Frenemies (12/04)

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Browns Rule!

November 19th through December 13th, 2009

Cleveland Public Theatre is proud to present Browns Rules by Eric Schmiedl Directed by Bill Hoffman Original songs written and composed by Hoffman and Schmiedl

Don't miss the world-premiere of this cabaret style musical by nationally recognized local playwright Eric Schmiedl. Browns Rules is both a send-up and a love-letter to The Cleveland Browns. Three performer musicians and the audience are on a mission - successfully name the 29 rules of being a Cleveland Browns Fan and the Browns will win the Superbowl in 2010.



Part vaudeville, part sideshow, part variety show Browns Rules is an interactive exploration of the relationship between Cleveland and our beloved football team. With a rock band on stage, three performers combine storytelling and drama as they rip apart myths, celebrate heroes, and try to understand what makes the Cleveland Browns so important to our culture. What was the All-America Football Conference and who destroyed it? How did Paul Brown inspire his famous 1949 all-star team? Art Modell, friend or foe? Who called "Red Right 88?" Who wrote the song "Bernie, Bernie?" Cleveland Browns Stadium, asset or financial disaster? These questions and more are examined as Browns Rules looks at our dear Brownies and the city that loves and hates them.

Showtimes: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00pm
Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm (Tickets only $10!)
Sunday, December 13 at 3:00pm (Browns have a bye week!)

Tickets: $30 Reserved Seating at Cabaret Table (includes corkage, reserved seats and tableside bar service during the show) | $24 General Admission | $22 Online Advance Purchase | $2 Discount for Students and Seniors | Special Thursday night pricing: $10 General Admission, $16 Cabaret Table Seating

216 Holiday Shoppe (11/06)

Friday, November 6th, 2009

This Friday the cute little Cleveland-born "sister" of Room Service will open, don't miss out. The new store, expected to be open the entire month of November, (maybe longer if we are lucky?) is called The "216 Holiday Shoppe."



Located next door to the new Capitol Theatre (at 1390 W. 65th St.) the Holiday Shoppe will be open most days 5 to 9pm (Saturday 11-9pm and Sunday 12-7pm) and Fridays complete with performance from local musicians. With over 50 designers you are sure to find your holiday gifts for every loved one.



Yesterday I had the privilege of lending a hand to my friend Danielle (owner of Room Service, creative thinker & all around sassy lady) in anticipation of the opening excitement. Although I can't reveal the cool art and interesting visual space design, if you squint your eyes a bit, you may be able to make out these blurred images of cool products (home goods, art. tee shirts (lots of tee shirts!), jewelry, accessories, and more, I can't list everything).

Looking forward to seeing everyone Friday night at the opening of The "216 Holiday Shoppe." For more details and information visit the blog at Room Service Home.

Hot Cha Cha (8/30)

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

HotChaCha started as a girl band on an early Friday morning in '07 at the West Side Market in Cleveland.

Mandy and Jovana were sipping on coffee and decided that due to Mandys’ brilliant guitar sound, and Jovanas’ outrageous stage presence, they had something HUGE going on. A few days later a local drummer, Lisa, was txt messaged to come and jam with the above mentioned broads.

For three months the girls consumed large amounts of beer, peed in the garbage can at the practice space, wrote music, and jammed. Finally, one night under the influence of large amounts of alcohol, they agreed to play their first show.



After they rocked, offended a bunch of people, and inspired everyone to cry, they realized how HUGE they could be. Another thing became apparent- they needed a bass player!

Local bass playing boys were all in their business trying to get in on the HotChaCha phenomena, but the girls were firm- they wanted a girl bass player. That night Heather saw the show and fell in love with the band. The next practice she joined HotChaCha and never left.

It is than, that HCC was truly created. Mandy, Lisa. Heather, and Jovi became one ultimate machine that will make you laugh, and cry all at once.

See the Hot Cha Chas THIS Sunday at the Grog Shop tickets are $6

FREE theatre (7/31-8/09)

The teens of the Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) present Eye, Mind, Heart, an original play inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen.

Utilizing The Snow Queen as a starting point, STEP's ensemble of inner-city teens reveal their own hopes, fears, strengths and vulnerabilities. This family-friendly performance is a powerful love story that examines humanity's struggle for compassion and connection in a materialistic and cut-throat world, and is super-charged with a cappella singing, dance and non-stop action. Eye, Mind, Heart is about finding one's path to a joyful life and highlights the power and creativity of Cleveland's youth.



Bring a lawn chair or blanket. All performances are free and open to the public, with no advance reservations required.

July 31, 12pm: Mercedes Cotner Park (W 95 & Maywood Ave)
July 31, 7pm: Fairview Park in Ohio City (W 38 & Franklin + Rain Location: West Side UCC)
Aug 1, 7pm: Lincoln Park (W 14 & Starkweather + Rain Location: Pilgrim Church)
Aug 3, 7pm: St. Stanislaus Warszawa Music Festival (3649 E. 65 + Rain Location: Church)
Aug 4, 12pm: Tyler Village (3615 Superior Ave)
Aug 4, 7pm: Lake Pool Park (W 85th between Lake and Detroit)
Aug 6, 6pm: Lonnie Burten Baseball Field (E 46 & Outhwaite + Rain Location: Gymnasium)
Aug 7, 6pm: Estabrook Recreation Center (4125 Fulton Rd + Rain Location: Gymnasium)
Aug 8, 12pm: Sam Miller Park, Glenville Festival (E 88 & Esterbrook Ave)
Aug 8, 7pm: Kerruish Park (Lee & Tarkington)
Aug 9, 4pm: Drakefield Park (Drakefield Ave between W 157 & Silsby Rd + Rain Location: West Park UCC)


For more information on the STEP program or the performance, visit www.cptonline.org

Go Cavs (5/11)

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Cheer our team on TONIGHT at 7pm against the Atlanta Hawks! Only one more game and we SWEEP!



For team information including schedules, visit www.nba.com/cavaliers/playoffs_atlcle_090511.html

A little Opera anyone? (3/27,29 & 4/4)

Friday, March 27th, Sunday, March 29th and Saturday, April 4th

Did you see Johnny Depp perform in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street? Well, THIS opera is where that story stems from...check it out!



Rosina, determined to escape the lecherous clutches of her guardian and marry her true love Almaviva, finds an unlikely ally in the affable and clever Figaro. This opera is sure to charm you with its beauty and wit.

March 27th & April 4th at 8pm, March 29th at 2pm. Use code BARB for $20 tickets! For more information visit www.clevelandopera.org

Auto Show TODAY

Friday, Fabruary 27th, 2009

The 2009 Cleveland Auto Show gets into high gear at 11am today and runs through Sunday, March 8th, at the International Exposition Center (IX Center) Admission is $12. Parking is FREE. Hours are 11-11 Fridays and Saturdays; 11-8 Sundays; and 12-10 Monday through Thursday. Go to www.clevelandautoshow.com for more show details

Tokyo Police Club Concert (3/01)

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

Don't miss Toronto's quirky, high-energy indie rockers Tokyo Police Club as they perform at the Grog.



Featuring vocalist/bassist Dave Monks, keyboardist/vocalist Graham Wright, guitarist/percussionist Josh Hook, and drummer/percussionist Greg Alsop. The band formed in the wake of the breakup of the foursome's previous project; after a few months of not making music together, they regrouped as Tokyo Police Club in 2005. They began performing live that summer, and that fall they played the Montreal Pop Festival, where the group's rousing reception convinced them to make Tokyo Police Club a full-time venture.



Monks quit school, and early in 2006 the band signed with local label Paperbag Records and began recording their debut EP, A Lesson in Crime, which was released that spring. Buoyed by blog and MySpace buzz, Tokyo Police Club embarked on their largest tour yet that fall. Around the same time, A Lesson in Crime was re-released with wider distribution, and 2008 saw the release of the band's full-length debut, Elephant Shell.

For sow information visit www.grogshop.gs

Peking Acrobats (2/22)

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Back for the third consecutive year, Cleveland welcomes the Peking Acrobats. The gravity-defying, juggling, gymnastic, cyclists of the ever-popular Peking Acrobats are back to thrill and entertain. Using graceful athleticism, daring acrobatics, and contortions that appear physically impossible, the Peking Acrobats amaze and delight the whole family.

"The Peking Acrobats regularly passed from the seemingly impossible to the virtually unbelievable." - Los Angeles Times



3pm. Tickets $10-32. For directions & ticket information visit www.playhousesquare.com

Antique Sale (2/21)

Saturday, February 21th, 2009

Don't miss the Winter Warehouse Sale at Cleveland Auction Company!

An absolute auction featuring fine art and antiques, including furniture (Victorian through mondern), paintings (oils, prints, pastels), ceramics, glass (including Murano, cut crystal, pressed glass), silver, costume and fine jewelry, vintage books and magazines, The Wall of Fun and much more. No Reserves!

10% buyer's premium in-house (live, absentee and phone). Kelly Davis Grimm, Licensed Auctioneer
11 am for directions and more auction information visit www.cleveauction.com

Ben Taylor (2/05)

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

The Beachland Ballroom presents Mr. Benjamin Taylor, get you show tickets today!

As the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon, Ben Taylor was born into a musical world with much promise. His older sister, Sally Taylor, found her niche in the industry early on, but the younger Taylor never sought to follow the footsteps of his famous parents. His childhood might have been surrounded by recording sessions and tours across the world, but initially it wasn't in Taylor's mind to become a singer.



Taylor was raised in Manhattan and spent time in private schools before leaving them behind in ninth grade. By now, he'd taught himself how to play guitar, but traveling the world and connecting with nature was Taylor's passion. Trips across Asia and Europe opened Taylor's eyes to Earth's greatest features, leaving him to think he'd might like to be a gardener or a farmer. Still, he had his hand in a few musical makings. Before he turned 20, Taylor's cover of the Beatles' "I Will" landed on the soundtrack to a domestic comedy featuring Paul Reiser, Bye Bye, Love. He eventually recorded an album for Epic's label The Work Group, but it folded shortly after Taylor inked his contract. He was left feeling disenchanted, unaware what he was supposed to do with his life because he still wasn't convinced music was for him. Taylor would soon come to realize that music was the only career he'd understand.

For $13 show tickets visit www.beachlandballroom.com

FREE Herzig! (1/31)

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Nesteled in the basement of a small Brooklyn bar I was one of the lucky few to experience the soulful music of Ms. Katie Herzig. Her music though light was filled with rich vocals and lovely lyrics. It made me want to jump on stage and sing a long...I resisted!

Good news, NEXT Saturday night Katie and friends will be in concert along with Matt Nathanson at Kulas Auditorium on the campus of John Carroll University. If you want to get a taste for her music visit www.noisetrade.com or check out her site at www.katieherzig.com



See you there! :) 8pm. FREE!

Christmas Cabaret (12/17-18)

Wednesday & Thursday December 17th & 18th, 2008

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, of course. And Rudolph and Frosty. And “White Christmas” and “Silver Bells” and “Sleigh Ride.” But do you know the Santa Claus portrayed by Irving Berlin in 1916? If not, you’d better listen, because he means business: “Don’t act like a fool, and don’t play hooky from school. If you do anything that’s shocking, you’ll find an empty stocking!”

During the holiday season, nationally syndicated radio host Bill Rudman brings his popular “Christmas Cabaret” back to Cleveland's own, NightTown. This delightful show combines evergreen Christmas standards from the Great American Songbook with festive curiosities like Berlin’s “Syncopated Christmas Song.”



There are more than 30 songs in the show, says Rudman: “We do ‘A Jazz Christmas Carol’ – Jerome Kern’s title for his 1917 ragtime version of ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.’ We perform a holiday song that George Gershwin composed at the age of 21. And it turns out that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote a Christmas song in 1952 – and even Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim wrote one seven years later.

Don't miss the third annual presentation of "A Christmas Cabaret" live at Nighttown. 7pm $20 a ticket. For directions & ticket information visit www.nighttowncleveland.com

Shop till you drop (12/13-14)

Saturday December 13th, 2008

This weekend we celebrate the artists who stay up late, who cram their thoughts into a worn sketchbook, who day dream to invent the next “it” item in the DIY crafting-world. Don’t miss the Bazaar Bizarre, Cleveland's fabulous original indie craft show this Saturday and Sunday December at 78th Street Studios (1300 W. 78th St)



Vendors are ready to rock and roll. A few of my personal favorites are oddball press www.oddballpress.com (letterpress creations to fill my card stash), [base] line (unique jewelry, I LOVE my tic tac earrings!) and small screen designs www.smallscreendesigns.com (whimsy illustrations with a touch of sass!)

New to the show this year...a gift-wrapping. Buy handmade! For more information visit www.bazaarbizarre.org/cleveland.html

Williams | Sedaris (10/10)

Friday, October 10th, 2008

In theatres side by side, choose which author/comedian you would like to spend the evening with and get your tickets today!

David Sedaris = sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, he has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. Robin Williams = a consistent audience favorite since he burst onto the small screen as a red-suited alien from planet Ork in 1978, the irrepressible and irreverent Robin Williams fittingly has enjoyed one of Hollywood’s most unique and long-lasting careers. Both men are hilarious, insightful and filled with tall tales to tell! Too bad you can't go to both..but maybe you could excuse yourself for a "bathroom break" and sneak into the other theatre for a glimpse? Just a thought!

For showtimes and ticket information visit www.playhousesquare.com