And Another One Still About Playhouse Square

     Page Two Hundred-Thirteen.
     I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog some of the stuff which will be coming soon to Playhouse Square. This season (2013-14) is almost over, but you can still catch: Flashdance; Jersey Boys; Green Day's American Idiot (all 3 are Broadway's traveling shows); Shakespeare's As You Like It; A lecture by Bob Woodward; Jessica Lang Dance Company; Pinocchio; Ethan Bortnick; Eddie Izzard; The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra; Rent; Tracy Morgan; Elvis Costello; Beck and a couple dozen other things.
     And then Playhouse Square's major events this summer will be lots of entertainment by and about the International Gay Games. The Gay Games will be in Cleveland this summer and the entire city is getting gussied up and rolling out the red carpet for that*.
     Some of the entertainment for 2014-15 which has already been announced includes: Motown The Musical; Dirty Dancing; Disney's Newsies; Kinky Boots; Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella; Pippin; White Christmas (all previous shows are Broadway's traveling versions); The Little Foxes; Five Guys Named Moe; A Christmas Story, Stomp, I Love Lucy Live and probably another 100 or so things.
     Seriously, I bet I could go down to Playhouse Square 100 nights per year and see something different. If that's an exaggeration it's not intentional. And almost all of those things would be superior or good quality. Not everything is good of course. Over the years, I've occasionally gone down and seen some things which were just terrible. I mean awful. But at least I got out of the apartment and ate a hot pretzel. Getting out to see a dreadful show and eating a hot pretzel is still better than sitting home, watching TV and inhaling stale air.

*The International Gay Games are essentially a gay version of the Olympics. They began in the 1980's and now attract over 10,000 athletes; the majority of them are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender  but some are Heterosexual. The Games will be in Paris in 2018.

Another One About Playhouse Square

     Page Two Hundred-Twelve.
     Recently, Tuesday evening April 1st to be exact, I went down to Playhouse Square to attend

Artist's Rendering

 opening night of Broadway's Flashdance which is currently touring the country. It was good, not spectacular, but good. Honestly, I've seen better plays in my life, but also many which were far worse. I think it would warrant a 6 on a 1-10 scale. But that's  beside the point. As usual, I treated myself to a hot pretzel. Then, as I was leaving, all the leftover, unsold hot pretzels were left out for theater goers to take with them for free if desired. I took 2. They're in my fridge right now waiting desperately, nay anxiously, to be eaten.
     I'm glad to see that the Cleveland Powers That Be are finally exploiting our Playhouse Square. Here it is, the 2nd largest concentration of theaters, stages and seats in North America and nobody outside of Cleveland knows about it. (There are probably some people in Cleveland who don't realize it.) Well that's about to change. They're doing some audacious streetscaping to put it on the map. Right now they're in the process of erecting 4, large, permanent steel archways proclaiming "Playhouse Square" over each avenue into the district. They've already installed 10 feet high TV screens above each major marquees on the north side of the street to advertise the corresponding show in that theater. Soon, they'll be installing "Playhouse Square" in 9 feet high - 48 feet long, letters atop one of the buildings. There are already a couple of news tickers, but I guess they'll be installing more. Then, the coup de gras: according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest, permanent, outdoor chandelier in the world will be strung up smack dab in the middle of  Playhouse Square's primary intersection. Yeah, right. You heard me. Is somebody high?

Artist's Rendering

      General Electric has specifically designed this chandelier to allegedly survive a Cleveland, Ohio winter. This I gotta see. GE's lighting research facility is in Cleveland, a 7 minute drive from my apartment as a matter of fact. So you'd figure they'd know about our winters. Can you even imagine all those tiny little crystal tears crying because they're cold and lonely and just wanna go home? Lord help us.
     The chandelier will be installed in a few weeks. The concrete and steel support system is already up. Then on May 2nd, after everything is finished there will be a special celebration with fireworks and the whole shebang.
     So the next time you're here, in Cleveland, having surgery at one of the hospitals, going to a game, saying Hi! to the Beatles at the Rock Hall, or what have you, take in a show at Playhouse Square. Heaven knows there's no way you'll miss it (for the first time in it's 90 year history).