Tulsa PAC Kicks Off Its 40th Anniversary Season
Show Buzz by NANCY HERMANN
Disney’s Newsies: The musical is loosely based on the New York City Newsboys Strike of 1899 and highlights the heroism of those who stand up for what is right.
Courtesy Tulsa PAC
The PAC’s 40th anniversary season is big, varied and promises to be one of the most exciting ever.
Closing out August are three musicals that continue into September: Theatre Tulsa’s companion productions of “Oklahoma!” and “The Will Rogers Follies,” and Theatre Pops’ “Heathers.” Hardly missing a beat Sept. 9-18 is Tulsa Project Theatre’s “The Who’s Tommy.” This poignant, touching musical is a tad dark and every bit a rock- music experience. It won five Tony Awards in 1993 with hit numbers like “See Me, Feel Me” and “Pinball Wizard.”
Tulsa Symphony continues its 10th anniversary celebration Sept. 10 with Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell. One of the biggest names in classical music overall, Bell performs during a concert featuring Strauss’s “Don Juan,” De Falla’s “The Three-Cornered Hat” and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.
Chamber Music Tulsa kicks off a thrilling season that will include the Beethoven Winter Festival in February, but first up is the Dover Quartet. The New Yorker called this group “the young string quartet of the moment.” Slated for this Sept. 11 concert are works by Mozart, C. Shaw and Smetana.
Since it was announced that Disney’s “Newsies” was coming to the , I’ve heard how much people loved the “Newsies” movie that Disney released in 1992. That same story, told through music, is about dauntless newspaper boys who face down publishing giants Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. Celebrity Attractions presents this Tulsa premiere Sept. 14-18.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview Soledad O’Brien last month. She is intelligent and genuine. Her documentaries are revelations. I enjoyed seeing her as a newscaster on for several years and appreciated her boots-on-the-ground coverage of some of the world’s most cataclysmic disasters. She opens Tulsa Town Hall’s 82nd season on Sept. 23. Congratulations go to Tulsa Town Hall for selling out its entire season of subscriptions!
Arguably, playwright David Mamet’s masterpiece is the drama “Glengarry Glen Ross,” which covers two days of hell in the lives of four real estate agents. Few are buying what they are hoping to sell, and the competition has everyone at each other’s throats. Acting alert! I would see anything featuring the talents of Brian Rattlingourd and Will Carpenter, among others, in a stellar cast. Theatre Tulsa presents this thrilling piece of theatre Sept. 23-Oct. 2.
If you caught the closing ceremony at the Olympics, you will have seen Brazil’s Grupo Corpo. Choregus Productions presents the company for one performance only Sept. 25. Twenty-two dancers evoke the diversity, rich colors and passionate rhythms of Brazil, combining classical ballet with Latin dance.
More Broadway comes our way this month with the charming, romantic “Once.” Definitely, once is not enough to savor this beautiful love song of a musical with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. It won eight 2012 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Celebrity Attractions hosts the show Sept. 27-28.
The Trust presents their Imagination Series every year with quality children’s theatre provided by outstanding troupes from the U.S. and Europe. First up is “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters” Sept. 30. This is the story, based on the Award-winning Caldecott book, about an African King looking for a wife and a man with two daughter-prospects. There’s vibrant dancing and original music, brought to Tulsa by Dallas Children’s Theatre.
Free, open to the public and well worth your while this month is jazz artist Dean Demerritt performing with his trio at Brown Bag It on Sept. 7. Arranged and funded by the Trust, Brown Bag It concerts are informal and staged in the acoustically wonderful Westby Pavilion. Bring your lunch!
Complementing the musical “Newsies” is a show in our Gallery that we’re excited about titled “World Tour: Front Pages, Photographs and Advertisements from the Tulsa World Archives.” Stop by to view the exhibit Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and during Chapman Music Hall events.
Help us get the PAC’s 40th anniversary season off to a great start. We’re saving you a seat!
Updated 08-29-2016
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