Goldstar (not chili) and $50 theater ticket giveaway

Like any blog, we are occasionally approached by companies promoting their products. Like many bloggers, we don't promote anything we haven't tried or wouldn't use. But occasionally a service comes along that really aligns with our goal of re-adventuring Cincinnati, and such was the case with Goldstar.com. (Not... chili.)

Goldstar is a StubHub-type site for theater tickets-- cut-rate prices for seats that venues like Music Hall or the Aronoff Center would rather see full (for less cash) than empty (for zilch). Goldstar gave me a $50 gift certificate to try it out, and I managed to finagle another $50 certificate to give away here. (Maybe you could use it to see Ovo, nudge nudge?)

I used my certificate to purchase tickets for the May Festival's Revealing show. There were quite a few other shows that looked good (Drowsy Chaperone, Shrek the Musical...), but we're long overdue for a trip to Music Hall, and I've never attended any May Festival events. (For shame!)

You have to go in understanding that you're not buying front-row seats. Ours ended up in Orchestra C-- I prefer to be closer for a visual performance, but for an orchestra performance this is perfectly acceptable to me. Just be sure to check the seating availability when you're considering various shows.

The other watch-out: service fees. I paid $6 per ticket, which-- for $27 tickets-- is noticeable. Still, $66 (or $16!) is a good price for May Festival tickets (previously $54 each).

I enjoyed the rest of my experience. The interface is packed with ways to stay up-to-date with deals, including alerts when more tickets become available for a specific show and for when reviews are posted. I see this as a good resource for three things: 1) exploring new venues, 2) keeping updated on what's new, and 3) scoring some deals on higher-priced concerts and performances you normally couldn't afford to go to.

I also think it's great that Goldstar is even catering to Cincinnati. I feel as though many services put our city on the bottom of the list, but maybe Goldstar recognized what a great arts and theater culture we have in the Queen City.

So who would like to explore Goldstar.com for themselves? I have one beefy $50 gift certificate to give away. To enter, leave a comment here and tell me which show you'd like to see from Goldstar's list. Our winner will be chosen at random on Monday!

Cirque du Soleil: Ovo

Phew! Dan and I had a great time last night at Cirque du Soleil's show Ovo (disclosure: we were given free preview night tickets but reviews were not required). If you read many Cincinnati blogs I'm sure you're seeing a flurry of Cirque-related activity-- seems like everyone was at preview night!

I hope all that blogger/Yelper outreach pays off for them, because Ovo is a great show. I've seen several Cirque shows, but Dan had never seen one, so it was interesting to get dual perspectives.

For me, all the undeniably Cirque elements were present: a fun theme that permeates the entire show (insects!); unbelievable feats of strength, agility and creativity; ethereal live music; jaw-dropping costumes. Dan, on the other hand, didn't really know what to expect, and felt it was more of a circus than he'd come to expect-- he was worried it would be too "weird and artsy," but says it felt very accessible. I think that's a misconception that a lot of people have regarding Cirque-- that it's esoteric, bizarre, not fun. Certainly not the case with Ovo.

I can't tell you my favorite parts because I don't want to spoil the show. There's a magic in never knowing what will come next, and there are definitely some big surprises in Ovo. (I'll say this: the scenery itself is its own character. Holy moly.)

(Sorry for the lack of show-related pictures. Flash photography blinds the trapeze artists, know what I'm sayin'?)

Cirque opens for realsies tomorrow night, and runs through May 8th.
Cirque's Ovo website: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ovo/tickets/cincinnati.aspx

Incredulity Improv

I was involved with improvisational comedy throughout my time at college, and for a few years afterward. That eventually tapered off because there's a very, very sparse improv scene in Cincinnati.

However, the Queen City is fortunate to have Incredulity. Incredulity has been around for a few years and has performed at the Fringe Festival; they currently have an ongoing gig at Grammer's in Over-the-Rhine.

Incredulity has a rotating cast, including two very talented friends of mine: Alison Strickland and Dave Powell.

I do not say this lightly: no member of their cast was carrying the show, and no member was clearly struggling to keep up. As a veteran improviser I can tell you it's almost always the case that there are chinks in the armor as well as stage hogs, but Incredulity comes off as a team with a strong bond, a sense of trust, and the ability to share a stage.

The only real disappointment in the performance was the audience turnout. As a city full of art nuts, we need to be showing more love to the improv side of theater. Improvisers rarely make much money (and Incredulity's shows are free)-- they live on laughter, applause and attention.

Keep up with Incredulity's show listings (mostly at Grammer's) on their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=113157735370717

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: Dracula

Dracula scared me.

I'm not in the habit of being scared at the theater. Even when I'm supposed to be. It's all pretend, right? Make believe. Acting.

Still, something about this old classic really frightened me!

It was never Count Dracula who scared me. By the time the lights in the theater dim, you're prepared for him. You're watching the shadows, waiting for him to appear. But that makes you put your guard down for a supporting cast that will play on your tension. I definitely won't spoil those scenes for you, but it's not Giles Davies' Dracula that sends shivers down your spine in this production.

Sometimes, during intermissions, I'll make notes in my iPhone about a show. This time I wanted to note Davies' crazy (and required!) Transylvanian accent, and I unintentionally coined the term "Draccent." You're welcome.

Davies is good, though I was surprised how little of a role the title character actually has in the performance. This leaves plenty of stage time for a lovable doctor, a coquettish vampiress, a richly German Van Helsing, and a handful of other roles that are just as entertaining.

I will mention that the most memorable performance came from the lunatic Renfield, but who can ignore a man in the deepest throes of Hamletness? Words, words, words!

I enjoyed the play from the start: an introduction to Dracula by the mesmerizing Renfield. However, I'll paraphrase my seat-neighbor: "I really like the lighting in this show-- but it is hot as hell in here." Seriously, by the end of Dracula I was ready to run from the theater. There are drawbacks to a packed house, I suppose.

I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention WVXU-- I won our tickets through a random drawing on their site. I couldn't love that station more!

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: http://cincyshakes.com/
Dracula (at CSC): http://www.cincyshakes.com/dracula.html

Falcon Theater; Evil Dead: The Musical!

It was over-acted. It was campy. It was raunchy. It was gory.

...Yea!!


Dan and I were invited to a "blogger preview" of Falcon Theater's production of Evil Dead: The Musical! We jumped on the chance because a) duh, Evil Dead and b) we'd never been to Falcon Theater.

Falcon Theater is on Monmouth, near the Reser bike shop. We took a pedicab to get there-- more on that soon!


Evil Dead: The Musical is an over-the-top, disgusting piece of awesome, and the Falcon Theater cast pulled it off.

Did they hit every note? No, not really. Was every scripted line articulated with grace? Hell no. But did the cast members put everything they had into exaggerated facial expressions, grotesque sexual just-barely-innuendo, and vulgar demonic possessions? Shah, absolutely.


Oh, and did the audience walk away blood-splattered and satisfied? You bet yer sweet bippy.

Highlights of the show for me: the songs "What the F@#$ Was That?" and "All the Men in My Life [Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons]." The supporting character Scott was the standout to me, though Ash maintained a killer energy and every cast member had their moment to shine during the show.


I do want to mention that this show is not kid friendly-- it's loaded with blush-inducing foul language and seriously-this-isn't-even-innuendo-you-guys. The humor is base and raunchy. If you-- somehow-- did not like Evil Dead... what else can I say but avoid this show?

But if you are a fan, you can count on familiar moments involving boomsticks, moose and chainsaws. This is my kind of comedy, and I definitely recommend Evil Dead: The Musical. Tickets are under $20 and are available online. There are plenty of dates left but it looks like tickets are selling quickly!

(Note: we were not compensated for this review, other than with a chance to preview this show for free. Thanks to the lovely @winemedineme for hooking us up!)

Falcon Theater: http://falcontheater.net/
Evil Dead: The Musical! (at Falcon): http://falcontheater.net/?page_id=416

CSC: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged!)

I don't want to spend a lot of time writing about places that I've already been... but it's difficult, with a theater such as the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Every time you visit for a new show, it's an entirely different experience. Plus, as one of the actors pointed out, the audience is the best PR engine for them. I'd hate to not pass on word about a great show happening in Cincinnati.

And so: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged!). A gaggle of girlfriends invited me out to see this on Friday night, and even though I've seen the show a hundred times (errr, I have the DVD), I was pumped to see it live for the first time. (And, of course, to visit CSC again.)

The script is hysterical. If you've already seen it, see it again. If you haven't seen it, please for the love of all that is holy, make it happen. The cast of this show is boisterous, energetic and hilarious.

At dinner before the show, one of my friends (an Abridged! virgin) was asking if she'd be able to understand the show as someone not-so-much into Shakespeare. The answer is yes, yes, a thousand times yes. The entire show is sort of written around the idea of introducing you to Shakespeare, and putting the bard's plays into more modern (and more side-splitting) contexts. So if you'd considered skipping the show because you aren't an English scholar, don't worry your pretty little head.

June 4th, 2010 to June 27th, 2010
Showtimes: Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Prices: Adults $26, Seniors $22, Students $20*

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: http://www.cincyshakes.com/
Abridged! info page: http://www.cincyshakes.com/season-fifteen-wrap-party-cakes-ale.html

Cincinnati Ballet, Mozart's Requiem

Eep. I should have talked about this weeks ago; I'm so sorry. I'm working through a serious backlog of Cincinnati (re)adventures! It's an embarrassment of riches.

My friend-boss, Jeff, and I decided we wanted to go to the ballet. (We're a bit arbitrary like that.) We made a double date of it, got all spiffed up, grabbed dinner at Melt and headed to the Aronoff.

First off, love the Aronoff. Always have, since my mom started taking me to the theater when I was in middle school or so. I'll do a more in-depth post about this beautiful theater some other time-- maybe I can hook up a tour or something? I clearly need better pictures than the one I could snag while the lights were up.

But the real gem of the evening was the ballet, of course. I'd never seen the Cincinnati Ballet, except maybe a Nutcracker performance so long ago I can't remember anything but the velvet dress I was allowed to wear that night.

I was floored by the performance. Before the performance, I was curious as to whether it'd be more abstract or so story-driven it'd be dull. I was pleased to find the performance to be right in the middle: accessible enough that all four of us really connected to it, abstract enough that we all took away our own interpretations of various parts of the story.

I found myself ruminating about art in general. For someone as tied to a computer as I am, it was really beautiful to see something so human. Dan commented on a particular part of the opening routine where the dancers were slightly off-sync-- well of course they were. They're human, not automated. We were watching a dance that would only happen that exact way one time, no matter how much they practiced. That's what separates art from... well, just about everything else.

Cincinnati Ballet (Mozart's Requiem): http://www.cballet.org/performances/mozart

Mariemont Theatre

While I love the Mariemont Theatre... it's no Esquire (which, somehow, I haven't posted about yet?!).

Mariemont and the Esquire are sister theaters-- one in Mariemont (hm) and the other right down the road from Dan's place in Clifton. I prefer the Esquire for a couple of reasons:

1) I run into way more people my age at the Esquire

2.) I can walk to the Esquire

3.) The layout (particularly the lobby) of the Esquire is much more open and friendly.

That being said, there aren't many differences between the two. They don't run all the same movies, which is how I ended up in Mariemont on Friday night: it was playing the new Coen brothers movie, A Serious Man.

The differences, on the other hand, between an independent theater and your local Showcase Cinemas... are vast. For me, there is no comparison. I love the hometown, down-to-earth, almost vintage feel of these local theaters. The prices are often cheaper, the movies are the kind that rarely make it to the major theaters: documentaries, foreign films, indie dramas. (My kind of movies.) These are the kind of theater that play Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight, for crying out loud.

If you go straight to your nearby megaplex for movies, just check to see if it's playing at the Esquire or Mariemont first. Just once. If you hate it, maybe I'll give you a refund.

Mariemont Theatre website: http://www.mariemonttheatre.com/home.htm
A Serious Man on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: All's Well That Ends Well

Soon I'm going to write a post strictly about how much I love my Enjoy the Arts subscription, but suffice to say that's how I ended up downtown at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

...For the first time. Another huge cryin' shame for an English major such as myself.

The current show is All's Well That Ends Well, which is one of the few popular Shakespearean plays that I haven't read or seen performed. As it turns out, I very much dislike the story. (A shock to me! I could have written this post as a perfect Elizabethan sonnet!)

But the CSC was wonderful. I adored the comfortable, intimate theater and the simple set work. The staff was helpful, the cast was wonderful-- one of the main characters was an understudy running script-in-hand due to a regular cast illness and I was still impressed by his performance.

Despite my distaste for All's Well, I'll definitely be making it back to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company soon. They have an upcoming one-man show about Edgar Allan Poe that I'd love to see, and a Christmas show that sounds like a lot of fun. Even after my ETA subscription expires, but it'd be worth it to pay full price for a ticket to see upcoming pieces in their series.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company website: http://cincyshakes.com/
Enjoy the Arts website: https://www.enjoythearts.org/