‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’
Friday through Sunday (Sept. 1-3)
Presented by INNOVAtheatre, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” will be on stage this weekend. Shows are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and there is a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at cincyticket.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=6201.
Directed by Richard Lee Waldeck, the musical begins as the bells of Notre Dame sound through the famed cathedral in fifteenth-century Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bellringer who longs to be “Out There,” observes all of Paris reveling in the Feast of Fools. Held captive by his devious caretaker, the archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, Quasimodo escapes for the day and joins a noisy crowd, only to be treated cruelly by everyone, except for Esmeralda, a beautiful gypsy dancer.
Featuring songs from the Disney film and several new songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, the story is brought to life by over 50 local artists, including a 25-member choir and a 15-piece live orchestra. This classic production features musical direction by Lorri Topping and George Drewyor, choreography by Isadore Karrick and costumes by Poleena Greely.
An Evening with The Oak Ridge Boys
8 p.m. Sept. 8
The Oak Ridge Boys deliver one of the most distinctive sounds in the music industry with their recognizable, four-part harmonies. The group has spawned dozens of country hits, along with the No. 1 pop smash, “Elvira,” which has earned the band a Grammy, Dove, CMA and ACM awards as well as a host of other industry and fan accolades.
“Let me speak for all of The Oak Ridge Boys, and let me tell you, we love doing what we do,” said Richard Sterban, who sings bass for The Oak Ridge Boys. “We are looking forward to coming your way, because we’ve been in your area many times, and we know we have a lot of friends and a lot of fans in your part of the country,” he said.
The Oak Ridge Boys will bring four decades of songs and 50 years of tradition to the Sorg stage. The box office will open at 6 p.m. and doors will open at 7 p.m. Reserved seats are $70 in advance; premium seating is $85 in advance, and super premium seating is $100 in advance. Box seats may be purchased for $85 each (purchasers must buy all four seats in a box.) For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to cincyticket.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=6222.
Give My Regards to Middletown: Musical Memories of the Sorg 1891-1918
7:30 p.m. Sept. 9
Hear the music that Paul J. Sorg enjoyed at Middletown’s historic venue as guests take a musical journey back to the beginnings of the Sorg Opera House. In celebration of the Sorg’s 131st anniversary, this “living history” concert will recreate songs and scenes from the Broadway musical hits that graced the Sorg’s stage from 1891-1918.
Presented by American Musical Productions, the evening will feature selections from the premiere performance at the Sorg, “The Little Tycoon,” as well as favorites from Victor Herbert’s “Babes in Toyland,” the original 1902 “The Wizard of Oz,” George M. Cohan’s “Little Johnny Jones,” Jerome Kern’s “Oh Boy!” and more. American Musical Productions’ Joseph Rubin will conduct vocal soloists Mark William, Heidi Swinford, Julie Anna Gulenko and a 15-piece orchestra, who will perform newly discovered historic orchestrations for the first time in over a century. Period appropriate dress is welcome.
The box office and doors open at 6:30 p.m. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Reserved seating tickets are $35 and premium seating tickets are $45. Purchase tickets in advance at cincyticket.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=5997. The performance is made possible in part by grants from the Middletown Community Foundation and First Financial Bank.
Scriptless in Seattle
8 p.m. Sept. 16
Scriptless in Seattle will bring a comedy benefit night to the Sorg Opera House. Advance tickets are $25 and are available at cincyticket.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=6163. “This is something we care about. We love historical opera houses and theaters, and we’ve performed in a number of them across the Midwest, So we wanted to make this a benefit night for the theater itself,” said Justin Folger, group manager and performer with Scriptless in Seattle.
Cleveland-based Scriptless in Seattle is a group of young improv performers, who put on shows in a variety of venues, from coffeehouses and churches to large theaters. Scriptless in Seattle’s comedy sketches are made up on the spot, based on audience suggestions, so no two shows are the same. Most of the performers are under the age of 25.
The Sorg Opera Revitalization Group has focused on restoring the historic Sorg Opera House. Proceeds from the event will go directly to the ongoing restoration and revitalization efforts at the Sorg. For more information, go to sorgoperahouse.org and at www.scriptlessinseattle.com.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
8 p.m. Sept. 23
April 2023 marked the 30-year anniversary of the band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s arrival onto the music scene. Since its formation in the early 1990s in Ventura, Calif., the band has toured nonstop, performing on average more than 150 shows a year, and has produced a sizable catalog of recorded music with sales of over two million albums. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s all-original core line-up includes Scotty Morris (lead vocals and guitar), Kurt Sodergren (drums), Dirk Shumaker (double bass and vocals), Andy Rowley (baritone saxophone and vocals), Glen “The Kid” Marhevka (trumpet), Karl Hunter (saxophones and clarinet) and Joshua Levy (piano and arranger). After 30 years, 11 records, more than 3,000 live shows, and countless appearances in film and television, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is showing no signs of slowing down.
Tickets reserved seating are $35 in advance; premium seating is $40 in advance and super premium seating is $45. Box seats are $40 each (purchaser must purchase all four seats in a box.) For more info, or to purchase tickets, go to cincyticket.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=6229.
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