ARTS

from Orange Living Magazine Oct. 2019

RECIPE

Photo by Michael Pool Bandstand at Lutcher Theater Friday, November 8, 2019 – 7:30 p.m.

FRANCES ANN LUTCHER THEATER CELEBRATES 40 YEARS

FFrances Ann Lutcher, with her love of arts and culture, inspired the construction of a new theater in Orange. The same theater, which opened on February 7, 1980 to a sold-out performance by Liberace, is celebrating 40 years of world-class performing arts in Orange. Frances Ann Robinson was born to a Philadelphia tailor in 1840. Her family moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 1857 where she met Henry Jacob Lutcher. The two eloped in January of 1858 when she was just seventeen years old. Their family quickly grew to include two daughters, Miriam and Carrie. Henry, Frances and the girls all worked in a family butcher shop. A profitable deal selling cattle to fellow butchers allowed Henry to invest in a lumber venture and the family left the butcher business behind. The lumber industry grew and eventually the Lutcher & Moore Lumber Company needed a new source of timber. Seeking new strands of pine trees, they found them in East Texas along the Sabine River. The river lead to the Gulf and a worldwide market for their products. The company relocated to Orange. life and community affairs. They enjoyed traveling to Chicago, New York, and Europe.

Photo by Dawn Burleigh Lutcher Theater Inc. Managing Director Lynae Sanford holds the first ticket torn from the first event at the Frances Ann Lutcher Theater in 1980.

Frances Ann joined her husband in Texas in 1877. While she no longer worked in the family business, she often gave advice to her husband. Henry once said “she has steered me clear of many a dangerous snag.” Frances and her daughters became active in Orange social One of Frances Ann’s passions was the theater. She frequently patronized Orange’s early theaters. After one of Orange’s opera houses burned in 1914, Frances contributed over $8,000 to its replacement. Drawings by Jean H. Duffy of New Orleans for an interior design of the opera house remain among her papers. Frances Ann attended a variety of performances over the years. Her ticket purchases included shows like Happy Hooligan, Jewel of Asia, and Taming of the Shrew among others. She also enjoyed shows while on holiday and abroad. In 1924 at the age of 84, Frances Ann Lutcher passed away while in New York City.

The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation began building a new theater in the 1970s, and knew that few would have enjoyed it like Frances Ann.

A special Ribbon Cutting hosted by the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce will be held at the theater at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 707 Main Street in Orange, to celebrate the beginning of the 40 th season for the Frances Ann Lutcher Theater.

CROCE PLAYS CROCE Saturday, October 5, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. A.J. Croce performs CROCE PLAYS CROCE, a special night of music featuring a complete set of classics by his late father Jim Croce, some of his own tunes, and songs that influenced both him and his father. This nostalgic show features such timeless songs as “Operator,” “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” “Time in a Bottle,” (a song written for A.J.), “Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy), and “Lovers Cross.” A.J. Croce’s 25-year touring and recording career has produced nine studio albums charting 17 Top 20 singles. SYMPHONY OF SHANGRI LA Sunday, October 20, 2019 – 5 p.m. Join us for an evening of sights and sounds for our 4th Symphony at Shangri La event. Directed by Maestro, Chelsea Tipton, the Symphony returns to Shangri La Gardens at the peak of Scarecrow Festival once again to indulge patrons with a festive evening of seasonal nature and magnificent music. JERSEY BOYS Tuesday, October 29, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard…and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story – a story that has made them an international sensation all A poster from the first show at the Frances Ann Lutcher Theater. Liberace performed to a sold-out crowd.

over again. Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony Award®-winning true-life musical phenomenon, JERSEY BOYS. From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is the musical that’s just too good to be true. FEATURING THE LEGENDARY TOP TEN HITS: Sherry” • “Big Girls Don’t Cry” • “Walk Like A Man” • “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” • “December, 1963 (Oh What A Night)” *Contains mature themes & content

BANDSTAND Friday, November 8, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. WELCOME HOME! THE SOLDIERS CAME HOME TO A NEW AMERICA AND MADE MUSIC THAT INSPIRED THE NATION From three-time Tony® winner and Hamilton choreographer, Andy Blankenbuehler, comes an inspiring new American musical that explodes with infectious music and highoctane, heart-stopping dancing. It’s 1945, and six soldiers return from war to a changed nation. When NBC announces a national competition to find the nation’s next great musical superstars, they form a band unlike any the nation has ever seen. Along the way, they discover the power of music to face the impossible, find their voice, and finally feel like they have a place to call home. “The show defies you not to be moved” (Time Out New York). GEORGIA ON MY MIND: CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF RAY CHARLES Saturday, November 23, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. This brassy, swinging show celebrates the iconic «genius of soul» Ray Charles’ music with an all-star cast of awardwinning performers featuring 10-time Grammy® Award Winner & Gospel Music Hall of Famers, TAKE 6, Emmy Award Winner and Grammy® Nominee, CLINT HOLMES, 6-time Grammy® nominated vocalist, NNENNA FREELON, and 3-time Grammy® Award Winner and 14- time Grammy® Nominee, TOM SCOTT. Boasting iconic tunes from the ‘pioneer of soul’ music himself, these sensational artists make each song a winning part of the tapestry that is Ray Charles’ music. “Tell the story, and honor the music.” – Producer, Larry Rosen

Georgia on My Mind: Celebrating the Music of Ray Charles is at Lutcher Thetaer Saturday, November 23, 2019 – 7:30 p.m.

SHANE AND SHANE WITH PHIL WICKHAM Monday, December 2, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. Christian duo, SHANE & SHANE and Contemporary Christian artist, PHIL WICKHAM present their annual Christmas Tour featuring a fun, family-friendly evening filled with holiday songs and original worship music. Three time Dove Award winners, SHANE & SHANE are a Texas-based worship duo who joined forces while attending Texas A&M University. Leading worship since the age of 13, PHIL WICKHAM has released 6 albums featuring hit songs, “Cannons,” “Divine Romance,” “Heaven Fall Down,” and “At Your Name.”

ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE Saturday, December 7, 2019 – 7 p.m. Welcome to Margaritaville, where people come to get away from it all – and stay to fi nd something they never expected. With a book by Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl,” “Raising Hope”) and Emmy Award nominee Mike O’Malley (“Survivors Remorse,” “Shameless”) ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE is the musical comedy featuring both original songs and your most-loved Jimmy Buff ett classics, including “Fins,” Volcano,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and many more. USA Today calls it “A little slice of paradise!” and Entertainment Weekly raves, “It will knock your fl ip-fl ops off !” So, don’t let the party start without you. RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER Saturday, December 14, 2019 – 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Th e beloved classic RUDOLPH THE REDNOSED REINDEER soars off the screen and onto the stage this holiday season. See all of your favorite characters come to life in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL. It’s an adventure that teaches us that what makes you diff erent can be what makes you special. THE COLOR PURPLE Th ursday, January 2, 2020 – 7:30 p.m. THE COLOR PURPLE is the 2016 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical Revival! Hailed as “a direct hit to the heart” (Th e Hollywood Reporter), this joyous American classic about a young woman’s journey to love and triumph in the American South has conquered Broadway in an all-new «ravishingly re-conceived production that is a glory to behold” (Th e New York Times). *Contains mature themes & content FAREWELL ANGELINA *Director’s Choice Saturday, January 25, 2020 – 7:30 p.m. “Wickedly smart songwriting delivered with a healthy dash of sass… deft playing…into one sonic knockout punch.” – Rolling Stone Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “You’ve Got A Friend” and the title song, BEAUTIFUL has a book by and Tony® Award-nominee and Academy® Award-nominated writer Douglas McGrath, direction by Marc Bruni, choreography by Josh Prince, and took home two 2014 Tony® Awards and a 2015 Grammy® Award.

Rent will be performed at Lutcher Thetaer on Thursday, April 30, 2020 – 7:30 p.m.

Named aft er a haunting Bob Dylan song, FAREWELL ANGELINA is an all-female country group with four powerhouse vocalists, dynamic songwriters and accomplished multiinstrumentalists. Th eir stellar blend of heartstopping harmonies over blazing double violins and guitars has earned soaring praise across the board. Roughstock calls them a “Superstar Act… with Killer Songs. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS Sunday, March 8, 2020 – 3 p.m. Romance! Adventure! Gershwin! Who could ask for anything more! In post war Paris, romance is in the air and youthful optimism reigns. Gershwin’s soaring melodies are matched by gravity-defying dance as the world rediscovers the power of love in this breathtaking production. Hoping to start a new life, World War II veteran Jerry Mulligan chooses newly-liberated Paris as the place to make a name for himself as a painter. But Jerry’s life becomes complicated when he meets Lise, a young Parisian shop girl with her own secret - and realizes he is not her only suitor. Winner of four Tony Awards and inspired by the Academy Award-winning fi lm, this exquisite production features your favorite Gershwin songs including “I Got Rhythm,” “Liza,” “‘S Wonderful,” “But Not for Me,” and “Stairway to Paradise.” BEAUTIFUL  THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL Th ursday, March 19, 2020 – 7 p.m. Beautiful – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffi n, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation. Featuring a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffi n/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, including “I Feel Th e Earth Move,” “One Fine Day,” “(You Make FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Monday, March 30, 2020 – 7:30 p.m. Tony®-winning director Bartlett Sher brings his fresh take on a beloved masterpiece to life as FIDDLER ON THE ROOF begins a North American tour direct from Broadway. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that defi ne faith and family. To love! To life! VIVA MOMIX Sunday, April 5, 2020 – 7 p.m. Transporting audiences from their everyday lives to a fantasy world through its trademark use of magical lighting and imagery, MOMIX has thrilled fans on stage, screen and television in over 22 countries for more than 38 years. In an endless search for another gravity, Artistic Director Moses Pendleton combines athletic dance, riveting music, outrageous costumes, inventive props and pure talent to create an entertaining multimedia experience that will surprise, enchant and astonish. Experience the Exceptional…Expect the Unexpected! RENT Th ursday, April 30, 2020 – 7:30 p.m. In 1996, an original rock musical by a littleknown composer opened on Broadway… and forever changed the landscape of American theatre. Two decades later, Jonathan Larson’s RENT 20th Anniversary Tour continues to speak loudly and defi antly to audiences across generations and all over the world. And now, this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning masterpiece returns to the stage in a vibrant 20th anniversary touring production. A re-imagining of Puccini’s La Bohème, RENT follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters—love. *Contains mature themes and content

For more information about the 2019-2020 Lutcher Season, visit LUTCHER.ORG, contact the Lutcher Th eater Box Offi ce at boxoffi ce@lutcher.org or call the Lutcher Th eater Box Offi ce at 409-886-5535. 