There is a fond memory of slacking in the Generation X. We were (or are known for) doing it pretty darn well. Our angst portrayed through films about us have become cultural icons for our generation. From John Hughes and the Brat Pack, to Kevin Smith and Jay and Silent Bob, these directors and characters have given us a sense of nostalgia.

Kevin Smith has given as the fabulous “Mallrats”, “Clerks”, “Chasing Amy”, “Dogma”, and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”… all of which are favorites. Speaking of favorites, Jay and Silent Bob will be coming to stage at Madison Theater across the river! The latest tour is “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old.” Oh yeah — Bluntman and Chronic are coming with full force!

On Friday May 18th, “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” will be at the Madison Theater in Covington, KY! Tickets are $35. Sorry, the front section for $40 is sold out. You can buy tickets and even listen to their podcast! (That’s right, they have a podcast for you hardcore fans.) Enjoy!

by Latria Roberts

At Circus Mojo, 322-6 Elm Street in Ludlow, Kentucky (just three miles from Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati)
Show:  May 18th, 7 – 10 PM
Workshops:  May 19th, starting at 10 AM
Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/308592152496113

It is rare to find an accurate use of the old show-business cliché “a show like you’ve never seen before.” But, at 7 PM on May 18th (at Circus Mojo in Ludlow, KY)… a perfect storm of talent and trickery, guts and gumption, will provide exactly that.

Aligning for one night:  The emerging talent of the area’s circus skill incubator, Circus Mojo, a resurgent resplendent Dante’s Gypsy Circus, and (from out of the southeast) the venerable vaudevillian veterans of The Accidental Circus.

Dante’s Gypsy Circus will be presenting “Dante’s Dolls,” completely re-imagined and retooled, featuring sultry dance, dark humor, magic, and surprises.

As Dante’s is a dance and fire performance troupe, there will be fire-play outdoors after the show, time permitting. There will also be vendors on the premises selling their wares. So come early, stay late, and be prepared to be thrilled, humored, and maybe even appalled!

Tickets are $15 and are available from any member of Dante’s Gypsy Circus, on our website, or at the door the night of the show (if the show does not sell out).

The following day, there will be two workshops offered with Madame Onça from Accidental Circus:  Narrative Belly Dance (10 AM – 12 PM) and Why Yes, I AM Sexy: Burlesque-Esque for Bellydancers (12:30-2:30 PM).

Get inspired by learning from the burlesque bellydancing goddess herself! Check out our website for more information and to register for classes. Each class is $35, or $55 for both.

Dante’s Gypsy Circus is the Tri-state area’s premier belly dance and fire troupe, presenting entertainment with elements, including tribal dance, as well as other movement arts, fire performance (eating, breathing, spinning, juggling, and otherwise playing with anything flaming), magic, and sideshow acts.

For more information (and to acquire a ticket)… visit our website, find us on Facebook, or drop us an email!

www.dantesgypsycircus.com
www.facebook.com/Dantesgypsycircus
dantesgypsycircus@gmail.com

www.accidentalcircus.com

www.circusmojo.com

Written/submitted by Shaun Patrick Wahle

Edited/posted by Rebecca Nebert

You may have missed this, and if so, read this post and learn, my young padawans.

(What is the plural of “padawan” anyway? Padawans? Padawan, like moose and moose? Padawaii?)

One of the things that makes Cincinnati weird is the spontaneity of this city. Throw back to when I wrote about the flash mob dance party in OTR. Or, the random after parties that seem to pop up on any given Northside evening (weekdays not immune). Granted, our Paper Hat party was in the planning for two weeks, but I admire how clever and wacky people can come up with something fun, and make it happen, in such a short time period.

Hosted by the lovely C&D Cafe in historic Northside, the Paper Hat and Dance Party was pretty much just that… you danced, with paper hats on. Okay, right? Two excellent DJs (redkattseven and Fuxr) provided the jams, and Make Cincinnati Weird provided the crafts. We had oodles of paper, packing tape, markers, everything you’d need to make an awesome paper hat. Beyond that, we had prizes. Prizes!

Why would you not want to go to that?

Well, I did, and I’ll admit, I almost didn’t, because I have absolutely no creative talent with arts and crafts.

But Matthew, it’s just paper!

Yeah, give me a pen and some paper and we’re good. Or a typewriter. Or this laptop I’m writing on. I’m a writer, and a bit of a musician, but if you try to have me draw or create something it’s… not… pretty. Somehow, I won a prize. I dunno. All I did was create these four strips of paper that sort of looked like dreadlocks, and taped them to my hair. Not exactly a hat, but, you know, it worked!

Make Cincinnati Weird is as much a resource as it is a culture. This is what we do. There’s a pulse of creativity in this town; an awareness of what it is that makes us breathe. It means something different to each of us, and in it we find a means to celebrate who we are. So, if you came, and you passed out with a paper hat taped to your hair, well done.

Also, happy Star Wars Day! In honor of Mr. Lucas and those who have trouble making it to work following an afterparty in Northside, enjoy this video, dug up off the intrawebs by my friend Kristina. (NSFW)

Written by Matthew Risher

There’s still time to see it!  The Know Theatre’s “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” opened on March 31 and will be running through May 12 — and it’s not for the faint of heart!  Definitely “different” (in a good way), this rock musical is bold, exciting, hilarious, raw, loud, and in your face.  (And yes, it’s as bloody as the title suggests.)  Though it can be incredibly satirical, it does also have a poignant side, and deliberately wants to make you think.

The following overview pretty much already sums it up brilliantly…

“An audacious mix of historical fact and invention, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson tells the story of America’s controversial seventh president using a raucous blend of outrageous comedy, anarchic theatricality and an infectious rock n’ roll soundtrack. Bloody Bloody examines the attraction and terrors of American Populism through the story of the man who invented the Democratic Party, doubled the size of our nation, and signed the Indian Removal Acts that started the Trail of Tears.”

– via Know Theatre – Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (please click for more details on this show)

Cincinnati native Kellen York has the starring role as Andrew Jackson, and really does it justice with an energetic performance, holding nothing back.  The show is directed by Eric Vosmeier and it’s ripe with very talented graduates and students, including a few from University of Cincinnati’s CCM.   It even features a live (local) band: The Dukes are Dead!

There was one scene that made me laugh so hard, it brought me to tears — though I won’t give away the surprise!  While certainly entertaining, I also found this show to be very daring, testing the waters of typically conservative Cincinnati.  Even more big-picture, it analyzes Andrew Jackson’s infamous treatment of Native American populations.  A good balance of comedy, drama, satire, and fun, dished up to you in a zany and quirky way.  (And I’m super proud of my buddy Kellen!)

Also, the tagline is: “History Just Got All Sexypants” . . . need I say more?

For tickets, please visit www.knowtheatre.com or call 513.300.5669 — two more weeks left to check it out!

Photos by Deogracias Lerma for the Know Theatre.

Written by Rebecca Nebert

 Stripy Stockings! 

Mysterious guests! 

Amazing Music!

Charming Chanteuses! 

Scandalous Performances! 

Shocking Behavior! 

Close Camaraderie! 

 Hellacious Hoydens! 

Delicious Drinks!

Special thanks to Emma Peelout, Michael Kilbourne, and Brian Kollig for allowing me to use your pictures and to Pandora Promotions, Marmalade Brigade, Ford Theater Reunion and Hellblinki for putting on such a great show. You can hear more about the show and get the stories behind the pictures in Episode 12 of The Charlie Tonic Hour.

Re-posted by Ginny Tonic from Charlie Tonic: “If you didn’t go to The Leprechaun’s Wake…”