There’s big names and big fun this weekend in entertainment around Greater Columbus — and beyond, in the case of a Cleveland appearance by actor Mandy Patinkin on Sunday.
Patinkin’s discussion and Q&A session isn’t the only star turn taking place. On the home front, you can chuckle at the dry sarcasm of David Spade, or rock out with Journey at Value City Arena, were they will perform Saturday with opening act Toto.
Looking to do something with the kids? Check out COSI’s Science Festival or the Columbus Symphony’s “Hip! Hop! Celebrate!” which features selections from “The Nutcracker” and “Frozen.”
If it’s a more grown-up activity you seek, try the annual “Taste of Granville” event, where you can enjoy the wares of local restaurants and sip on a selection of more than 50 beers and wines.
These are just a few options to get you started on a fun-tastic weekend. Read on for more happenings in the area.
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David Spade, the master of sarcasm
Comedian-actor-writer David Spade, a “Saturday Night Live” cast member in the 1990s, has appeared in the ensemble cast of the long-running TV sitcoms “Just Shoot Me!” and “Rules of Engagement” and starred or co-starred in many movies, including “Grown Ups,” “Tommy Boy,” “Joe Dirt,” “The Benchwarmers” and “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.” Spade, known for his sarcasm and self-deprecation, will perform his standup act at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St. Tickets cost $45 to $65 at CBUSArts Ticket Center (614-469-0939, www.cbusarts.com)
Paying tribute to musical gurus
Evolution Theatre Company will launch its 2022 season with “The Musical of Musicals, The Musical,” the popular off-Broadway hit offering five tuneful but satirical musical vignettes affectionately parodying the distinctive style of different masters of the form — from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Performances are at 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. May 4-5 and 8 p.m. May 6-7 at the Abbey Theater of Dublin, 5600 Post Road, Dublin. Tickets cost $15 to $35. (614-233-1124, www.evolutiontheatre.org)
Good eats and drinks in Granville
This weekend, take a trip to get a taste of Granville. From 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, the annual “Taste of Granville” event will return to the Bryn Du Mansion and Field House, 537 Jones Road, Granville. Participating restaurants, markets, caterers and food artisans include the Granville Inn, Visionary Meals, Weathervane Kettle Corn and Whit’s Frozen Custard. In between bites, sip on a selection of more than 50 beers and wines and listen to music courtesy of Tom Carroll and Flo & Stan. Tickets start at $50. (www.tasteofgranville.org)
Patinkin and Grody live in Cleveland
Audiences who loved him in the movie “The Princess Bride,” heard him on the cast recording of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park With George” or watched him regularly on the TV show “Homeland” can now ask Mandy Patinkin anything they want. At 7 p.m. Sunday, Patinkin and his wife, actress Kathryn Grody, will participate in a discussion at Case Western Reserve’s Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center, 1855 Ansel Road, Cleveland. Kevin S. Adelstein, the president, publisher and CEO of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, will moderate, with questions from the audience to follow. Tickets cost $60. The event will also be livestreamed for $18.(www.case.edu, www.clevelandjewishnews.com/patinkin/)
Strings and soprano to perform in Columbus
An acclaimed string quartet and a beloved soprano will team up this weekend in the Columbus classical-music scene. At 7 p.m. Saturday in the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St., the Brentano String Quartet — featuring violist Misha Amory, cellist Nina Lee and violinists Serena Canin and Mark Steinberg — will accompany soprano Dawn Upshaw, a veteran of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, in a new work by composer Melinda Wagner. Other baroque works will be performed by the quartet alone. Tickets cost $20 to $60. (www.chambermusiccolumbus.org)
COSI Science Festival is back in person
Following two years of virtual editions, the COSI Science Festival will resume as an in-person event on May 4-7, with programming set for locations throughout Greater Columbus. Activities will include “Play With Fire!,” a glassmaking program for ages 4 and older, from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and next Thursday, May 5, at Glass Axis; “Underwater and Solar Robotics,” offering up-close views of underwater robotics, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. May 5-6 at the Della School of Coding and Design; a talk on pollination; an escape-room adventure tied to math problems; and more. (www.cosiscifest.org)
Kids’ classical concert
Help encourage classical music appreciation in the little ones in your life by attending a family concert offered by the Columbus Symphony at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St. Under the baton of Assistant Conductor Andres Lopera, the program “Hip! Hop! Celebrate!” will include selections from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” and the animated movie “Frozen.” The concert is aimed at children between ages 2 and 9; pre-concert activities begin at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $12.50, or free for age 16 and younger. (www.columbussymphony.com)
Journey and Toto coming to Value City Arena
Hit-makers Journey, who have been going strong since 1973 with songs like “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Any Way You Want It,” and “Separate Ways,” will make a stop at Value City Arena at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Expect a band that has been re-formed numerous times since its origins, including subtractions and additions while on the road, and don’t anticipate much in the way of new musical numbers. Opening will be fellow ’70s veterans Toto, best-known for “Africa.” (614-688-3939, www.schottensteincenter.com)
Let’s get Swifty
Taylor Swift may not be dropping by Columbus any time soon, but fans can spend a night indulging in her music starting at 8 p.m. Saturday at Mirrorball: An All Taylor Swift Dance Party at the Ace of Cups, 2619 N. High St. Get decked out and join fellow Swifties for an evening of all Taylor, all the time in an event that invites attendees to “grab your red lipstick and heart sunglasses and shake it off at the party.” The event will work its way through Swift’s catalog under a disco ball, with no breaking of the mood by other musicians. Tickets for the over-18 event are $15. (www.aceofcupsbar.com)
Travel back to Viking times
Want to spend the weekend as a Viking? Garb up if you like, and head to the Ashville Viking Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Walnut and Station streets in Ashville. Over the weekend, watch a full-combat jousting match, spend time with re-enactors from various eras, check out the Viking ship, sample homemade root beer as well as beer, mead, and a vast variety of food, meet authors and investigate the silent auction. Admission is free, but food pantry donations are welcome. (https://bit.ly/3LbBSG1)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Best Bets: 10 things to do this weekend in Columbus, Ohio