Month: July 2008

John Waters "hate[s] to be the one to tell you" any number of things: that there is a website dedicated to "blossoms", that he was convicted of obscenity every time charged, that he’s looking for a pre-teen contortionist to include in his road show, etc.

Mr. Waters’ Q&A session at the end invited questions like: If you were at a nudist camp and could only take one accessory, what would it be? (Boxer shorts)

I was dreading standing around in the smoky hall so waited until 9:30 before heading in. Fortunately, his show started right on time. Much of his hour+ stand-up material was included in recent interviews but it was well worth the price of admission for the parts that weren’t. Unfortunately, the Southgate House ballroom wasn’t full.

Someone once said, "If you know 2 things about everything, you don’t have to be an expert on much," which may follow the jack-of-all-trades theory which I generally endorse.

Fortunately, adding to my random assortment of knowledge was easy last weekend at Second Sunday on Main. The topic was Adinkra symbolism from the West African Ashanti Tribe at the Art Beyond Boundries free mini-lecture.

My favorite symbol is funtunfunafu – the 2-headed crocodile. It represents the question, "Why do we fight for food when we share the same stomach?" and the need for unity.

Cincinnati Opera’s first mainstage production in Spanish was last week at Music Hall. Saturday night’s show was not sold out but had strong attendance.

The set was on the minimalist side and didn’t change much throughout. The music and voices were lovely and it’s always impressive to see the coordination of so many elements in a single show: singers, dancers, chorus, orchestra, set production, costumes, lighting, surcaps, pre-show entertainment outside, etc.

The opera is starting their shows at 7:30 instead of 8. Which means dinner after is a better option than dinner before. It’s too far to walk to Shanghai in opera shoes but the short drive is worth it for some late night pad thai.

Jerry Springer: The Opera is not fit for polite company. Fortunately for us, New Stage Collective knows their audience. When Alan Patrick Kenny began dress rehearsals, I imagine they started something like this:

“Are we ready to go? Tap dancing Klansmen? Check. Guy in mullet? Check. Self-pitying God? Check. Bizarre and questionable wig sequence? Check. Alright, let’s get started!”

Continue reading “Jerry Springer: The Opera”

I’ve never been to Lite Brite but if it’s good enough for John Waters, it’s good enough for me.

I bought my ticket online yesterday. It’s $25 for his show on Sunday but just $5 more for the 3-day pass. (7/25-27)