Foreigner, the official Blues Brothers Revue, Bobby McFerrin and the Broadway tour of Annie lead the parade of stellar shows for the 2016-17 Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College.
The eclectic season, which will present more than 30 performances in the Carlsen Center’s Yardley Hall and Polsky Theatre, will take you from Puccini’s La Bohème and a musical play called Everybody’s Hero: The Jackie Robinson Story to Jazz 100, which celebrates the 100th birthdays of Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Mongo Santamaria and Thelonious Monk. Also on the schedule is chamber ensemble Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
Basetrack Live, the season opener on Oct. 9, is a work of documentary theatre about a young Marine who went to Afghanistan and then returned to wife and family. The New York Times named it one of the top 10 performances in 2014. Winter holiday shows will feature the Ten Tenors performing “Home for the Holidays,” and the return of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain in a zany night of uke jams.
You’ll also find other favorites. Garrison Keillor will take to the road after retiring from his radio show, A Prairie Home Companion, for a one-man retrospective on poetry, Lutherans and his hometown, Lake Wobegon. The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival will appear for a script-in-hand performance of The Tempest, one of their “25 for the 25th,” that celebrates the festival’s anniversary season.
This season features a strategic combination of world music, contemporary dance, Native American flute, some Muppets and mariachis to provide an exciting mix of diverse performances with something for all ages.
Special this season is a collection of events titled Winterlude. Held on one Sunday evening in October, December, January and February, Winterlude shines the spotlight on local jazz and world musicians, including Joe Cartwright, David Basse, and Beau Bledsoe and his ensemble, Alaturka. Local performers who make up the Bach Aria Soloists plus guest artists also will be featured in Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier’s Tale).
Season ticket packages and tickets for individual shows are available. Purchases of five events or more are 10 percent off. Receive an additional five percent discount if you become a member of Friends of the Series by adding $50 or more to your season ticket order. For more information, call 913-469-4445 or visit the redesigned website at www.jccc.edu/TheSeries.
–Emily Behrmann
