After 20 years of CoolCleveland, we’ve seen it all. And every year around this time, here’s what happens. Family and old friends come to town and everyone starts looking for something to do. Meanwhile, all our friends in the arts have been rehearsing their shows all year, anticipating this very moment.Maybe take them out to see Rubber City Theatre’s iconic musical, or The Modern Electric’s holiday show at the Beachland. Missile Toe reappears to crack you up at Jilly’s in Akron. If you’re feeling a different vibe, there’s a Burlesque Brunch at the Winchester, or Blue Lunch’s annual Xmas Latke Party. CMNH has a couple of cool new 3-D films, and the Rock Hall is open for extended hours. Or you could join a downtown walking tour, or a winter solstice hike. Or maybe just light a menorah on Public Square.
So instead of streaming a movie, impress your friends and family with a cool night out. We recommend Cracked Actor, celebrating the birth and death of David Bowie, along with his seminal Aladdin Sane album, examining how the artist explored and nurtured his own mental health, creating iconic personas rather than let it bring him down. Yes, he was a show-off, but we’re all the better off for it.
There’s always a rush in every field to anoint the next big young thing, the “30 under 30” or whatever.But some of the best talent is seasoned. That’s the case with northeast Ohio folksinger Alex Bevan whose career goes back more than 50 years but who has improved with age.
In the late 70s he was all over local radio with his entertaining “Skinny Little Boy (from Cleveland, Ohio).” He’s now a chubby oldster with nimble guitar-playing fingers, a strong, clear voice and an endless repertoire of tunes — sweet, funny, bawdy, reflective, narrative — that he’s always adding to. He’s offering an evening-long look at his career at the Beachland on Wed 12/21. Read more
Interactive Biography! What happens when the last Holocaust survivor is no longer with us? Who will tell their stories? Through Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), audiences can now speak with the A.I version of a local Cleveland Holocaust survivor who has spoken to thousands of people about his experiences.
Survivor Stanley Bernath worked with the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage and the USC Shoah Foundation to create an A.I. experience where visitors can ask questions and hear his answers, mimicking a real conversation. Every Wednesday and Sunday, including Sun 12/25. Read more.
Wooster’s Wayne Center for the Arts has just announced a new monthly concert series, taking place from February-June 2023. It mostly features artists with a NE Ohio connection and a national reputation such as violinist Jinjoo Cho (pictured), a former faculty member at CIM and Oberlin who now teaches in Montreal. Read more.
Given that 96.6% of arts funding goes to large arts organizations, the debate surrounds the minuscule pittance offered to individual artists. CAN Journal’s Executive Director and Editor/Publisher Michael Gill writes, “The way Cuyahoga Arts and Culture funds individual artists and the degree to which it should do so has been one of the most contentious issues in the organization’s 16 year history.” Read more.
Craig Matis of the multi-dimensional band Uzizi has teamed up with collaborator Treva Offutt over the pandemic to create a new musical production, John Brown: The Dulcimer Diaries, to be presented at Hale Farm and Village in July/August of 2023. They are looking for singers/actors and musicians, including fiddler/violinists and blues harpists, who might be interested. Read more.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History Transformation Project, expected to be completed by 2024, is transforming the entire Cleveland Museum of Natural History. “Through the transformation and expansion of the museum, we are pioneering new ways for visitors to experience our irreplaceable collections, the groundbreaking work of world-renowned scientists, and dynamic educational programs that inspire awe and encourage curiosity,” says CMNH president & CEO Sonia Winner.
For the first time ever, the Murch Auditorium will be offering 3-D movies, starting with Superpower Dogs and the ever-popular Dinosaurs Alive! The Shafran Planetarium reopens with upgraded software and new seating, plus a new program, Unfolding the Universe, about the Webb Telescope. And check out the new Wade Oval entrance (pictured)! Read more.
Celebrate, dance and enjoy the 50th anniversary of Aladdin Sane, with career-spanning deep cuts and hits and new original tunes from Vanity Crash. Plus video interviews and an exclusive photo exhibition by CoolCleveland’s own Anastasia Pantsios (pictured).
In between, explore David Bowie’s lifelong interest in examining and nurturing his own mental health with interviews from experts, plus hear from members of his seminal band, The Spiders From Mars. Tickets make a thoughtful gift and a fun brunch or night out! Read more.
SAT 12/24 Christmas Eve Tease Everything’s closed or closes early on Christmas Eve day. But at the Winchester in Lakewood, performers will be doing their thing at a Burlesque Brunch, with holiday-themed acts.
