April Filled With Epic Stories, Music at Tulsa PAC
Special from the PAC
THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE: Celebrity Attractions brings the coming-of-age tale “Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage” April 11-16.
Spring is here, and with it the Tulsa Performing Arts Center is excited to welcome new and familiar entertainment to T-Town. Here’s a look at what’s in store for the month.
Set in a time-bending, darkly comic world between heaven and hell, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot reexamines the plight and fate of the Bible’s most infamous and unexplained sinner. This thought-provoking work by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis tells the story of a court case over the ultimate fate of the disciple who betrayed his friend and teacher to the authorities. Lawyers call for the testimonies of such witnesses as Mother Teresa, Sigmund Freud and Satan. Theatre Pops presents the drama April 1-2 and 6-9 in Liddy Doenges Theatre.
One of New Zealand’s leading contemporary dance companies, Black Grace was founded in 1995 by dancer/choreographer Neil Ieremia. Drawing from his Samoan and New Zealand roots, Ieremia creates innovative, highly physical dance works, rich in the storytelling traditions of the South Pacific and expressed with raw finesse, unique beauty and power. Featuring some of New Zealand’s finest dancers, the company has toured to Europe, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Australia and New Caledonia. The Choregus Productions show comes to Chapman Music Hall April 1.
Descending from the great Russian musical tradition, the Hermitage Piano Trio is distinguished by its exuberant musicality, interpretative range and sumptuous sound. For their first appearance in Tulsa, pianist Ilya Kazantsev, cellist Sergey Antonov and violinist Misha Keylin have selected a dramatic and passionate program. Traditional compositions include Rachmaninoff’s “Trio Élégiaque” No. 1 in G Minor and Shostakovich’s Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op 67. The trio will also perform Rimsky-Korsakov’s seldom-heard Trio in C Minor, which features some of the most beautiful and sublime moments in Russian music. Chamber Music Tulsa presents this unique show April 1 in John Williams Theatre.
Tulsa Camerata, Tulsa’s own chamber music ensemble, returns to the Trust’s Brown Bag It series with a pair of quintets that evoke dreams of a lost past and hopes for a better future. The program includes excerpts from Osvaldo Golijov’s klezmer-inspired Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind and the nostalgic Clarinet Quintet of Johannes Brahms. This free show is April 5 at 12:10 p.m.
Tulsa Oratorio Chorus joins Tulsa Symphony for a work that became the central and longest work of Johannes Brahms’ career, the German Requiem. Unconvinced of man’s afterlife, Brahms composed this work after the deaths of his mother and his beloved friend and fellow composer Robert Schumann. “Ein Deutsches Requiem” was not intended as a mass for the dead like the ones his contemporaries and earlier composers had written but instead as a work of consolation for those left behind. James Bagwell is guest conductor for this concert happening April 8 in Chapman Music Hall.
Running April 11-16, come have the time of your life when Celebrity Attractions presents “Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage.” Seen by millions across the globe, this worldwide smash hit tells the classic story of Baby and Johnny, two fiercely independent young spirits from different worlds who come together in what will be the most challenging and triumphant summer of their lives. This show features the hit songs “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey Baby,” “Do You Love Me?” and the heart-stopping “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”
Bollywood and Beyond is a unique concert experience presenting three interrelated, yet distinct, musical concepts: Bollywood by legendary playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti; global fusion by violin icon Dr. L. Subramaniam; and contemporary world music comprising elements of pop, rock and jazz fused with traditional Indian music by SubraMania (Bindu and Ambi Subramaniam). The concert features popular Bollywood numbers, soulful compositions and virtuosic violin playing. The Chicago World Music Festival calls Dr. L. Subramaniam “arguably the greatest violinist in the history of Indian music.” South Asian Performing Arts Foundation presents this unique show April 14 in John Williams Theatre.
The Argentine-based company Che Malambo excites audiences through precise footwork and rhythmic stomping, drumming of the bombos, singing, and whirling boleadoras (lassos with stones on the end). Presenting a thrilling, percussive dance and music spectacle, the company’s work celebrates the unique South American cowboy tradition of the gaucho. This powerhouse all-male company of 14 gauchos is directed by French choreographer and former ballet dancer Gilles Brinas. Che Malambo brings fiery Malambo traditions and virtuosic dancing to the contemporary stage for an exhilarating and entertaining show that is perfect for the entire family. Choregus Productions brings the show April 18 to Chapman Music Hall.
“Annie Get Your Gun,” presented by Sand Springs Community Theatre, is a fictionalized version of the life of American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926). When Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show visits Cincinnati, he persuades Annie to join his circus-like attraction, where she falls head over heels for dashing shooting ace Frank Butler, who headlines the show. Annie quickly eclipses Butler as the main attraction, which, while good for business, is bad for romance. Butler leaves to join a rival show but is ultimately pitted against Annie in a final shoot-out. This 1946 hit musical by siblings Dorothy Fields and Herbert Fields includes several well-known songs by Irving Berlin, including “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun,” and “Anything You Can Do.” The classic musical comes to John H. Williams Theatre April 20-29.
The Reverb Play Festival, presented by Echo Theatre Company, features new works that deal with dangerous subjects written by dangerous playwrights. Reverb showcases works that seek to change the world for the better by providing a stage for underrepresented voices in our society. Echo Theatre Company focuses on work that is global in scope, socially conscious in substance, and educational in outlook. The Reverb Play Festival broadens Echo’s commitment to theatre as an agent of change. The festival runs April 21-23 in Liddy Doenges Theatre.
Tulsa Town Hall presents recent ambassador to Russia and former National Security Council member Michael A. McFaul April 21 in Chapman Music Hall. During McFaul’s distinguished career in the political and academic arenas, he has earned a reputation as one of the most renowned experts on foreign affairs. Prior to his ambassadorship, McFaul served as the special assistant to President Obama and senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs at the National Security Council. McFaul is a professor of political science at his alma mater, Stanford University. A Rhodes Scholar, he completed his PhD in International Relations in 1991. McFaul also has authored numerous books and works as an analyst for News.
Since the release of his critically acclaimed 2004 CD “When I Fall In Love,” Chris Botti has become the largest-selling American instrumental artist. His success has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music, and his ongoing association with has led to four No. 1 jazz albums. His 2013 recording “Impressions” won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Over the past three decades, Botti has recorded and performed with the best in music, including Sting, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Bublé, Paul Simon and more. 35 Concerts presents this jazz sensation April 22 in Chapman Music Hall.
Returning to Tulsa, Lysander Piano Trio is excited to present an unusual program of Mediterranean music, including music by Enrique Granados, one of Spain’s most colorful composers. They will also present a very romantic work by the Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who found refuge in Hollywood during World War II and helped shape the sound of movies while teaching the likes of John Williams. The trio, presented by Chamber Music Tulsa, comes to John H. Williams Theatre April 30.
And in the Gallery this month is artist Michael Knigin, presented by the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. “Remembrance 2000,” in the gallery April 5-27, is a series of images commemorating both dead and living heroes of the Holocaust.
Tickets for all events are available by calling the Tulsa ticket office at 918-596-7111 or online at TulsaPAC.com. You can also check out the latest news on your favorite social media platform.
Updated 04-04-2017
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