WED 01/17
Cleveland Stories Dinner Party
Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is a weekly series that pairs fine food with storytelling. Through it, the folks at Music Box Supper Club hope to raise awareness of the mission of the Western Reserve Historical Society's new Cleveland History Center. The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to "bring to life some of the fun, interesting stories about Cleveland's past — from sports, to rock 'n' roll, to Millionaires' Row," as it's put in a press release. Admission is free, with no cover charge, although a prix fixe dinner, designed to complement the night's theme, is $20. Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner is served at 6, and the storytelling starts at 7. Tonight, D.M. Pulley, a local author, talks about the Cleveland torso murders. (Jeff Niesel)
1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.
Matt Fulchiron
Sarcastic comedian Matt Fulchiron makes the most of a melancholy yet hysterical tone in his routines as he jokes about the hazards of legalizing marijuana; and he just loves to tell stories about the difficulty of living in New York for a year. He performs at 8 tonight at Hilarities. Tickets are $13 and $18. (Niesel)
2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.
Love Never Dies
Set 10 years after the Phantom's disappearance from the Paris Opera House, Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, follows the Phantom after he's escaped to a new life in New York, even though he still longs for his one true love, Christine Daaé. Tonight's curtain is at 7:30 at the State Theatre; performances continue through Jan. 28. Tickets are $29 to $109. (Niesel)
1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Monsters vs. Rockford Icehogs
Tonight at 7 at the Q, the Cleveland Monsters begin a two-game stand against the Rockford Icehogs. The Icehogs have played well — they're just above .500 and have won a few more games than the Monsters. It's College ID Night, so college students can purchase $6 tickets and $6 "college meals" that include a hot dog, chips and a soda. Tickets for the general public start at $10. The two teams meet again at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Q. At that game, there will be a Blue Jackets themed jersey auction, and a portion of the jerseys will be auctioned off via silent and blind auctions at the Monsters Community Fund table. Others will be auctioned after the game from Section 128 in the arena bowl. (Niesel)
1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, theqarena.com.
The Opera House
A new film by award–winning documentary filmmaker Susan Froemke, The Opera House examines the Metropolitan Opera's lengthy history. It uses rarely seen archival footage, stills, recent interviews and a soundtrack of Met performances to chronicle the Met's last 50 years. It screens today at 6:30 p.m. at area theaters as part of a special Fathom Events screening. Consult the Fathom Events website for locations and ticket prices. (Niesel)
THU 01/18
78/52: Alfred Hitchcock's Shower Scene
Film scholar Philip J. Skerry will be on hand for tonight's screening of 78/52: Alfred Hitchcock's Shower Scene, a 2017 documentary about the famous slashing scene in Hitchcock's Psycho. The title refers to the 78 different cameras Hitchcock used to film the scene. He also made 52 edits to the footage. The movie shows at 8:35 tonight and at 7:15 on Saturday night at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque. Tickets are $10, or $7 for Cinematheque members and students. (Niesel)
11610 Euclid Ave., 216-421-7450, cia.edu.
Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic surprised the Cavs earlier this season and handed them a loss. That was back when the Magic were winning games. Wins have since become hard to come by for the Florida team, so you can expect the Cavs won't be fooled again. The game begins at 7 tonight at the Q. Tickets start at $20. (Niesel)
1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, theqarena.com.
Michael Colyar
Comedian Michael Colyar tells the kinds of jokes that aren't designed to appeal solely to fans of a certain ethnicity, age or background. He aims at making everyone laugh. Colyar, who's just unleashed a Donald Trump impersonation that finds him spouting things like, "Let's make America white again," performs tonight at 7:30 at the Improv. Tickets are $20 with performances scheduled through Sunday. (Niesel)
1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com.
Dixie's Tupperware Party
Alabama's self-proclaimed Tupperware Lady, Dixie Longate, tells tall tales in Dixie's Tupperware Party, an off-Broadway play that became such a hit, Longate decided to take the show on the road. Performances take place at 8 tonight and tomorrow night at the Hanna Theatre. Saturday performances are set for 4 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $29 to $49. (Niesel)
2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Haydn's "The Seasons"
Franz Welser-Möst conducts the Cleveland Orchestra as it takes on Haydn's oratorio, "The Seasons." Beethoven allegedly attended the premiere and bowed to Haydn after he heard the performance. Guest speaker Rose Breckenridge, a Cleveland Orchestra Music Study Groups administrator and lecturer, gives a free pre-concert talk an hour before the concert. The concert takes place at 7:30 tonight and at 8 on Saturday night at Severance Hall. Consult the orchestra's website for ticket prices. (Niesel)
11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
FRI 01/19
78th Street Studios Third Friday Art Walk
Stop by SmArt Space, on the ramp level of the 78th Street Studios, for the Third Friday Art Walk that takes place today between 5 and 9:30 p.m. More than 50 studios and galleries will participate in this popular indoor art walk; be sure to check out spots like the Derek Hess Gallery, Tregoning & Company and Hilary Gent Studio. (Niesel)
1300 West 78th St., 78thstreetstudios.com.
Anthropocene: The Age of Humans
The Cleveland Print Room celebrates its fifth anniversary today from 5 to 9 p.m. with a special reception launching Anthropocene, a new art exhibit that examines how humans affect the environment. The exhibit, which includes works by local artist Michael Loderstedt; former Clevelander, photojournalist Tom Laffay; and Oscar Palacio, a native Colombian who lives in Boston, runs through Feb. 24. Richard Smith, a former Clevelander and Thoreau reenactor at Walden Pond for 19 years, will attend the reception and speak as Thoreau tomorrow at 1 p.m. Additionally, the Cleveland-based Elu Dance Company will perform, and there will be a poetry reading by Clevelander Kisha Nicole Foster. The Print Room's first exhibition, Welcome to Hard Times, was a solo show by Youngstown native Vaughn Wascovich. Some of Wascovich's latest work will be presented on the Print Room's new Wall 5 during Anthropocene. (Niesel)
2550 Superior Ave., 216-401-5981, clevelandprintroom.com.
Mike Belkin and Carlo Wolff Discussion and Book Signing
After chasing a professional baseball career in the Milwaukee Braves farm system, Mike Belkin decided to join the Belkin family clothing business. While still working for his parents, he began booking concerts in Cleveland, and soon Belkin Productions became synonymous with rock 'n' roll in Northeast Ohio. With a little help from co-author Carlo Wolff, Belkin tells his story in his new memoir, Socks, Sports, Rock and Art. Tonight at 7 at Visible Voice Books in Tremont, the two talk about the memoir. Admission is free. (Niesel)
2258 Professor Ave., 216-961-0084, visiblevoicebooks.com.
Cleveland Tattoo Arts Convention
Back for the third year, Villain Arts' Cleveland Tattoo Arts Convention brings together hundreds of tattoo artists and vendors from Cleveland and across the country for a weekend filled with tattoo sessions, entertainment, seminars, competitions and more at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. Special guests include Cleen Rock One from Ink Master Season 9, James Vaughn from Ink Master Season 7 and Alli Baker from Best Ink. The convention takes place from 2 p.m. to midnight today, from 11 a.m. to midnight tomorrow, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $20 per day or $40 for a three-day pass. For more information, visit the website. (Niesel)
500 Lakeside Ave., 216-928-1600, villainarts.com.
Dana Schutz: Eating Atom Bombs
Dana Schutz: Eating Atom Bombs, a new exhibit of 12 paintings and three drawings created by the artist primarily in the past year, speaks to "the precariousness of our current political and social moment." The show opens today at Transformer Station, which hosts an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Schutz has a Cleveland connection. She graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2000 and has said the Cleveland Museum of Art has had an influence on her career. A discussion between Schutz and artist and historian Nell Painter, a professor emerita at Princeton University and author of the books The History of White People and Creating Black Americans, will take place at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Cleveland Museum of Art. (Niesel)
1460 West 29th St., 216-938-5429, transformerstation.org.
Fridays@7: Beethoven's Eroica
To celebrate the Cleveland Orchestra's 100-year anniversary, conductor Franz Welser-Möst has created the Prometheus Project, a program that will explore Beethoven's music through the metaphor of Prometheus. Tonight, Welser-Möst will conduct the orchestra as it plays Beethoven's "Heroic Symphony." The concert begins tonight at 7 at Severance Hall. Consult the orchestra website for ticket prices. (Niesel)
11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
Impractical Jokers 'Santiago Sent Us' Tour
The TruTV show Impractical Jokers follows the four members of comedy troupe the Tenderloins as they rehearse and prep for their live shows. The current tour, which stops at Wolstein Center tonight at 7:30, follows the guys as they tell their backstory and perform skits too raunchy for the TV program. Tickets start at $62.50. (Niesel)
2000 Prospect Ave., 216-687-9292, wolsteincenter.com.
Last Call Cleveland Goes Hollywood
The local comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland will "go Hollywood" for tonight's show at the Outcault Theatre. Famous for its viral videos, the group will bring its unique mix of live and taped sketches to the venue, and will likely draw upon local culture for its routines. Shows start at 8:30 tonight and tomorrow night. Tickets are $18. (Niesel)
1407 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Materialized: Seven Artists Working in Metal
Materialized: Seven Artists Working in Metal, a new show that opens today at Heights Arts features sketches, models, patterns and prototypes as it explores both traditional and new ways of working with meal. The show promises to present several themes, including "industrial vernacular, the study of form and function, innovative use of technology and visual metaphor." The show opens with a reception that starts tonight at 6. A gallery talk will take place at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15. (Niesel)
2175 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights., 216-371-3457, heightsarts.org.
SAT 01/20
22nd Annual Tri-C High School Rock Off
When the annual High School Rock Off launched some 20 years ago at the Odeon, the promoters at the local Belkin Productions (now Live Nation) saw it as a way to reach out to area high schools and provide students with the kind of outlet that they might not have. Two decades later, the event, which takes place again this year at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on four Saturdays, before concluding with final exam on Saturday, Feb. 17, continues to thrive. Tonight's concert begins at 6 p.m., and tickets are $10. (Niesel)
1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.
Brimstone & Glory
A 2017 documentary film, Brimstone & Glory documents the National Pyrotechnic festival that takes place in Mexico. The festival honors the patron saint of firework makers and promises to be "an impressionistic immersion into fire and fiesta." The movie screens tonight at 9:30 at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque. Tickets are $10, or $7 for Cinematheque members and students. (Niesel)
11610 Euclid Ave., 216-421-7450, cia.edu.
Ed Caner plus special guest David Mayfield
A founding member of the local act Hey Mavis, master fiddler Ed Caner has performed alongside dozens of local and national acts. For tonight's concert at the Hines Hill Conference Center in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, he teams up with local multi-instrumentalist David Mayfield, a guy who's performed with the Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons and sister Jessica Lea Mayfield. Sponsored by the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 on the conservancy website. (Niesel)
1403 West Hines Hill Rd., Peninsula, 216-479-8611, conservancyforcvnp.org.
Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Over the summer, the Oklahoma City Thunder made some significant trades and added All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Paul George to the lineup. While the team hasn't dominated like some critics thought it would, it's still a force to be reckoned with. Expect a tight game when the two teams face off today at 3:30 p.m. at the Q. Tickets start at $102. (Niesel)
1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, theqarena.com.
Grupo Corpo
Most recently, Brazil's Grupo Corpo performed as part of the opening ceremony during the 2016 Summer Olympics. This weekend, DanceCleveland brings the internationally renowned dance troupe to town for performances at 7:30 tonight and at 3 p.m. tomorrow at the Ohio Theatre. Tickets are $25 to $60. (Niesel)
1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Marie and Rosetta
Now a Rock Hall inductee, the late Sister Rosetta Tharpe is the subject of Marie and Rosetta, a musical presented by the Cleveland Play House, that pays tribute to "the Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll" who influenced rock icons such as Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. The play opens tonight at 7:30 at the Allen Theatre, where performances continue through Feb. 11. Tickets are $25 to $105. (Niesel)
1407 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, clevelandplayhouse.com.
Robocop
Cleveland Cinemas' Late Shift series, a program dedicated to the nostalgic cult and camp cinema that we love and cherish even though it's certainly not Oscar-worthy material, has been a fixture at the local chain of theaters since 2006. The 2018 schedule continues tonight with the 1987 sci-fi thriller Robocop. It screens tonight at midnight at the Capitol Theatre. Tickets are $6. (Niesel)
1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com.
Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the 1975 cult classic, still draws an exuberant, costumed crowd that likes to throw rice and dry toast and sing along to the songs in the movie. Expect a throng to show up for tonight's midnight screening at the Kent Stage. Tickets are $10, or $7 if you come in costume. A live shadow cast (the School of Rocky) will act out the movie and involve the audience. (Niesel)
175 East Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.
Suzanne Westenhoefer
Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer likes to refer to herself as a "sacrificial lesbian" because when she started doing standup comedy years ago, there were so few openly gay comics. "I'm old and I'm gay," she often jokes. Her matter-of-fact style of delivery and self-deprecating sense of humor distinguish her routines. She performs tonight at 8 at the Akron Civic Theatre. Tickets are $25. (Niesel)
182 South Main St., Akron,
330-253-2488, akroncivic.com.
SUN 01/21
Greg Hahn
A favorite on the Bob and Tom Radio Show, comedian Greg Hahn likes to joke that he spends more time in the weight room "chalking up" than actually lifting weights. Though his observations aren't particularly sophisticated, the bit gives him the opportunity to show off his physical approach to comedy. A loudmouth guy who yells and claps fervently during his routines, Hahn screams and shouts so much, you gotta think the late Sam Kinison inspired him. He performs tonight at 7 at Hilarities. Tickets are $13 and $18. (Niesel)
2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.
Late Spring
The Cleveland Museum of Art kicks off a series devoted to the films of director Yasujiro Ozu with tonight's screening of the director's 1949 film Late Spring. The film centers on an elderly man who tries to marry off his grown daughter, much to her chagrin. The movie shows at 1:30 p.m. today and again at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday. CMA film curator John Ewing leads a discussion after Tuesday's screening. Tickets are $10, or $7 for CMA members. (Niesel)
11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.
MON 01/22
Birthright: A War Story
Billed as the "real-life Handmaid's Tale," Birthright: A War Story centers on how the radical right-to-life movement has created an atmosphere of fear and terror in the U.S. The documentary film explores "the accelerating gains of the crusade to control pregnant women and the fallout that is creating a public health crisis, turning pregnant women into criminals and challenging the constitutional protections of every woman in America." It screens tonight at 7 at the Cedar Lee Theatre. Tickets are $10. (Niesel)
2163 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, 440-528-0355, clevelandcinemas.com.
Deconstructing Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along
Next month, Martin Friedman will direct Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along at Lakeland Civic Theatre. Tonight, in advance of that production, Friedman will discuss the musical's history and talk about how it flopped on Broadway after only 11 performances. Music director Jordan Cooper and Lakeland cast members will be on hand as well to perform several songs from the play. The event begins at 7 at Nighttown. Tickets are $10. (Niesel)
12387 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-795-0550, nighttowncleveland.com.
TUE 01/23
Drunken Spelling Bee
You might scoff at the kids in the national spelling bee on ESPN every year, but can you do better? Tonight at 9 at the Grog Shop, you'll get your shot as the club hosts a Drunken Spelling Bee. Sam Handwich (John K) and Buzzed Wallace will host the event, which is taking place every Tuesday in January. Admission is free, and there will be drink specials and weekly prize packs. The fun continues through Jan. 30. (Niesel)
2785 Euclid Hts. Blvd., 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.
Vinyl Night
Jukebox owner Alex Budin has described his 1,350-square-foot music-focused bar in the Hingetown 'hood as "a place where people can expect to hear and learn about music of multiple genres, all of which is concentrated in a constantly evolving jukebox." In keeping with that spirit and recognizing the burgeoning popularity of vinyl, the club hosts a vinyl night every Tuesday that serves as a listening party for new releases. The place has partnered with Loop in Tremont so that patrons can hear a new album on vinyl. You can bring your own vinyl and spin it too. It all starts at 5 p.m. (Niesel)
1404 West 29th St., 216-206-7699, jukeboxcle.com.
