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“When I was watching these acts it occurred that each has a different story to tell. Each is a showstopper and thought that would be a great name for this series,” said Tim Rowe, Arts Council Executive Director. “Whether it’s the style or familiarity of the artist, that’s why we use the word showstoppers. It kept coming up with these acts.”
The season will begin Oct. 21 with The Carpenters Tribute featuring Michelle Whited with special guest comedian Dan St. Paul. The late Karen Carpenter and brother Richard were one of the most successful pop duos of the 1970s, creating 12 top 10 hits.
“Karen Carpenter is a hard singer to find a sound-alike for and Michelle has done that,” Rowe said. “The live band plays to perfection and there will be comedy to open the show.”
The annual holiday concert, Midtown Men — Holiday Hits on Dec. 2 will see the return of the four stars of the original cast of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys,” who performed to a near sellout crowd here in 2013.
The group will perform an original Christmas song as well as traditional favorites. A special dessert bar in the lobby before the show will add to the spirit.
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Two of the biggest hits of the last couple seasons have been tribute acts to early pioneers of rock and roll – “Presley, Perkins, Lewis and Cash: A Night to Remember” and “Orbison and the Everly Brothers Reimagined.” The musical chameleons who starred in those shows will return Feb. 10 with “The Music of Waylon, Willie, Cash: Outlaws and Highwaymen.“
“These shows were very well received by our audiences and had the people on their feet before intermission. That’s unusual,” said Rowe, who suggests to purchase tickets for this early as they’ll likely go quick.
Another time of the year that puts people in a festive mood is St. Patrick’s Day. The Celtic Tenors will set the pace on Friday, March 16.
A lot of Celtic acts are available, Rowe said, but the world-class talent of this group stood out. They only tour here a month out of the year away from Europe.
He’s been trying to book them for four years and said their classical tenor repertoire will make the wait worthwhile. Complimentary hors d’ oeuvres, a cash bar and green beer will be added for the show.
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The season will end with a big party on April 28 with “Glen Burtnik’s Summer of Love: Recreating the Music of the Woodstock Era.”
Burtnik, a former member of Styx and the original cast of Beatlemania, has 12 musicians to bring the variety of rock that made that era special, from the Beatles and Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane.
Series season tickets will go on sale June 19 at the Clark State PAC ticket office and single tickets will be available on July 31.
In addition, the Arts Council is working on a mini series of three shows at the John Legend Theater, Rowe said. Subscribers will have the first choice of seats for all three show, although it will not be a part of the season.
The shows will be announced in August. An additional special guest will also be announced in November in a co-presentation with Clark State. It also will not be a part of the regular season.
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This season, the Arts Council has brought back a former tagline – Great Entertainment Series. It replaces the Broadway and Beyond tagline featured for the past 12 years, including the past two in partnership with Clark State for touring Broadway shows, splitting expenses and income.
Rowe said even with that arrangement, the Broadway shows were the Arts Council’s most expensive productions such as fees for the show, crew, renting the Kuss Auditorium and marketing and have no sponsors to offset those costs.
Of the six such shows they did last season, two made small profits and the others resulted in losses for the Arts Council.
“This was a conscious decision from our board. We’re taking a break a break from Broadway shows to reassess and address our mission of reaching the most people,” Rowe said.
Broadway shows will still be presented at the Performing Arts Center as part of Clark State’s season and will be announced soon.
For more information, call the Clark State box office at 937-328-3874 or go to www.SpringfieldArtsCouncil.org.
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