Holidays Launch with Arts and Entertainment
Show Buzz by NANCY HERMANN
TULSA BALLET: The light-hearted “Don Quixote” runs Nov. 3-5 at the Tulsa PAC.
Courtesy Tulsa PAC
November in Tulsa is rich with entertainment. Celebrities, big-name bands and Grammy-winners galore can add variety to your holiday-time planning. And, if the fine arts and family-friendly events are more your style, look no more. Tulsa-area venues comprise a cornucopia of it all.
Tulsa Ballet performs the light-hearted “Don Quixote,” Nov. 3-5 at the Tulsa . Perfect for holiday-time, the ballet is a showcase of great dancing. Anna-Marie Holmes, the choreographer/former dancer who set the piece on Tulsa Ballet, is a world-renowned ballet master and an authority on Russian ballet. Also opening Nov. 3 and playing through Nov. 11 is Theatre Tulsa’s “Amadeus.” I’m looking forward to seeing Tulsa actor Will Carpenter as the Mozart’s menacing competitor, Salieri, and the superb Cody McCoy as Mozart.
Chamber Music Tulsa presents the acclaimed Meccore Quartet, from Poland, Nov. 12, performing works by Haydn, Szymanowski and Schumann. The Sunday afternoon performance will be held in the ’s Westby Pavilion. The Meccore has the distinction of performing their music while standing!
Do you remember Paul Anka? “Put Your Head of My Shoulder”? I associate Anka with that song but not with Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” which Anka wrote. For his River Spirit Paradise Cove appearance, Nov. 3, he’ll sing a range of cover songs, all performed Anka’s way.
Comic Dennis Miller entertains at the Cove that same weekend. ‘What can I tell you?’ You’ll remember Miller best from “Saturday Night Live.” Although he appeared to sway to the left in his “Weekend Update” segments, he is known to have neo-conservative political leanings these days. We’ll see who he’s making jokes about when he lands in Tulsa, Nov. 4.
Hey, hey it’s the Monkee, Micky Dolenz, Nov. 5 at Hard Rock’s The Joint. Five decades have passed since the Monkees grabbed a piece of TV history. Dolenz was a childhood actor who learned to drum for his Monkees’ role. Moreover, he was the voice behind the foursome’s biggest tunes, like “Last Train to Clarksville.” His act will combine Monkees’ songs with other tunes linked to Dolenz’s life story.
The Center hosts three notable music events this month, beginning with Kris Kristofferson, Nov. 6. Did you know he is a Rhodes Scholar, an Army helicopter pilot, a Golden Globe winner and a former boyfriend to Janis Joplin? She and others sang his “Me and Bobby McGee.” He wanted to be a novelist but became a songwriter, penning “Help Me Make It Through The Night,” among many other hits.
Paradise Cove has more music with Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald, Nov. 9. They co-wrote the Grammy-winning “What a Fool Believes.” McDonald sang with Steely Dan and then the Doobie Brothers. Aside from his years making music with Jim Messina, Loggins wrote “Footloose,” “Danger Zone,” “Angry Eyes,” “I’m Alright,” and “Your Mama Don’t Dance.” I expect this show will sell out. Also appearing at River Spirit are Oklahoma’s Swon Brothers, Nov. 11, and the country music cross-over band Alabama, Nov. 17.
Family-time takes center stage in November on several fronts. “PJ Masks Live! Time to Be a Hero,” Nov. 8 at the , is a musical production based on the “PJ Masks” series airing on Disney Junior. It gets wilder at the , Nov. 9, when Celebrity Attractions hosts Jack Hanna’s “Into the Wild Live!” Hannah will tell stories of his adventures, share film footage, and bring live animals with him. Not recommended for the younger set is William Shatner’s “Shatner’s World,” Nov. 4 at the Broken Arrow . What a career he’s had! There are tales to tell in this engaging one-man show featuring Shatner in command once again.
The Grammy-winning American rock band Foo Fighters lands at the Center, Nov. 15, and Katy Perry brings her Witness: The Tour to “rock the ” on Nov. 29. Perry is a mega-star, the first woman in U.S. history to have five number one hits on one album. She and Taylor Swift had a falling out, resulting in Swift’s “Bad Blood” record and Perry’s answer, “Swish, Swish,” which you can hear on her “Witness” album. Look for Perry in a judge’s chair on the 2018 revival of “American Idol.”
Tulsa’s Broadway presenter, Celebrity Attractions, keeps the rocking and gleeful. “Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical” is slated for two shows on Nov. 26, and the long-awaited “Beautiful, The Carol King Musical” runs Nov. 28 through Dec. 3. King’s songs express the heart of an era. Everyone I knew owned her “Tapestry” album in its day. This true-to-life musical tracks King’s rise to fame, incorporating all her hits: “I Feel the Earth Move,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” (You Make me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and so many others.
Entertainment for a range of interests and ages includes puppeteer Terry Fator at The Joint, Nov. 12; the Mabee Center presentation of “Moscow Ballet’s ‘Great Russian’ Nutcracker,” Nov. 24; and “Paw Patrol Live!” at the Center, Nov. 25-26. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, In Concert,” at the Nov. 18-19, features the complete Harry Potter film projected on a giant, high-definition screen while the Tulsa Symphony performs the film’s score. We saw the film “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in this same format last year. The live music makes the action jump off the screen!
I hope you will enjoy this abundance of talent brought to our door. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Updated 11-16-2017
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