14 Things To Do in Cincinnati This Week (Jan. 8-14)

WEDNESDAY 08

ONSTAGE: The Lion King
Feel the love tonight with the Broadway-adaptation of Disney’s ever-popular animated (and now live action) film The Lion King. More than 100 million people around the globe have viewed the six-time Tony Award-winning musical and the phenomenon returns to the Aronoff Center. Vibrant and lush with life, fans of the movie will recognize the music from Elton John and Tim Rice that made it a classic. The show might just leave you feeling worry-free. Or, as Timon and Pumbaa would say, “Hakuna matata.” Times vary. Jan. 8-Feb. 2. Ticket prices start at $29. Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org.
Photo via Facebook/BroadwayInCincinnati

WEDNESDAY 08

EVENT: Saturday Night Live Trivia Night
Live from New York! Since 1975, Saturday Night Live has featured a slew of now-famous comedians including Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, Chris Rock, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler and many, many more, as well as a wide range of celebrity guest hosts (Adam Driver returns Jan. 25 as SNL’s first host of 2020). Put your knowledge of the show to the test at Rhinegeist’s SNL trivia night, which has decades of info to pull from. Teams can be up to six people and, if you win, you might just score a prize. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8. Free. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, rhinegeist.com.
Photo: Courtesy of Rhinegeist

WEDNESDAY 08

FILM: Vision Quest
2020 is here. To celebrate, the Esquire Theatre is kicking off their 2020 VISION series with the 1985 coming-of-age flick Vision Quest. Starring Matthew Modine, it hones in on a high school wrestler who, upon turning 18, decides he wants to do something greater with his life. He sets out on a lofty goal without the support of his coach or father. But when he meets an older woman, Carla, he begins to lose sight of his aspirations. Directed by Harold Becker, it’s also the first film to feature a Madonna cameo. The other two films in the VISION series are 1978’s Eyes of Laura Mars (screening Jan. 16) and 1993’s Blink (Jan. 21). 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8. $7.75 senior/child tickets; $10.25 adult. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre.com.
Photo Courtesy of Esquire Theater

THURSDAY 09

EVENT: Taft House Party: ’90s Game Night
It’s time for a #ThrowbackThursday as 1990s mania takes over the Taft Museum’s House Party. Get competitive with a selection of The Play Library’s curated board game collection, as well as What Do You Meme: Taft Edition and a Last Call Trivia competition (with prizes) from 7-8 p.m. Reminisce to TLC and the Backstreet Boys with DJ Nill and craft a plastic, Lisa Frank-inspired Perler Bead creation worthy of any JanSport backpack. A cash bar with spiked hot chocolate and pizza from Mikey’s Late Night Slice will be available for purchase. Guests can also check out Journey to Freedom: Art Quilts by Cynthia Lockhart and The Poetry of Nature: Hudson River School Landscapes from the New-York Historical Society. 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9. Free admission. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Downtown, taftmuseum.org.
Photo: Provided by Taft Museum

THURSDAY 09

MUSIC: Jason Ringenberg
Long before terms like AltCountry, Roots Rock and Americana were used for established genres — heck, even before “Alternative” had entered the musical lexicon — Jason Ringenberg was blazing trails with his red-hot Cowpunk band Jason and the Scorchers. An influential act that received a lifetime achievement award in 2008 from the Americana Music Association, the Scorchers burned bright throughout the ’80s and ’90s, before Ringenberg threw himself into a solo career at the turn of the century. He also started a fun side-hustle that would become a fruitful main gig: Using the pseudonym Farmer Jason, Ringenberg’s children’s music project became highly successful, producing four albums and a series of interstitial videos that aired on PBS stations and earned several Emmy nominations. Ringenberg made his triumphant return to the grown-up music world last year with Stand Tall, his first solo album since 2004. The album was the result of an “artist-in-residence” program with the National Park Service; his time spent in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California sparked a wealth of new material. The album’s deft mix of Country and Rock and Ringenberg’s inspired songwriting made Stand Tall a triumphant return to form. Country Standard Time said the album “incorporates most everything Ringenberg has stood for” and “recaptures Ringenberg’s fire-brand approach to rockin’ country punk.” 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9. $18; $20 day of show. Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport, southgatehouse.com.
Photo: Provided by Southgate House Revival

FRIDAY 10

COMEDY: Chad Daniels
“I like the winter; I like playing in the snow and doing all that stuff,” says comedian and Minnesotan Chad Daniels. “But I have to tell you, this past winter, with the 30-below days and a foot of snow every other day — that was a bit much.” Fortunately, Daniels can escape to other parts of the country. “I split custody of my 15-year-old daughter, so I’m home as much as I can be,” he says, “but if I have to take her with me on the road, she loves it.” Last year, Daniels did a run through the South, allowing him and his daughter to see the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated (now the Civil Rights Museum), as well as MLK’s birthplace in Atlanta. “We went through Alabama and it turned into a civil rights trail. Very cool,” he says. Onstage, Daniels talks about being a divorced dad, having a daughter going through puberty and also having a son in college. His one-hour special, Dad Chaniels, is on Amazon Prime. 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10 and Saturday, Jan. 11. $22. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.
Photo Courtesy of Chad Daniels

FRIDAY 10

EVENT: Wolf Moon Walk
Head to the Cincinnati Nature Center after hours for a special guided hike backdropped by the Wolf Moon, aka the first full moon of 2020. Named after howling wolves, of which there are many in January (it’s breeding season!), the walks in Milford’s Rowe Woods generally run for around an hour and a half. They avoid hills, steps and streams to ensure safety. As you stroll, expect periodic stops to learn about natural history, engage in special readings or simply to enjoy the light of the full moon. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. $5 members; $10 non-members. Rowe Woods, 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, cincynature.org.
Photo: Unsplash/GanapathyKumar

FRIDAY 10

EVENT: Cavalcade of Customs
The Cavalcade of Customs has been showcasing custom cars, hotrods, motorcycles and trucks for auto enthusiasts in Greater Cincinnati (both casual and hardcore) for 60 years now. The popular, family-friendly car-con returns to the Duke Energy Convention Center this year with its usual mix of automotive coolness and pop culture figures. Officially dubbed the “KOI Federated Auto Parts Cavalcade of Customs presented by Maxmotive,” the 60th-annual event will feature displays spotlighting Sprint racing and drag racing cars from throughout time, Rockabilly bands, a “pin-up girl” contest and a “pedal car challenge.” Celebrities attending this year for meet-and-greets/autograph signings include NASCAR star Kyle Busch, WWE star Seth Rollins and custom car builder and Discovery Channel favorite Aaron Kaufman. Visit autorama.com for the full signing schedule. 3-10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12. $19. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown, autorama.com.
Photo: Paige Deglow

SATURDAY 11

FILM: Little Women (1933)
Greta Gerwig’s recently released and vibrant retelling of Little Women has garnered much Oscar talk, so it’s fitting that the 1933 Academy Award-winning film of the same name would get yanked out of the vault for the Esquire Theatre’s January series of classic Oscar winners. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s famed novel, this iteration stars Katharine Hepburn as the fiery Jo March. Weaving the tale of the March sisters, who come of age in New England during the Civil War, it’s a story of sisterhood and the inner lives of women in the 19th-century. Victor Heerman and Sarah Y. Mason won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for their work on the film. 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11; 2 and 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13. $7.75-$10.25. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre.com.
Photo: Emerson Swoger

SATURDAY 11

VISUAL ART: Leap Year Cake Farm
2020 marks a leap-year. Art gallery Thunder-Sky opens their first show of their 11th season commemorating that very detail. Mass media works by several artists including Sharon Butler, Bill Ross, Jeremy Johnson, Jan Nickum, Katherine Michael, Jim Damico, John Ross, Jen Edwards, Jessica Wolf, Sara Caswell-Pearce, Kenton Brett, Emily Brandenhoff and Laurel Tope will be featured, celebrating leap-year birthdays “with ‘cake’ at the center,” the event’s Facebook page states. Opening reception 6-10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. Through Feb. 29. Free. Thunder-Sky, Inc., 4573 Hamilton Ave., Northside, raymondthundersky.org.
Photo: Adam Doty

SATURDAY 11

EVENT: Second Saturday Art Walk
Cincinnati is no stranger to an art walk, and perhaps no artistic endeavors are better deserving of the city’s attention than those in the rising scene in Camp Washington. Hop on over and get to know the neighborhood through the eyes of those who live, work and thrive there, from the American Sign Museum and CampSITE Sculpture Park to Sunny Blu Coffeehouse and Mom ‘n ‘em. Finish the day at The Welcome Project for an opening exhibition from featured artist Keer Xu. With a focus on printmaking, watercolor and drawing, Xu highlights relationships between human beings, technology and nature and interprets Chinese philosophical traditions of humanity’s fundamental harmony with nature “in a creepy and cute way.” 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. Free. The Welcome Project, 2936 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington, welcomecincinnati.org.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

SUNDAY 12

CLASSICAL: Kile Smith: The Arc in the Sky
Currently celebrating their 40th anniversary season, Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble will peer beyond the horizon with composer Kile Smith, who returns after his much-praised work Canticle — a piece that was commissioned and premiered by the VAE in 2016 and released as an album in January 2018. The Arc in the Sky will get its Queen City premiere by the VAE with conductor Craig Hella Johnson at the helm. Based on the work of American poet Robert Lax, who was named one of “the great original voices of our times” by famed writer Jack Kerouac, the concert will unfold at Memorial Hall. 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12. $25-$35. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, vaecinci.com.
Photo via Facebook/VAECinci

MONDAY 13

EVENT: Who’s Shaping the Future of the City?
As philanthropic lab/experiment People’s Liberty wrapped up its fifth and final year in Cincinnati, it helped usher in two entities with a similar ethos: In Our Backyards and the Urban Consulate. The latter will find a home at The Mercantile Library, where the organization will host community-oriented conversations aimed at bringing people together to share ideas to better our city. Get in on the discussion at the Urban Consulate’s first parlor talk, “Who’s shaping the future of the city?” Gee Horton and Naimah Bilal of the University of Cincinnati will host alongside the American Red Cross of Greater Cincinnati’s Stephanie Byrd. 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13. Free. Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut St., Downtown, urbanconsulate.com.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

TUESDAY 14

FILM: Varda by Agnès
FotoFocus kicks off their Second Screens series — which will bring film screenings to different venues across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky every second Tuesday of each month in 2020 — with the Cincinnati premiere of Agnès Varda’s final film, 2019’s Varda by Agnès, “a personal and whimsical look back at the director’s prolific career.” Of the film, Varda said its mission was to “give keys to my body of work. I give my own keys, my thoughts, nothing pretentious, just keys.” In exploring her career as a filmmaker and photographer, the work touches not only on filmmaking, but also weaves in themes of feminism and aging. She first developed her work and style during the French New Wave with films such as 1962’s Cleo from 5 to 7 and, most recently, collaborated with the artist JR in 2017 on Faces Places. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14. Free. Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, fotofocus.org.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger