TOURING SHOWS RETURN TO CITY OPERA HOUSE By Ross Boissoneau A number of national touring acts are coming to downtown Traverse City as the City Opera House returns to business as (almost) normal. Events like the TCNewTech Pitch and Networking nights and presentations by National Writers Series and artists like May Erlewine have brought crowds back, and now, for its 2021-22 season, the COH has lined up an impressive roster of performers from across the country — and the continent — to entertain live audiences inside the 1892-built gem. “We want to keep live shows going,” says Christine Guitar, COH’s director of development and marketing. They also want audiences to feel safe; in line with CDC guidelines, attendees will be asked to bring masks to the shows. Certain acts may require additional safeguards; the Accidentals, for example, are requiring attendees to provide proof of vaccination at their shows Sept. 29 and 30.
THE MUSIC OF THE (OPENING) NIGHT
Vocalist Franc D’Ambrosio This season’s Performing Art series kicks off Oct. 15 with a show by famous vocalist Franc D’Ambrosio. While D’Ambrosio has studied with Luciano Pavarotti, worked with Barry Manilow for the production of Copacabana, and performed a slew of other musical roles on and off Broadway, he’s best known for his iconic portrayal in (and as) the Phantom of the Opera, a role he played for nearly seven years. (A lesser known but equally impressive role film lovers will appreciate: D’Ambrosio played Anthony Corleone, the opera-singing son of Al Pacino and Diane Keaton’s characters in the seventime Academy Award-nominated film Godfather III.) For local audiences, he’ll perform his acclaimed one-man show, “Broadway: Beyond the Chandelier,” which will include songs from Phantom and other beloved Broadway musicals, as well as current hits and popular show tunes. Because D’Ambrosio is also dedicated to providing arts education, Guitar says the vocalist will also work with local students, hosting a master class prior to the performance and inviting some students to sing with him.
RAWRRRR! Dinosaur World Live Ever encountered a T-Rex up close? You’ll have your chance at Dinosaur World Live on Feb. 4, where kids will meet Miranda, the daughter of paleontologists, who grew up surrounded by various dinos on a mysterious island somewhere off the coast of South America. She brings some of them with her, including a tyrannosaurus, triceratops and others brought to life by a crew of puppeteers. “It’s really fun for the little ones,” says Guitar. But hey, you don’t have to be little to love dinosaurs
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GERIATRIC FUN FOR ALL Assisted Living: The Musical On Oct. 29, COH welcomes the denizens of Pelican Roost for a musical journey that celebrates memory loss, joint pain, and hearing aids. Guitar says the vaudeville-esque revue will be fun for the whole family. JAZZ TRIPLE PLAY Hot Club of San Francisco, Branford Marsalis, Alicia Olatuja Three different facets of jazz will be represented, starting with Hot Club of San Francisco’s holiday show “Cool Yule” on Dec. 10. You’ve likely never heard “Carol of the Bells” or “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” played in the style of Django Reinhardt — but with the Hot Club you’ll get that and more. Saxophonist Branford Marsalis (Feb. 24) is a three-time Grammy winner and was nominated for a 2021 Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special for his work on the History Channel’s Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre. Marsalis also created the score for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the story of blues singer Ma Rainey starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman. Vocalist Alicia Olatuja presents the work of female composers such as Sade, Tracy Chapman, and Kate Bush with her album and show Intuition: Songs from the Minds of Women on March 3. Olatuja first came to prominence with her performance at President Obama’s second inauguration.
Branford Marsalis
