A & E

Friday's Flicks

The summer movie season officially closes this weekend with five new options: an environmentally conscious documentary co-written, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio; a comedy about Ping-Pong starring Christopher Walken; a revenge drama starring Kevin Bacon; Rob Zombie’s quasi-remake of a horror classic; and a snide comedy about the Ten Commandments.

Elsewhere, I’m sad to say I've yet to experience David Lynch’s latest, Inland Empire, which didn’t open here theatrically. Frustrated by the lack of monetary return from his last film, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire played in select few cities because Lynch decided to distribute the film himself. (I’ve heard there were as few as three prints stuck.) Why should studios make money off him while he gets nothing, Lynch has said of his decision?

True enough, David, but how many people actually witnessed Inland Empire in its true setting — the big screen? On the other hand, it’s likely Lynch realized this particular project — a three-hour lo-res digital film that is reportedly as convoluted as anything in his already challenging filmography — wasn’t going to stir much interest at the box office.

Random Thoughts on People Who Were Born on This Date

While scanning the newspaper this morning I noticed that Aug. 29 is the birth date of several intriguing people: Sen. John McCain is 71. Perpetually unemployed TV dude Robin Leach is 66. Michael Jackson is 49 — yes, the “King of Pop” is one year from being a half-century old (at least on this planet). Director Richard Attenborough is 84. And Elliott Gould, one of my all-time favorite actors (check out his performance in Robert Altman’s criminally overlooked The Long Goodbye for proof of his unique genius), turns 69 today.

But the thing that seemed out of whack was that directors William Friedkin and Joel Schumacher (pictured) are both 68. Schumacher, the guy behind such guilty pleasures as D.C. Cab and St. Elmo’s Fire (as well as such travesties as Batman & Robin and The Number 23) is the same age as Friedkin? I could have sworn Schumacher — who according to my sources still sports a ponytail — was at least a decade younger than the guy behind early ’70s classics The French Connection and The Exorcist. Of course, I’m the same guy who thought Ronnie James Dio was in his early fifties (he’s 65).

Oh, and Ingrid Bergman would have been 92 today.

— Jason Gargano

To Kill and to Thrill at Cincinnati Dancesport

I spent some time at the 2007 Cincinnati Dancesportcompetitions Aug. 18 at the Sheraton Hotel by the airport.

Due to scheduling conflicts, I was able to attend only the last couple of competitions, but I also took in a lovely showcase in waltz and tango along with a few stints of open dancing in various styles: waltz, foxtrot, swing, salsa and more.

Outside the ballroom in between awards, I perused some of the gowns for sale by a Florida-based vendor. To say they are dramatic would be an understatement. Think of extravagant combinations of the most brightly colored, heavily sequined and beaded garments you can imagine. Often daringly cut and loaded with mesh and elaborate design work, they were heavy with the weight of glass or crystal beads. And the prices made me dizzier than dancing — a grand or two on average for these babies — but not surprising given how labor-intensive they must be to create. Several were made by London couturiers.

Jerry Springer Returns to Cincinnati

Thanks to New Stage Collective (NSC), which just announced its upcoming season, a familiar face will be back in town — at least onstage. The adventurous theater company with performing space at 1140 Main St. in Over-the-Rhine will present the regional premiere of Jerry Springer: The Opera (June 26-Aug. 3, 2008), the only work in the history of British theater to win all the major awards — Olivier Awards, Critic’s Choice, Evening Standard and What’s On Stage. It’s a wild mix of opera and daytime TV, portraying an array of characters who are desperate for a moment on the air. It’s one of five regional premieres NSC will present in its 2007-2008 season.

Up first will be Caroline, or Change (Oct. 25-Nov. 18), a work created by Tony Kushner, who wrote Angels in America, probably the most honored and admired play (it’s actually two plays) of the 1990s. Caroline is Kushner’s first stab at a musical; he worked with composer Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Violet) to create a show that won the 2004 Tony for best Broadway musical. Drawn from Kushner’s Louisiana boyhood, the show, set in 1963, focuses on an African-American maid, divorced and a single mother, who works for a Jewish family in suburban Lake Charles. It’s about spare change she finds in pockets while doing laundry and about social change that is rearranging the face of America. The show’s score blends Rhythm & Blues, Motown, Gospel, Klezmer and traditional Jewish melodies.

Brew Ha Ha: Where to Spend Your Drink Tickets

More than 70 beers will be available this weekend at the first Brew Ha Ha, a comedy and beer event at Sawyer Point on the downtown riverfront. If you plan ahead, you’ll get to try some very interesting beers — many of which may not otherwise be readily available.

As I understand it, drinkers will need to purchase a beer bracelet for $10, which entitles them to 10 beer tickets. Sample-size servings cost one ticket each, or you can spend three at a time and get a full-size glass. (Additional tickets are also available.) I’ve looked through the list of available beers and picked out some of the more interesting choices. Here’s what I’d spend my first 10 beer tickets to taste:

• Bear Republic “Hop Rod” Rye Ale: Expect this to be fairly dark and rich, with a touch of sour spiciness from the rye (think of the sour taste you get from rye bread). From Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg, Calif (Booth 3)

• Bear Republic “Red Rocket” Ale: This ale should be hoppier than its stablemate, with notes of flowers, pine and citrus. Also from Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg, Calif. (Booth 3)

Cincinnati Wine Educator Dies

I was shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden and untimely passing of Paul Ortiz, founder of the Cincinnati Wine School and a familiar face at local food and wine events.

Several months ago, I wrote a profile of Paul for CityBeat. In preparing for that piece, I sat in on one of his “beginner” wine classes, held at The Wine Merchant (3972 Edwards Road, Oakley, 513-731-1515) and we subsequently spent many hours together, talking about his background and our shared passion for wine.

Most people who work in the restaurant business in Cincinnati are likely familiar with Paul, who was the original sommelier at Boca (3200 Madison Road, Oakley, 513-542-2022), where he built a prodigious and eclectic wine program that paired well with chef David Falk’s ambitious menu. Through his Wine School, he exhibited his talent for making wine education fun and enjoyable, as it should be, rather than intimating and complicated, as it sometimes seems. A passionate man, he worked tirelessly to popularize what is too often wrongly perceived as a “pretentious” beverage.

I am only one of many who will surely raise a glass in Paul’s honor this week, and who will long miss his enthusiasm and passion for wine. For those who never had the chance to meet Paul or to learn from him, I can only say you missed a rare treat.

(Photo by Graham Lienhart)

— Michael Schiaparelli

Free Theater, Opera at UC

The University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music has announced its 2007-2008 Studio Series, productions of musical theater, drama and opera that are offered free of charge at CCM's Cohen Family Studio Theater. Of course the price is right, but these are typically productions that would be worth paying for. The space is intimate (no more than 200 seats, depending on the set-up, which varies) and the performers are always students on their way to professional careers. Two catches: The run of each show is short (usually just three or four performances), and you can't subscribe, since there is no charge for admission. That means you need to call the CCM box office for reservations (513-556-4183), usually on the Monday before the shows open.

The slate for the coming academic year includes two works by Stephen Sondheim, a Shakespearean classic, three operas (one from the 18th century, one contemporary and one to be named later), a classic musical by Stephen Schwartz, a drama by Bertold Brecht and a contemporary play by Craig Wright. Here's the rundown:

Assassins by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman (Oct. 18-20, 2007) Former Cincinnati Opera Artistic Director Nicholas Muni will stage Sondheim's 1991 musical that assembles nine presidential assassins in a look at how the American dream can be twisted. The show's 2004 revival won five Tony Awards.

Travelogue: Louisville Weekend

A few weeks ago, we drove down to Louisville for a short weekend. In one day, we visited the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory (800 West Main St., 877-775-8443), enjoyed a scenic riverboat cruise and lunch aboard the cozy Spirit of Jefferson (401 West River Road, 502-574-2992) and strolled through a whimsical “Dragons” exhibit and military history displays at the Frazier International History Museum (829 West Main St., 502-753-5663).

We also spent several hours exploring the Falls of the Ohio State Park (201 West Riverside Drive, Clarksville, Ind., 812-280-9970) across the river in Southeastern Indiana. For centuries, the only natural obstruction to traffic along the Ohio River was a series of falls along a bend in the river where Louisville was eventually established. When a dam was created almost a century ago to make the area more easily navigable, a wealth of Devonian-era fossils was revealed on the dry riverbed. Visitors today can walk on the flats and easily spot hundreds of fossils (dating back over 350-million years!) embedded in the exposed rock.

Stage Door 8/24

You have good choices for contemporary musical theater this weekend: Know Theatre of Cincinnati (1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine) has had strong response to its production of Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story, which continues tonight, Saturday and Sunday. (See my review here.) It was to wrap up on the Aug. 26, but it's doing well enough that it's been extended for another weekend (through Sept. 1). But don't dawdle: The Over-the-Rhine theater only seats about 200 people, so tickets disappear quickly.

If you can't get into Know, you should check out New Stage Collective just a block away (1140 Main St.), where The Last Five Years will wrap up this weekend. (See my review here.) It's a very listenable song cycle about the arc of a marriage, a he said/she said retelling (his story is in chronological order, while hers is the reverse — they alternate songs and intersect at one point, when they're both in the middle). Different singers each evening, accompanied by piano and strings.

Over There (in Indianapolis)

If you've enjoyed the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, a big deal after five years, you should be glad to know that Indianapolis has one, too. It's going on from Aug. 24-Sept. 3. And Cincinnati playwright ALAN JOZWIAK has a presence with his script, CRAZY QUILT, a play about two first-year college students and their decisions about men, loyalty to family and the future.

It's being presented on the main stage of Theatre on the Square (aka "TOTS") on the Indy Fringe's opening evening, Aug. 24 (7:30 p.m.), and subsequently on Aug. 25 (4 p.m.) Aug. 27 (7:30 p.m.), Sept. 1 (2:30 p.m.) and Sept. 2 (5:30 p.m.). More info on the festival: www.indyfringe.org.

Jozwiak, long active with Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative (a group of local writers who mutually support one another's playwriting through readings and other activities), tells me that Crazy Quilt will also be staged during the Cincinnati 20/20 Festival on Oct. 9 and 16 at the Weavers Guild of Cincinnati (4870 Gray Road, Winton Place).

— Rick Pender