6.

Before the set for Cole was actually put away auditions were held for GYPSY, the next production in Loveland Stage Company’s 2019-2020 season. With  music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and  a book by Arthur Laurents, the show is loosely based on the 1957 autobiography of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist. The story mainly focuses on the mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with ”stage door Mom.”

Michael Harris-Kiser is directing the production along with Marjory Clegg as choreographer, Brian Harvey as Vocal Director  and Jeanne BIlyeu as Vocal Director.

“Let Me Entertain You” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” are two of the most popular songs from the musical which has had four revivals on Broadway, a Tony Award in 1989 and has been made in to a movie, “Gypsy” in 1962 starring Natalie Wood and a made for tv movie in 1993 starring Bette Midler.

The production is being presented with arrangements by Tams Witmark and will open March 6 and continue through March 22.  Sunday matinees will be at 3 pm and Friday and Saturday shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information see the web site at www.lovelandstagecompany.org.

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