Ah yes, Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and you have to find something to do with that special someone. I thought I’d share my plan and expand on one of the Valentine’s Day ideas Scott shared earlier , because Opera Columbus has covered me for part of the weekend. I’ll be attending the opening performance of Romeo & Juliet at the Ohio Theatre with my girlfriend. Performances take place Friday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available here .

Tip: I was able to get my tickets on the cheap. As Opera Columbus shared on their Facebook page , if you use code FANS when buying your tickets, you’ll get a 20% discount.

And I’ll leave you with a fun fact -  the leads, Jonathan Boyd and Malinda Haslett, are a real life married couple. Brian Banion (Friar Lawrence) and Elise DesChamps (Stephano) are also a married couple. Love will certainly be in the air on stage.

Today’s post is written by Kristin Marks, a.k.a. cBus Mom . She writes a blog by the same name , which she created to offer suggestions and reviews of kid-friendly activities in Central Ohio. She also writes for Ohio Moms Blog and is a monthly contributor to Columbus Underground .

Here, she shares her experience at the Columbus Children’s Theatre , the award winning professional theater that has been entertaining families for over 40 years.

———————————————————-

Columbus Children’s Theatre: Engaging, fun and affordable
By Kristin Marks, cBus Mom

I recently went with a friend and three little girls to see Rapunzel at Columbus Children’s Theatre . We got the girls gussied up in their finest princess frocks and spent the afternoon enjoying the theater.

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous because the girls were not quite 4 years old (theater gives that as a suggested viewing age) and I worried that their attention spans would get lost in the middle, but that was not the case. Aside from a short game of musical laps, the girls did great at their first theatrical performance.

I think the elements the actors used to command audience participation helped keep the attention of little ones. The play was engaging and fun for the children because not only were the characters entertaining, but the children got to participate.

At the start of the show the audience was prompted to make certain noises or hand gestures when the witch came on stage. Each time the witch came out we all said in a scary voice "ooooohhh," and immediately there was giggling from kids - they loved being part of the production. Also, many times throughout the play there were chase scenes where an actor would run into the audience and sit in an empty seat. (more…)

If you only had 24 hours to spend in Columbus, what would you do? This was a hard question for me to answer, but I’ve come up with a list of must sees and must dos that I feel will leave any visitor with an experience uniquely Columbus.

I’m sharing these ideas in a three part series - the first post is geared to families, the next to the business traveler, and finally, a post to help a local decide what to do with visiting friends or family.

Here’s part three of three, with suggestions geared to residents looking to entertain visiting friends or family.

———————————————————-

We all have friends and family come to visit us. And inevitably we all get asked the question, “So, what are we going to do while in town?”  Check out the following ideas for a fun Columbus experience and give your visitors a better sense of why you call Columbus home.

Where to Eat
My favorite place to take family and friends to eat in Columbus is Tasi Cafe . Located just behind High Street, Tasi’s offers freshly prepared comfort food with a unique flair. The casual atmosphere makes it a favorite of locals, and the menu offers breakfast, lunch and dinner options.

The Refectory is an AAA Four Diamond award winner, offering contemporary American cuisine and classic French cuisine. The restaurant’s location is unique - it’s inside of an old church, and the atmosphere has a rustic feel. Also, they have an amazing wine cellar with over 700 selections.

No matter what your visitors’ tastes, they are sure to find something they like at the North Market . Central Ohio’s historic public market since 1876 and located between the Short North and Arena District, it features fresh and prepared foods, and authentic ethnic cuisine. (more…)

Photo: Available Light Theatre

To add to the previous posts about holiday experiences , I’ve got another I’d like to share:

Available Light Theatre’s
Consolidated Amalgamated’s Annual Xmas Spectacular

Here’s the show’s story, from their Web site :

For 30 years, Winford Doke, CPA, has been the venerated host of ConAm’s Annual Xmas Spectacular, featuring Winford’ glorious rendition of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol .

However, this year Winford Doke has left his assistant, Artie Isaac, to take over the holiday duties.

Taking the stage with no time to prepare and only Doke’s stubborn stage hand, Jo Anne, to help him through it, Artie faces down the ultimate December Dilemma.

The twist? Artie, the reluctant assistant suddenly appointed the task of spreading Christmas cheer, is Jewish.

This adaptation of Dickens’ A Chrismas Carol is brought to us by artistic director Matt Slaybaugh , playwright Sean Christopher Lewis (whose talent became immediately apparent to me when I saw Killadelphia ) and the show’s star, Artie Isaac.

Knowing what I know about Available Light Theatre and the three gentlemen I named above, here’s what I expect:

• It will make me think. I’ll consider something I hadn’t before…or, I’ll be reminded of something I should be considering again (you know, those important things that somehow become a bit forgotten during the course of daily, hectic life)
• It will make me laugh. These guys can be funny.
• I’ll be inspired by the smarts and creativity brought to life on stage (and okay…I’ll envy it, too).
• During at least one point of the show, I’ll wish it to last longer than it will.
• I will very likely love it. I’m getting used to that by now.

My husband and I have attended several Available Light productions. We discuss them often, because that’s what Available Light does - it sticks with you, and it prompts good conversation. This small-but-mighty group of talent wows us every time. Husband said this: "It’s unlike any other things I’ve seen. It enlightens you while you’re being entertained."

Yep.

The show starts tomorrow and runs through December 13 . Click here for more info, videos, a podcast and links. Click here to get your tickets.

Photo: CAPA Columbus

Recently, my day was made when I heard that No Reservations: An Evening with Anthony Bourdain will be at the Palace Theatre on November 21.

When I was in college, I discovered Anthony Bourdain through two books: Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly and A Cooks Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal . I love to cook and I’m an avid reader, so I became hooked. I started looking into all things Anthony Bourdain - whatever I could find on YouTube, the Food Network, and the Travel Channel. I’ve been a fan ever since.

What I have come to expect through Bourdain’s writing and television programming is to expect the unexpected, and to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what’s in store for his performance at the Palace Theatre. Will he do a cooking demonstration or give a lecture on travel and the culinary arts? I’m not sure, but I do know it’s sure to be insightful, irreverent and brutally honest to the point of hilarity.

Tickets are still available for the show - click here to buy, and I’ll see you there.

Dale Chihuly
Mille Fiori, 2008
de Young Museum, San Franciso
Photo by Teresa Nouri Rishel

If you haven’t been to the Columbus Museum of Art lately, now is the time to visit. Chihuly Illuminated is one of their current exhibitions and includes six large installations and various other pieces. You’ll also get a behind the scenes peek at Dale Chihuly’s studio and life.

With pieces never before seen in Columbus, the exhibit focuses on light and glass. A couple of the pieces even incorporate neon in the glass to make it glow.

My favorite was Mille Fiori, which is the biggest and most colorful in the exhibit. From the moment you turn the corner you are hit with so many bright, vibrant colors and shapes. The piece is very reminiscent of a garden with plants, flowers and animals all made of beautiful glass. It is quite breathtaking to stand back and try and take everything in.

Chihuly Illuminated isn’t the only place in Columbus you’ll find the works of Dale Chihuly; different Chihuly exhibits are running at the Franklin Park Conservatory (check out Cathe’s blog post about that here ), and also at Hawk Galleries. For more details on these and other glass exhibits throughout the year, visit GlassArt365.com .

Available Light Theatre has wowed me once again.

This time, they’ve done it with Killadelphia: mixtape of a city . I attended a preview of the production on Saturday, which will open to audiences this week.

I now find myself still thinking about the show, which I’ll undoubtedly do for some time. In the days ahead, I’ll contemplate the stories it tells and the realizations it stirs in its audience.

It’s just that kind of performance.

Killadelphia examines crime and murder in Philadelphia, and does so in a unique way - by bringing to the stage the voices of inmates who are serving life sentences in Graterford Prison. Their accounts and thoughts are interwoven with those of the city’s residents, political talk show hosts, prison employees and others.

Amazingly, all these characters are brought to life by a single individual on stage. A single individual with a great deal of talent. Sean Christopher Lewis, Killadelphia playwright and actor, shifts from role to role remarkably.

Lewis also plays himself in a role that guides the audience through his real-life experience of creating the play. As he reenacts his interviews with inmates and shares his own reflections, he forces you to take an unvarnished look at what is happening in America’s cities.

You might also find yourself confronting what you really believe, or don’t believe, about the human condition.

Sean Christopher Lewis, together with director Matt Slaybaugh, deftly tell gripping stories that also manage to explore complex societal issues. In true Available Light fashion, Killadelphia masterfully entertains and artfully educates.

What will you think? What will you feel? What will you learn?

Find out. The show opens Thursday and runs through Sunday. For a full list of showtimes and other details, click here .

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - one of the things I love about Columbus is the undercurrent of creativity that exists here.

But, maybe I shouldn’t even call it an "undercurrent" anymore . . . it’s more obvious than that. It’s a definitive energy. An unmistakable spirit.

If you want proof, there’s somewhere you should be this Saturday, Sept. 19: on Gay Street for Independents’ Day . A gathering of active people and creative people, in celebration of all things independent and all things Columbus.

You’ll find…

• The Urban Street Market, made up of the booths of over 150 Columbus artists and businesses.

• Live music and performances on multiple stages, plus live painting (see bands and schedule listed here ).

• Via Colori artists creating large scale chalk masterpieces.

• Food from Dine Originals Columbus , a collective of well-loved, locally owned and operated restaurants.

• Films, a dance party, more, more, more . . .

Find out all that’s in store here .

Local blogger Leigh Householder, writer of Advergirl , described the event this way:

"In the words of the founders, this is a day-long explosion of creative spirit. I believe it’s destined to be as big as SxSW and twice as cool."

Click to read more about it from Leigh (plus, she shares additional Columbus event recommendations; ones that are right on target, if you ask me).

See you Saturday?

If you are looking for a fun night out this week, I highly recommend going to see Mamma Mia! at the Ohio Theatre . As a bride-to-be, I was quite intrigued by the storyline: On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.

The music was fabulous and I guarantee anyone who goes will know no less than six songs in the show. From "Dancing Queen" to "Take A Chance On Me," the audience was singing along the whole way through.

Insider tip: After the cast takes their bow, DON’T LEAVE! I’m not going to give it all away, but it involves sequin pants and platform shoes.

The show runs through Sunday - check here for more details and tickets from Broadway Across America-Columbus .

And if you’re an ABBA fan, note that there’s more fun to come later this month. Sweden’s best ABBA tribute band, WATERLOO, will play at the Columbus Symphony’s Picnic with the Pops on July 25 .  Bring your own picnic to enjoy during the outdoor show, or reserve a table for your group. You can buy tickets here .

July 4 marks the beginning of an entire year’s worth of glass art exhibitions in Columbus. Seven organizations are hosting glass art programs - three featuring the works of Dale Chihuly, and many at the same time:

• Franklin Park Conservatory: Chihuly Reimagined (July 4-March 28)

• OSU Urban Arts Space and Hawk Galleries: BIGG: Breakthrough Ideas in Global Glass (July 10-Oct. 10)

• Upper Arlington’s Concourse Gallery: Melting Pot (July 22-Aug. 21)

• Columbus Museum of Art: Chihuly Illuminated (Sept. 25-July 4)

• Hawk Galleries: Chihuly XIV (Oct. 2-Jan. 31)

• The King Arts Complex: African Art: Tradition and Influence (Nov. 12-Dec. 15)

• Glass Axis : glass workshops (ongoing)

This weekend, the anticipated Chihuly Reimagined opens at the Franklin Park Conservatory . The Conservatory’s entire collection of Chihuly glasswork is on display throughout the facility, along with three brand new installations.

I was lucky enough to preview the exhibit and it definitely lives up to the hype. The contrast of the bold Chihuly glass among lush foliage is spectacular. My two favorites were the hundreds of blue reeds in the courtyard and a rowboat upstairs in the showhouse that is filled with gorgeous purple and blue glass.

Chihuly’s Blue Reeds
at Franklin Park Conservatory

Although most pieces have been on display at the Conservatory before, some of the work has been positioned differently, changing the light and bringing a fresh perspective. For instance, the Persian Ceiling is now in the Himalayan zone. It’s in two sections that are much closer to eye level, so you can see parts you never noticed before.

Next week, the OSU Urban Arts Space in the old Lazarus building and Hawk Galleries (a few blocks away at the corner of Main and Fourth streets) open a really intriguing exhibit of international glass artists entitled BIGG: Breakthrough Ideas in Global Glass . This is juried exhibition of master-level artists (or the equivalent in their country) and really represents the future of glass art.

On July 22, Melting Pot opens at the Concourse Gallery, followed by the rest . . .

For details on each exhibition and photos, visit GlassArt365.com .