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Magical Strings 23rd Annual Celtic Yuletide Concert
Sunday, December 6
3:00 p.m.
Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $22 general, $20 senior, $16 youth
Don’t miss this treasured holiday tradition in Kent. Pam and Philip Boulding are joined by their children, grandchildren and guests for an afternoon of enchanting Yuletide music. The Bouldings perform on Celtic harps, hammered dulcimers, whistles, strings, percussion and harp-like instruments from around the world. Their guests add Irish step dancing, drumming and storytelling for a festive and memorable performance.
Website
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Late Nite Catechism
Saturday, December 12
7:30 p.m.
Kentwood Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $26 general, $24 senior, $15 youth
Co-sponsored by Curran Law Firm
This uproariously funny play takes audiences back to their youth. The irrepressible "Sister" teaches class to a roomful of "students" (the audience). Throughout the course of the class the benevolent instructor rewards the "students" for correct answers with nifty prizes. Naughty students may well find themselves on stage sitting in a corner reflecting on their actions. However, even the most reluctant "students" will be clamoring to get into this Sister's "class."
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Pink Floyd Experience
Thursday, January 21
8 p.m.
ShoWare Center
Tickets: $42 VIP, $34 Premium and $27 Reserved
Much more than a flawless recreation of the legendary songs, the Pink Floyd Experience echoes everything that made Pink Floyd one of rock & roll’s greatest icons. It’s a celebration of the music, the themes and the innovation that this great band brought to fans around the world. This two-hour show, performed live with six musicians, includes a massive light show and features Pink Floyd icons like the blinking eye, the marching hammers and the Pig blimp. Fans will hear the cash registers in Money and the clocks in Time in full quadraphonic sound. There is much more, from the classic airplane crash to the lightbulb man, but we’ll leave a few surprises for the show.
Website with music
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The Peking Acrobats
Friday, January 29
7:30 p.m.
Kentwood Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $30 general, $28 senior and $25 youth
After sold-out Spotlight Series performances in 2004 and 2007, the Peking Acrobats are back by popular demand. Hailing from the People’s Republic of China, this elite group of acrobats leaves audiences around the world spellbound. Accompanied by live music from an exotic Chinese orchestra, the Acrobats transform 2,000-year-old traditions of agility and grace into a modern-day kaleidoscope of entertainment.
Video
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International Guitar Night
Friday, February 5
7:30 p.m.
Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $24 general, $22 senior, $20 youth
International Guitar Night is North America’s premier traveling guitar festival, bringing together the world’s foremost acoustic guitarists to perform their latest original compositions and exchange musical ideas in a public concert setting. Each tour, International Guitar Night founder Brian Gore invites a new cast of guitar luminaries to join him for a special evening of solos, duets and quartets that highlight the virtuosity and diversity within the world of acoustic guitar. On this tour, Gore will be joined by Lulo Reinhardt, a descendant of Django from Germany who mixes his family’s trademark Gypsy Jazz with new forays into Latin music; Itamar Erez from Israel, whose symphonic compositions echo his Middle-Eastern roots, and renowned harp guitarist Stephen Bennett from Virginia.
Website with video
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“The Little Engine That Could” by Omaha Theater Company
Saturday, February 6
2:00 p.m.
Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $10 general, $10 senior, $8 youth
Sponsored by Kent Civic and Performing Arts
The Little Engine That Could is a time-honored classic and one of the greatest tales of motivation ever told. In this well-loved classic featuring songs, dance and dazzling costumes, the Little Engine overcomes seemingly impossible odds to carry a train full of toys over an imposing mountain. This is an entertaining and inspirational favorite that offers valuable lessons for children and adults alike about the power of optimism.
SPOTLIGHT FOR KIDS: Best for ages 4 to 9.
*General seating for this show.
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In the Mood: A 1940s musical
Saturday, February 20
7:30 p.m.
Kentwood Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $28 general, $26 senior, $20 youth
Back by popular demand, this show offers a retro look at the life and times of America’s greatest generation. Singers, dancers and a big band orchestra deliver up-tempo rhythms and intimate ballads. Authentic costumes and choreography put the finishing touches on re-creating this sentimental and romantic era.
Video
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Men of Worth
Thursday, March 11
7:30 p.m.
Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $20 general, $18 senior, $15 youth
Co-sponsored by Pete and Pat Curran
Scotsman Donnie MacDonald and Irishman James Keigher perform traditional and contemporary Irish and Scottish folk music, combining beautiful vocal harmonies, and a variety of instruments. Men of Worth have been called “the real thing in Celtic entertainment.” Irish dancers and additional musicians will join the duo for this special pre-St. Patrick’s Day performance.
Website
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Missoula Children’s Theatre’s “Robinson Crusoe”
Saturday, March 13
3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $5 general, $5 senior, $5 youth
Varying from the novel, Missoula Children’s Theatre’s “Robinson Crusoe” teaches the lesson that reading invites more than observation and books allow readers the luxury and joy of imagination. Arriving on Robinson’s island years after he and his sole companion, a goat named Wilson, are shipwrecked, we find that the island has turned into a tourist destination centered around a singing leopard, a tribe of natives know for their colorful coifs, Friday’s Seaside Resort and, of course, the legend of Robinson Crusoe! Open auditions for local children, grades 1-12 will be held March 8, 4:00 to 6:00 at Glenridge Elementary School.
SPOTLIGHT FOR KIDS: Best for preschool through 5th grade.
*General seating for this show
Video
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Thomas Arthur “Luminous Edge”
Saturday, March 20
3:00 p.m.
Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $12 general, $10 senior, $8 student
Juggler Thomas Arthur brings his family performance, Luminous Edge to Spotlight Series. Choreographed juggling, digital film projections and audience participation inspire a sense of wonder, spaciousness and delight for all ages.
SPOTLIGHT FOR KIDS: All ages
*General seating for this show
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Hapa
Saturday, April 3
7:30 p.m.
Kentwood Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $28 general, $26 senior, $20 youth
Often described as the “sound of Maui,” Hapa’s music evokes a heavenly tropical paradise. They combine ancient chants, ballads of Portuguese fisherman and Spanish cowboys, inspired melodies of early missionary choirs, the elegant movement of hula and the exhilarating sounds of slack key guitar. A dose of American acoustic folk/rock to create music that is exciting, serene and beautiful.
Website
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The Wailin’ Jennys
Friday, April 9
7:30 p.m.
Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $24 general, $22 senior, $18 youth
Sponsored by Kent Civic and Performing Arts
Three extraordinary voices, two founding singer-songwriters, one singular vision: The Wailin' Jennys continue to evolve into far more than the melodious sum of their individual talents five years after blowing in on a fresh acoustic breeze from Canada's mid-western heartland. The Jennys are spurred onward by a growing fan base that swoons at their intuitive harmonies and revels in their engaging stage presence and uplifting repertoire. The trio is wooing audiences throughout North America, the U.K. and continental Europe, while continuing their much-cherished relationship with A Prairie Home Companion (Garrison Keillor's popular National Public Radio show).
Website with video and podcasts
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“Guthrie Family Rides Again” featuring Arlo Guthrie with Abe, Cathy, Annie, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Johnny Irion & the Kids
Saturday, May 1
8 p.m.
ShoWare Center
Tickets: $40 VIP, $37 Premium and $27 Reserved
Four generations of Guthries join legendary folk icon Arlo for an epic trek across North America. The entire family will perform songs they’ve written, learned together and come to love. Along with Arlo’s standards, the evening will include a selection of unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics put to music.
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