You’re In Town

9.21-9.28.05

You’re In Town

In this week’s issue:
* Cool Cleveland Interview with Scott Spence of the Beck Center
* RoldoLINK on the Plain Dealer’s election coverage failure
* Cool Cleveland People with B. Michelle Johnson of Planned Parenthood
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here

This week, theatrically, Cleveland busts into the fall season. For the past number of years, one of the more consistently surprising and artistically satisfying venues has been The Beck Center for the Arts, where last week they opened the edgy Urinetown: The Musical, and just below Cool Cleveland theatre correspondent Linda Eisenstein interviews the reason for their edge, Artistic Director Scott Spence. Check your other favorites like Great Lakes Theatre Festival and GroundWorks Dance Theatre for their shows continuing this week, and José Limón Dance Company helps DanceCleveland celebrate their 50th Anniversary. This also seems to be the week for Cleveland boosterism, from PD Publisher Alex Machaskee’s CAA luncheon talk on the new major-media pro-bono effort “Believe in Cleveland,” to a field trip in Silicon Valley with some NEO tech firms to convince growing West Coast companies to “Say YES! to Cleveland” and move or expand their businesses here, to GenX consultant Rebecca Ryan’s report on Cleveland’s efforts to plug our brain drain and attract more young people. (Hint: for starters, forward them your copy of Cool Cleveland). Celebrate the Grog Shop’s 13th (!) anniversary on Coventry Road with glorious noise, or watch the massive Mather get towed to the newly-created public park at Dock 32 behind the Science Center. And as we enter the fall political season, the Cleveland Mayoral candidates debate at the City Club, and come Meet the Bloggers to ask them about their ongoing interviews with all the Cleveland Mayoral hopefuls, which they have posted online. And as the confirmation hearings for candidate Supreme Court Justice John Roberts wraps up, we feature in Cool Cleveland People an interview with Planned Parenthood of Greater Cleveland’s B. Michelle Johnson. If you can’t find something interesting this week, you’re just not trying. Break a leg. –Thomas Mulready

Cool Cleveland Interview
Scott Spence

Scott Spence is the Artistic Director of the Beck Center for the Arts, a huge civic arts center in Lakewood. Last weekend, he opened their 74th season directing the area premiere of Urinetown: The Musical, a biting and extremely funny satire about a town run by corporate barons where everyone has to pay for the right to pee. See review below in Instant Karma. The Beck Center, once a long-established community theater, has evolved into one of the area’s most diverse and interesting professional theaters, which mounts some of the best musicals in town and hires terrific local artists. That’s in no small part a tribute to the slow, steady influence of Spence, who talks with Cool Cleveland theater correspondent Linda Eisenstein about his 15 years making the Beck Center into a different kind of venue.

Let’s talk about audiences. How much is Lakewood still your base?
It’s still a big part. There are 74 years of history here. Adding new audiences is a slow process. There’s a cadre of theatergoers who still think it’s 1965. Getting people across the river is a challenge. I’ve called it “the Berlin river” since I came here.

What, the Cuyahoga is our Berlin Wall?
Yes – even recently I heard somebody on the radio, almost bragging, [imitates an upper crust accent]: “I haven’t been on that side of town for 35 years.” And I’m thinking, this is something to be proud of? It’s a slow change, getting people to recognize the kind of work we’ve done. It hasn’t been splashy news that the Beck Center has evolved. And of course now everybody is faced with single ticket buyers. People ask me about presale – I say, “what presale?” Presale doesn’t happen until 10 days before the show – getting audience is mostly word of mouth plus the reviews.

What’s missing in the equation for you?
I hate the cliché about the MTV generation – but it still represents where we’ve come as a society. People seem to want to get their info in 1.5 seconds bits and bytes, wanting to be spoonfed and told where to go. It’s a national trend – we expect to be told what to do, and rely on sound bytes and color and images. Advertising is so expensive – including radio…
Read the interview with Scott Spence here

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Vote for your favorite CIFF film Patrons get a voice in the scheduled programming for the 30th Cleveland International Film Festival. Simply visit www.ClevelandFilm.org to vote for your favorite feature film from the festival’s first 29 years. Voting ends on Wed 11/30 and the highest rated films will be brought back in a special Audience Favorite retrospective. Tell us about your favorite CIFF film at Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cleveland Opera donates fee to New Orleans Opera The Cleveland Opera contracted with the New Orleans Opera to rent a set designed for the company’s upcoming performance of The Elixir of Love in December. Though the set has remained undamaged by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding, the Cleveland Opera has decided to donate the $12,000 set fee to the New Orleans Opera instead of insisting on delivery, which would be difficult and costly due to the devastation along the delivery route. Cleveland Opera will use some ingenuity, imagination and powerhouse voices to transform the mish mash of ladders, platforms, stairs and other materials into a convincing, though non-traditional set for the performance. Read more at www.ClevelandOpera.org.

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1/2 price at the Rock Hall Beginning Sat 9/24, admission to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will be reduced for Cuyahoga County residents through the end of the year – all in celebration of its upcoming 10th anniversary on the North Coast. Check out the Tommy: The Amazing Journey exhibit, trace The Evolution of Audio Technology from phonographs (explain that to the kids) to mp3s or do a Sound Check to find out how you can groove to the music and still have some hearing left when you are 40 (even if that’s just where you stopped counting). http://www.RockHall.com.

ClevelandBrew.com There is a new site in town dedicated to keeping the terminally hip abreast of the latest happenings at local bars and eateries. Visit http://www.ClevelandBrew.com/ to find out who’s got the coolest happy hours around and see pictures of some of the trendiest barflies in town, courtesy of the Cleveland Paparazzi. Just keep in mind: you might not remember what you did last night, but a picture is worth a thousand words! What do you think about their idea for a nationwide happy hour search engine? Tell us at Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cool Cleveland Kids Have you heard the Cool Cleveland Kids podcast yet? All you have to do is click here and you can listen on you computer, even if you don’t have special software. Listen to 9-year-old Cool Cleveland correspondent Max Mulready as he recommends three family-friendly things to do this week: a free and professional music series, a great time to check out the Rock Hall, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a big ship get moved. Hear his short podcast here. Check below to see the events tagged CC KIDS under Cool Cleveland This Week for our recommendations for a fantastic family week. And also listen to the Cool Cleveland podcast, with CC creator Thomas Mulready turning you on to a local take on a national debate, a celebration of 13 noisy years, and a discussion on how to grow Lakewood. It’s as easy as clicking here and listening on your computer. http://www.CoolCleveland.com/files/audio/CoolCleveland09.23.05.mp3

More Ingenuity feedback Joe Yachanin of the Sun Newspapers – who, might we add, certainly knows how to get the maximum mileage out of a newspaper column – shares his perspectives on Bush’s bungling, er, handling of the New Orleans disaster, the annoying neglect of the May Company clock Downtown, and the highlights of Ingenuity’s aptly named Traffic Jam parade. Read Joe’s column here. Share your thoughts at Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

PD revives tech coverage Since Chris Seper left the business section to go to the metro desk, Cleveland’s only daily has neglected technology stories. No more. Henry Gomez has started a weekly column in the Sunday paper and entered the blogsphere with a blog of the same name – TechLink. In this week’s column, Gomez covers the NEO tech community’s aid to Katrina victims, the SayYes! trip to Silicon Valley (see Cool Cleveland This Week below), and Meet the Bloggers, an effort by local bloggers (including Cool Cleveland CIO George Nemeth) to interview mayoral candidates. Because of inadequate media coverage, (See RoldoLINK below) a number of bloggers have conducted hour long interviews focusing on issues. So far, they’ve interviewed Bob Triozzi, Bill Patmon, David Lynch, James Draper, and Frank Jackson. The recordings of the interviews are posted as MP3s here. As Gomez notes, next up is Mayor Campbell. According to Campbell campaign spokesman Chad Self, “We’re looking forward to it.”

Emissions from the blogsphere Bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change Seth Godin stepped into a hornet’s nest when he used his experience in Akron as a metaphor. Responding first was Ron McDaniel in Hurricane Seth Hits Akron Ohio. Following up, was Sara Wise and Jason Sinkovitz with The Wrong Reaction – and Akron Loses Again. Keep your eyes peeled for a story in the Akron Beacon Journal on it. The commenting doesn’t stop there, Will Kessel comments here @ CollisionBend.com. Elsewhere, Chris Varley, a VP at Nortech has launched the Tech Futures blog to support the organization’s development of a strategic plan through scenario planning. The Full Cleveland blog joins the lovefest here. This week on the Cool Cleveland Blog, Peter Chakerian touches on Sparx in the City, a rather large number of Ohio kids locked up in cages, Jack (and Meg) White’s art for art’s sake, falling victim to Tribe Time, Jimi Hendrix’s house v. CBGB, Michael Feldman’s “Whad’ya Know?” and Dave Gorman’s Googlewhack! Adventure. How does he get to it all?? Check the Cool Cleveland weblog here, then add your own comments, questions and attitude. Letters@CoolCleveland.com.


Cool Cleveland This Week

9.21-9.28

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Sabian Vault Tour For Cleveland drummers, this is an exciting event at one of the last locally-owned percussion shops. Sabian Cymbals is sending their Master Specialist Mark Love, who will work with you to hand-pick your dream setup and “sonically match” a set of cymbals from hundreds he’ll have with him. Watch hand hammering demonstrations, see how cymbal lathing cuts away the dark exterior to reveal the brilliant bronze beneath. Stebal Drums, 32612 Vine Street, Willowick, 440-944-9331, http://www.StebalDrums.com

Alex Machaskee at Cleveland Advertising Assn Come hear President and Publisher of the Plain Dealer as he discusses the new “Believe In Cleveland” campaign supported pro-bono by major Cleveland media at this month’s Cleveland Advertising Association’s luncheon this Wed 9/21 at 11:30AM at Windows On The River, 2000 Sycamore, 440-673-0020, www.clevead.com.

Meet the Bloggers This event isn’t about bloggers interviewing mayoral candidates. This event is about bloggers getting together with their readers and each other. Every month they come out from behind the glow of their monitors and talk to each other face-to-face. This month, the meeting takes place Wed 9/21 7PM at Metro Joe’s in Ohio City, 3408 Bridge Ave. www.Meetup.com.

Developing a Sense of Place Join Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Hylton, author of Save Our Land, Save Our Towns as he addresses important land use planning and community building issues on Wed 9/21. Registration begins at 11:30AM with the luncheon and program following at noon. Call 771-1994 or 344-3937 for more info or tickets. Sammy’s Metropolitan Ballroom, Huntington Building, 21st Floor, 925 Euclid Avenue, Suite 2100. www.HistoricGateway.org.

SayYES! to Cleveland in Palo Alto SayYES! is taking 5 TOP Entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley to present business plans to venture capitalists. Their goal is to expand the sphere of networking and business connections to a broad region and in turn promote our region as the perfect location for business expansion, relocation and development. The conference kicks off on Thu 9/22 and runs through Sat 9/24. The program targets ex-pats in Palo Alto, and other forward thinking firms who are ready to invest in our region. Visit http://www.YesCleveland.org/ for info or to register. Sheraton Palo Alto, 625 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, California.

What’s Happening with our Waterfront? Learn more about what is in store for our waterfront. Lake Front Manager for the City of the Cleveland, Debbie Berry, will give a presentation on the city’s adopted waterfront district plan in this meeting—which is open to the public on Thu 9/22 at 10AM. Call 321-5935 x 226 for more info. The Nature Center, 2600 South Park Boulevard, Shaker Heights. www.ShakerLakes.org.

Rebecca Ryan founder of Next Generation Consulting, Inc. will unveil the results of her July 2005 study of Cleveland’s GenXers. She will also share her blueprint for plugging brain drain by ensuring that GenXers remain here on Thu 9/22 at 12PM. Call 621-0082 or visit www.CityClub.org.

Wild About Cashmere Take advantage of a private shopping opportunity at Saks Fifth Avenue to benefit the Cleveland Zoo Society on Thu 9/22 from 5:30-8:30PM. Ticket buyers will get a peek at Saks’ exclusive new cashmere line that encompasses more than the usual fare – the line includes cashmere handbags, jewelry, shoes, home furnishings, intimates, babywear and more. Sample fine fare from local vendors and wine from Jacob’s Creek. Call 661-6500, X 4420 for questions or to make reservations. Saks Fifth Avenue, Beachwood Place, 26100 Cedar Road.

Investing in Israeli Technology Hear noted Israeli venture capitalist, Jonathan Medved, as he presents “Secrets of Successful Investing in VC Funds” He will share valuable insights and success stories regarding the Israeli tech community on Thu 9/22 from 5:30-7:30PM. For further information call 368-1025 or email lev.gonick@case.edu. Landerhaven, 6111 Landerhaven Drive, Mayfield Heights.

Art for Children’s Sake Elevation Art will hold its Fourth Annual Art for Children’s Sake, Fri 9/23 from 5:30 – 9:30PM. Artists will compete for cash prizes of $1,000; $750; and $500. The Littlest Heroes, a nonprofit organization that promotes spiritual, emotional, and physical healing of children with cancer and their families, is seeking to fund their Complementary Medicine Therapy programs. To enter, purchase tickets, or sponsor this event call 729-5200 or visit http://www.TheLittlestHeroes.org/. Elevation Art, Playhouse Square, 1240 Huron Road 5th floor.

Party on Down at the Akron Urban League’s 80th Anniversary Celebration on Fri 9/23 beginning at 5:30PM. This black-tie-preferred celebration gives guests the opportunity to literally “Party on Down” floor by floor throughout the evening. Arrive red-carpet style, complete with camera flashing paparazzi, be whisked off to the 6th floor executive level to sip cocktails, enjoy tasty hors d’oeuvres, smooth sounds, and mix and mingle on the balcony. Next, have a fabulous dinner on the 4th floor before finally getting on down on the 2nd floor dance floor with live music provided by Sherena Wynn and her band. Call 330-434-3101. Roetzel & Andress Building, 222 South Main Street, Akron. http://www.akronul.org/Overview.htm.

Irving Sandler at UA The luminary NY art critic, historian and professor will present his lecture “Fifty Years in the American Art World” on Fri 9/23 at 6PM. Sandler will share his vivid personal experiences with a variety of great artists and offer critical judgments of American art, from abstract expressionism to the present day. A reception will follow the lecture, which is also open to the public. Call 330-972-5951. Folk Hall Auditorium, The University of Akron Campus, 150 East Exchange Street, Akron. http://www.UAkron.edu/.

How I Learned to Drive The Cleveland State University Dramatic Arts Program will present six fall performances of the play by Paula Vogel on Fri 9/23 – Sun 9/25 and Fri 9/30 – Sun 10/2. Friday and Saturday performances at 8PM and Sunday’s matinee is at 2PM. Factory Theatre, 1833 East 23rd Street. www.CSUOhio.edu.

Grog Shop 13th Anniversary Join Sounder, Interfuse, Boatz, Xela, Kiddo and other local faves during this no charge, high-energy show in celebrating the Grog Shop’s anniversary on Fri 9/23 at 9PM. Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Boulevard, Cleveland Heights. www.GrogShop.gs.

WCLVnotes Yep, summer’s over. The Cleveland Orchestra is back from its smash tour to Lucerne, Ludwigsburg and the BBC Promos in London and they are rarin’ to start the new Severance Hall season this week. This Saturday, WCLV 104.9 returns to Severance to present an extensive series of live broadcasts of the Saturday night concerts. The opening week’s program conducted by Music Director Franz Welser-Moest is a Brahms orgy – the Academic Festival Overture and the Symphony No. 1. In between is Charles Ives “fun” Symphony No. 2, which ends with a smeared quote from the “Star Spangled Banner.” And you’ll hear it all live on Sat 9/24 at 8PM and Sun 9/25 at 3PM, then live again with the fall edition of the Mighty Wurlitzer Radio Hour, featuring Larry Kass. For complete details go to www.WCLV.com. WCLV is a Cool Cleveland partner.

CC KIDS Moving Day for William G. Mather Cleveland’s floating maritime museum is ready to move to its new permanent home just a bit to the west, Dock 32, next to the Great Lakes Science Center. It will be the first new resident of the renewed public space and everyone who served on the Mather during its 55 years on the Great Lakes, along with the general public, is invited to join in the Moving Day festivities. Colorful Great Lakes Towing tugs will gently usher the ship to its new home on Sat 9/24. Call 574-9053 or visit http://www.WGMather.org for more info.

Scholarship Golf Outing The Second Annual Lisa Clifford Golf Outing and Chili Open will be held Sat 9/24. Attendees are asked to bring a crock-pot of your favorite chili in hopes of being voted best chili recipe. There will also be a silent auction and raffle. Proceeds from this event will be donated to JCU, Holy Name High School, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, St. Mark Education Endowment Fund, Our Lady of Angels and the Friends of El Salvador, which educates children in El Salvador. For further information please call 228-1498; or email dgc@advantegrity.com. Bob-O-Link Golf Course, 4141 Center Rd, Avon.

CC KIDS Art That Rocks Ten of Cleveland’s most well known artists have created original artwork representing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s ten year history here in Cleveland. Original artwork by Hector Vega, Todd Volkmer, Laurel Herbold, Michaelangelo Lovelace and others will be on display at the museum on Sat 9/24 and Sun 9/25 from 10AM-5:30PM and the museum admission is half price. Enter to win a one-of-kind Gibson Les Paul Custom Rock Hall Guitar and several other giveaways. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Musuem, One Key Plaza, East Ninth Street at Lake Erie. www.RockHall.com.

José Limón Dance Company DANCECleveland celebrates its 50th year by once again featuring the timeless work of José Limón, the first dance luminary presented in Cleveland by the organization. Under current director, Carla Maxwell, the company carefully balances its classic works with more contemporary choreography offering audiences an evening of drama, grace, skill and beauty on Sat 9/24 at 8PM. Cleveland will delight in the unveiling of the company’s newest work, The Chiaroscuro Project, before its world premiere in New York City the following week. Call 241-6000. State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Avenue http://www.DanceCleveland.org http://www.Limon.org

Learning from the Dutch People across Northeast Ohio are talking about new ways to make our economy more competitive and sustainable over the long-term; part of this discussion involves making the region a place in which people choose to live and plan to stay. Join a team of world-renowned Dutch architects and planners and local public officials and planning professionals on Mon 9/26 and Tue 9/27 for an international exchange of ideas for creating a more sustainable built environment, focused on the Lakefront and Cuyahoga River Valley. See the event schedule here. Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University, Glickman-Miller Hall Atrium, 1717 Euclid Avenue.

Mayoral Candidates Debate The City Club of Cleveland will be hosting a mayoral debate on Tue 9/27 at noon featuring candidates Anthony Brown, Mayor Jane Campbell, James A. Draper, Council President Frank G. Jackson, David Lynch, Michael L. Nelson, Bill Patmon, and Judge Robbert Triozzi. Daniel Moulthrop, of WCPN/90.3, will serve as the moderator and the debate will be followed by a question and answer session. Call the City Club at 621-0082 for ticket info. Cleveland Marriott Downtown, Key Center, 127 Public Square. www.CityClub.org.

To Shield or Not to Shield? The FBI’s top lawyer; the editor of Ohio’s largest newspaper, and a renowned First Amendment lawyer square off in a debate on the merits of the proposed federal shield law to protect the confidentiality of reporters and their sources during an open public forum on Tue 9/27 from 4-6PM in the Moot Court Room of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, East 18th and Euclid. www.Law.CSUOhio.edu.

Workforce Summit in Medina The Summit County Workforce Policy Board will be holding a Workforce Summit on Wed 9/28 with registration at 8:30AM. There will be various workshops and panels presenting information on State Tax Reform and Workforce Development. Mayor Donald Plusquellic, of Akron, will also be speaking. For further information and registration call 330-608-5150; or email jill@houseofinfo.com. Westfield Center, 9079 S. Leroy Road, Westfield Center.

LakewoodAlive presents “The Insider’s Perspective on the Grow Lakewood Report.” The Grow Lakewood Committee, a citizen task force appointed by the mayor and City Council, was asked to identify issues and potential solutions regarding the city’s infrastructure, facilities and economic development issues. Participants will hear the Grow Lakewood Committee’s final report that was presented to the mayor and City Council and have the opportunity to participate in a discussion about the findings in a town hall format on Wed 9/28 at 7PM at Grant Elementary School, 1470 Victoria Avenue, Lakewood. http://www.LakewoodAlive.com.

CC KIDS CityMusic Cleveland a professional orchestra and arts outreach organization announces their second season of complimentary concerts, featuring 22 performances throughout Northeast Ohio. The first series of programs kicks off on Wed 9/28 at 7:30PM in Cleveland Heights and runs through Sun 10/2 visiting Elyria, Willoughby Hills, Slavic Village and Rocky River. All concerts are no cost and families with children are encouraged and welcome. For further information please call 321-8273, email info@CityMusicCleveland.org, or visit http://www.CityMusicCleveland.org. The first performance will be presented at Fairmount Presbyterian Church, 2757 Fairmount Blvd, Cleveland Heights.

CC KIDS Children’s Auditions Rainey Institute School-Year Arts Program is now registering for its 2005-2006 season. The program offers music, dance, drama and more to kids aged 6-14 in after school and weekend programs. Auditions for two children’s musicals are scheduled for Fri 9/30 at 5PM and Sat 10/8 at 3:30PM. Your little thespian, singer or poet should come prepared to perform a monologue, song or poem for the audition. Call 881-1766 for info. Rainey Institute, 1523 East 55th Street, Near Superior Avenue. http://RaineyInstitute.org.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

RoldoLINK
Near Comatose Cleveland Not Helped By Pee Dee
By Roldo Bartimole

By the time you read this, the Plain Dealer (maybe I need to go back to calling it the Pee Dee) might have ramped up its coverage of the 2005 mayoral election campaign.

If it has, it’s too late, Doug and Tom. Badly and sadly belated. This community appears to be near comatose and in a depressing malaise. That condition may help determine who the next mayor will be. Moreover, that might be the wrong choice. (Doug is Doug Clifton, editor, and Tom is Tom O’Hara, managing editor.)

What have they been thinking about during this period? One knows that the news has been heavy but this is their city despite the removal of the word “Cleveland” in their name.

This has been the time for a critically needed debate about where this community is going and how it might get there. Presumably, the newspaper and its leadership – carping about the Quiet Crisis for years – didn’t believe so, failed to take notice, or doesn’t believe its citizens can respond – so why bother.

Of course, there are 21 Council races also, not all with opposition but one would think there are some important races that have been essentially ignored.

It’s good to remind readers that neither Clifton nor O’Hara are Clevelanders, nor have they seemed to catch on to Cleveland politics.

Meanwhile Publisher Alex “The Snake” Machaskee will be delivering a speech today at the Cleveland Advertising Association entitled, “Believe in Cleveland!” Ads say he has “a few things to say about the future of our town.” It would be nice if Alex bestirred his editors to tell us about “our town,” and not only this election…
Read RoldoLINK here

Cool Cleveland People
B. Michelle Johnson

Planned Parenthood of Greater Cleveland (PPGC) is an affiliate of one of the most trusted reproductive health care organizations in the world. They have existed since 1928, encouraging women to take control of their health by assuring that all people have information and means to make appropriate choices about “whether and when” to have children — leaving abortion as the last possible option.

In light of this week’s confirmation hearings of potential Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, most of the conversation Cool Cleveland had with PPGC Project Director B. Michelle Johnson concentrated on the state of the Supreme Court, the future of Roe v. Wade based on the two upcoming appointments to the Supreme Court and the latest as it relates to PPGC in general. Johnson took time from her busy week to speak with CC about all of the goings-on.

Cool Cleveland: So how about this whole John Roberts inquisition? It’s been pretty interesting so far, wouldn’t you say?

B. Michelle Johnson: Definitely. As a nationwide organization, [PPGC are] not taking a stand on him yet. We’re asking our senators—just as [Pennsylvania Senator] Arlen Specter has done already—to really comb through pertinent material in their due diligence process, ask the appropriate questions and, as most people would expect, we want to see where the cards fall on him.

We are gravely concerned about Roberts, in part, because he doesn’t have the most positive path in terms of reproductive health care. But at the same time, we won’t be quick to judge. We want to see all of our senators given the chance to do their jobs and researching [Roberts] beforehand because quite honestly, he doesn’t have a long enough track record in being a judge to make a rushed decision about him. Chief Justices [decide] who write the opinions and that interpretation gets passed down to other judges to interpret as the “law of the land.” That’s where we get a little nervous—and if he gets in, he’s going to be there a while. So in that sense, there is a lot to consider…
Read the interview here

Instant Karma
Quick reviews of recent events
Going out this weekend? Take along your PDA and your digital camera. Scratch out a few notes to send us with a picture of it for our Instant Karma real-world reviews of what’s really happening. We’d love to hear from you. Send your stuff to Events@CoolCleveland.com

Life Trumps Philosophy @ Inside Outside Gallery 9/16 Painter, sculptor and collage artist Dan Sites from Kent provides a studied an entertaining vision of current political/religious affairs in the USA in his show Life Trumps Philosophy at Inside Outside through Tuesday Sept. 27th. Like a good preacher’s sermon, Mr. Sites’ portraits of America-on-the-precipice bring laughs in counterbalance with fears. And Life Trumps Philosophy is part of a larger free speech movement at Inside Outside (I/O).

On Sept. 16, R.A. Washington, formerly a columnist for the Free Times, launched a new zine Fair Trade, and also a new bookstore, Viva Libra, in a back room at the gallery located at 2699 W. 14th Street. This evening had a five-dollar benefit for Fair Trade with live music provided by The New Lou Reeds, J.J. Magazine and Real Knife Head.

Unfamiliar magazines are clipped up along one wall of the small bookshop and bins of old LPs line another. A few hundred hard and softbound books line the shelves. The shop provides an eclectic set of titles that brought at least one sale. A patron excitedly announced, “I read most of this in French,” holding an old edition of an illustrated volume by the exuberant 19th Century French novelist Honoré de Balzac. Now I want to see how it reads in English.” She purchased an 1874 edition of Droll Stories (Contes Drolatiques) for $5 and before leaving showed pages of fine illustrations in her book to other patrons…
Read Lee Batdorff’s review here

Urinetown: The Musical @ Beck 9/16
What: The parodic musical that makes fun of musical conventions, sending up cliche after cliche as it tells a fractured “good-versus-evil” fairytale of a post-apocalyptic town run by corporate villains where everyone must pay to pee.
Reasons to go: This is one of Beck’s best produced shows in years, with director Scott Spence and especially choreographer Martin Cespedes exceeding the acclaimed Broadway production in cleverness — they get every funny moment, then pile on more. Inspired casting also adds enjoyment, from Matthew Wright’s rubber-faced narrator Officer Lockstock, Colin Cook’s apple-cheeked hero Bobby Strong, Lenne Jacobs-Snively’s rough Mother Courage-like urinal manager, to the irrepressibly goofy Maggie Stahl as the ingenue and a hilarious turn by Greg Violand as her robber baron father. Violand’s song-and-dance ode to power politics “Don’t Be the Bunny” is a high point, as is “Snuff That Girl”, a finger-popping West Side Story parody led by Zac Hudak and Sandra Emerick and the gospel healing-service “Run, Freedom, Run”. The overall ensemble is terrific — everybody has a distinct characterization.
Caveats: Don’t expect Disney: it’s dark humor, and there are enough piss jokes that a few folks bailed at intermission. But it’s smart, fresh, and sassy with just enough serious underpining to warrant a lively post-play conversation after the laughs are done.
Backstory: Urinetown has a rags-to-riches production history, from offbeat Fringe Festival hit to Broadway success. It got there thanks to three risk-taking Cleveland-area entrepreneurs, Matthew Rego, Michael Rego and Hank Unger, now major Broadway producers. The trio just made an appearance at Beck’s Sunday evening benefit at Three Birds.
Target audience: Anyone who loves musicals — and even those who generally loathe them — will find something to enjoy in this.
Details: Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood. 216-521-2540. Thru 10/9. http://www.beckcenter.org
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

Amadeus @ Ohio Theatre 9/17 By all rights, it should have been a totally captivating theatrical evening. Certainly Great Lakes Theater Festival fulfilled its part of the bargain in fine style with sumptuous production values, positively stunning performances by a marvelous company of actors, and a magnificent sound system playing glorious music. So, why wasn’t it? Well, having seen the original version of Amadeus, I think it’s reasonable to say that the play has been tinkered with—too many times, and not always successfully—by the playwright.

Even though the script for Amadeus won every possible award—the Tony in 1981 for Best Play (also best actor, scenic design, costumes and lighting, plus director) for the original New York production, and best revival award in 1999-2000, not to mention the Oscar in 1984, Golden Globe in 1985 and the BAFTRA award the following year–possibly the Oscar for best writing based on material from another medium’ unleashed this constant need to change things. But different is, unfortunately, not always better.
Read the review by Kelly Ferjutz here

GroundWorks Dancetheater at the Akron Icehouse 9/17 At the Akron Icehouse on this rainy Saturday night a couple small holes in the perhaps all too authentically historic roof sent drips onto the stage – creating two puddles, one left, one right. Occasional freight trains rumbled past on the tracks just outside. This atmospheric combination had the fortuitous effect of intensifying this location’s edgy ambience, which suited the tone of the first two dances.

Beth Corning’s Once There Was a House, which started the evening, is a long dance which Cleveland audiences have seen fairly frequently since Groundworks’ Artistic Director David Shimotakahara first presented it. We haven’t really written about it or this company much, so it’s time. OTWH is a dance that is really a play – of considerable depth – with dance being its major but not exclusive vehicle of expression. As this piece develops, the huge contrast between the public faces and the private inner worlds of its four characters is dramatically revealed…
Read the review by Victor and Elsa here

Dave Gorman’s Googlewhack Adventure @ Hanna Theatre 9/18 There’s no moss growing on you, Cool Clevelanders. And so, you’ve probably known what a Googlewhack is for a long while now, haven’t you? If not, I’ll make a small effort to tell you—Googlewhacking is a game where you have “fun with words” by using an Internet search engine that many of us are familiar with: good ol’ Google. The object of the game is to string two irreverent and oft-unused words together in a search query and return one solitary hit in the results of your search…

Now I know what some of you are thinking: Googlewhack is no Sudoku. And you’re absolutely right. It’s really about 100 times more interesting.

Anyway, imagine becoming so OBSESSED with this game, you’re willing to travel to the ends of the Earth and back again, all while blowing the advance for a novel you’re supposed to be writing?!? That’s where you’ll find Brit humorist/satirist Dave Gorman and his one-man-one-laptop show at the Hanna, which plays through the end of this week. The show is not just for techies; it has sold out all over the UK and it isn’t any wonder because it is hysterical. I laughed so hard at some points during this two-hour show that my sides hurt… It’s been said before by several other local critics; I certainly can’t and won’t give anything away beyond what I already have. Gorman’s Adventure transcends the game, technology; humanity and comedy in such a blurry blitzkrieg of outrageous delight that to tell you anything more than I already have would ruin it for you.

This show is a must see. Hurry up and get your tickets. It might be the funniest thing you see this year.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Peter Chakerian peterAtcoolcleveland.com

Farm-to-Table @ the Cleveland Botanical Garden 9/19 It’s estimated that by the year 2007 agricultural imports will exceed exports for the first time in U.S. history. That is one reason attending and supporting the “Farm to Table” event held at the Cleveland Botanical Garden is an important cause. It showcases local growers and markets by featuring chefs from the area’s top restaurants, their cuisine and our fresh, local foods. The event included Sweet Mosaic, Fire, Luchita’s, Parkers and Pearl of the Orient, among others. The other important reason to attend the “Farm to Table” event has to do with the ever so arduous task of taste-testing the plethora of delicious foods served from these award winning restaurants. My favorites included the sweet carrot ginger soup from Souper’E, the pan seared lamb loin and butternut squash risotto from Boulevard Blue, and perhaps the best, mouth-watering dessert that required two helpings just to be sure: local fruits macerated in local wines with handcrafted mascarpone from the World’s Fare Culinary Services starring Personal Chef Brian Doyle. The bad news is that doggie bags weren’t allowed, even when you asked nicely. “Farm to Table” is one more reason to stop saying there’s nothing cool to do in this town.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent T.L. Champion tlAtcoolcleveland.com

Yr Turn
Cool Cleveland readers write
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Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

On Ingenuity Ingenuity Highlights Highlights for me were 1. The exuberant skate boarders roaring down Ontario. They had so much fun. This alone would make it worthwhile for all of Ohio’s skaters to come to Cleveland. 2. The Bach Consort’s performance in the Old Arcade with the fabulous young soprano Susan Williams . 3. The Rotunda( Jordan Davis et al) 4. The transformation of East 4th St and strolling along Euclid. 5. The weather. Thanks to Thomas Mulready and James Levin Also Joan Perch and Logan Fry for securing an excellent space for the NEO Salon de Refusees and Mark Howard etc for hanging it.
from Cool Cleveland reader Jean Sommer jean_sommerATyahoo.com

having had some time now to think about it, i’d say that Ingenuity was a complete and total success! i’m sure there were aspects of it that didn’t go exactly according to plan, but for the first year of an event of this scope & magnitude – wow! congratulations to you and the rest of the ingenuity staff who worked so hard to put this together. it has the feel – like Parade the Circle – of a true CLEVELAND event, not a half-hearted attempt to duplicate what’s done in other cities. i’m in awe of what you were able to do in year one, and i’m really looking forward to next year. thanks for the opportunity to work with you to bring elliott earls to the art/tech venue, and likewise for the space at 668 euclid to showcase the work that cleveland school of the arts students did during our summer digital storytelling workshop at tri-c. i know the kids were thrilled with the recognition, and i hope that many clevelanders got a look (and listen) at what these talented students created from the raw material of their lives. and for my former/current tri-c students who worked as interns for ingenuity, this was a great – no, fantastic – opportunity to network with creative people throughout the city. in addition to the experience they gained working on posters, website, etc., these personal contacts will serve them well as they pursue their careers. thanks for offering internship opportunities that put their skills and energy to good use. i’m looking forward to next year already.
from Cool cleveland reader Al Wasco, Assistant Professor, Visual Communication & Design, Cuyahoga Community College, Western Campus awdDsgnATsbcglobal.net

Ingenuity: We have a pulse! From a 9/3/05 post on my blog: “I did not expect the energy radiating from Euclid Ave. On the Main Stage some guy was busting Michael Jackson moves to a blaring, bumping dance track, and the crowd was into it. A few steps down Euclid found us in the sonic confluence of the dance music from the main stage and the sounds emanating from East 4th, which turned out to have at least three distinct sources: the Numbers Band on the 4th St. Stage, a some kind of hip-hop mix from a building next to — or possibly in — Pickwick and Frolic (booze lubrication is good for conversation, bad for geographic details), and the some apparently unauthorized street musician strangling TV theme songs out of an uncooperative saxophone. All around people were busy having a very good time, soaking up the tangible vibe familiar to people who remember the heyday of the Flats, or who have spent a summer evening on Chicago’s Navy Pier, or on Columbus Ave. in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I would liked to have seen more people, and maybe the Saturday crowds will be bigger. But so far the Ingenuity festival has been like a set of defibrillator paddles for downtown Cleveland. There’s a pulse. I’m the optimistic sort, but I can’t help but think that as word spreads about how Ingenuity has demonstrated what downtown Cleveland can be, that pulse will grow stronger.” The entire post is available here: http://brhubart.blogspot.com/2005/09/we-have-pulse.html.%%
from Cool Cleveland reader Bob Rhubart brhubartATyahoo.com

On Cleveland’s rock assets (See Tori Amos mixes in Cleveland here) It’s so great to hear that an international star like Tori Amos has actually chosen Cleveland as a place to get some work done. If Cleveland is good enough for Tori, then we’re good enough for the local musicians who feel they need to record in NY or LA in order to be taken seriously. I checked out the studio’s website (www.AnteUpAudio.com) and I got to say that this business really seems to “get it.” They are focused on the local community while also doing business nationally (Francis Ford Coppola and Mix Magazine). Cleveland does rock.
from Cool Cleveland reader Tom Lewis paheya1ATyahoo.com

On the Sparx Gallery Hop Zachariah Szabo, 16, founding director of Northeast Ohio’s own “OooEeee” Teen Talent Troupe was represented at Art Metro in the Colonial Arcade with his artistic submission of a Starry Night Toilet, winning entry of the Solid Waste Dept. of Cuyahoga County. He really enjoyed the Gallery Hop, the receptions and the giggles from the viewing public.
from Cool Cleveland reader submitted by Janice Szabo, mother of Zachariah Szabo jpszaboATalltel.net

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Top 5
Here are the Top 5 from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) “With Ingenuity, Cleveland turns a corner…” For the second week in a row, everyone is clicking thru to the Flickr site to view the photos other’s have shared, and adding their own! http://www.Flickr.com/groups/IngenuityCleveland

2) RoldoLINK Roldo accuses the Bush Administration of strangulation. www.CoolCleveland.com

3) Ingenuity Bash photos Another Top 5 from the week before, this time party pictures. www.CoolCleveland.com

4) Cavs’ owner Gilbert brings 350 jobs to Cleveland Kinda cool to have a dot com millionaire in town, isn’t it? www.Cleveland.com

5) Cool Cleveland Interview Thomas Mulready talks with the spark behind Sparx in the City, Susie Frazier-Mueller. www.CoolCleveland.com

R U reading this in yr undies? Did you know that 12.5% of our readers read Cool Cleveland in their underwear? Whether you read CC partially or fully clothed, we’re guessing you enjoy the news and upcoming events. Consider forwarding CC to some of your half-naked friends today.

If this were a movie, the credits would be rolling. Cool Cleveland’s staff and partners have finished their work for the week and are catching their breath. A special thanks to Peter Chakerian, Roxanne Ravenel, TL Champion, George Nemeth, Roldo Bartimole, Linda Eisenstein, Lee Batdorff, Victor Lucas, Elsa Johnson, and everyone who makes CC what it is – week in, week out. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Download the Cool Cleveland podcast each week at http://www.CoolCleveland.com. Click on the Cool Cleveland Blog here. Read the Cool Cleveland column each month in Cleveland Magazine here. Listen to Cool Cleveland on WCLV-FM 104.9 twice each Friday during drive time. See the Cool Cleveland TV Update on WKYC NBC TV by clicking here. Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com, and your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com. For your copy of the free weekly Cool Cleveland e-zine, go to http://www.CoolCleveland.com.

Keeping it cool in Clevetown,

–Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com

all contents ©2005 MulreadyGROUP all rights reserved
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