The musical, which premiered at Northlight Theatre in Chicago in 2001, is presented in the Schuster Center, Second and Main streets, Dayton, on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 2 and 3. Wright State University musical theater students Ian Benjamin and Kelsey Pohl star as lovers Jamie and Cathy, who each reveal the ins and outs of their five year relationship in independent scenes.
Show time is 8 p.m. both nights. Cost: $20. Call 937-228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com.
2) JORDAN WORLD CIRCUS
“Damn everything but the circus,” E. E. Cummings once wrote. “The average painter, sculptor, poet, composer, playwright is a person who cannot leap through a hoop from the back of a galloping horse, make people laugh with a clown’s mouth, orchestrate 20 lions.” Get a taste of what the famed poet was describing when the Jordan World Circus makes a stop at Hobart Arena, 255 Adams St., Troy, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6. This traveling show features everything from lions, tigers and elephants to aerialists, clowns and daredevils. Cost: Adults $16 advance, $18 day of show. Children 3-12 $12 advance, $14 day of show. Call 937-339-2911 or visit www.hobartarena.com.
3) EDDIE BROOKSHIRE QUINTET
Although he was born in Mississippi, Dayton has been Eddie Brookshire’s home for the most part since he was 6 years old. The bass player has performed blues and funk but he is best known locally as a purveyor of jazz, or as he prefers to call it, African American classical music. Brookshire’s wife, vocalist Brenda Flowers, will once again join his quintet when the group performs at Gilly’s, 132 S. Jefferson St., in Dayton at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3. Cost: $5. Call 937-228-8414 or visit www.gillysjazz.com.
4) CONTRA DANCE PARTY
If you want to get out and work off some of the pesky holiday pounds you packed on the past few weeks, work them off during the contra dance party at the Michael Solomon Pavilion, 2917 Berkley Ave., Kettering, at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2. This offering of the monthly event features the music of the Corndrinkers with Kathy Anderson calling. All ages welcome. No experience is required because the caller teaches all dances during a 7:30 p.m. instructional class. Cost: $7 adults, $5 students with valid ID and free children 12 and younger. Contra dance parties continue monthly through May. Visit www.daytoncontra.org.
5) BRANDT TOBLER
Brandt Tobler was a three-time college dropout in his mid-20s when he finally admitted he didn’t have the focus for a 9-to-5 job. He realized he needed to find a profession where he was his own boss and gave him the ability to make his own hours. Stand-up was the perfect fit for the former junior high and high school class clown. Tobler, a Wyoming native, performs at Wiley’s Comedy Joint, 101 Pine St., Dayton, at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 2 and 3. Cost $15. Call 937-224-5653 or visit www.wileyscomedy.com.
6) NICK MITCHELL
Nick Mitchell is easily one of the busiest musicians in the area, performing more than 300 shows a year, including weekly residencies at Dublin Pub and Harrigan’s Tavern. The human jukebox, who pulls from a repertoire of more than 1,000 rock covers, has another busy year of music ahead of him with multiple weekly residencies and other twice-monthly events. Heck, on any given Friday you can catch Mitchell at Wings Sports Bar, 7209 N. Dixie Drive, Dayton, from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by a performance from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. at Chappy’s Tap Room & Grille, 2733 W. Alex-Bell Road, Miamisburg. To see his full schedule, visit www.skepcat.com.
7) BEER TASTING
Craft beers have been on the rise locally for the past decade or so, but Belmont Party Supply owner Mike Schwartz has been championing specialty beers and imports for 30 years now. Each month, area beer enthusiasts get a chance to learn from the master when Schwartz hosts his popular beer-tasting events at the Trolley Stop, 530 E. Fifth St., Dayton. The latest installment, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, will feature a selection of hand-picked beers for one low price. Cost: $20. Arrive early, because the bar fills up quickly for these tastings. Call 937-461-1101 or visit www.trolleystopdayton.com.
8) WINE AND YOGA
As the New Year begins to unfold in front of us, plenty of Daytonians will be looking to recalibrate their lives in 2015. Wine and Yoga, which pairs moderate yoga for all levels with a sampling of wines, is one way to find a bit of inner peace while also tempting your taste buds. The program, in the Schuster Center’s Wintergarden, Second and Main streets, Dayton, runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. next Thursday, Jan. 8. Cost: $20. Participants must be 21 or older. Call 937-228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com.
9) BLEAK
Hank’s Pub, 2529 Patterson Road, Kettering, has a reputation for booking a wide variety of local talent, from blues groups to cover bands to country rockers and heavy metal acts. On Saturday, Jan. 3, the suburban venue will pair local hard rockers Imbroglio and Enkiridian with Bleak, a hard-charging metal band from Syracuse, N.Y. Bleak is on tour in support of its self-titled EP. Show time is 9 p.m. Cost: free. Call 937-254-7527.
10) BLACK BOX IMPROV
Not too long ago local fans of live improvisational comedy had to make a trip to Chicago or New York to enjoy high quality entertainment created right on the spot. However that changed in 2012 with the opening of Black Box Improv Theater, 518 E. Third St., Dayton. Each Friday and Saturday night, the venue hosts a pair of live improv shows. The long-running Womit 2.0 is presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2, followed by the newer Manikin Hunters at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, shows are Womb Funk at 8 p.m. and Sideways School Bus at 9:30 p.m. Cost: $7 early show, $5 for late show or $10 for both performances. More info: 937-369-0747 or www.daytonblackbox.com.
About the Author