March Brings Music, Theatre and Mia Farrow to the PAC
By NANCY HERMANN
TOWN HALL: Actress Mia Farrow speaks about her humanitarian work and 50-year career at the next Tulsa Town Hall, Mar. 14.
Courtesy Tulsa PAC
There is more to see and do in Tulsa than one can possibly keep up with, but if you are an arts person, or just curious, I hope you have a chance to attend Tulsa Opera’s Elmer Gantry, Feb. 28 and Mar. 2. This Grammy Award-winning American opera, based on the 1926 novel by Sinclair Lewis, showcases extraordinary talent. I believe this production will be a landmark for Tulsa Opera.
The month of March also leads off with Theatre North’s The Mountaintop Feb. 28-March 8. The two-person play premiered in 2009 and is recommended for mature audiences. It features the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Justin Daniel) and a mysterious woman (Whitney Davis) who engages the Civil Rights leader at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis the night before his death. The drama is a reflective piece in which Dr. King talks about his life and unfulfilled dreams. Dr. Rodney L. Clark directs.
American Theatre Company returns to the with [title of show]. Yes, that’s the name of it. Essentially, it’s a musical about writing a musical in which young, struggling writers are racing against a deadline. Catch the show Mar. 7-15. Hunter Bell, who wrote it and starred in it on Broadway, will be at the theatre following the performances on Mar. 7-8 to talk and answer questions about his Tony-nominated musical. Jana Ellis directs.
The New Genre Festival’s Acts of Absence March 7-8 combines dance, music and digital media performance and features the award-winning Hentai Improvising Orchestra. The evening explores ideas of connections, absence, space and change. Improvisation and spontaneity are key in this stimulating program, presented by Living Arts.
I had the privilege of interviewing Mia Farrow in advance of her upcoming Tulsa visit. Our chat took place during the vortex of controversy surrounding the Farrow family. Thankfully, her scheduled talk is centered on her humanitarian work, so I didn’t have to (and didn’t want to) wade into issues related to paternity or family trauma. She was warm and candid and spoke to me about her husbands, Frank Sinatra and André Previn, and her friends Martin Sheen and Salvador Dalí. Now there is a mix of people, and that’s not half her story! I know we’ll be fascinated by her Tulsa Town Hall presentation on March 14.
We go from Mia Farrow to Patti Page on March 16. Flipside: The Patti Page Story recounts the life of the Claremore native and Webster High graduate who sang on Radio in Tulsa and had a megawatt career. Two actresses portray Patti at different stages of her life, singing 28 of the pop/country singer’s tunes. This award-winning show made box-office history off-Broadway. It is presented in Tulsa by the Trust.
If you saw Brian Rattlingourd’s in Of Mice and Men, you will make it a point to see his portrayal of Colonel Jessup (the Jack Nicholson role) in Theatre Tulsa’s A Few Good Men March 21-30. Jarrod Kopp directs Aaron Sorkin’s script about a military trial, which also features Brittainy Boyer and Mitch Adams.
Elias String Quartet takes the stage Mar. 23. Chamber Music Tulsa Executive Director Bruce Sorrell shared his enthusiasm for the group and why the foursome caught the eye of . “We loved their live recording of concerts from London’s Wigmore Hall. We were particularly intrigued by their approach to a complete Beethoven cycle,” says Sorrell. The group also will present a lecture/demonstration at Harwelden Mansion on Friday evening, Mar. 21 titled “Emotion in Beethoven.”
Ragtime for Tulsa presents Dual Ragtime Piano with Bryan Wright and Dalton Ridenhour, Mar. 25, and the Center for Poets and Writers at -Tulsa brings Kathryn Stockett, the writer of The Help to the March 27.
Two shows with immense family appeal close out March. The Trust hosts The Snail and the Whale March 28 and the Tulsa Children’s Museum presents two performances of the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band March 30.
Drop by our place — it’s your place, really. Take advantage of all that your Performing Arts Center has to offer.
Nancy Hermann is the Director of Marketing at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.
Updated 03-06-2014
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