The Arts Issue | Season Preview
Recitals at the Betty Van Andel Opera Center: Winterreise, Jan. 14 Shakespeare Songs, Mar. 3 String Quartet #1, Apr. 14 Westside Story, May 20 & 22
Van Singel Fine Arts Center 8500 Burlingame SW, Byron Center vsfac.com, (616) 878-6800
America’s favorite musical family, The Willis Clan, kicks off the new season in October at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center. Fans will be able to see the clan present their Irish roots by combining music and dance on stage. Other shows for the season include Driving Miss Daisy and Cool Jazz with the Byron Center Jazz Ensembles. Arrival from Sweden features music from ABBA, known for ‘70s pop hits like “Dancing Queen.” The Willis Clan, Oct. 18 Driving Miss Daisy, Mar. 31 Cool Jazz with the Byron Center Jazz Ensembles, Apr. 29 Arrival from Sweden featuring the music of ABBA, Apr. 3
Wharton Center for Performing Arts
Schedule | Dining | sights | Sounds Scene
750 E. Shaw Ln., East Lansing whartoncenter.com, (517) 353-1982
40 | REVUEWM.COM | September 2015
East Lansing’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts’ 2015-2016 season has nine Broadway blockbusters, a handful of superstars premiering at the venue and a few brand-new titles — making it totally worth a road trip to the campus of Michigan State University. This September, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Tony Award winner Cinderella will take the stage. The production is a contemporary approach on the classic tale and will surely delight all ages. Crowd favorites are also back as Jersey Boys and Book of Mormon return to the Wharton Center. The season also includes great hits and classics like Dirty Dancing, Sound of Music, Motown the Musical and a night with Kristin Chenoweth. Eugene Jarecki, Sept. 16 Cinderella, Sept. 22-27 Lang Lang, Sept. 28 Baltimore, Oct. 2-11 Bill Maher, Oct. 10 Jersey Boys, Oct.13-18 The National Circus and Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China, Oct. 22 For Tonight, Oct. 23-24 The Stinky Cheese Man, Oct. 25 An Evening with Kristin Chenoweth, Oct. 25 Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr., Nov. 2
Dirty Dancing, Wharton Center Twyla Tharp Dance, Nov. 3 Dirty Dancing, Nov. 10-15 Stage Door, Nov. 13 Hugh Masakela & Larry Willis, Dec. 1 Freshman Showcase: The Money King, Dec. 3-6 Morgan James, Dec. 6 Cirque Dreams Holidaze, Dec. 17-19 Moscow Festival Ballet presents Romeo and Juliet & the Sleeping Beauty, Jan. 8 Valentijn Dhaenens- Big Mouth, Jan. 15 Complexions Contemporary Dance, Jan. 19 Chic Gamine, Jan. 21 And Away We Go, Jan. 22-31 Vocalosity, Jan. 26 Broadway’s Next H!T Musical, Jan. 29 Band of Royal Marines with the Pipes, Drums of the Scots Guard, Jan. 30 The Monster Who Ate My Peas, Jan. 31 Bobby McFerrin, Feb. 6 Sound of Music, Feb. 9-14 The Hollywood Concert Orchestra presents A Night at the Oscars, Feb. 17 An Evening with Savion Glover & Jack Dejohnette, Feb. 19 Pride and Prejudice, Feb. 19-28 Re Entry, Feb. 26-27 Peter Rabbit Tales, Feb. 27 Elisabeth L. Rosenthal, Feb. 29 The Chieftains, Mar. 3 Skippy Jon Jones- Snow What, Mar. 12 Motown the Musical, Mar. 15-20 Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Mar. 21 Mack Avenue Superband, Mar. 29 Riverdance, Apr. 1-3 Naomi Klein, Apr. 4 Zakir Hussain, Apr. 5 Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars Concert, Apr. 13 Grease, Apr. 15-24 Matilda the Musical, Apr. 19-24 Bria Skonberg, Apr. 27 The Bridges of Madison County, May 19-22 The Book of Mormon, June 14-19