contributing editors Mike Breen, Music; Dale Doerman, Onstage; Billie Jeyes, Literary; Rick Pender, Onstage; Steve Ramos, Film; Fran Watson, Art.
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Burning
publish a decibel level map for Hamilton County? 5
News Milford officials and residents are wary of developer’s use of lowincome tax credits for townhouses 5
On My Mind Bemoaning yuppie spawn and Chuck E. Cheese 7
Cover Story Playhouse’s producing artistic director Ed Stem discusses the nuances of a new season 8
deadlines:
DailyBrecf
Health & Fitness Profile of an alternative space for alternative medical services and products 11
Environment Our “Backyard Naturalist” laments the destruction of a Tristate woods 11
Utterfffosfr
Index to calendar listings 13
Film Scottish filmmaker Danny Boyle expected a small cult following for Shallow Grave, but has been surprised by its American success 19
Film Queen Margot wraps soft-core pom in historical drama 20
Art Kim Krause’s new exhibit at Toni Birckhead Gallery explores the balance of life
Blessid t Be Local Music: Music editor Mike Breen cuts a wide swath through the local music scene this week, interviewing Blessid Union of Souls updates on Throneberry’s recording video shoot, another surprise Over several new album releases. Then to Austin, Texas, to cover the South Conference; look for his full report Music, 15-16.
The Straight Dope
BY CECIL ADAMS
Afew years ago I heard of a process where perishable foods such as milk and lettuce were bombarded with radiation to dramatically increase their shelf life. This process also killed off bacteria and vermin. Foreign countries seemed to employ this with positive results. There was talk of using this process in the United States, with the only proviso being that thefood in question be specially labeled. However, try as I might, I cannotfind any radiation-treatedfood in my local grocery store not that I’m eager to try it. How isfood treated with radiation? Is it safe? What has happened to the process in the United States since the news storiesfirst came out?
Thomas
Cotrel, Burbank, Calif.
Depending on whom you talk to, food irradiation is yet another plot to poison the food supply for profit or the victim of antinuclear hysteria. The worst fears are certainly exaggerated. Despite what many people think, the process does not make food radioactive. Pallets of strawberries, chickens or other foods are exposed to a radioactive source, usually cobalt, for a specified number of minutes inside a shielded room. The radiation kills, or at least is supposed to kill, deadly microorganisms such as salmonella while leaving the food itself more or less intact.
It’s the “more or less” part that’s the kicker. Ionizing radiation, which is what we’re talking about here, causes some of the chemical compounds in food to transmute into other ones. Most of the new chemicals, called “radiolytic products,” are the same as naturally occurring compounds and are probably harmless. But a few may not be and who knows? may even be carcinogenic. What’s more, irradiation destroys some vitamins and other nutrients. Estimates of the amount of loss vary widely, from 4 to 40 percent, and it should be pointed out that merely cooking most foods will destroy a percentage of the vitamins. Just the same, questions surrounding food irradiation have led a number of respected scientists to oppose the practice. They’re in the minority though. What’s keeping irradiated food out of the marketplace isn’t scientific uncertainty but consumer resistance or rather fear of consumer resistance. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved irradiation for a number of food items, but the industry has been
nervous about putting the stuff on store shelves lest consumers go nuts.
More’s the pity, say irradiation advocates. A huge percentage of world food production, as high as 50 percent in developing countries in warm climates, spoils before it can be eaten, and food poisoning is still fairly common in the United States and other countries. Irradiation would reduce both these problems. Maybe 20 years from now it’ll be as commonplace as fluoridation. Then again, 20 years ago they thought nuclear power would make electricity cheap.
Big Blow Up
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At the entrance to most underground and covered parking garages hereabouts, there are signs reading ABSOLUTELYNO PROPANE VEHICLES ALLOWED IN THIS PARKADE. Why? Is there some danger?
Glenn S., Edmonton, Alberta
There’s an off chance you could cause a fire or explosion a prospect that would definitely enliven a dull trip to the mall but makes your typical petit bourgeois garage owner break out in a cold sweat. Propane, whether used in cars or
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otherwise, is stored in liquid form in high-pressure tanks. Occasionally some leaks out via a pressure-relief valve or what have you not a problem on the open road, but potentially a big problem in a confined area because propane is heavier than air and collects at low spots, e.g., the bottom floor of an underground parking garage or the low point in tunnel. (Entrances to tunnels often A*° A MAIN STREET ■BREWERY PRESENTS
Y/.'.W'O' Letters ii mm 4
Light Reading in ‘CityBeat’
There are some interesting things in your publication, but the print is too light. Either I must use a magnifier, or a very strong light to go through each copy. No more!
Either you make your entire publication like page two, or you can go to hell! I go through the Downtowner in a 20-minute period. I cannot read a single story in CityBeat in the same time frame.
Do you wonder how many other readers feel the same way? Correct this simple thing or lose your ass. I will stand around, and laugh.
Robert Lowry was a failure from birth. Who gives a damn about him?
—Anonymous
Not a ‘Right’ Concept
In your editorial
“Showdown at Little Big Porn”
[March 9-15], you are mistaken when you group the National Coalition Against Pornography recently renamed the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families with “radical rightwing concepts.” First, our organization fights sexual violence and exploitation linked to illegal obscenity and child pornography materials that are not protected by the Constitution. Second, sexual
Letters policy
CINCINNATI CITYBEAT accepts letters for publication.
mail to: Letters, Cincinnati CityBeat 23 E. Seventh St., Suite 617 Cincinnati, OH 45202
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writer’s name, address and daytime phone number.
Writers may request their be withheld from publication. Letters may be edited for length. Please type letters if possible.
violence is an issue that cuts across political or religious lines and one about which all Americans must be concerned.
Folks who support our efforts hail from a variety of backgrounds: conservative, liberal and moderate.
Whatever your opinions about how Joe Deters and Simon Leis handle prosecutions of obscenity, you need to get your facts straight about the National Coalition. Sexual violence is not exclusively a pro-family, Republican or right>wing concept. It’s a publie health issue that touches all of us, no matter where we stand politically or religiously.
Maryam Kubasek, director ofcommunications, National Coalitionfor the Protection of Children & Families
Talking Back
Each week, Cincinnati CityBeat poses a question on its back page. Our staff selects the best responses to print the following week, with published responses meriting a CityBeat T-shirt.
Here are some of the responses to last week’s question: “What’s your favorite body part? Why?"
Robert Hughes: My favorite body part belongs on a certain exotic dancer I met last November at “The Copa” in Key West. He was the best I’ve ever well, never mind.
Gary K. Poock: My eyes allow me to ingest the ongoing madness and beauty. Seeing is believing? Our eyes project, collect and desire love. Eyes are colorful we are all colors; eyes shall remain open, oh the i’s of Cincinnati.
Dave Downs: My favorite body part is the nose. The nose tells you the joy of outdoors in spring or an apple pie cooking. It’s a great place to rest your glasses. You can kiss with your nose (Eskimo-style).
To use some body parts puts you under great pressure to do it right, but performance is not a big deal with the nose. It’s OK to blow it.
Sue Holmes: The mouth: Because you can’t drink beer through your nose!
David Radtke: The fins of a ’57 Chevy. We are talking about cars, aren’t we ...?
Stretching a Dollar
How to beat the competing-seasons conundrum of too much to do and not enough money to do it with
BY ALISON TRANBARGER
The season of season-announcements is here. This week, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Riverbend Music Center released their lineups. The Playhouse’s 1995-96 season, unveiled in this issue, ranges from Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap to Frank McGuinness’ Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (about three men held hostage in Beirut) to Charles Dickens’A Christmas Carol. (See Cover Story, Pages 8-10.) Riverbend’s schedule generally runs from late spring until early fall, and an ad selling subscriptions will appear in Sunday’s Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Playhouse and Riverbend are not the only ones sending out press releases. For example:
The Cincinnati Ballet which will move to the Aronoff Center for the Arts from Music Hall in October is bringing in the “new” for its new venue. Earlier this month, the ballet announced that new productions of Cinderella and The Nutcracker would cover the fall and ■the holidays. An All American Festival in February will feature three one-act ballets, each a company premiere. Spring will bring Coppelia, an all-Balanchine program and Romeo and Juliet.
Keith Lockhart, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra music director, last week released the CCO’s 1995-96 schedule, expanded now from six to nine concerts.
Ihose are just the announcements this month.
Indeed, it’s time to get out the month-at-a-glance planner and the VISA. Ah, but here’s the rub: So many concerts, so small your chunk of change.
So what’s a hip, fun-loving adult to do?
One option is to fill out the Riverbend form arts be damned! and spend what to some is a whole year’s entertainment wad on the Modem Rock series or the Metal series or the I’m-only-buying-this-one-’cause-it’sthe-one-with-Buffett-tickets series. The prices on the series vary, based on the number of concerts, etc. Last year, subscriptions ran about $145 for a four-concert series, averaging $30-$37 per concert (plus the mandatoiy parking fee) for Gold Circle seats.
Another option is to buy a ballet subscription, which can top out at $205 or $41 a performance for the best seats. That spreads the entertainment dollars from October to May, but it’s not the better deal financially.
The cost of tickets might be part of the reason so few young adults patronize the performing arts.
For instance, the opening-night audience of the ballet’s Giselle in February tended to be older than younger.
Although the other-worldly dancing of the corps of Wilis alone was worth the $451 spent on my ticket, that same $45 would have gotten me in to see the Dave Matthews Band at the Taft Theatre and a couple of shows at
Bogart’s. Or, nine or so shows at Sudsy Malone’s.
It’s a matter of perceived value. While nine Alternative Rock shows pack more quantity than one ballet, there is value, too, in sitting still and being quiet. It does the soul good to watch a group of dancers in white become creatures from the land beyond death.
A third option, of course, is to mix it up. A little Balanchine here, a little Beel Jak there.
Mary Adam 12 on Thursday and Voxhumana on Friday. Ibsen’s Ghosts, then the Graveblankets. To support the performing arts and the music scene and not go broke involves creativity and a commitment to caring for the soul.
Buying subscription tickets will stretch the entertainment budget because the cost per ticket is less than buying individual tickets. But not everyone wants to attend all the offerings in a series. So buy a series with a friend and “let” your friend go to the performances not to your liking. Or, sell those less-than-desirable tickets.
If you don’t want to shell out the bucks for a series, there are still ways to get more for less:
The Playhouse and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra offer seats at half-price the day of the show; you just have to buy the tickets between certain times of the day and at the box office. (Performing-arts organizations that want to boost the number of younger patrons should consider adding such discounts. The ballet is one such organization. Unfortunately, there were empty seats at the above-mentioned performance of Giselle. Surely some of those seats would have been filled if cheaper tickets had been available. And in these cash-tight times, some revenue is better than no revenue.)
Patronize the smaller organizations, which generally have lower ticket prices than the biggies: Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, the College-Conservatory of Music, Fahrenheit Theatre Company, Frankenstein Theatre Company, Mariemont Players to name a few.
Attend matinees for arts performances and movies, too. (Imagine the savings if every movie you saw were a matinee and you didn’t buy popcorn. In a month you could pay for a ticket to a play or two.)
Consider Enjoy the Arts and START, which allow members to get discounted tickets to arts events. Those programs are for students or people younger than 30. Combine dining funds with arts funds. The Playhouse offers the Young Professionals Series and Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati holds Solo Nights, where theater tickets include some food and beverages. (Cincinnati Art Museum, though not a performing-arts venue, offers a similar deal with its Thank van Gogh It’s Friday events.) Maybe it’s a lot to go through to support the arts. But the extra effort is vital. Besides, it’s good for the soul.
MINING QUESTIONS
BY BRAD KING
A Developer in Charge of Northern Kentucky ‘Vision’
Covington has a new committee to help chart economic and social development through the year 2020.
Called Vision 20/20, the committee is the result of an idea Tri-County Economic Development Corp. and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce developed independently of each other, chamber president John Garman said. The two organizations now have merged efforts.
Vision 20/20 is supposed to bring civic and business leaders together to develop a vision for Northern Kentucky, including development and economic strategies and a social strategy to improve education and the general well-being of Covington citizens, Garman said.
The committee vice chairman is the Rev. William Cleves, president of Thomas More College, and the chairman is William Butler, president of Corporex Cos. Inc., a Kentucky development and real estate firm. Butler was part of a similar commission in 1981, which offered a vision for the future of Covington. One of those proposals was RiverCenter, which Butler later developed.
Even though Butler will be in charge of a committee involved in planning development, Garman said Butler would not have a competitive edge because the committee would deal with general recommendations.
Will Butler be allowed to participate in any Covington development projects which the committee recommends?
Of course, Garman said.
Keeping him from doing so "would be just like Father Cleves not participating in educational improvement," Garman said.
The committee, he said, will develop a broad vision for where Covington should be on issues such as education, health care and job growth. The focus will not necessarily be on specific development projects in specific areas of Covington.
Noise Over Hamilton County
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved a north-south runway extension at the CincinnatiNorthern Kentucky International Airport. The move is aimed at decreasing airplane noise decibel levels to acceptable environmental impact standards.
But Flamilton County Commissioner John Dowlin questioned the decision, saying that while extending the runway might reduce noise levels in Kentucky, as planes descend sooner to land on the longer runway noise levels over Hamilton County might increase.
Though Dowlin said he had asked the Kenton County Airport Board to publish a map of specific decibel levels on the Ohio side of the river, the request was denied. Because of the commissioners’ unanswered questions about possible increasing noise, they voted to petition the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study the noise levels further.
So why wouldn't the Kenton County Airport Board comply with the commissioners' request and publish the decibel map?
“It’s not our call," said Dale Huber, deputy director of aviation for the airport. “The FAA has been doing the study ail along and the requirement in the environmental handbook has been met.”
Huber said Airport Environmental Handbook 5050.A stated that noise levels at or-exceeding 65 decibels must be addressed in an environmental impact study. The FAA study found the noise level would be 60 decibels at the airport after the runway extension was completed.
BURNING QUESTIONS is our weekly attempt to afflict the comfortable.
News&views
An Alternative Look at How and Why It Happened
Misunderstanding in Milford
City officials and residents are wary of local developer using low-income tax credits to build townhouse project
BY NANCY FIROR
The question was put to the developer’s representative last March when he sought approval from the Milford Planning Commission for a townhouse development.
“Is this subsidized housing?”
“No, no it’s not,” came the reply from National Realty Management Inc. “Not at those rents.”
After the commission’s public hearing on March 10, 1994, and Milford City Council’s subsequent approval of the company’s concept plan, National Realty applied for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to finance the project, called Sycamore Park.
Is that subsidized housing?
“If you are presuming that (subsidized housing) is government, through taxpayer money, I think the answer is yes,” said Andrew Whapham, director of planning and development for the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, which oversees the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.
As Milford officials now look for their own answers, their community could become home to one of the Tristate’s latest controversies involving a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit project. News reports have detailed past disputes over developments proposed by Cincinnati developer William 0. Brisben. In Milford’s case, the development is being proposed by National Realty Management, which Jeff Goldstein, who represented the company at the public hearing, called a subsidiary of Brisben Development, according to a tape recording of
Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program
The 1986 Tax Reform Act created the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program as an incentive for developers to invest in low-income housing. Qualifying developers are awarded tax credits, which they can sell and apply the money to construction costs. Companies buying the credits can then write off the credits on their taxes.
Generally, tenants who live in the development are allowed to earn up to 60 percent of an area’s median income.
Credits are awarded to developers on a competitive basis with criteria including such things as the amount of rent tenants will be charged and willingness to accept tenants with Section 8 assistance.
The Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Housing Finance Agency administers the program. It is allotted about $13.8 million in credits to award each year in addition to credits carried over from the previous year and a portion of a federal pool of tax credits.
In 1994, about $22 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits were issued in Ohio.
Developments must be maintained for low-income use for 15 years.
Source: Ohio Housing Finance Agency
Changes to proposal
the public hearing where year.
The federal LowIncome Housing Tax Credit program grants tax credits that are designed to encourage the development of housing for the low-income.
National Realty’s proposal for Sycamore Park townhouses on Main Street now has a Milford councilman organizing a protest, while some Kennedy Heights residents are bracing to light a proposed expansion of an apartment complex Brisben already has built in their neighborhood. Historically, such protests ments from moving forward. the tax credit program ing controversies to be resolve.
Debate in Milford was triggered last week after city officials received a Feb. 28 letter from Sycamore Park developer Robert Schuler, president of National Realty, that said the company intended to use Low-Income Housing Tax Credits in financing the project.
Since 1993, those controversies
City Councilman Chris Imbus said March 14 that he and other residents felt misled by National Realty’s presentations last year and that he was organizing a protest aimed at stopping the project. Because Milford already CONTINUES ON PAGE 6
A dispute involving claimed that Brisben’s Carriage safety problems and that city officials of his intent Tax Credits.
A dispute in Kennedy dents learned Brisben would tax credit project on a neighboring site instead of the market-rate nally planned.
Questions and concerns officials who approved
before learning low-income
MILFORD: FROM PAGE 5
had a Section 8 low-income housing project and did not need more housing for low-income residents, Imbus said he was inviting residents to voice their concerns at council’s March 21 meeting.
“(The Sycamore Park project) will devalue the property and all of Milford and tarnish our community for any further growth,” he said. “It is nothing the city of Milford will benefit from.” Schuler, Brisben and Goldstein were out of town and did not return messages left for them on March 14 and 15 at the Brisben Companies offices in Blue Ash.
But Karla Irvine, executive director for fair-housing group Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), countered Imbus’ conclusions. There is a need in Milford for more rental housing both for those who have low incomes and those who rely on Section 8 assistance, she said.
The objections Milford residents have raised to low-income housing are the result of racial discrimination coupled with a “we don’t like” low-income residents attitude, Irvine said.
National Realty’s application for tax credits for Sycamore Park is being considered by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), an arm of the Ohio Department of Development that oversees the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program. According to OHFA records, the company first sought credits for the project on April 28, 1994, 23 days fitter Milford City Council approved the development’s concept plan.
After receiving state notification that tax credits were being sought, former Milford City Manager David Spinney detailed the city’s objections in a May 8, 1994, letter to OHFA.
“The site is located close to other low income housing and to encourage additional low income units in this vicinity will result in too great a concentration of such units in one area of a small community,” Spinney wrote.
The state rejected the application for tax credits because of problems that now have been resolved, said Tom Johnston, OHFA program compliance manager. At the time of rejection, two points were at issue: whether the person National Realty acquired the land from had authority to sell it and the company’s relationship with Brisben Cos., Johnston said.
He said that because Schuler’s company and Brisben’s companies were related, granting Schuler’s tax credit application would have meant that Brisben and his associates received more credits in 1994 than their annual, $1 million cap allowed.
National Reality now has filed a 1995 application for $927,601 in tax credits for the project, which OHFA is evaluating. Brisben Development Inc. is listed on the application as the development’s general contractor, said Kelly Eyster, public information officer for agency.
“The only change to our proposed project is regarding rents,” Schuler said in his letter last month to the mayor.
“However, you will notice that our proposed rents under the Low-Income
Housing Tax Credit Program are not much lower than the rents that we thought that we would charge at the time of site plan approval.”
On the tape recording of the March 1994 public hearing, Goldstein said rent for a two-bedroom townhouse would range from $600 to $625 and from $700 to $725 for a three-bedroom.
According to Schuler’s letter, the rents now will range from $515 to $660, including utilities, and the income levels for those wishing to rent at Sycamore Park will range from $20,500 to $26,500 a year.
Though Low-Income Housing Tax Credit projects can accept tenants with Section 8 certificates, Irvine said the program’s use of the words “low income” can leave the wrong impression because, in many cases, rents charged at the developments are too high for those in need to afford.
Irvine said that the two-bedroom rate at Sycamore Park, however, would be within range for some voucher holders, though Schuler’s letter did not address whether vouchers would be accepted.
Developing pattern?
Irvine, however, has not embraced all tax-credit projects with equal enthusiasm.
In a March 4, 1994, letter to OHFA's director, Irvine criticized the agency for a lack of attention to the adverse impact some tax-credit projects would have on desegregation efforts. Such an adverse impact, she wrote, was bound to result from Brisben’s Eagle’s View Apartment project in Columbia Township, which abuts Kennedy Heights a majority African-American but integrated community.
Irvine argued that the community had worked hard to maintain racial integration only to have its efforts undermined by the approval of a “huge, very dense project which, if historical experience is any guide, will house primarily black families and bring in hundreds of black elementary students the hard won integration of this proudly diverse neighborhood thereby being severely jeopardized.”
The project went forward. While credits for an additional phase of the project, called Hilltop II, were denied last year, the credits have been reapplied for and are being reviewed by OHFA.
In a March 16, 1994, letter to OHFA’s Whapham, Brisben wrote, “The attempt by the Kennedy Heights Community Council to stop the development of affordable housing here is the same as the attempt by the Price Hill Community Council to stop my Carriage Park tax credit development in 1993. These community councils will say ‘we believe in affordable housing, but NOT IN MY BACKYARD.’
During an interview with CityBeat, Whapham said it was up to local officials to agree on solutions for appropriate placement of low-income housing during the zoning or development plan approval process. But members of the Kennedy Heights Community Council argued that was difficult to do when local officials
were not told that Low-Income Housing Tax Credits were involved until after zone changes or development plans were approved.
Whapham acknowledged that the Internal Revenue Code required his agency to notify local officials and solicit their responses when tax-credit projects in their jurisdiction were being reviewed. He also acknowledged that in a number of cases such notification did not occur. OHFA now has changed its notification procedures three times in an attempt to correct the problem, he said.
Such changes mean little to some Kennedy Heights council members who said they were misled about what would be built in their neighborhood.
“Because all of us were led to believe that ‘Eagle’s View Condominiums’ was going to be an upscale self-sufficient condominium development targeting empty nesters, we were denied the opportunity to address our concerns about the issues listed above until after construction began,” Joseph Porter, community council president, wrote in a Feb. 15, 1994, letter to OHFA’s director.
At the time, Brisben said he was forced to change his condominium plan after contacting developers and learning that it was not feasible to develop condominiums on the site.
The community council’s objections to the project also included safety problems such as a place for children to safely board a school bus, steep hills with no sidewalks and no place for safe play all of which eventually were addressed in an agreement Brisben and Kennedy Heights residents negotiated.
But upon learning March 13 that the developer was seeking more credits to expand the project, Kathy Hoeting, a community council representative, said the council would protest again.
Hoeting said council representatives had received complaints about loud music and children climbing and throwing trash over the fence that separates the apartments from her neighborhood a problem that would worsen if the development expanded.
Not all of Brisben’s tax-credit developments, however, are generating similar complaints.
Last year, officials in Butler County’s Liberty Township raised concerns because they were not informed that one of Brisben’s developments there involved Low-Income Housing Tax Credits until credits for the second phase of the project had been tentatively approved and the first phase was under construction.
But, despite initial miscommunication, the development was attractively built and well managed and the tenants were getting along well with the residents who were there before them, said Bill Carothers, the township’s director of administration and zoning.
“We have no complaint on it,” Carothers said. “The people who live there seem to be responsible.... We were not informed as we might have liked (but) at this point, it’s an acceptable situation.”
Yuppie Spawn
Arguments against the 'joys' ofparenthood
BY MARSIE HALL NEWBOLD
Have you seen the headlines lately? Sixty-some-year-old women are giving birth right and left nowadays. Postmenopausal grandmothers are carrying their daughters’ babies to term. Widows are. having their husbands’ sperm “harvested,” then freeze-dried like Taster’s Choice, so they can get pregnant after a decent mourning period. Babies babies babies!
There’s no peace for the child-free. My husband and I can’t escape to our hammock or porch swing for long without the silence being shattered by the sound of yuppie spawn.
Whining and crying children are accompanied by the sound of parents high-level executives who no doubt regularly make decisions affecting the future of the Free World desperately trying to “reason” with their shrieking offspring.
“Sean! If you stop biting Meagan, I’ll give you a nice, crisp carrot stick,” Mommy cajoles. “Heather? Don’t hit Zachary; that hurts him,” Daddy explains in a calm, even tone. And all the while the kid is thinking, “Good. That’s why I did it. I hope it hurt really bad.”
You can’t pick up a woman’s magazine nowadays that doesn’t have a heartwrenching “If I Don’t Get Pregnant in the Next Five Minutes, I’m Going to Go Crazy” article by some professional woman who waited until she was somewhere between “40 and death” and can’t conceive. They take their temperatures every 15 minutes, their husbands give them shots, they have operations, have sex on a precise schedule and then stand on their heads for an hour afterward and take hormones. Sometimes, if they’re lucky, they give birth to litters larger than their Labrador Retriever’s. Well, I can’t conceive of having to deal with those brats. Give me a puppy any day of the week. Fido has a nasty habit of running into the street? Just pick up the phone and a nice man will come out,
On My Mind
bury a few hundred feet of wire, fasten a collar around Fido’s neck and plug the whole mess in to the closest electrical outlet. Try doing that with a kid. You can’t paddle them anymore. The good old-fashioned swats on the backside that used to keep them in line are considered physical abuse. You can’t even make them do something they don’t want to do. I mean, you don’t want to be emotionally abusive that might scar their delicate little psyches.
So, the brat won’t sit still and can’t learn. Dose ’em with Ritalin? What other choices do the parents have? Out of everyone I know who has children, I can’t think of one who doesn’t have at least one kid on the stuff. You can’t make it to the coffee machine in the office first thing in the morning without hearing at least one mother on the phone cooing, “Now, did you take your pill?” Once one of my friends’ dogs jumped over the couch continuously for close to 24 hours, passed out and slept the entire weekend because it had taken the Ritalin she had left out on the counter for her son. Supposedly it has the opposite effect on children.
Speed to calm you down. Well, whoever said kids aren’t contrary?
“Oh,” people say to me, “a life without children is such a selfish life!” A recent trip to Chuck E. Cheese to help a friend throw a birthday party for her precious little angel reinforced my position. Five minutes after arriving, I could feel my tubes tying themselves.
Call the National Enquirer? Stop the presses? Sell your Ortho Pharmaceutical stock because this is going to put them out of business? I’ve found the ultimate method of birth control, and the pizza’s not bad either.
Rock» &Roll Feasl!
Playhouse’s Stem tries dividing 3,000 by 11 to come up with 20,000
STORY BY RICK PENDER
PHOTOS
BY
JYMI BOLDEN
In his Cincinnati Playhouse office overlooking downtown from Mount Adams, producing artistic director Ed Stem makes a sweeping gesture at the bookcases covering each wall, piled high with scripts.
“In my job, I am surrounded every day by 3,000 years of dramatic literature,” he says. “It’s all in these books. I love the range of theater, and I don’t want to reduce it to one or two things.”
So it’s no small task to select a season of 11 plays for the 629-seat Robert S. Marx Theatre and the 220-seat Thompson Shelterhouse. Stem is serious about breaking out of any perceivable pattern when he assembles a lineup. He wants to thwart expectations.
Stem likes to recount the tale of a woman who once complained about a show, saying she’d not return if he did it again. He quickly assured her he wouldn’t. But he wryly added, “You know those shows you liked? I won’t be doing them again, either.”
The range of theater, Stem says, makes it stimulating. “Just when audiences think they have figured out what we’re up to, I want to make it different.”
What Stem has been up to lately is revealed today with his announcement of the Playhouse’s 1995-96 season. In explaining how he chooses such productions, Stem says he weighs several factors including “Do I like it?” As the Playhouse’s artistic director, he’s expected to exercise his judgment; he also directs several shows annually, so his personal taste always plays a part in the process.
But equal weight is given to the community, Stem says. For example, he notes, “In my four years here,
dozens of people have asked for a murder mystery. I looked back and found it’s been 10 years since we’d done anything, and 14 since an Agatha Christie had been presented.”
As a result, the 1995-96 season opens Sept. 7 with The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in history. It’s a spellbinder, with nine suspects and a detective trapped in a.country inn. Another factor Stem considers is the Playhouse’s history of shows over 35 seasons: ‘What’s been done? What’s been missed?” He says he made a startling discovery when he thought a show by George Bernard Shaw might be worth including.
“In eight of its first 10 years we staged eight shows by Shaw,” Stern says of the Playhouse. “But none at all since 1977. We needed to right that wrong.”
Shaw’s Arms and the Man a romantic, thought-provoking satire about a soldier who prefers chocolate to bullets and a heroine who can’t tell the truth, is scheduled to open in mid-March 1996.
Stern also looks at what’s on stage elsewhere in Cincinnati. Between the Broadway Series and the College-Conservatory of Music, he says, there are lots of good musicals presented locally. “We didn’t include a book musical in the 1994-95 season, so one seemed in order for next year. But I wanted one that wouldn’t be seen anywhere else, one we might do better than anyone else.”
His answer is She Loves Me, a 1963 musical by the team who created Fiddler on the Roof. Opening Jan. 25, She Loves Me was revived on Broadway two years ago and won a bushel of Tony Awards; then captured eight
Olivier Awards this season in London. The story involves two lovelorn clerks in a Budapest shop in the 1930s. Bickering co-workers by day, they are unknowing pen pals by night.
“It’s a musical with-a great book and wonderful characters,” Stern says. “1 know no other musical that has more heart than this show and I think audiences will love it.”
While Stem will present She Loves Me on the Marx stage, he’s also wary of the notion that the Marx is for “Broadway-type” shows while the Shelterhouse is where. “Off-Broadway” productions are found. Several of the new season’s shows represent his decision to move in another direction.
“Each season I’ve been here, I’ve considered Miss Evers’ Boys not the kind of show that Broadway is interested in seeing,” Stem says. It’s a drama based on the infamous Tuskegee Study, the 1930s investigation of the effects of untreated syphilis on unsuspecting black men. The “boys” are four uneducated farmers and part-time musicians; Miss Evers is their nurse and friend who must come to terms with the iniquity of their situation.
The inclusion of Shaw after an 18year absence from the Playhouse led Stem to another classic playwright, Henrik Ibsen, who Shaw much admired. Stem felt an Ibsen play, not seen here since 1978, was similarly overdue, so Ghosts will be staged in the Shelterhouse next February. A tale of a mother’s
love and her son’s inevitable doom, Stem says, “the play has a claustrophobic quality that will be especially powerful in the intimacy of that theater.”
Last Christmas season’s successful, extended run of Beehive created another kind of expectation, Stem says.
“Cincinnati audiences feel when something works, it’ll be done again. Almost as soon as we opened Beehive to rave reviews, I began telling everyone there would be no holiday musical in the Shelterhouse next year.”
Stem has instead selected the delightful A Tuna Christmas, a sequel to Greater Tuna, about the offbeat residents of the third-smallest town in Texas. Staged here in 1987, Greater Tuna is fondly remembered for its raucous, offbeat humor. “The show,” Stem says, “is a celebration of acting in which two men play 22 roles, male and female.”
The Christmas season will also offer Dickens’ CONTINUES ON PAGE 10
PLAYHOUSE FROM PAGE 9
A Christmas Carol, not part of the subscription season but an integral part of the Playhouse’s annual production schedule. “We surprised ourselves in 1994 by playing to 94 percent of capacity,” Stem explains. “We didn’t think we could better the 91 percent record we set 1993, but we did. It’s a good show that audiences seem to feel gets better every year.”
It’s also the only Playhouse show VffifM that makes enough money from ticket sales to support itself
•v T all other plays need corporate r~' sponsorships and other forms of financial help to meet production costs.
4-* Stem says he rounds out a season with shows that fill in gaps and create resonances for a full, well-balanced dramatic menu. Two of these wifi be Shelterhouse productions, Frank McGuinness’
Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (the season opener there in late September), and David Ives’ All in the Timing (the small theater’s closer in April).
Someone portrays three men Irish journalist, English school teacher and African-American doctor held hostage in Beirut. “It’s not about the hostage-takers,” Stern says, “but rather about how people break down barriers to survive. It’s about dignity and surviving in spite of the worst kind of indignities, a play about how the human spirit soars.”
what you ask for.
Rounding out the Shelterhouse season will be the eighth annual Rosenthal New Play Prize, to be selected later this year and produced in January 1996.
To finish the Marx Season in May, Stem again wanted to head off in an unexpected direction. “Some peopie think we end the season with a musical or an entertainment,” he says, smiling again. “Instead, we’re giving them classic courtroom drama, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial," a 1954 stage classic by novelist Herman Wouk, whose novel won a Pulitzer Prize in 1951.
“I began thinking about courtroom dramas during To Kill a Mockingbird two seasons ago,” Stem recalls. “Although the scenes are very passive, courtrooms on stage are fascinating to audiences. In a murder mystery they become detectives. In courtroom dramas they’re the jury. People are transfixed by these tales.”
Stern is enthusiastic about his fourth season at the Playhouse: a favorite whodunit; a njps return to Tuna, Texas; a musical for 1 T Valentine’s Day; classics by Shaw and Ibsen; riveting contemporary and classic courtroom dramas; works never staged in Cincinnati. “People will come court-martial because they love theater and love being exposed to so many kinds of theatrical events,” he believes.
All in the Timing consists of six one-act comedies, one of Time magazine’s ten best plays of 1994. Stem saw it in New York a year ago and fell in love with it. “Each one-act is about language and communication,” he says, “telling a hilarious tale in just the right amount of time, no more, no less.” In one story, three chimps are put in front of typewriters until they write Hamlet. Another is set in a strange dimension where you get the opposite of
The Playhouse’s subscription base rose by 8 percent this current season to a 10-year high of 18,000. Can that be bested for 19951996?
The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie. Sept. 7-Oct. 5 (Marx Theatre).
Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me by Frank McGuinness. Sept. 28-Oct. 22 (Shelterhouse Theatre).
Miss Evers’ Boys by David Feldshuh. Oct 19-Nov. 16 (Marx).
A Tuna Christmas by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard. Nov. 16-Dec. 24 (Shelterhouse).
Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, adapted by Howard Dallin. Dec. 2-31 (Marx).
Rosenthal New Play Prize Production (To be announced). Jan. 4-28, 1996 (Shelterhouse).
She Loves Me by Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Jan. 25-Feb. 22, 1996 (Marx).
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen. Feb. 22-March 17, 1996 (Shelterhouse).
Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw. March 14-April 11, 1996 (Marx).
All in the Timing by David Ives. April 11-May 5, 1996 (Shelterhouse).
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial by Herman Wouk. May 2-30, 1996 (Marx).
BACKYARD NATURALIST
BY KAREN AMELIA ARNETT
Eulogy for a Lost Woods
Once and for a long time, there was, near the city of Cincinnati, a most beautiful forest. To get there, you had to travel down a long gravel drive past a massive oak that stood guard over an old house. Then by a cow pasture, and at a sharp bend in the road, you had to find a place where an overgrown path leads straight into the thicket of undergrowth, brambles arching across your path, brandishing thorns, and honeysuckle and maple branches brushing your face.
After ducking under a maple branch, you emerge into what feels like a huge room, whose ceiling is an uninterrupted canopy of leaves. No blue sky is visible, but the light that filters through the green roof is gentle, sufficient to illuminate things. The soft light confers a tranquillity to these woods; birdsong rings through the trees the voices of vireo, wren, robin, warbler and the occasional jay, in easy conversation.
You notice the vegetation is very small at your feet, and stretches on ahead in a swath, about the width of a one-lane road; the ground is sunken in parallel lines, indenting the soil. This was a road, unpaved, perhaps a logging road once. But there have been no noisy intrusions for some time 50, maybe 75 years. The trees here are not ancient; a foot, two feet in diameter, but they are healthy. This place is a refuge for many creatures. The forest has returned to itself.
You walk along the vestigial road and notice a swarm of white through the trees. Moving closer for a look, you discover it's a dogwood, bright with its cream-colored "flowers,” on the edge of a clearing. Scattered about, amid cedars and tall grass, are several redbud trees in glorious bloom, their branches glowing with the confettilike, purple-pink flowers. Up close they look like, and even taste like, pea flowers; they, too, are legumes.
Meandering back to the path, you notice the thick ground cover. The rich soil feels spongy beneath your feet. Every inch of soil is covered with a luxuriant layer of molding leaves and greenery. There are wild ginger, with its satiny-lustrous, kidney-shaped leaves, and patches of mayapple, broad-shaped leaves hovering like a gathering of umbrellas, creamy white flowers hanging hidden beneath. Wild violets, in three colors (yellow, white and purple), softly embellish the ground carpet. You must climb down a stream bank and leap across the flowing water, then clamber up the steep bank on the other side: This forest is full of ravines and dancing water.
Once again on the road, some bits of blue on the far side attract you and you walk down into a patch of blue phlox. Being surrounded by the brilliant blue flowers is like being in a room full of shooting stars. Over here, a stream flows, splashing from rock to rock in its downhill course. A chipmunk, sitting by the water, looks up at you; not conditioned to fear human intrusion, he stands his ground. Further down the road, past hickories, tulips, ash, maples, oaks, more dogwood, buckeyes, a hillside fill falls away toward a creek far below. It is carpeted with flowers and delicate vegetation. The flowers of Dutchman’s-breeches and squirrel corn swing like little lanterns above lacy leaves.
Whole areas are covered by fern, mayappie, Solomon’s-seal and false Solomon's-seal. The elusive trillium and jack-in-the-pulpit push themselves up in unexpected places. The fat, dull green blades of wild leeks appear in clumps, lying low to the ground. A patch of yellow signals the delicate and beautiful celandine poppy, startling suns atop feathery foliage. The surprising catcher’s-mitt-shaped leaves of bloodroot reach out on short stems from the sloped ground. Dainty white sprays of foamflower can be found, if you’re lucky.
The road comes to an end at the edge of a hillside, and the land slopes down steeply to where the gnarled white trunks of sycamores line the banks of a creek. A grove of papaws stands along the shoulder of this hill, the glossy-green leaves a sign of rich soil and a promise
CONTINUES ON PAGE 12
Issues Bom of Everyday Living
Helping Make Informed Decisions
Whatever Works Wellness Center offers alternative
products and emotional support to clients
BY TAMI GREENFIELD Health
Iknew “alternative” medicine was approaching the mainstream when it recently made the cover of USA Magazine, with the story beginning right after an ad for a limited-edition of the Vatican Nativity porcelain sculpture collection.
With the clamor for health-care reform and just the plain fact that people are doing more to stay healthy, it should be no surprise that alternative medicine is becoming, well, less alternative.
Chiropractors and massage-therapist offices have been cropping up in shopping malls for years. These types of practices have become so widely accepted that some insurers are starting to cover them. Even hospitals like Providence are jumping on the alternative medicine bandwagon.
Yet I was still surprised to find that there is an alternative wellness center right in the suburbs of conservative Cincinnati.
town trying to find alternative decided that people needed stop shopping for alternative
PHOTO: Connie Lasorso, owner, in the homelike setting of Whatever Works Wellness Center.
Whatever Works Wellness Center and Bookstore is located at 7433 Montgomery Road in the heart of Silverton. On the outside and inside, it looks more like a cozy house than a lucrative business. There’s a quaint
body’s resistance to infections showed me a book that for treatment. (I don’t
WELLNESS CENTER: FROM PAGE 11
tance and pain management through Therapeutic Touch, a modem version of hands-on healing. She also offers Therapeutic Touch through Good Samaritan Hospital.
Vincent Lasorso, master Tai Chi teacher and owner of White Willow School of Tai Chi on the top floor of Whatever Works, has been teaching Tai Chi since 1978. Tai Chi’s benefits include increased relaxation, balance, meditation and flexibility. (He’s Connie’s husband, too.)
Services, products researched
Connie Lasorso, a licensed practical nurse, stresses that all products and services Whatever Works offers, fall within nursing codes. In fact, Prantl’s CranioSacral work is covered by some insurers. Before purchasing any herb, supplement, or homeopathic remedy for the store, or before deciding to offer a service, staff members research the products and services to make sure they are safe.
“There are many alternative methods that aren’t safe,” Lasorso says. “It’s a buyer-beware market. We don’t sell diet aids or muscle-building products. We won’t cash in on panic or sell to people who won’t take them right. And we don’t diagnose or prescribe treat
ment.”
Another thing the center does not do is sell crystals. It does, however, have a gift shop with candles, polished stones and other items with a “new age” flair.
“Our oath is to, first, do no harm and, second, to give patients back control, knowledge and awareness,” she says. “We help customers research therapies themselves so they can make informed decisions.”
Lasorso sees the products and services Whatever Works provides as an adjunct rather than an alternative to a doctor’s treatment. Customers are encouraged to consult their doctors and use the reference library’s computer to find out how alternative remedies interact with other medications they are using.
“We want customers to interface back with their doctors,” she says. “In many cases, doctors call us. Our goal is to help arm them with information to assist with their treatment.”
But Whatever Works offers one thing that many doctors don’t: emotional support. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy often come in just to talk. Some customers come in just to hang out.
LOST WOODS: FROM PAGE 10 of luscious fruits in the coming season.
These are some memories of the woods known by neighbors as “Leon’s woods,” after the old farmer who had let that forest go comfortably along in its own way for so long. There was a much greater variety of plants than could name, but I was a newcomer to this beautiful place. fell in love instantly. The other day drove past the entrance to Leon’s woods. The house and oak were gone. There stood instead a monolithic sign marking “THE WOODS,” a new subdivision of homes in Miami Township starting at $250,000, on half-acre lots.
ere’s your chance to win a pair of Gold Circle Floor Tickets to the sold out Jimmy Page/Robert Plant concert on Tuesday,April 25th, and enjoydinner for 2 at a Cincinnati restaurant the night of the show, and receive their latest CD “No Quarter” and have your story published in CityBeat
What has Led Zeppelin meant to you over theyears? Just about everyone who grew up listening to rock and roll has a favorite Zeppelin yarn. It could be a lyric, a song, a record, a concert... involving a friendship, a relationship, a breakup, a moment or even a period in your life. For many, the sheer presence and impact of the group over time evokes passion ate memories.
Here’s your opportunity to showcase your writing talent and share your experience
As space allows, we will also publish excerpts from runner-up and honorable mention entries. The two runner-up entries will each receive a copy of the new Page/Plant CD along with movie passes. Honorable mentions will also receive movie passes. Please don’t call us... all winners will be notified by Friday, April 14.
So, gather your thoughts head over to your computer, and, as they say in radioland, “get the Led out.
Listings Index
Music (concerts, clubs, varied venues) 13
Film (capsule reviews, theater guide) 19
Art (galleries, exhibits, museums) 22
Events (cool happenings) 24
Onstage (theater, dance, classical music) 25
Etc. (events, meetings, attractions) 26
Literary (signings, readings, events) 27
Attractions (museums, historic homes) 29
Sports (recreational, spectator) 30
Upcoming (a look at what’s ahead) 30
Review Ratings
Recommendations
★ CityBeat staffs stamp of approval
To be included
Submit information for CityBeat calendar listings in writing by noon Thursday, seven days before publication. Mail to: Billie Jeyes, Listings Editor, Cincinnati CityBeat, 23 E. Seventh St., Suite 617, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Fax: 665^369.
Please include a contact name and daytime phone number.
day of show. 749-4949.
BUDDY GUY WITH GRAVY Blues. 7:30 p.m. Friday. Bogart's, 2621 Vine St., Clifton. $15. 749-4949.
PATRICK MORAZ Progressive. 7:30 p.m. Friday. Fine Arts Theater, Edison Community College, 1973 Edison Drive, Piqua. $8. 1-800-922-3722, Ext. 368.
VOXHUMANA A cappella. 8 p.m. Friday. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Downtown. $10/$8 for students and seniors. 749-4949.
JOHNNY PAYCHECK Country. 7 p.m. Friday. Southgate House, 24 E. Third St., Newport. $10. 721-1000. ALABAMA Country. 8 p.m. Saturday. Cincinnati Gardens, 2250 Seymour Ave., Norwood. $24.50. 749-4949.
KATHY WADE Jazz. 8 p.m. Saturday. Sungarden Lounge at the Hyatt Regency, 151 W. Fifth St., Downtown. $5. 579-1234. HERB ELLIS WITH JOSHUA BREAKSTONE Jazz guitar. 7:30
This Week’s Theme: On Your Mark Get Set Reincarnation
Lube up your joints, work the tendons this way and that and apply mentholated heating grease till your nostrils pulsate sniffing out the human land-speed trophy that is rightfully yours.
BOISTEROUS ORANGUTANS have more sense than to slip on high-tech rollerskates without brakes; nonetheless, wildeyed humans are cordially invited to an 8-mile roller-blade race. A slew of other lung-piercing, stomach-cramping, lower-intestine-testing competitions have been arranged with charities in mind. Remember: Carb up! (See Sports listings.) Hawaiian Punch spokeswoman, DOLL-MOLD EXTRAODINNARE and FORMER TOOTH-
PASTE CONSULTANT, Marie Osmond, can be seen and heard singing in the hills at the Taft Theatre. A front-row seat will allow you to check for cavities. (See Onstage.) Ancient Chinese secrets, inter-ethnic awareness, Iranian-American Day, a Transylvania Evening, the 14th Annual American Negro Spiritual Festival and the dates for Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey Circus can all be found within. If something in this potpourri doesn’t charge your SPRING SPIRIT, try underwater spear-fishing near the equator. (Events.) The Cincinnati Historical Society has again proved its capacity to go out on that limb called weirdness, \ this time with the Howard Bros. Miniature Circus, a 4,000-square-foot scale REPLICA. (See Attractions.) The 55th Annual Mr. Cincinnati Body Building Contest is taking entries for a contest to be held March 25. Come see this powerful display of glistening, rippling brainlessness! Please, no feeding allowed. (Etc. section.)
p.m. Friday. Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Madison and Edwards roads, Norwood. 396-8960.
SCOTT BURNS Jazz. 8 p.m. Friday. Borders Books and Music, 11711 Princeton Pike, Springdale. 671-5853. THE AKOUSTIKATS Eclectic acoustic. 10 p.m. Saturday. Buffalo Wings and Rings, 3207 Linwood Ave., Mount Lookout. 321-0120. BRIAN EWING Alternative Folk. 8 p.m. Saturday. Blue Mountain Coffee Co.,
p.m. Sunday. Xavier University Center Theatre, 3800 Victory Parkway, Evanston. $14. 745-3161.
Hunlmalan Baiks
-
MUSIC
ALLYN'S CAFE 3538 Columbia Parkway, Columbia-Tusculum. 871-5779.
SONNY’S CAFE AND LOUNGE 1227 California Ave., Bond Hill. 242-4579. SOUTHGATE HOUSE 24 E. Third St., Newport. 431-2201. STACHE’S 2404 N. High St„ Columbus. 614-263-5318. THE STADIUM 16 S. Poplar St., Oxford. 513-523^1661.
STOW’S
Piano provided by: Baldwin ® 151 W. FIFTH STREET 579-1234
MILLION'S CAFE 3212 Linwood Ave., Mount Lookout. 871-1148.
MOLLOY'S ON THE GREEN 10 Enfield Place, Greenhills. 851-5434.
SATURDAY
MT. ADAMS PAVILION 949 Pavilion St., Mount Adams. 721-7272. MURRAY’S PUB 2169 Queen City Ave., Fairmount. 661-6215. NEW NINETIES NIGHT CLUB 3613 Harrison Ave., Cheviot. 481-9013. OGDEN’S PLACE 25 W. Ogden Place, Downtown. 381-3114.
JW SWLET
^WEWPORT. KENTUCKY 606 - 581-5518
Chester. 777-7200. YORK STREET INTERNATIONAL CAFE 738 York St., Newport 261-9676. ZIPPER’S 604 Main St., Covington. - 261-5639.
CLUB CHRONIC 616 Ruth Lyons Lane, Downtown. Call for days and times. 621-4115. CLUB PARAGON 15 E. Seventh St., Newport. 581-5518, 10 p.m.-4 a.m. Friday-Saturday. THE CONSERVATORY 640 W. Third St., Covington. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday. 491-6400. COOTER’S University Plaza, Vine Street, Corryville. 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Until 4 Friday and Saturday. 751-2642 THE DOCK 603 W. Pete Rose Way, Downtown. Until 4 a.m. Friday-Saturday. 241-5623. EMPIRE 2155 W. Eighth St., Price Hill. 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 921-8008.
Condon wastes good material The horror genre deserves better. Worst of all, the film ends with a redundant scene of a young child in danger from the monster. Candyman, if say your name five times, would you give these filmmakers the hook? With Veronica Cartwright. (Rated R; opens Friday at area Showcase Cinemas.)
Inspired by takes a stab
INTERVIEW BY
CityBeat grade: F.
SSUMMARIES AND CAPSULE REVIEWS
BY STEVE RAMOS
Opening
BYE BYE, LOVE In American film, giving the people what they want receives a bad rap. It’s no surprise. Most attempts at crowd pleasing become so trite, cliche and annoyingly predictable that all the bad press seems appropriate. Too bad. When done well, like the family comedy Bye Bye Love, crowd-pieasers emerge as the mindless good times that they're made to be. No one’s saying anything about originality here. Bye Bye Love is simply a mindless piece of fluff that sets out with the simple goal of making people laugh and hits the target more than it misses. Hmmm, with the noticeable lack of laughter in recent American comedies, maybe its goals are not that simple after all. Give the film some credit.
Three best friends Donny (Paul Reiser), Vic (Randy Quaid) and Dave (Matthew Modine) all recently divorced complete their weekly ritual of picking up their kids for the weekend at what Dave describes as “neutral territory," a local McDonald’s restaurant. Here, divorced fathers deal with exwives, hug their children and chat about all those things that divorced fathers talk about. They exchange special recipes for meatloaf, the number of dates each has been on lately and discuss their rule that they can’t ask out a woman whose divorce isn't at least 5 days old.
Pretty simple stuff, huh? Hey, Bye Bye, Love is one simple movie. In this story, nothing strays beyond the level of surface details.
Personality traits are made clear right away. Reiser’s a funnyman, Quaid's the angry sort and Modine is a womanizer. Pretty cut and dried; three distinct personality traits set in a neat, tidy row. The bulk of the story takes place over a single evening. Donny (Reiser) deals with a rebellious daughter. Dave (Modine) juggles three women who happen to stop over his house at the same time. In the film’s funniest sequence, Vic (Quaid) faces a date (Janeane Garofalo) from hell.
Sure, sometimes Bye Bye, Love annoys by turning into a music video too often. Turn the music dowft, these guys can act. Simple movies like this deserve a cut-to-the-chase kind of review. Watching Bye Bye, Love, one laughs a lot. In fact, you’ll laugh so much that its lack of plot and annoying use of music over dialogue fade into memory. Oh, for those simple movie pleasures. With Amy Brenneman and Lindsay Crouse. (Rated PG-13; opens Friday at area Loews Theatres.)
U.S. movies like ‘Pulp Fiction ’ Scottish director at a crowd-pleasing thriller
STEVE RAMOS
cottish filmmaker Danny Boyle can’t believe it. Crowds at the box office media hype it’s caught him completely by surprise. After directing plays for the Royal Court Theatre and filming television movies for the BBC, he considers his debut film, Shallow Grave, a little thriller for a select audience. It’s a tale of a corpse, roommates and hidden loot.
LOSING ISAIAH Desperate for crack, Khaila Richards (Halle Berry) abandons her baby in a Chicago alley. A white social worker, Margaret Lewin (Jessica Lange), discovers and adopts the black infant into her family. Years later, Khaila discovers her son is alive. Off drugs and desperate to start a new life, she wants her child back. Margaret fears losing Isaiah. Now, the courts will decide whether the young boy (Marc John Jeffries) will return to his birth mother or remain with his adopted family.
“I thought that I was going to make a cult film,” the 38-year-old director says from his London home. “Respected, but not by that many people.”
Based on the novel by Seth Margolis, director Stephen Gyllenhaal (A Dangerous Woman, Waterland) looks to spark a debate over issues of racism and what it means to be a parent. Few subjects are as volatile as interracial adoption. With the talents of Lange and Berry in the leads, Gyllenhaal may make the impact that he’s hoping for. With Samuel L. Jackson and David Strathairn. (Rated R; opens Friday at area Showcase Cinemas.) No screening.
Success changes everything. Shallow Grave, a huge hit with British audiences, is gathering a lot of attention stateside and opens in Cincinnati on March 24.
QUEEN MARGOT Queen
Catherine of Medici, the Catholic Queen Mother of France (Virni Lisi), arranges a marriage between her daughter Margot of Valois (Isabelle Adjani) and a Protestant, Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil). What looks like an act of peace between two religious groups evolves into a deadly double-cross. Henri’s unsuspecting wedding guests are brutally slaughtered on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
The British like their artists aloof. Boyle doesn’t buy it. He’s a director who hangs with audiences, listens to what they’re saying and pays attention. It’s not such a bad thing. Doyle happens to think audiences are sharp.
Blood covers Parisian streets, literally.
Knee-deep in the carnage, Margot struggles to protect her lover, Lord of La Mole (Vincent Perez), her husband and herself.
“I’ve respect for audiences. I think they’re very intelligent. If they go and see stupid films like Dumb and Dumber, it’s because they want to see a stupid film. I think they’re sophisticated in terms of what they can take in off a picture and process it so quickly.”
After seeing his production bills, listening to ticket buyers makes sense to Boyle. “I got a lot of respect for the business side of movies,” he says. “Not that it would influence me in thinking what to do next. I’m not thinking, ‘Oh, it’s got to be a hit,’ but if I want to do a story about drug addicts in Edinburgh, I have to make it for less money.”
French filmmakers can teach Hollywood a thing or two about costume dramas. Sex sells. Director Patrice Chereau's Queen Margot overflows with carnal pleasures and blood lusts. It’s a bit hard to believe Chereau’s screenplay (co-written with Daniele Thompson) originates from Alexandre Dumas’ novel Marguerite de Valois. Here, narrative takes a backseat to vices.
Although considered low-budget, Shallow Grave still cost $1.7 million U.S. dollars. “There’s so much money involved,” he says. “It’s not like writing a private diary. This is a public event. You need some responsibility about that. It’s not pandering to the audience. It’s not following the audience. It’s hoping that you can nip in front of the audience and steer them down your kind of alley for a while”
Famous for his stage direction of Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle opera, director Chereau's visual panache is evident in Queen Margot. Adjani also has style. Her face belongs in front of a movie camera. Sexy, bloody Queen Margot overflows with arousing visual imagery. For normally staid art-house patrons, here’s an unexpected adult pleasure. With Jean-Hughes Anglade.
(Unrated; opens Friday at the Movies, Downtown.)
CityBeat grade: B.
His method paid off. Putting audiences’ interests first, Boyle created'a very popular film. In Britain, that’s a problem. Boyle sees members of the British press turn their noses up at mainstream movies. They sneer at box-office smashes such as Four Weddings and a Funeral. “I think the press has this curious idea that if you hit a nerve like that, it means you compromised. They don’t acknowledge a film may be massively suecessful and interesting as well.”
Continuing
BAD COMPANY From a script by mystery novelist Ross Thomas, Bad Company looks at the industrial espionage that occurs when former CIA operatives go to work for big business. Underlying the corporate spy games is an intimate relationship between two agents, played by Ellen Barkin and Laurence Fishburne. Double-crosses occur both in the workplace and the bedroom.
A perfect example is right in front of Boyle’s nose. Look at Pulp Fiction, a huge phenomena in Britain. “Pulp Fiction is a very sophisticated piece of work,” Boyle says. “Masquerading under certain disguises and using big stars, it’s a very interesting film about loyalty, trust and friendship.”
There’s also a lesson: It’s OK to steal from other films. “What I like about Pulp Fiction’s director Quentin
Film
CityBeat grade: B. CANDYMAN FAREWELL TO THE
Like Miami Rhapsody, here is another film that Disney basically sat on for
Tarantino is that you influenced by other steal from other films stories. A filmmaker swaps them with other way.
Director Danny Boyle, left, on the set of Shallow
gain a small cult following not the big attention
So what ideas did For its fast-moving story their personality changes, and Ethan Coen’s Blood stant unraveling of events with. It’s a great tradition One story idea belongs against 20 other directors, producers that the film’s of rich and nasty. It got “Usually a film will lar character who’s more Boyle says. “I wanted there are no likable characters ences can’t guess who to be a victim. These Whatever happens to responsible for it. The energy from people like
Sex. Power. Betrayal. Disclosure, director Barry Levinson’s film of the best-selling novel by Michael Crichton, rightfully sidesteps any controversy and sticks to pure entertainment Set in the offices of Digicom, a high-tech computer firm, Disclosure turns sexual harassment upside-down. Few topics are as timely and volatile as sexual harassment. Those who go to Disclosure expecting an intelligent treatment of a controversial issue are forcing their brains where they do not belong. With Michael Douglas and Demi Moore. (Rated R; opens Friday at Norwood, Turfway, Forest Fair, Biggs Place Eastgate and Westwood.)
Rogues in Rouge
‘Queen Margot bares bosoms, draws blood in sneaky attempt to pass offsoft-core pom as historical drama
REVIEW BY STEVE RAMOS
One scene says it all. In 1572 Paris, two women stride through the city’s muddy alleyways, pulling elaborate gowns behind them. Jewels adorn their bodies. Rouge colors their cheeks. Although they hide behind masks, it’s apparent that these ladies are royalty.
Bye Bye, Love opens with divorced fathers (from left: Randy Quaid, Paul Reiser and Matthew Modine) questioning a friend’s wedding.
DUMB AND DUMBER Before movie audiences get to see Jim Carrey vamp it up as the Riddler in Batman Forever, he returns just in time for some tomfoolery. This time, he teams with Jeff Daniels
The newly wedded Margot of Valois (Isabelle Adjani) and her escort Henriette (Dominique Blanc) walk the streets with purpose. Overcome with lust, Margot seeks to Satisfy her desires. Simply put: They’re prowling for men. Stepping over filthy bodies, pushing aside vagrants, Margot spots a man, Lord of La Mole (Vincent Perez). Quickly, she pulls him into a doorway and satisfies herself. Viva la France! French filmmakers can teach Hollywood a thing or two about costume dramas; namely, sex sells. No wonder American audiences stay away from safe historical movies like Wyatt Earp and Glory. Where’s the titillation?
Director Patrice Chereau’s Queen Margot overflows with carnal pleasures and blood lusts. It’s hard to believe the screenplay (co-written with Daniele Thompson) originates from Alexandre Dumas’ novel Marguerite de Valois. Here, narrative takes a backseat to vice.
Let’s get one thing straight: No one’s categorizing Queen Margot as 1995’s Caligula. Unlike Bob Guccione’s film, Queen Margot never crosses into the realm of hard-core pom. Imagine Playboy creating new versions of classic novels; that’s Queen Margot.
Early in the film, one man sums things up. “That Margot is an evil whore, and the wedding shames us all.” He doesn’t know the half of it.
Queen Catherine of Medici, the Catholic Queen Mother of France (Virni Lisi), arranges a marriage between her daughter, Margot, and a Protestant, Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil).
Married against her wishes, Margot forbids Henri from entering her bed chamber.
On the surface, this wedding looks like an act of peace. Catherine has other intentions. Catherine’s son, Charles IX (Jean-Hughes Anglade) struggles to retain his composure and authority. Who’s in control here? The king? His mother? His brothers? With this powermad royal family, it could be anybody. Double-crosses are all the rage. No one’s safe. Poison lurks in unexpected places. A king’s adviser falls to a sniper’s bullet. A young baroness catches herself in a deadly trap. Margot’s lover La Mole wades knee-deep into the carnage. Catching the unsuspecting Protestants off guard, royal soldiers slaughter
Henri’s wedding guests on St. Bartholomew’s Day. It’s not pretty; throats are slashed, bodies impaled. Blood covers Parisian streets. Massacres must have an effect on Margot. No longer just a spoiled harlot, she protects both La Mole, her lover, and Henri, her husband, from death. All three plot to escape. Before they reach safety, death strikes close.
In Queen Margot, director Chereau gives it to the audience both ways. Dark, grimy and covered in muddy accuracy, Queen Margot hits marks as a realistic, historical narrative. Chereau’s film also goes for pomp and circumstance. In this costume drama, Margot and her attendants’ dresses possess plunging necklines, and breasts heave endlessly. Who cares if it’s 1572, designer Moidele Bickel goes for ’90s haute couture. Baby, Margot’s got the look.
Famous for his stage direction of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle opera, Chereau’s visual panache is evident in Queen Margot. D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1916) was the first film to look at the St. Bartholomew Day massacre. By using color to its full effect, Chereau’s visual punches hurt more. Under his camera, rouge on women’s lips appears redder. Sweat glistens. Is Queen Margot more style than substance? Yes, and what great style it has.
Adjani also has style. Her face belongs in front of a movie camera. Adjani also can act. Look to her performances in The Story ofAdele H (1975) and Camille Claudel (1988). Don’t look here. For Queen Margot, Adjani mostly poses, postures and primps.
Look closely, some fine acting pokes through the elaborate photography. Winner of 1994’s Best Actress Award at Cannes, Lisi portrays an evil manipulator with a fury. Known more for sex-pot roles in ’60s comedies such as How to Murder Your Wife, Lisi may astound people here with her ugliness. With yellowish skin and a bare, domed forehead, she’s the queen from another planet.
Pushing story aside and putting sex and violence on a respectable pedestal, Queen Margot is soft-core pom for the high-brow crowd. Who’d expect visceral pleasures from a historical drama? Sneaky. CltyBeat grade: B.
Isabelle Acjjani is Queen Margot.
JUNIOR
Harvard Law professor, answers a cry for justice from Bobby Earl Ferguson (Blair Underwood), a convict on Florida’s Death Row. As Armstrong investigates the details of an 8-year-old case, he encounters resistance from both the arresting officer, Det. Tanny Brown (Larry Fishburne) and the residents of a small southern Florida town. Director Arne Glimcher leaves behind the passionate of his debut effort, The Mambo Kings, and tackles author John Katzenbach’s best-selling thriller head-on. With Ed Harris and Kate Capshaw. (Rated R; at area Loews Theatres.)
★ LEGENDS OF THE FALL Sharing an isolated existence on a large Montana ranch, Col. William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) and his three sons Alfred (Aidan Quinn), Tristan (Brad Pitt) and Samuel (Henry Thomas) experience some conflict when the youngest Ludlow, Samuel, returns with his fiancee, Susannah (Julia Ormond). From the cruelties of World War trench warfare to the hardships of a changing frontier, Legends of the Fall is the best kind of soap opera one that is larger than life. Every action occurs with a high intensity. Emotions this overwrought need a sweeping and cinemascopelike visuals. Melodrama finally receives the Tiffany treatment that this genre rightfully deserves. With Karina Lombard and Gordon Tootoosis. (Rated R; at area Loews Theatres; opens Friday at the Little Art Theatre, Yellow Springs.)
★ THE LION KING Seeing a great opportunity to squeeze more money out of this popular tale, Disney brings back this animated blockbuster. It’s also a good opportunity to promote the summer flick Pocahontas.
You’ve heard of the circle of life? Think of this as the circle of cash. With the voices of Matthew Broderick and Jeremy Irons. (Rated G; closes Thursday at Norwood, Turfway, Forest Fair and Biggs Place Eastgate .)
A LOW
With Robert Englund. (Rated R; at area Loews Theatres.)
MAN OF THE HOUSE Living alone with his mom, Sandy (Farrah Fawcett), for the past five years, 11-year-old Ben Archer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is not ready to share his home with a step-dad, Jack Sturges (Chevy Chase). He has a plan. Young Ben convinces Jack to join him for some father/son games at the YMCA Indian Guides camp. If he makes Jack look really dumb, then his mom won’t want to marry him. Unfortunately, some mobsters follow them to the camp. They intend to do to Jack than just make him look dumb. If Tim Allen can make the jump from TV to silver with huge cess, Home Improvement co-star Thomas figures to give it a whirl aswell. (Rated PG; at area Showcase Cinemas.)
★ NELL Jodie Foster, the industry's most powerful woman, tackles Nell, a story about a young recluse who is discovered by Dr. Jerome Lovell (Liam Neeson), a local physician, and some university psychologists, including Dr. Paula Olsen (Nastasha Richardson). Lovell believes Nell should be left alone and the university psychologists feel that Nell should be placed in a hospital under their care. Nominated for another Best Actress Oscar, Foster proves she can tackle a role that is far removed from how audiences perceive her (very smart, articulate and attractive) and makes it work. With Jeremy Davies. (Rated R; at Norwood, Turfway, Forest Fair, Biggs Place Eastgate and Westwood.)
★ NOBODY’S FOOL An American acting treasure returns to the silver screen with a melancholy tale of
★ LITTLE WOMEN Leaving behind her persona as some Slackergeneration role model, Winona Ryder earned a Best Actress nomination for her portrayal of the tomboy Jo in this wonderful adaptation of the literary classic by director Gillian Armstrong (My Brilliant Career). Bringing this classic story alive with such visual flourish and care for her actresses, Armstrong’s film takes its place as a classic in its true right. Sure, you know how the story ends, but the tears will fall anyway. With Susan Sarandon. (Rated PG; at Showcase Cinemas Cincinnati, Erlanger and Springdale; closes Thursday at the Little Art Theatre, Yellow Springs.)
Besson shakes things up by throwing a child in the mix. With Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. (Rated R; at Norwood.)
★ PULP FICTION Director Quentin Tarantino has shifted from cult favorite to Academy darling. Pulp Fiction received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (for John Travolta) and Best Supporting Actor (for Samuel L. Jackson). With wild frenzy, Tarantino mixes gun play, drug abuse and racial epithets into a series of interrelated crime tales. If Pulp Fiction did not reveal strong growth in Tarantino’s technique, his personal hype might have overshadowed this fantastic film. An accurate reflection of what really makes America go round: violence, drugs and racism. With Uma Thurman. (Rated R; at area Showcase Cinemas.)
★ QUIZ SHOW Juiced by Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor for Paul Scofield’s performance as the elder Mark Van Doren, Robert Redford’s Quiz Show returns to the nation’s box offices looking for that audience that never materialized. Taking a cue from attorney Richard N. Goodwin’s book Remembering America: A Voice From the Sixties, director Redford has crafted his best movie to date. With Mira Sorvino and David Paymer. (Rated R; at Showcase Cinemas Cincinnati.)
★ RICHIE RICH A little rich boy in real life, Macaulay Culkin has finally found a perfect role. Based on the popular children’s comic book, Richie Rich weaves a rather simple message about the importance of friendship with a light-hearted romp about kidnapped parents and a search for hidden loot. Plus,
DOWNTOWN
EMERY THEATRE 1112 Walnut St, Over-the-Rhine. 721-2741. THE MOVIES 719 Race St, Downtown. 381-3456. CENTRAL ACT 1 CINEMA 11165 Reading Road, Sharonville. 733-8214.
CENTRAL PARK 11 CINEMAS 4600 Smith Road, Norwood. 531-7655.
writer for Die Hards 1 & 2, gets the chance to prove if he can direct all the stuff that his imagination comes up with. With Kylie Minogue and Wes Studi. (Rated PG-13; at Norwood, Turfway and Biggs Place Eastgate.)
TALES FROM THE CRYPT PRESENTS DEMON KNIGHT With the Crypt Keeper as a ghoulish host, Tales from the Crypt takes its mix of black comedy and pulp horror to the big screen. Director Ernest Dickerson (Juice) does his best to keep the horror and gross-out fiends happy. With Billy Zane and Jada Pinkett. (Rated R; at Norwood, Turfway, Forest Fair and Biggs Place Eastgate.)
★ THREE COLORS BY KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI Ending his career on a high note, Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Red earned Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. For those who enjoyed Red's story of a young woman (Irene Jacob) who enters into the life of a bitter, retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintgnant), and missed the earlier two films, here’s a chance to watch magnificent opus in its entirety. Similar in style to Red, Kieslowski's first installment, Blue, looks at Julie (Juliette Binoche), a who must come to terms with the loss of her family. Possessing a sharp, comic sensibility, White presents a fairly slap-stick tale about Polish hairdresser (Zbigniew Zamachowski) and his French wife
Repertory
ALEXANDER’S RAGTIME BAND Two songwriters vie for the affections of a rising musical comedy star in what may be ari archetypal American musical. You’ll get your money’s worth; This one’s got 26 songs. With Tyrone Power and Don Ameche. (Rated PG; 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Emery Theatre.)
★ DAZED AND CONFUSED The longest, continuous run of filmmaker Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused takes place just up Interstate 75. If one movie warrants a road trip, this is it. After his cult classic Slacker, Linklater proved himself to be an up-and-comer with this thoughtful story about a group of teenagers set in a Texas high school, circa 1976. (Rated R; midnight Friday and Saturday at the Page Manor Cinema, Dayton,
a.m. Saturday at the Main Library, Downtown. 369-6922.)
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Local lovers of the time warp may want to travel up Interstate 75 for the opportunity to throw toast and toilet paper. Hey, how far will you go for a sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania? (Rated R; midnight Saturday at the
★ THE SAINT OF FORT WASHINGTON Director Tim Flunter's (The River’s Edge) tale about the plight of the homeless brings
(Julie Delpy). Kieslowski’s style sometimes leaves audiences questioning. Here’s the rule for enjoying a Kieslowski film: Don’t think, just feel. (All three films are rated R; closes Thursday at The Movies.) THE WALKING DEAD With a strong track record in African-American cinema, producers George Jackson and Douglas McHenry (New Jack City, Jason's Lyric) bring the Vietnam movie full circle with this look at the experience of African-American soldiers. Sgt. Barkley (Joe Morton) leads a group of men on a mission to evacuate the survivors of an abandoned Viet Cong P.O.W. camp. People in the film industry credit New Jack City for creating the new genre of the black gangster film. The Walking Dead may do the same for war movies. With Joe Morton and Allen Payne. (Rated R; at Showcase Cinemas Cincinnati; closes Thursday at Showcase Cinemas Springdale.) Gear off the desk, open the brown bag and taste the music. WEEKDAYS & SATURDAYS at NOON 89.70FM WNKU
PHOTO: RICHARD FOREMAN
Margaret (Jessica Lange, left) finds herself in an impassioned custody battle with her
birth mother Khaila (Halle Berry) in Losing Isaiah.
HILLEL JEWISH STUDENT CENTER Michal Koren, Jonah Tobias, Nate Waspe and Pam Zelman, students from UC’s school of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning, display their work. Through March 31. 9 a.m.5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.3 p.m. Friday. 2615 Clifton Ave., Clifton. 221-6728.
★ IN SITU Gregory B. Saunders’ The Kentucky Series: A Personal Archeological Dig is a collection of large-scale drawings based on the Kentucky landscape. Saunders, born and raised in Newport and now living in Florida, combines remnants and artifacts of his past unearthed recently during a visit to his now torn-down former residence with these powdered graphite drawings. Through March 18. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 1435 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. 651-4613.
INNER SPACE DESIGN Currently showing works by James Brown, Robert Motherwell, Roy Lichtenstein, Ellsworth Kelley, Robert Rauschenberg, Louis Bourgeois, Donald Judd, Elizabeth Murray, Robert Indiana, Tom Nakashima and Louise Nevelson. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. MondaySaturday. 2128 Madison Road, O'Bryonville. 533-0300.
JAMAR GALLERY Has closed and is currently looking for a new location. It will be located temporarily at 79 Locust Hill Road, Anderson Township. By appointment only. 752-1344.
KALDI’S COFFEE HOUSE & BOOKSTORE Pam Polley’s paintings, queens have known, attempt to overcome stereotypical expectations of women, celebrating instead their strength, sexuality and power. Through March 31. 7 a.m.-l MondayThursday, 7 a.m.-2:30 Friday, 10 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.midnight Sunday. 1202 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. 241-3070.
KZF GALLERY Paintings and drawings by Ken Landon Buck, sculpture by Barbara Beatrice, paintings and prints by B.B. Hall. Through April. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. 655 Eden Park Drive, seventh floor, Walnut Hills. 621-6211.
LEFTHANDED MOON A continu ing exhibition of hand-carved and painted fimo pendants by Jeni B. and ceramic rattles by Nance Emmet. 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 48 E. Court St., Downtown. 784-1166.
MACHINE SHOP GALLERY Juried DAAP Undergraduate Show. Through March 17. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 100 E. Central Parkway, Over-the-Rhine. 556-1928.
★ MALTON GALLERY Amish Drawings highlights works by a selftaught anonymous Amish girl from Holmes County, Ohio. Gallery One. Works by Fran Watson, Amy Mehalick and Althea Thompson are on display in Gallery Two. Both shows run through March 31. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 2709 Observatory Ave., Hyde Park. 321-8614.
MARITAIN GALLERY Paintings by William Schickel and prints by Georges Rouault. Through April 30. 1-5 p.m. Sunday-Friday. 127 W. Loveland Ave., Loveland. 683-1152.
MARTA HEWETT GALLERY Glass sculpture by Edward B. Francis. 6-10 p.m. Friday. Through April 10. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon5 p.m. Saturday. 1209 Main St., Overthe-Rhine. 421-7883.
MILLER GALLERY Impressions of New England features realist paintings by Rudy Colao, Bernard Corey, Anders Gisson, Lewis Gordon, Jonathan Hotz, Stapleton Kearns, T.M. Nicholas, James O’Neil, Paul Strisik, Fohn Terelak and Lori Zummo. Through March 25. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 2715 Erie Ave., Hyde Park. 871-4420.
MULLANE’S PARKSIDE CAFE
Merle Rosen, designer of the murals at Petersen's Restaurant downtown, displays her new paintings. Through MORE, PAGE 24
Chaos and Order
Kim Krause's newest display of works the balance of life
REVIEW BY LISA
BAGGERMAN
Good art isn’t black or white. It should be black, white and every shade of gray in between. Kim Krause’s latest collection of 11 paintings, on display at Toni Birckhead Gallery, is good art. Each piece brilliantly dualistic, Krause alternatingly depicts torn, crumpled, incomplete images in a setting of perfect order. Each work beckons with contrasting motifs. Airplanes. Crumpled paper. Outlined shapes. Solid shapes. Neutral colors. Neon colors. And each image serves to create the atmosphere of chaos within an eerie balance.
Paper is a powerful symbol uniting every painting in this collection. In “The Papers 11/Spiral,” the eye is instantly lured by a green luminous spiral that dominates most of the space. Located in the center of this spiral is a painted rendition of a crumpled piece of white paper with a bloodred spiral prominently displayed on the front. The dull background forces the viewer’s complete attention to the design within design. It is this simple motif that appears most in Krause’s works. A haunting balance between a stronger, unadulterated image, alongside a similar, weak and worn image.
Possibly the most impressive work in this show is “The Papers #15, Sea.” This massive rectangular painting depicts a crumpled piece of white paper, torn right down the center. Each half is found at either end of the rectangular-shaped canvas. On the paper is the shape of a red airplane, and where the paper is torn, the length of the object is severed. The paper floats weightlessly in a sea of varying grades of blue and green paint. Barely perceptible airplanes are scattered throughout this space, appearing and disappearing in its depths.
Krause’s use of bold, striking images serves to only beckon the audience deeper into his work. What commands attention in this case is the torn paper with the severed image of a plane. Through the use of this striking image, the audience is invited deeper and deeper into the painting. What appears at first glance to be an uncomplicated depiction of a single symbol and color gradually evolves into a complex work, with meaning that exists on several levels.
Krause’s training in architecture is obvious from his immaculately rendered shapes. It is the use of these deliberate, pristine shapes that contributes to the sense of order and logic. But by balancing these perfect shapes with imperfect shapes, Krause creates an atmosphere of instability that mimics his logical, precise renditions. Perhaps this tactic is most obvious in “The Papers #7.” Here, the entire canvas is sectioned into a precise grid. A muddy gray background reveals a subtle, thin graph. Centered in the bottom half of the painting is a crumpled, tom sheet of grid paper, suggesting realism in a world of rigid idealism.
“The Papers #10/Blue Target” is perhaps the most
brilliantly explores
surreal of this collection. eye serves as the centerpiece is rendered once again floating prominently rows of four balls each the boundaries of the spheres are the most are given precise depth
“The Papers #18, Twisted” is an oil on linen display at the Toni Birckhead Gallery through
other object in the painting. the grid as slanted and The slant of this grid objects of the painting paint drip from
ONE SHOT GALLERY Presents new works by Cincinnati artist Mils, with vintage political cartoons by fellow Cincinnatian Claude Shafer.
10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays, weekends by appointment. 658 Main St., Downtown. 721-1193.
★ ONLY ARTISTS A inventory of works by Linvel Barker, Howard Finster, Shirley Lambdin, R.A. Miller, Lonnie and Twyla Money, Mose T. and G.C. DePrie is on display. Metal furniture by master craftsman Joe DeLuco of Cincinnati. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 1315 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. 241-6672.
LAURA PAUL GALLERY Defined Paper features the works of Berringer, Clark, Hall and Hubert.
GRETA PETERSON GALERIE Curator Tom Bryant’s Tomar Collection features paintings by Spaniard Evaristo Alguacin, Swede Mona Starfelt, Neil Di Teresa, from Berea, Ky., and Cincinnatian Mark Rozic. Also, sculpture by Jeff Johnston, textiles from Sweden, Portugal, Italy and South America. Through April 1. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 7696
to sell the paintings for the estate takes place 5-9 p.m. March 17. There are more than 50 pieces of artwork, including paintings by the famous English artist Haywood Hardy and Tyrone Power’s sister Anne Power Hardenbergh. Proceeds will benefit Madonna Manor and Villa Madonna Academy.
513-296-0294.
SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S LCR GALLERY In the Spirit of the Family showcases family memory boxes created by the citizens of Miami Valley. Through April 5. 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. 444 W. Third St., Dayton. 513-449-5381
★ STUDIO 701 Art From the Heart showcases large and small works on canvas and paper by M. Katherine Hurley, winner of recent Artist’s magazine award. A good look at conservative landscape work. Studio 701 of the Pendleton Art Center, 1310 Pendleton St., Over-theRhine. 241-4123.
★ SUB.GRESSIVE Parasite=Host is an unsettling new installation created by David Opdyke. By appointment through March 31. 1412 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. 421-4221.
★ TANGEMAN FINE ARTS
GALLERY UC Fine Arts Collection: Enriching the Future is a project developed as part of the university’s 175th anniversary celebration. The exhibit includes many works that have not been displayed publicly in years, including works by Elizabeth Nourse and prehistoric artifacts dating to 50004000 B.C. found during UC excavations at Lerna in Greece. Through March 24. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Tangeman Student Center, UC, Clifton. 556-2962. THOMAS MORE GALLERY Dress Code, sculpture by Jill Rowinski, continues through March 24. 8 9:45 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.4:30 p.m. Friday, noon4 p.m. Saturday, 4-8 p.m. Sunday. Thomas More College Library. 333 Thomas More Parkway, Crestview Hills. 344-3309.
★ TONI BIRCKHEAD GALLERY Recent paintings by Cincinnatian Kim Krause, who teaches at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Through April 14. 10 a.m.4 p.m. weekdays, Saturday by appointment. 342 W. Fourth St., Downtown. 241-0212.
TOON ART GALLERIES Disney Dimensions highlights limited-edition and one-of-a-kind 3-D pieces from raku pottery to collector plates and jewelry. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. By appointment Monday. 21 E. Fifth St., Westin Hotel, Downtown. 651-3500.
★ UC CLERMONT COLLEGE ART GALLERY Recent Works by Katherine Hurley, Dianne Loos and Lynda S. Reiner. Through March 31. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays. 4200 Clermont College. Drive, UC Clermont College, Batavia. 732-5224.
★ UC HEALTH SCIENCE LIBRARY Melvin Grier’s moving photographic documentary, Not Without Prejudice, his view of the con
flict, loss and dislocation experienced by a group of Avondale residents whose homes were demolished and replaced by a Cincinnati Zoo parking lot, stands in contrast to Jymi Bolden’s more cerebral photographic abstractions of the human form. Through April 14. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. 231 Bethesda Ave., Clifton. 558-5627.
PATRICIA WEINER GALLERY Features 19th and 20th century museurn-quality paintings with special interest in Cincinnati artists. 11 a.m.5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, or by appointment. 9352 Main St., Montgomery. 791-7717.
WENTWORTH GALLERY Architecture features the works of Ledan, McKnight, Kiraly and Armand. Through March 20.10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-7 p.m. Sunday. Kenwood Towne Centre, 7875 Montgomery Road, Kenwood. 791-5023.
WOMEN'S ART CLUB OF CINCINNATI Meets at 1 p.m. the second Saturday of every month. Room 501, 1310 Pendleton St., Overthe-Rhine. 522-0117.
WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERIES Urban Landscape features the works of Rackstraw Downs, John Moore and Yvonne Jacquette. Through March 19. 10 a.m.4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon5 p.m. weekends. Creative Art Center at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. 513-873-2978.
XAVIER UNIVERSITY GALLERY Student show. Through March 17. Noon4 p.m. Monday-Friday. 3800 Victory Parkway, Evanston. 745-3811.
★ YWCA WOMEN’S ART GALLERY Tradition Within Diversity features the work of eight Korean-American women working in Greater Cincinnati. Through April 14. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. 898 Walnut St., Downtown. 241-7090.
840 GALLERY Chip Mackey exhibits his recent paintings. Through March 17. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. D.A.A.P. Building, University of Cincinnati, Clifton. 556-2962. Museums
★ CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM All The V/orld Arrayed, a salute to the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, showcases the museum’s finest examples of ethnic dress Chinese robes, Indian saris, Japanese kimonos, African robes and Rumanian dresses. There also is a display of 30 dolls in traditional dress from such countries as Japan, Russia, Arabia
Lance Hendrix (right) and Lydia Chelekis (left) will perform a free concert with the Blue Ash Symphony Orchestra and dancers from Ballet Tech on Sunday.
and India. Through Oct. 1. The Dawn of Engraving: Masterpieces from the 15th Century features many fine examples of late Gothic and early Renaissance engraving; through July 23. Singing The Clay: Pueblo Pottery of the Southwest, yesterday and Today features 111 examples of pottery from 12 pueblos; through June 4. In conjunction with this exhibition, Lu Ann Tafoya, a potter from the Santa Clara Pueblo, gives a free demonstration 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Curator Bill Mercer presents the second of three lectures: Pueblo Pottery: The Continuing Tradition 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. $7, $9 non-members, $8 students and seniors. 721-5204, Ext. 293. Richard Bitting: Nine Summer Haiku is a suite of nine color lithographs with music and text transformed into designs; through April 9. Air in Motion, Heart in Motion includes 14 prints by Shinoda Toko, trained in calligraphy but best known for her paintings; through May 14. $5 adults; $4 students and seniors; children free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. TuesdaySaturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Eden Park. 721-5204.
★ CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER Carrie May Weems examines the status of African-Americans in today’s society through narrative photographic images; through March 26. ...In Memory Spaces, Pittsburgh artist Paul Glabicki uses state-of-theart computer programs while working simultaneously with paintings, drawings, photographic sequences and installation plans to create a continuous architectural landscape for the viewer to experience when projected three-dimensionally and viewed through polarized glasses; through April 5. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday. $2 adults; $1 students and seniors; children 12 and under free; free to CAC members; free to all Mondays. 115 E. Fifth St., Downtown. 345-8400.
MIAMI UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM Stitched, Woven and Plaited: Contemporary Craft Traditions of Africa; through June 11. Forever Flowers; through Oct. 1. 1.1 a.m.5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Free. Patterson Ave., Oxford. 513-529-2232.
NATIONAL AFRO-AMERICAN
AND CULTURAL CENTER From Victory to Freedom: AfroAmerican Life in the '50s is a permanent exhibition featuring artifacts staged in settings reminiscent of the period. $3.50 adults, $1.50 students. 9 a.m.-5
Sycamore streets, Downtown. $5. 569-8080.
★ CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK Presents the world premiere production of The Brothers Karamazov, a new play by Anthony Clarvoe based on the classic novel by Dostoyevsky. 1 and 8 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Through March 23. $19-$31. Robert S. Marx Theatre. Meet the Artists takes place after Thursday’s show and allows audience members to interact with the cast and the production staff. The program is free, and attendance at that performance is not required. There will be a benefit performance 7 p.m. Sunday. Guests will have chance to see the inner workings of the Playhouse with a tour behind the curtain led by staff members after the show. Tickets are only $8. Call Enjoy the Arts at 751-2700 to make reservations. Tickets to regular performances are half-price when purchased noon-2 p.m. the day of the show. Eden Park. 421-3888.
FALCON PRODUCTIONS Presents Shakespeare's shortest play, The Comedy of Errors, first performed at Gray’s Inn on Dec. 28, 1594. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Through March 17. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Westwood Town Hall, Harrison and Montana avenues, Westwood. 779-0571.
FOREST VIEW GARDENS Phantom runs through April 2. Reservations required. ThursdaySunday. 4508 North Bend Road, Monfort Heights. 661-6434.
★ MARIEMONT PLAYERS David Edwards directs the American premiere of Ranjit Bolt’s adaptation of Lysistrata, Aristophanes’ bawdy, antiwar comedy. The cast features Teresa Ripple in the title role with Bill Keeton as the Magistrate. Also, look for former Monkeytimer Scott Levy as Kineseas. Through April 2. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. $10. Walton Creek Theatre, Muchmore Road, Mariemont. 684-1236.
MIAMI VALLEY DINNER THEATRE Gypsy, the musical based on the life of Gypsy Rose Lee, runs through April 29. $26.95434.95. Route 73, Springboro. 513-746-4554.
PEGASUS PLAYERS Opens its 1995 season with a production of Nuts, by Tom Topor. CCM’s Michael Burnham directs this courtroom drama that deals with child abuse, prostitution, the legal and mental health establishments and individual responsibility. Friday’s show will benefit the Ohio chapter of the Battens Disease Support and Research Association. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and March 24-25. $8. Gabriel’s Corner, Liberty and Sycamore streets, Over-the-Rhine. 521-1884.
★ VICTORIA THEATRE ASSOCIATION John Amos stars in Halley's Comet: A Journey Through 76 Years of the American Experience. Amos, best-known for his portrayal of the adult Kunte Kinte in Roots, has written and directed this show, the story of an 87-year-old man who shares the memories of a lifetime with Halley’s Comet which he saw 76 years earlier as 11-year-old boy. 8 p.m. Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday. $14.75 in advance. Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton, Ohio. 513-228-3630.
VILLAGE PUPPET THEATRE Charles Killian, founder of the theater, presents The Dream of Prince Shiraz, an original work written and directed by Salil Singh with music by Ewar. The play is based on tales from Indian folklore and mythology and uses both marionettes and shadow puppets. Through May 28. 4:30 and 7 p.m. Friday; 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Saturday; and 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $5.25. Special showings and prices available for groups of 15 or more. 606 Main St., Covington. 291-5566 or through Select-A-Seat at 721-1000.
WYOMING PLAYERS Present Agatha Christie's thriller, The Unexpected Guest. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Through March 18. $5. Wyoming Middle School Auditorium, 17 Wyoming Ave. 761-0041. MORE, PAGE 26
Debunking the Fallacy That Old Drama Doesn’t Work Today
Mariemont Players’ director brings updated British version of Lysistrata to the Cincinnati stage
BY DALE DOERMAN
In 411 B.C. Aristophanes wrote a satiric, if not idealistic, plea for peace between Athens and Sparta. In Lysistrata, he advocated an end to the Peloponnesian Wars and the formation of a Panhellenic confederacy. A disastrous defeat in Sicily two years earlier had severely weakened the city-state of Athens, now on the verge of revolution. The audience at the original production included hundreds of veterans of this war.
Aristophanes suggests a simple solution to bring war to a grinding and immediate halt: The women of Athens decide to abstain from sexual activity with their mates so long as there is a state of war existing between Athens and Sparta. In many productions, the exaggerated physical results for the men take on incredible and comic proportions. This is a play that challenges societal values of both love and war, and for this reason it has always made some folks uncomfortable.
People usually flock out to see it because it has an element of danger anything can happen. During the opening night of a 1979 production of Lysistrata in Cambridge, Mass., a huge phallus that was suspended over the stage, snapped a wire and, in what appeared to be a symbolic gesture, fell on the stage and rudely nudged the leading lady to the floor. That was the most recent and notable U.S. production of Lysistrata.
fellow Brit and ally of mine. We’ve done a few shows together. He has composed some original music for it and we’ll also be using some traditional music.
CityBeat: Do you think today’s audience will be interested?
Edwards: The thing that’s incredible is nothing ever changes. This is 411 B.C. and it’s still going on in Ireland and it’s still going on in Yugoslavia; it’s going on all over the world. Aristophanes used this kind of comedy to criticize or to satirize. So what I like about it is that Ranjit Bolt has made it very contemporary in the language in the way he translated it. It’s like, if they were writing in loose iambic pentameter today, these would be the lines they would be using. He’s broken down some of the classical barriers as to how the thing is constructed.
CityBeat: Will you be using the chorus differently?
The cast of Lysistrata ^standing, left to right): Nona Waldeck, Frieda Hauck, Christine Dye, Teresa Ripple, Sue Braving.
Kneeling in front: Robin Gordon.
So why are the Mariemont Players resurrecting a comedy from 411 B.C.? CityBeat asked David Edwards, director of the local production of Lysistrata, and his reply was instant:
Edwards: 1 saw the production of Peter Hall’s Lysistrata last summer in London’s West End, and I was just absolutely knocked out by it because I thought this has just freed up the whole thing of Lysistrata, made it more current you know. It’s not a stodgy production at all. We’re doing it slightly differently. The set has graffiti on it and things like that, and we made it much more current in terms of its appeal. There’s a man now called Ranjit Bolt, and at the moment he has at least two productions on in London. What he’s doing really is retranslating the classics and freeing them up from those rather stilted translations of the past. This will be the first production of this particular translation in the United States of America. I went to see the peopie who were the agents of the piece, and they said, ‘If it isn’t for professional production, that’s fine.’ They Xeroxed it and gave me a copy, and I brought it on over and I thought, ‘Well, we’ll do this because it’s an exciting thing to do.’ The only thing I didn’t have was the music. Now in their production a lot of their people came from my alma mater, the Bristol 01’ Vic. They played instruments on the stage.
CityBeat: What will you be doing?
Edwards: We’re going to be doing that, too, but the music over here is composed by John Nixon, who is a
Edwards: Instead of having the formal standing chorus spouting things at the audience, he broke it up. And I’m breaking it up even more. The thoughts that are spoken really become individual statements rather than chorus statements. Aristophanes always poked fun at the classicists, even in his own time. He tried to break the rules there, so we can make this fun. We can satirize it.
CityBeat: What about costurning?
Edwards: The women will be ultra, ultra female. This goes in keeping with the ideas of that day. TheGreek men always were terrified of the idea of the Amazon. It’s one of their myths there would be some female super-beast that would take them over.
CityBeat: What about the men’s costuming?
Edwards: As far as the men’s costuming is concerned, there will be loose baggy pants and then symbols of whoever they are. Today’s symbols—an army jacket or a frock coat, or whatever. You’re probably asking about the phallus itself.
CityBeat: Yes.
Edwards: As to whether we are doing anything about that at the moment, I’m sticking out to make it absurd so that in the second act, when they are supposed to have erections, it will be symbolic of that. But it won’t be anything that looks like like um...
CityBeat: An actual member?
Edwards: Yes. And the set is fabulous. Do you remember the old Laugh In set, the wall? It has panels in the set, and we can use it as places they can pop their heads through and say something and then pop back again. The walls are covered in graffiti, just as they did in the West End production. Things like: ‘Make war, not love’ and ‘Sparta doesn’t martyr.’
The time and place is 411 B.C., or anytime when there’s a war on.
UtterKiosk
Classical Music
★ BLUE ASH SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA WITH BALLET
TECH Paul Stanbery conducts the orchestra with pianist Toni Kato, a seventh-grader, as guest soloist for the Mozart Piano Concerto, K.441. Lance Hendrix, a guest dancer from the'Cincinnati Ballet, will be performing with students from Ballet Tech. They will dance to Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The program includes works by Holst, Copeland, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Pachabel.
4 p.m. Sunday. Free. Sycamore Junior High School, Cooper Road, Blue Ash. 891-5216.
CINCINNATI BOYCHOIR
Randall N. Wolfe directs the second performance of the 1994-95 season, Winter Interlude. 8 p.m. Friday. $7 adults; $4 seniors and children under 18. Deer Park High School, 8351 Plainfield Road, Deer Park. 779-9485.
★ CINCINNATI SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA The sister piano duo Katia and Marielle Lab&que returns to Music Hall to perform Mozart’s concerto in E-Flat Major for Two Pianos and Orchestra with Maestro Jesus Ldpez-Cobos. CSO’s timpanist Eugene Espino performs Susskind’s Passacaglia in Memory of Dimitri Shostakovich. The Haydn Symphony No. 100 in G Major and Ravel’s Boldro round out the program. 8 p.m.
Chenoweth,
ORCHESTRA
Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat Major K. 417, Serenade No. 12 in C minor, K. 384a and the Jupiter Symphony. The coffee concert, with complimentary doughnuts and Irish creme coffee, begins at 10 a.m. Friday, and the Casual Classics concert begins at 6:30 p.m. Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton, Ohio. $10414. 513-224-9000.
JEWISH CULTURE SERIES OF CONCERTS “From Casablanca to Jerusalem" features baritone Avi Albrecht and tenor Mordechai Edry in a far-ranging program of solos and duets spanning the spectrum of Jewish song from East to West. 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $9 adults: $5 children under 13. Jewish Community Center, 580 Summit Road, Roselawn. 761-0203.
Sicillian Pan Pizza
NKU CHAMBER CHOIR As part of their spring tour, the choral ensemble will perform a number of free concerts. The series continues 7:30 p.m. March 23. Crestview Presbyterian Church, 9463 Cincinnati-Columbus Road, West Chester. 7 p.m. March 24. First United Methodist Church,133 E.Walnut Road, Hillsboro. 8 p.m. March 26. Greaves Concert Hall, NKU, Highland Heights. 572-5433.
NKU FACULTY RECITAL
Harpsichordist Nina Key and baroque flautist Barbara Mitchell Lambert present a recital in honor of Johann Sebastian Bach's 210th birthday.
8 p.m. Tuesday. Happy Birthday, Herr Bach features works by Bach, Frescobaldi, Gabrieli, Duphly, Krebs and Scarlatti. Free. Greaves Hall, Highland Heights. 572-5433.
OTTERBEIN COLLEGE CONCERT
BAND The 75-member band, conducted by Gary Tirey and Jeffrey Kunkel, performs at School for the Creative and Performing Arts. 10 a.m. Friday. 1310 Sycamore St., Over-theRhine. 632-5910.
JOYCE TEMPLETON The viola player will entertain readers and music lovers for Women’s History Month. 2-4 p.m. Saturday. Half Price Books, 8118 Montgomery Road, Kenwood. 891-7170.
★ VOXHUMANA The a capella ensemble presents its second concert with a repetoire ranging from Bach to Ravel to Crosby, Stills and Nash.
8 p.m. Friday. $10 adults; $8 students and seniors. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 231-8501.
Dance
COLLEGE-CONSERVATORY OF
MUSIC The Ballet Ensemble celebrates spring with choreography by dance faculty Oleg Sabline, Shellie Cash-Muller and Carol N. Iwasaki.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $10 adults, $5 seniors and free to UC students. Patricia Corbett Theater, University of Cincinnati, Clifton. 556-4183.
★ CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATER Choreographers (Without Companies) highlights five works by Cincinnati’s most engaging choreographers: Deborah Breleux’s “As Fate Sometimes Has It,” Bill Donnelly’s “Water Catches Moon,” Gloria Esenwein’s “Home” and “A Tap Stew," Judith Mikita’s “Mildred’s Closet” and an untitled piece by Marc Morozumi. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. $12 adults; $8 students and seniors. Dance Hall, Vine Street and East Daniels, Corryville. 751-2800. Select-A-Seat: 721-1000.
WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY
DANCE ENSEMBLE Classical, modern and jazz dance are featured in Dance Fest '95. The seven pieces include two works choreographed by the late Stuart Sebastian, the former artistic director of Dayton Ballet. 8 p.m. Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Festival Playhouse, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton. $6 adults; $4 students and seniors. 873-2500.
Comedy
GO BANANAS Dennis Piper and Cash Levy through Sunday. Mark Brittan and J. R. Remick open Wednesday. 8:30 and 10:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. $5 weekdays, $7 weekends. 8410 Market Place, Montgomery. 984-9288.
The Xavier University Choir from New Orleans will perform as part of the 14th Annual American Negro Spiritual Festival on Sunday.
continues March 23 and 30. 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford. Call 831-1711 for prices.
CITIZENSHIP CLASSESTravelers Aid International continues its citizenship classes. The non-profit group also offers English for the foreign born, immigration counseling, application assistance, finger printing and photos. 707 Race St., Suite 300, Downtown. 721-7660.
CIVIC GARDEN CENTER OF GREATER CINCINNATI Area consulting rosarians will share their techniques for growing roses. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. $8, $10 non-members. 2715 Reading Road, Clifton. Call 221-0981 for information other classes.
CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATER Offers classes in tap, jazz, ballet, modern dance, African dance, creative movement for children and yoga. The Dance Hall, Vine Street and East Daniels, Corryville.-751-2800.
FITTON CENTER FOR CREATIVE ARTS Classes for adults and children range from calligraphy to painting to photography. 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton. 863-8873.
Classes & Exhibits
FLYING CLOUD ACADEMY OF
Groups & Programs
VINTAGE DANCE Offers classes in 19th and 20th century social dance. 8 p.m. Wednesdays. $3 members; $5 non-members. University YMCA, 270 Calhoun, Clifton. 351-7462 or 733-3077.
Clifton. 221-8952 or 556-7474.
AFRIKAN AMERICAN DRUM AND DANCE ENSEMBLE Offers
classes 12:30-2 p.m. every Saturday. $5 adults; $2.50 children 12-16; $1 children under 12. West End YMCA, 821 Ezzard Charles Drive, West End. 281-7909 or 241-9622.
GLASS CRAFTERS STUDIOS Offers classes in the art of stained glass. 11119 Reading Road, Sharonville. 554-0900.
GOSPEL STUDY Father Jim Willing presents and discusses the Gospel for the coming Sunday 12:05-12:55 p.m. Wednesday in the Undercroft. Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains, 325 W. Eighth St., Downtown. 421-5354.
ART ACADEMY Offers Saturday art classes for children 4-5. Junior High Drawing and Painting runs through April 22. 1125 St. Gregory St., Mount Adams. 562-8748.
THE SUN’S EYE Offers classes on silversmithing and stained glass. 923 Vine St., Downtown. Call 241-2966 for prices.
ARTS CONSORTIUM OF CINCINNATI Offers a variety of photography, art, dance, martial arts, music and theater classes. 1515 Linn St., West End. 381-0645.
SURVIVING AND THRIVING WITH AIDS Kirk Prine, psychotherapist, educator, bodyworker and volunteer, is teaching a course for anyone involved in providing care for people with HIV. University of Cincinnati, Clifton. 221-2636.
C.I.C. PERCUSSIONS Offers adult drum classes in Djembe and Conga, 3:30-6 p.m. Saturdays; children’s class in Nigerian Drum and Dance, 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Classes run through March 25. The Miller Gardette Loft, 2401 Concord, Walnut Hills. 221-2222.
TIGER LILY PRESS Andy Agee, a graduate of the Art Academy of Cincinnati, will teach etchings class 7-10 p.m. Tuesdays. Theresa Kuhr, a UC graduate with an MFA in printmaking,-will teach a collagraphic printing class 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays, starting March 18. Art Academy of Cincinnati, 1125 St. Gregory St., Mount Adams. Call 562-8748 for information and prices.
CINCINNATI ARGENTINE TANGO SOCIETY Offers dance classes in Authentic Argentine Tango. 8 p.m. every Thursday. $3, $5 non-members. University YMCA, 270 Calhoun, Clifton. 631-6215.
TREASURE ISLAND JEWELRY Offers classes stained glass; basic, beaded and wire-wrapped jewelry; polymer clay; and lamp work beads. 34 W. Court St., Downtown. 241-7893.
THE CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING OPTIONS
An agency that works with people with disabilities to achieve goals of independence. 23 E. Seventh St., Suite 601, Downtown. 241-2600.
CLIFTON COUNSELING CENTER Serves the gay, lesbian and bisexual communities with support and therapy groups. Flesh and Spirit Gatherings is designed for gay/bisexual men integrating sexuality and spirituality and meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of every month. $20. 411 Oak St., Clifton. 221-2299.
COUNCIL ON SELF-ESTEEM Meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month. Sharonville Community Center, corner of Creek Road and Thornview Lane. 941-8802.
DOMINICAN COMMUNITY SERVICE A community-based agency serving the elderly and disabled poor as well as the youth and children of the West End and Over-the-Rhine. 727 Ezzard Charles Drive,
DROP-INN CENTER SHELTER-
CINCINNATI
INTER-ETHNIC COUNCIL
CINCINNATI BALLET Offers classes for adults and children. Adult Ballet Class Session II takes place 7:15-8:45 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. $10 per class. 100 E. Central Parkway, Over-the-Rhine. 621-5219.
CINCINNATI MARLIN MASTERS
VITAL VISIONS PROGRAMTargets at-risk students. A multifaceted program includes a visit with an artist of international and/or national reputation, plus a tour of the materials and techniques employed by the artist. Each student receives a complementary exhibition-related workbook. Free to eligible schools. Contemporary Arts Center, 115 E. Fifth St., Downtown. 721-0390.
Coached swim workouts for all abilities. Monday-Thursday evenings and Sundays at noon. Keating Natatorium, St. Xavier High School, 600 North Bend Road, Finneytown. Call Chris Gilligan at 232-0382.
CINCINNATI NATURE CENTER Jonathan Hart takes students step by step through the art of origami.
PARENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRED
URBAN
Nominations
being accepted through March 17. The Kinship Award, which honors a leader in the community and The Stuart Faber Award, which honors someone closely affiliated with UAC. For more information and application forms, call 251-0202.
1995 APPALACHIAN FESTIVAL
TThe May 12-14 festival at Coney Island, which celebrates the area’s rich mountain heritage with downhome entertainment, crafts, food and cultural attractions, needs volunteers. Applicants must be at least 18. Call Jerry Sebastian at 606-441-8684.
55TH ANNUAL MR. CINCINNATI BODY BUILDING CONTEST
The deadline for entries is March 20.
The actual contest takes place 7 p.m. March 25. $10. Taft High School, 420 Ezzard Charles Drive, West End. 241-5348.
Harbinger of Spring
he signs of spring can sometimes be hard to detect. Asparagus has always been a leading indicator. When the first spears peeked up from the ground, there was finally something fresh and green to eat after the winter. More recently, it was spring when the first asparagus started showing up in the grocery store. Now that asparagus from Mexico can be bought all winter long, the best marker of spring is when asparagus starts coming from California and the price begins to drop below $1 a pound. It seems a small distinction, but it will have to do.
Readings, Signings & Events
NATALIE HALE The author of The Little Star’s Journey: A Fairytale for Survivors of All Kinds will read from her book and sign copies. 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Madison and Edwards roads, Norwood. 396-8960. MORE, PAGE 28
7477:30-2:00
6:00-9:00\ 6:00-70:0
on 7tA ft'
Asparagus not only signals the change in seasons itfalls into the ‘gracious living category
We can expect California asparagus, and spring, to come to Cincinnati in two to three weeks. When it does, I believe in eating asparagus as much as possible until I get tired of it, or the price goes back up. Three times a day is not too much—on toast with cheese sauce for breakfast, cold with vinaigrette for lunch and plain for dinner. It’s like a spring tonic, with its bright green color (if you don’t overcook it) and grassy, sunshiny flavor. The Cincinnati Cookbook, published in 1908, says that asparagus “purifies the blood.” I don’t know what that means, exactly, but it sounds like a good thing to do in the spring.
A more contemporary expert on the good qualities of vegetables, Jane Brody, lists vitamins A and C, niacin, potassium and some iron as the benefits of asparagus, and says the vegetable has “a natural diuretic effect.” (A result of purifying the blood, perhaps?) This effect has been noticed for a long time. Jonathan Swift commented on it poetically:
Ripe ‘Sparagrass
Fitfor Lad or Lass
To make their Water pass
0, ’tis a pretty Picking with a tender Chicken
Not only does asparagus make your “water pass,” it makes your water smell bad, or so I’ve heard. To quote a French doctor from 1702: “They cause a filthy and disagreeable Smell in the Urine, as every Body knows.”
I’ve always thought this was only noticed by fussy, overly toilet-trained individuals. It turns out there is a reason, and it has nothing to do with toilet training. According to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking, asparagus does cause the release of methyl mercaptan, an odorous chemical. It used to be thought that only some people had the dominant methyl mercaptan excreting gene. So there were “stinkers” and “nonstinkers” (like me). In fact, it is the ability to smell the methyl mercaptan that is genetic. (I’m dying to be served asparagus at a dinner party so I can trot out this interesting fact.)
I consider asparagus one of the more elegant vegeta-
bles, though perhaps I wouldn’t if I were a stinker. (The other “A” vegetables, artichokes and avocados, are likewise elegant.) I am influenced in this by a memory from a trip to Paris when I was 12. My mother’s wallet, with most of her money, had been stolen when we first stepped out of our hotel. A restaurant we went into turned out to be more expensive than we thought it would be, or could afford, so we decided to have just an omelet and a pot of tea. Since I “knew French,” having taken three junior-high semesters, I did the ordering. I was sure the waiter, the first snooty Frenchman I had encountered, was regarding us with utter disdain as he poured the tea from a silver teapot and set the omelet down on the starched tablecloth. But it was a perfect meal and a perfect omelet, thin and buttery, rolled around slender asparagus. Ever since, asparagus has been in the “gracious living” category for me.
One of asparagus’ gracious attributes is that you can eat it elegantly with your fingers, especially since it tastes so good plain. You can dip it into butter if you want. If you have a big party during asparagus season, serve a platter of cold asparagus with dips. The Silver Palate cookbook has a wonderful sesame mayonnaise specifically for this purpose. (It’s made with raw eggs, which is generally forbidden now, but you can mix the flavorings, which include sesame oil, soy sauce, orange rind and mustard, into store-bought mayonnaise.) Eggs go well with asparagus, as in omelets and quiche and hollandaise sauce. I made asparagus with hollandaise sauce for dinner last night, just to see if it’s as good as I remember. It is. Maltaise sauce, which is hollandaise flavored with orange juice and rind, is even better.
But that’s gilding the lily literally, because asparagus, along with leeks and onions, is a member of the lily family.
The most important thing is to pick fresh stalks with unopened buds, to cook it as soon as possible, and not to overcook it. Many cookbooks, especially older ones, recommend cooking it in bundles, standing upright in a tall pot. Who has room for a pot that tall? I’ve always cooked it just like my Californian mother, who lays it flat in a big skillet with just a little water and lets it steam until it turns bright green maybe 5-7 minutes.
You know spring is here when the asparagus arrives!
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY
Literary
THE ISIDOR SCHIFRIN ESSAY CONTEST Essays must answer the question: “Jewish Education: Who Is It For?” the deadline for entries is May 1. First prize is $100, second prize is $50. Word count for junior and senior high school is 750-1,500: word count for college students and adults is 1,500-2,000. Send entries to the Bureau of Jewish Education, 1580 Summit Road, Cincinnati, OH 45237.
KALDI’S OPEN MIKE POETRY READING 8 p.m. Wednesday. Kaldi’s Coffee House & Bookstore, 1202-04 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. 241-3070.
LET’S TALK ABOUT HUMOR IN AMERICAN LITERATURE The Campbell County Public Library continues its reading series with Nancy Kersell discussing The Thurber Carnival. 6 p.m. Monday. A free sandwich supper sponsored by the Friends of the Library will be provided at 5:30 p.m. 3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring. Call 781-6166 for reservations.
DENNY MCKEOWN The author of the definitive book on Midwest gardening signs copies of his book. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Barnes & Noble, Sycamore Plaza, 7800 Montgomery Road, Kenwood. 794-9440.
SANDRA MURPHY After win ning a 1992 UC General Essay Competition, Murphy was inspired to write Reckoning the Earth: Some Lessons From the Land. She will sign the book 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday. Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Madison and Edwards roads, Norwood. 396-8960.
Arnold’s Bar & Grill, 210 E. Eighth St., Downtown. 441-5573.
Rookwood Pavilion, Madison and Edwards roads, Norwood. 396-8960.
CRAZY LADIES BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP Meets the fourth Monday of every month at 7 p.m. in the May Sarton Room. Crazy Ladies Center, 4039 Hamilton Ave., Northside. 541-4198.
ED ROTHENBERG The local author and realtor will be on hand to answer questions for new home buyers. 2 p.m. Saturday. Barnes & Noble, Sycamore Plaza, 7800 Montgomery Road, Kenwood. 794-9440.
GATHERING HOUSE Offers classes and workshops designed to help both men and women discover their innate creativity. 100 S. College Drive, Oxford. 513-523-4284.
QUEEN
* GORDON STEIN The author of The Encyclopedia of Hoaxes will talk about a number of religious hoaxes that have fooled many people over the years, such as the Shroud of Turin and the Donation of Constantine. 7:15 p.m. Tuesday. Geier Center, corner of Gilbert and Elsinore, Eden Park. 581-0601.
SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS Organization of working journalists and writers
monthly programs, monthly
and subscription to
Quill magazine. Local and/or
TERRI WILSON POETRY READ-
ING 8 p.m. Monday. Kaldi's Coffee House & Bookstore, 1202-04 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. 241-3070.
dues. Marc Emral, 683-5115. WRITERS WORKSHOP Open to all emerging writers, the workshop meets once a month to discuss and share works in an open forum atmosphere. $3. Arts Consortium of Cincinnati, 1515 Linn St., West End. 381-0645.
Groups
WRITING LIVES WRITING WORKSHOP Workshop for writers. 871-8702.
BLACK HISTORY BOOK CLUB
Meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Walnut Hills Branch Library, 2533 Kemper Lane, Walnut Hills. 369-6053.
Young Readers’ Events
BOOKED ON THURSDAY The general interest reading group will discuss Barbara Kingsolver’s Pigs in Heaven. Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month. Little Professor Book Center, 814 Main St., Milford. 248-BOOK.
B&N FLORENCE CHILDREN’S STORY TIME There will be a story time 10 a.m. Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. Friday. Barnes & Noble, 7663 Mall Road, Florence. 647-6400.
CHILDREN’S BOOKERY LAP STORYTIME Two- to 5-year-olds
for
join Cathy Fasano and
kites. A
Downtown Dining Gets Progressive on Wednesdays
BY ELIZABETH CAREY
The Downtown Council is at it again, giving Cincinnatians and suburbanites more than ample reason to the sample downtown’s edible and entertainment wares.
Every Wednesday, from March 22 to April 12, the council will present the Rock n’ Roll Feast, a progressive dinner that hits several trendy spots. Each dinner will feature one course at each of three different restaurants for $20 per person. New this year are a wine tasting, a beer tasting and a production at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, each at an additional charge.
Like any progressive dinner, each stop provides one course for the evening appetizer, dinner or dessert. And, yes, you can start with dessert.
To give you a clue as to what you’ll be getting, Pastry Chef Pam Burke of Pigalls Cafe provided the recipe for the Double Chocolate Mousse, which is on the on the March 22 tour:
For Dark Half: Combine egg whites and a pinch of salt in a small bowl, whipping until frothy. Add half the sugar. Whip until soft peaks form. Add the rest of the sugar in two parts, beating in between additions.
In another bowl, combine egg yolks and semi-sweet chocolate. Immediately, add half the egg-white mixture and whip together. Fold in one-third of the remaining egg whites until blended. Repeat until all of the whites are added.
Add cream to the bowl that contained the egg whites, whip until semi-stiff. Fold half the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. When blended, fold in remaining egg whites.
For Light Half: Use the same method as above, substituting corresponding amounts.
Alternate dark and white chocolate mixtures in a glass, starting with dark chocolate, and ending with dark chocolate. Makes 6-8 servings.
Double Chocolate Mousse
COFFEEHOUSE
★ ANNE PERRY The author of Traitor's Gate will be on hand to sign copies of her books. Perry recently made the news when it was revealed that she had been convicted of murder almost 40 years ago. Her story was recently fictionalized in the movie Heavenly Creatures. 6-8 p.m. Tuesday. Joseph-Beth Booksellers,
OFFER EXPIRES 3/31/95
accompany
10:30-11 a.m. Tuesday. $1.
a member of the
BOOKSHELF BOOK CLUB Meets at 9 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Coffee Please, 6930 Miami Ave., Madeira. 271-9140.
CINCINNATI PLAYWRIGHTS Critique group for playwrights meets at 7 p.m. every Monday at the Carnegie Arts Center, Robbins and Scott streets, Covington. 556-3914.
BRING THIS AD AND YOU AND A FRIEND CAN ENJOY 2 FOR 1CAPPUCINOS
Numeroff Club and enjoy her stories. 10-11 a.m. Saturday. $2. Registration required. Children’s Bookery, 1169 Smiley Ave., Forest Park. 742-8822.
BRUCE COVILLE The author of My Teacher is an Alien will talk about his upcoming work. 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday. Registration required. Oakley Blue Marble, 3054 Madison Road, Oakley. 731-2665.
CINCINNATI WRITERS PROJECT Support group for writers of every genre offers monthly meetings. 689-5283.
SERVING DELICIOUS SOUPS. SANDWICHES. AND DESSERTS 4037 Hamilton Avenue. Northside Next to Crazy Ladies Bookstore 681-1500
CINCINNATI WRITERS PROJECT FICTION CRITIQUE GROUP Meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
FOUNTAIN SQUARE FOOLS The local theater company presents stories ranging from the Japanese folktale, The Stonecutter to Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches. 11:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. Saturday. Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rbokwood Pavilion, Madison and Edwards roads, Norwood. 396-8960.
KATE GOEWY The education
“When it comes to the Victorian mystery, Anne Perry has proved that nobody does it better...,” exclaimed The San Diego Union-Tribune. Now, in her twentieth book, TRAITORS GATE Perry’s magic touch brings back the best and worst of Victorian England and the glorious years when the most powerful nation on earth seemed destined to rule forever. In this, the 15th Thomas Pitt tale, Perry again re-creates the sights, smells and dissonant clamor of the late Victorian London in which Pitt is charged with investigating a matter of treason.
Other items on the progressive-dinner menus include Caribbean White Chili at the Diner on Sycamore, Grilled Scallops with Sesame Ginger Glaze and Asian Noodles at Pigalls, Chocolate Decadence at the Cafe at Palm Court in the Omni Netherland Plaza.
Participating restaurants include Main Street Brewery, Arnold’s Bar and Grill, Stow’s on Main, Washington Platform, Mallorca, Viva Barcelonas, China Palace, Courtyard Cafe, Petersons, Longhorn Steakhouse, Kaldi’s Coffee House & Bookstore, Fifth Street Market and Cantina del Rio.
Tuesday, March 21 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM Newly opened interactive museum. Anneliese Von Oettingen demonstrates ballet techniques. 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday. Try to figure out “whodunit" with young sleuths Mary-Kate and Ashley in the video The Case of The Logical Ranch. 1:30 and 3 p.m. Sunday. Noon-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. $6 general admission; children under 5 pay their age in dollars. Longworth Hall, 700 W. Pete Rose Way, Downtown. 421-5437.
CINCINNATI FIRE MUSEUM Featuring permanent exhibit, The Early Volunteer Fire Fighters of Cincinnati, which covers the period from 1853 to the present. 10 a.m.4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. weekends. $2.50 adults; $1.50 children 2-12. Annual family membership is $25. 315 W. Court St., Downtown. 621-5553.
CINCINNATI HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM The has been collecting and preserving materials related to the Cincinnati area since its foundation in 1831. Howard Brothers Miniature Circus, a 4,000 square-foot scale model replieating virtually every aspect of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus of the early 20th century, opens Saturday and runs through Sept. 10. During this living history weekend titled Home Sweet Home: Conventional & Unconventional Women’s Roles, you can meet Frances Trollope and Fannie Wright or listen to sisters Harriet and Catherine Beecher as they discuss their notions of proper behavior for women in the late 1850s. Noon-4 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Permanent exhibits include Cincinnati: Settlement to 1860, a re-creation of the city's origins from a Western frontier outpost to a booming manufacturing center and Cincinnati Goes to War, a portrait of the home front during W.W.II. Museum hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. $4.95 adults; $2.95 children;
Valin’s Extenuating Circumstances
Cincinnatian's mystery-writing career began through nixed ghostwriting project
Jonathan Valin didn’t set out to be a mystery writer.
After earning a master’s degree in 17th Century English Literature from the University of Chicago and working for two years on his doctorate, the Walnut Hills High graduate dropped out of college for a while and went to teach in a Veteran’s Upward Bound (VUB) program, created to help veterans get their General Equivalency Degree.
Says the Cincinnati writer: “After that I was ready to go back, but at the last minute a friend of mine, a professor at Washington University, called me up and asked me if I’d like to come there.
“I went to complete my Ph.D. with the understanding that I’d be able to teach creative writing and take as many courses as I’d like.”
It was an opportunity Valin couldn’t pass up, Washington University, located in St. Louis, was known for its writing program.
“Stanley Elkin and William Gass were teaching there, and the program constantly had visiting writers who would stay for up to six months.
“One summer, when I was in St. Louis, a lady called up wanting a ghostwriter. She was married to a famous football player and wanted to tell the story of what it was like.”
Knowing that this was a goldmine of an idea, Valin took the job, interviewed her for about a week, then wrote up a chapter and an outline.
Dominick Abel, a literary agent, liked it, forwarded it to the Dutton publishing house, but at the last minute the whole thing fell through.
Valin was crushed. For a brief moment, he had tasted success and now it had been snatched away.
Impressed with his writing, Abel asked Valin if he had anything else to.show him.
As it happened, Valin did. During the long, hot, miserable summers he had spent in St. Louis, he had been killing time by writing detective stories.
“I wouldn’t have shown them to anyone, but I was so disappointed that I sent him the first 75 pages of The Lime Pit, he says.
The agent liked the Cincinnati-based detective story and asked how long it would take to complete. Valin told him that it would only take a couple of weeks. And, true to his word, he finished the book in the allotted time. In 1980, Dodd, Mead published the first Harry Stoner mystery.
“If that lady hadn’t called,” reflects Valin, “I would
probably be in an English department now.”
Luckily for us, Valin has been writing mysteries for quite some time now and has recently come out with his 11th Harry Stoner novel, Missing, which ranks right up there with Extenuating Circumstances, the 1989 novel for which he won the Shamus Award.
In Extenuating Circumstances, Harry Stoner investigates the brutal killing of a local politician, who, unbeknownst to his wife and family, was heavily into the gay S&M scene, a secret for which he pays dearly. At the end of the novel, Harry Stoner makes a moral decision that has plagued him ever since.
“I wanted to write a book in which Harry atoned for that,” says Valin.
Missing is the result.
Valin’s taut prose, fast pace and subtle exposition draw readers immediately into the story.
Asked to investigate the disappearance of schoolteacher Mason Greenleaf, Stoner is once again drawn into Cincinnati’s gay community. His client, Cindy Dorn, is anxious to find out the whereabouts of her boyfriend but doesn’t want the police to be involved.
Mason, she tells him, is bisexual and has been badly treated by police in the past.
Mason’s body eventually turns up in a run-down hotel in downtown Cincinnati, and his death is ruled a suicide.
But Stoner is not satisfied with the police report and continues his investigation.
The key to Mason’s death lies in his life. And, as he slowly unravels Mason’s past, Stoner uncovers the reasons for Mason’s death. In the course of the investigation, Stoner meets Mason’s former lover, who has AIDS.
“I don’t think that there’s a thinking person around who doesn’t think about AIDS,” Valin says. “It’s a terrible plague. We had a neighbor, a nodding acquaintance, who was gay. We saw him one afternoon and he was mowing the lawn. The very next day he was dead. It was shocking.”
Never one to pull his punches, Valin tackles the issue of homophobia head-on, making Missing a powerful and thought-provoking read.
“Cincinnati is such a paradoxical place. It has a lot of good impulses and a lot of prejudice. It’s almost ideal for detective stories, probably the closest place you could get to 17th century Salem.”
under 12. 5654 Burlington Pike, Burlington, Ky. 586-6117.
Attractions
GREATER LOVELAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY A Civil War Display, featuring John Hunt Morgan’s ride through Hamilton and Clermont counties opens Saturday. Through May 29. Other highlights include a turnof-the-century kitchen and the Nisbet Library. 201 Riverside Drive, Loveland. 683-5692.
Nails/Ministry,' 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lazerpalooza, 8:15 and 10:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Laser Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon, midnight Friday and Saturday. Laser Floyd: The Wall, 8:15 and 9:30 p.m. Sunday. All laser rock shows are $6. Located in the Geier Collections and Research Center of the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, 1720 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills. 395-3663.
HARDING MUSEUM OF THE FRANKLIN AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY Open 1-5 p.m. Sunday and by appointment. 302 Park Ave., Franklin. 513-746-8295.
CINCINNATI RAILROAD CLUB,
JOHN HAUCK HOUSE MUSEUM The Victorian house with painted ceilings, decorative arts and inlaid floors presents Cincinnati at the Turn of the Century, a postcard exhibit. The exhibit runs through the fall. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m.3 p.m. Friday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. $2 adults; $1 seniors; $.50 children. 812 Dayton St., West End. 721-3570.
INC. The recently renovated historic railroad control tower that guided the passenger trains into and out of the former railroad passenger train terminal is now open to the public. On view in Tower A, are the tracks diagram board, the train dispatcher desk and the newly created largest railroad library in the United States. Free. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Fifth floor, Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate. 651-RAIL.
KROHN CONSERVATORYCincinnati’s flower house. Free for Cincinnati residents, children 5 and under and school groups; $2 adults; $1 children, seniors and groups of 25 or more. 1501 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park. 421-5707.
LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE Built in 1873, the brick house served as a school for 63 years. Restored by the Indian Hill Historical Society, it is now a museum. By appointment only. Free. 8100 Given Road, Indian Hill. 891-1873.
CINCINNATI ZOO AND BOTANICAL GARDEN Explore Jungle Trails, the zoo’s newest exhibit, which re-creates the natural habitat of orangutans, bonobo chimps and other animals. Also, check out the Komodo dragon exhibit, which holds the world’s record for the most Komodo dragons (32 babies) to hatch. Marge Schott continues the Celebrity Winter Walks, 1 p.m. Sunday. The series continues March 25 with Gary Burbank a.k.a. Earl Pitts. Zoo hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. $7.50 adults, $4.50 children 2-12, $5.25 seniors; $4.50 parking. Annual membership: $54 for families, $46 for single-parent families, $35 for individuals and $22 for students. 3400 Vine St., Avondale. 281-4700.
MIMOSA MANSION Built in 1853-55 Tuscan Villa
412 E. Second St., Covington. 261-9000.
PROMONT Completed in 1867, this Italianate villa belonged to former Ohio Gov. John M. Pattison. All rooms are furnished with period antiques. 1:30-4:30 p.m. Friday and Sunday. $2 adults; $1 children; group tours be arranged. 906 Main St., Milford. 831-4704.
SHARON WOODS VILLAGE Guided tours of eight restored and furnished 19th century homes. 1-5 p.m. weekends. $5 adults; $3 seniors; $2 children 6-12; free to children 6 and under. Sharon Woods Park, Route 42, Sharonville. 563-9484.
STAR OF CINCINNATI Featuring lunch, dinner, weekend and brunch cruises that depart from Star Landing at 15 Mehring Way, Downtown. 723-0100.
DAYTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Vision Quest: Men, Women and Sacred Sites of the Sioux Nation is the collaborative project of photographer Don Doll, who has photographed the Sioux for 30 years. Through March 26. All My Relatives: Indian Life on the Plains provides a fine collection of Plains Indians artifacts, including three war shirts, an eagle-feather war bonnet, a buffalo wearing robe, beaded dresses and moccasins, cradle boards and decorated leather bags. Through May 31. A 8-month-old red fox that was too tame to be reintroduced into the wild can be seen at Wild Ohio, a zoo containing animals native to Ohio. The museum also offers laser shows Fridays and Saturdays. Call the hot line at 513-275-6656 for times.
WARREN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM Features artifacts from 1790 to the present, including Shaker and Victorian furniture and extensive collection of paleontological and archaeological artifacts. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. TuesdaySaturday. 105 S. Broadway, Lebanon. $3 adults, $1 students. 932-1817.
WILDER-SWAIM HOUSE This 1832 farmhouse, originally owned by the Wilder family, is home to the Montgomery Historical Society. By appointment only. Free. Zig-Zag and Cooper roads, Montgomery. 793-0515.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE Designated by Congress in 1969, this
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, noon5 p.m. Sunday. $3 adults; $1.50 ages 3-17; free to children 2 and under. 2699 DeWeese Parkway, Dayton, Ohio. 513-275-7431.
DELHI HISTORICAL SOCIETY
A restored 1880 farmhouse. Everything Old is New Again features a then-and-now exhibit of tools for the house and farm. Through Sept. 30.
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 1-3 p.m. Sunday. 468 Anderson Ferry, Delhi Township. 451-4313.
DINSMORE HOMESTEAD The historic farmstead built in 1841-42 was home to the Dinsmore family who never threw anything away, leaving a fascinating collection of letters, diaries and receipts. 1-5 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. $3 adults; $2 seniors; $1.50 children
Suburban Torture
BY JULIE LARSON
EXPLORERS NATURE CLUB
Children 6-10 can learn about animal hibernation and winter prairies. 3:30-4:45 p.m. Thursdays. $15 prorated. Through March 23. Avon Woods, 4235 Paddock Road, Paddock Hills. 861-3435.
NATURALIST TRAINING IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS Cincinnati Park Naturalists will offer environmental activities, studies in natural history and interpretive walks. Recommended for ages 11-14. 4-5:15 p.m. Tuesdays. Through March 21. $15. Avon Woods, 4235 Paddock Road, Paddock Hills. 861-3435.
PERT PLUS 10K The Run and Fitness Walk begins at 11 a.m. Sunday. There will also be a free Kid’s Fun Run. $9. Lunken Airport Playfield, Airport Road, Linwood. 474-1399.
PRESCHOOL NATURE CAMP
Greek Revival-style house has been restored to its appearance during the years Taft lived here as a child and young adult, and serves as the only memorial to the nation’s 27th president and 10th chief justice. Free. 2038 Auburn Ave., Mount Auburn. 10 a.m.4 p.m. daily. Closed Monday. 684-3262.
Children 4-5 can explore a winter wonderland and test maple syrup. A different nature theme will be presented every week. Classes take place 12:30-2:15 p.m. Mondays. $30 prorated. Through March 20 at Avon Woods, 4235 Paddock Road, Paddock Hills. 861-3435.
MIAMI GROUP OF THE SIERRA CLUB Six- to 9-mile hike a day around Cumberland Falls and Bee Rock. Friday-Sunday. Call 661-7648. Join the Singles for this 5-mile hike and sack lunch at Caesar Creek State Park. Saturday. 792-0935. Take the whole family to Ohio’s Spring Valley Wildlife area Waynesville for a lakeside hike. Sunday. 922-0552. The "Family Day Hike” begins at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. 541-3534.
★ TOUR DE WEDNESDAY Tour de Wednesday is a joint Sierra Club/Cincinnatf Cyclery Club activity for intermediate bicyclists. 10 a.m. every Wednesday. All riders must wear ANSI-approved bicycle helmets. Call 752-9639.
* TWELFTH ANNUAL RUNNING SPOT WINTER DEVIL-TAKE-THEHINDMOST RACE The objective is not to be the last person at the end of each lap. After four laps, the individual who is
TURFWAY PARK Live racing. 7 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 1:30 p.m. weekends. Simulcasts from Fairgrounds, Gulfstream, Oaklawn, Garden State, Santa Anita and Jim Beam Stakes, April 1. Parking $2, valet parking $3; grandstand admission $3.50, clubhouse $2.50. 7500 Turfway Road, Florence. 371-0200.
Recreational
AMERICAN WALKERS ASSOCIATION The Cincinnati chapter has
Onstage
HAIR/NAILS/TAN/MASSAGE From hair to nails, tanning, massage, and body wraps. La Bod offers full service from head to toe. Ask about our specials- office and home outcalls welcome! La Bod Body Works, 4444 Dixie Highway, Erlanger, 342-6112. MANAGE STRESS NATURALLY Creative Visualization, Attitudinal Healing, Progressive Relaxation, and Meditation. Individual group consultation, over 20 years experience, licensed as a Professional Clinical Counselor. Sophia Paparodis, L.P.C.C., 677-6090. MASSAGE Affordable Massage
Receive an affordable massage for only $25 per hour. In the Roselawn Outcalls available for $30$50 per hour. Male, Ohio licensed therapist. Hours by appointment only. Call 284-3421.
MASSAGE THERAPIST Licensed massage therapist with 12 years experience and excellent professional referrals. Specializing in myofascial therapy. In the privacy of your own home. Call Kathie Stuhlbarg, L.M.T.. 871-2434.
MASSAGE THERAPY Licensed massage therapist specializing in stress management, relaxation, and injury. House calls and gift tificates available. Flexible hours. Strictly non-sexual. Oakley area. Sherry Meinhardt, L.M.T. 731-0490.
OLYMPUS GYM 6 month membership, includes training, vitamin supplements, exercise & nutrition manual, and more. Only $150. Olympus gym, 128 East 6th St.. 651-9114.
PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT
Beginning Wednesday, April 12, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., join Krista Hanson in unique ten week Psychic Development class at the Mt. Auburn Community Center. Topics will include application of psychic energy, meditation techniques, introduction to psychic tools, and personal symbolism and dream interpretation. Class size is limited. Call to register or for more information, 381-1760.
PSYCHIC FAIR
Victory of Light Psychic Fair, Sunday, March 19 at the Quality Hotel in Covington, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Experience the energy! Over 30 of the region’s most respected psychic readers, over 30 tables of crystals, jewelry, books, tapes, herbs, etc. Free
ClassifiedAcfs
workshops on psychic healing, Tai Chi, spirit guides, astrology. Admission $5, readings $10.
Sponsored by Victory Books, 609 Main Street, Covington. For more information, call 581-5839.
STRESS THERAPIST/ HYPNOTHERAPIST
Ron Scanlon, Certified Stress Therapist/ Hypnotherapist, uses Relaxation, Emotional Clearing, and Muscle Tension Release to balance the body, heart, and spirit. Understand and let go of everyday aches and pains. 1-513-298-4939.
THE BODY MALL
Understand yourself and those you love better. Professional astrologer Jeri Boone offers counseling through the art of astrology and numerology.
Or join Jeri and Beverly Boone, both licensed massage therapists, as they offer therapeutic massage, Swedish massage, cranial sacral, body reflexology, polarity therapy, and accupresThe Body Mall has fully trained professional staff, and offers study groups, development workshops, children’s classes, and many alternative methods of caring for yourself. 3519 Glenmore Avenue, 662-5121.
THE GIFT OF PEACE Let us bring Inner Peace to you. Outcalls available. Receive $5 off any service when you mention this ad! Inner Peace Massage, located at 3907 Harrison Avenue, in Cheviotonly minutes from downtown. Stop in, or call for appointment 661-0302.
THERAPEUTIC BODYWORK
Bodywork is individualized and includes Massage-Swedish, Deep tissue, and Amma; Acupressure-jinshindo; Energy Work- Reiki, Therapeutic Touch; and Integrative Bodywork. Kirk Prine, Ed.D., C.M.T., by appointment only. 431-3112.
Business Opportunities
CAN 1 MINUTE CHANGE YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE?
Call and find out why doctors, athletes, business professionals, and ordinary people are joining a company that is sweeping America. Not a 9 to 5 job, but once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 95% phone work. Call 24 hours, 929-2266.
GIFT SHOP - AVAILABLE Retail/established, popular jewelry and gift shop. Prestigious location, profitable, $55,000. Will train. 929-2366.
THE PERFECT BUSINESS No inventory, deliveries, collections, no customer risk, no employees, no quotas, no products to purchase, complicated math paperwork, no experience necessary. 631-8935
Business Services
CERTIFIED NURSES ASSISTANT
Experienced certified nurses assistant available for in home care, ings and afternoons. Have references and reliable transportation. Quotes available upon request. Call Tawana Moore at 271-6411.
VIDEO DESIGNER Do you have a project that needs that special touch? Specializing in docu-
STEREO
556-8075.
ACOUSTIC
BANDS/SMALL
Happy Hours on various nights and special events. For more information, call and leave message at 742-8663 ext 4.
DESPERATELY SEEKING... Singer and guitarist needed for modern rock band. We play out at least four nights a week. Serious inquiries only. 251-6933.
DRUMMER
Baekfteaf
Classifieds 6654700
ROMA PIZZA THE ONLY PLACE FOR NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA DOWNTOWN! 609 Walnut Street
TANNING & MASSAGE Unlimited tanning - $29.95/month. Body massage, new expanded staff, outcalls. Ask about a 10 min. in-your-office neck/shoulder massage! LA BOD IN COVINGTON, 112 PIKE ST., 581-TONE
WORRIED ABOUT CONTAMINATED TAP WATER?
TURN IT INTO GOOD, CLEAN WATER! Water & shower filters remove rust, lead, bacteria, & chlorine. Better Homes & Gardens Seal of Approval. Call Andy, 961-1682
MUSIC & SOUNDTRACKS
NEED A RADIO/TV JINGLE FOR YOUR BUSINESS, OR ORIGINAL MUSIC FOR A CORPORATE PRESENTATION- AT A REASONABLE PRICE? JEWEL RECORDING- 522-9336
VIDEO DESIGNER
Do you have a project that needs that special touch? Specializing in documentation ofevents, arts and commercial projects, & non-linear editing. Call Bob Leibold, voice/fax 481-1444
ONENET COMMUNICATIONS
THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION IS HERE! For more information on Internet connectivity, video conferencing, WAN/ LAN solutions, virtual marketing call 326-6000 32645001, login as “new” info@orie.net http://www.one.net
VOODOO DOLLS!
WHAMMIE YOUR ENEMIES! Primitive, one of a kind Voodoo Dolls. Each uniquely hand painted, adorned in brightly colored ornamental robes. Comes complete with folklore. Guarantees a whimsical gift or conversation piece. Send $8.95+ $1 shipping & handling to Merlin’s Big Toe Productions P.O. Box 30345, Cincinnati, OH 45230
JUST OPENED A SASSY NEW RESTAURANTWITH A MENU TO DIE FOR!
VICTORY OF LIGHT PSYCHIC FAIR Sunday, March 19 at the Quality Hotel in Covington. Featuring ciystais,jewelry, books, tapes, herbs... Meet the region’s most respected Psychic Readers.
SPONSORED BY VICTORY BOOKS 609 Main St, Covington, 581-5839
CINCINNATI RECREATION
ROWING & FITNESS CENTER
$40 PER QUARTER
Located at Montgomery Inn at The Boathouse. Call 241-BOAT.
ASTROLOGY CLASSES
Beginnerastrology classes offered by professional reader. Every Monday from March 27- May 1. Norita Ruehl, 441-0908
ASTROLOGY/ TAROT
For personal tarot readings and astrology chart readings. Throt classes begin March 9th. 371-7044
HEALTH CONSCIOUS
Busy manager needs part/full time sales reps to capitalize on health/environmental market trends. 381-8290
Welcome to Back Beat, the back page of Cincinnati CityBeat. This last page is your last chance to have the last word.
So talk back to us! Answer our sometimes silly, sometimes cerebral weekly question. Then beat it to the nearest mailbox, fax or modem. If we print your response in our letters section next week, you get a free Cincinnati CityBeat T-shirt. Not a bad deal for the cost of a stamp or fax, eh?
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Daytime voice telephone number:, MUSICIANS, PREVENT RINGING IN THE EARS & HEARING LOSS without losing the tonal balance of the music. The
