{"id":34075,"date":"2023-08-24T09:31:37","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T13:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=34075"},"modified":"2023-08-24T09:31:38","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T13:31:38","slug":"on-stage-mr-las-vegas-wayne-newton-comes-east-for-show-at-parx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=34075","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: ‘Mr. Las Vegas’ \u2014 Wayne Newton \u2014 comes east for show at Parx"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff,<\/strong> Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Fans and journalists make a big deal about the age of some of the singers and musicians who are still performing live \u2013 acts such as Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Roger Daltrey (79), Ray Davies, Rod Stewart, Stephen Stills (78) and Van Morrison, Debbie Harry, Bryan Ferry, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton (77).<\/p>\n

However, when it comes to longevity, few can match up with Wayne Newton.<\/p>\n

Newton, who will bring his \u201cWayne Newton Up Close and Personal Tour\u201d to the Xcite Center at Parx Casino (2999 Street Road, Bensalem, https:\/\/parxcasino.com<\/a>) on August 26, turned 81 in April and has been performing professionally since his early teen years.<\/p>\n

The versatile singer, who is known as \u201cMr. Las Vegas\u201d and \u201cMr. Entertainment,\u201d has become synonymous with Las Vegas. Newton celebrated his 60th year on stage with a show entitled “Mr. Las Vegas” at\u00a0Caesars Palace\u00a0that ran from January through May in 2019.<\/p>\n

This summer, Newton is getting out of town with East Cast shows scheduled in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Bensalem.<\/p>\n

\u201cI play 42 weeks a year in Las Vegas,\u201d said Newton, during a phone interview last week from his home-away-from-Vegas near Kalispell, Montana.<\/p>\n

\u201cI come to my home in Montana when Las Vegas gets really hot.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as my wife and I go over the shows for next year, we\u2019\u2019 be playing at least as many as this year and last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve performed at least 30,000 shows in Las Vegas. I started here when I was 15 at the Fremont Hotel \u2013 six shows a night for six nights a week for five years.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that many shows a week, Newton had to find creative ways to keep the workload from taking its toll on his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept learning to play new instruments simply to give me some vocal relief,\u201d said Newton.<\/p>\n

He developed into a talented multi-instrumentalist who plays 13 instruments, many of which are worked into his shows.<\/p>\n

Newton was invited to national TV when Jackie Gleason, for whom he performed at a Phoenix luncheon, took him to New York for an appearance on his network television show. He then performed on Gleason\u2019s show 12 times during the next two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cJackie Gleason gave me my national break on TV,\u201d said Newton. \u201cAnd he got me a job at the Copacabana. That\u2019s where Bobby Darin saw me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of Newton\u2019s signature songs are \u201cDanke Schoen,\u201d \u201cRed Roses For A Blue Lady,\u201d \u201cYears\u201d and \u201cDaddy, Don\u2019t You Walk So Fast,\u201d a gold record in 1972.<\/p>\n

Bobby Darin produced and engineered his first recorded hits \u2013 \u201cHeart,\u201d \u201cDanke Schoen,\u201d \u201cRed Roses For A Blue Lady,\u201d \u201cSummer Wind\u201d and \u201cDreams Of The Everyday Housewife.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newton\u2019s mega-hit \u201cDanke Schoen\u201d was originally written for Darin to sing. However, Darin was intent on Newton having a hit song of his own and gave it to him. Newton\u2019s version of the song was a huge success and reached No. 13 on the Hot 100.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guy who really got my recording career was Bobby Darin, who was an incredible talent, Bobby Darin,\u201d said Newton. \u201cHe had \u2018Mack The Knife\u2019 and so many other great songs. I found out about a year after I had recorded \u2018Danke Schoen\u2019 that the song had been written for Bobby Darin to record, but he was so intent on making sure it got me a hit record that he gave me the song.\u201d<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for Newton to establish a stellar career as recording artist \u2013 and as a performer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter years at the Fremont, I was the first headliner at the Flamingo,\u201d said Newton. \u201cKirk Kerkorian built it when I was there. Then I signed with the Frontier Hotel which got bought by Howard Hughes. I spent many years with him headlining at his hotel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI bought the Aladdin Hotel in 1980 and performed there for five or six years. I was not happy with owning a hotel. I didn\u2019t want to deal with the problems. So, I sold the hotel and then went over to Caesars Palace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newton, who has played almost every major room in Las Vegas, occasionally plays shows away from \u201cSin City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis tour is my first tour in years,\u201d said Newton, whose television and film credits are huge — including an episode of \u201cRoseanne,\u201d occasional roles on “Ally McNeal\u201d and \u201cBonanza\u201d and spots in \u201cVegas Vacation\u201d and the James Bond film \u201cLicense to Kill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to these shows on the East Coast. It\u2019s fun to perform in different places.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you play Las Vegas, you never know where the people are from. They\u2019re from all over the world. Everybody in that room is from a different place, so they don\u2019t have the camaraderie. Las Vegas audiences are so different. When you play a show in the Philadelphia area, most of the audience is from that part of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Whether he\u2019s playing a show on the Las Vegas strip or a concert at a suburban Philly casino, Newton is a master of reading the audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe set list is an improvisation,\u201d said Newton. \u201cTo judge the audience, I start the show with three different types of songs \u2013 a ballad, an up-tempo song and a standard. The reaction of the crowd to those three songs shows me what it is they want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Wayne Newton \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/U5EESSLuzqA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The \u201cWayne Newton \u2013 Up Close and Personal\u201d show at the Xcite Center on August 26 will start at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Ticket prices range from $35-$75.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Willie Nile<\/p><\/div>\n

After playing a series of shows in the U.K. and the \u201cRough Cut Diamonds Tour\u201d in British Columbia in western Canada, Willie Nile has returned to the states to his home turf on the East Cast \u2013 including the Delaware Valley.<\/p>\n

Willie Nile loves the Philadelphia area \u2013 and, without a doubt, the Philly area loves him back.<\/p>\n

Around two years ago, Nile\u00a0\u2014 much to his relief and much to his delight \u2014 started playing live shows for live audiences again after a year-and-a-half of pandemic restrictions.<\/p>\n

Since mid-2021, Nile has come down from New York to perform concerts at the Ardmore Music Hall, 118 North, City Winery and the Sellersville Theater.<\/p>\n

Now, the veteran rocker is coming back again for a return date at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) on August 25.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been playing a lot since March 2021,\u201d said\u00a0Nile, during a recent phone interview.\u00a0\u201cWe started playing in April in New York and did a Midwest tour in the middle of October.\u00a0People are coming out. Not as much as normal but we\u2019re still playing to good audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nile is not out on an album support tour. But he is celebrating a new release \u2013 a single titled, \u201cWake Up America.\u201d<\/p>\n

The song might but one of the top three most poignant songs the lauded singer\/songwriter has ever composed. And the accompanying video delivers the message with the power of a sledgehammer and the compassion of a Tibetan monk.<\/p>\n

The track features guest vocals by gavel-throated rocker Steve Earle and an all-star studio cast that includes Stewart Lerman, James Frazee, Greg Calbi, Jimi K. Bones, Johnny Pisano, Jon Weber, Waddy Wachtel, Andy Burton, James Maddock, Frankie Lee and Nile\u2019s band.<\/p>\n

The song is a call for our nation to get itself together and move in the right direction.<\/p>\n

The video features more than a hundred Americans \u2013 all ages, all races, all genders, all religions \u2013 looking at the camera and looking for a path of hope.<\/p>\n

Many of them carry signs with messages such as \u201cStop Hate,\u201d \u201cDefend Democracy,\u201d \u201cNo More,\u201d \u201cNo Racism,\u201d \u201cWe Are Stronger Than Hate,\u201d \u201cMake It Stop,\u201d \u201cFight Today for a Better Tomorrow,\u201d \u201cEnough,\u201d \u201cLove Is Never Wrong,\u201d \u201cStop Plastic Pollution,\u201d \u201cDisarm Hate,\u201d and \u201cStop the Lies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout the song, Nile sings, \u201cWake Up, America\u2026rise and shine\u2026the sun is going down\u2026and it\u2019s all on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Nile, \u201cI wrote this song because I still believe in the dream that is America. Even though our history is riddled with pain and injustice and the divisions between us are greater than ever, I know we can do better than this.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of wrongs that need to be righted and we can do that if we work together, neighbor to neighbor, and make our voices heard at the polls.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of hurt and there will be more hurt to come if we don\u2019t do the right thing and start treating each other with respect. We\u2019re bigger and better than this and we need to get out there and vote and prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nile, who is in his mid-70s, comes from an era when music pushed boundaries. It was also an era when bands like The Who and the Kinks showed the world how to rock.<\/p>\n

Nile has his own special connection to The Who.<\/p>\n

In 1980,\u00a0Nile\u00a0was doing support gigs for his debut album, \u201cWillie\u00a0Nile.\u201d That same year, The Who were touring the world in support of their most recent album, \u201cWho Are You.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the personal\u00a0request\u00a0of The Who\u2019s guitarist Pete Townshend,\u00a0Nile\u00a0was invited to be the opening for the \u201cSecond North American Leg\u201d of the British band\u2019s world tour.<\/p>\n

On May 28 this year, The Who were performing at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York as part of \u201cThe Who Hits Back\u201d tour. Once again, they enlisted\u00a0Nile\u2019s services as the opening act for a concert featuring\u00a0the\u00a0two older and (maybe) wiser legendary acts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a great night,\u201d said\u00a0Nile. \u201cThe Who sounded great. Pete\u2019s guitar work was great, and Roger\u2019s vocals were powerful. They still put on a great show.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show in May was also a \u201cfull circle\u201d event for The Who.<\/p>\n

The show marked The Who\u2019s return to the Woodstock site nearly 53 years after they performed at the famous gathering in Bethel, Sullivan County. That night, they started the show in darkness, played a few numbers and then played \u201cTommy\u201d in its entirety as the sun rose behind the stage. It was and still is one of their most iconic concerts.<\/p>\n

Nile, who turned 75 in June, is still rocking hard and still playing a lot of live shows.<\/p>\n

Nile\u00a0has also performed at several Bob Dylan Celebration shows \u2014 Bob\u2019s birthday celebrations at City Winery in New York City and the Dylan Festival in Warwick, NY. The Dylan shows were a natural fit for\u00a0Nile\u00a0who released an album of Dylan songs \u2013 \u201cPositively Bob\u201d in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done the Dylan Festival in Warwick two times,\u201d said\u00a0Nile. \u201cI played Dylan songs and some of my own.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Dylan turned 75, I got a phone call from City Winery in New York. They asked me to close the show with four songs. I played \u2018Hard Rain Gonna Fall,\u2019 \u2018Love Minus Zero,\u2019 \u2018Rainy Day Woman,\u2019 and \u2018You Ain\u2019t Goin\u2019 Nowhere.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was young and first went to New York to play, I never thought about doing cover songs. With my Dylan album, I decided to do songs and put them out there. I made the album in two days. All the vocals were live. I recorded the album at His House Studio which is owned by Spin Doctors\u2019 drummer Aaron Comess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nile\u00a0is a rocker who loves to perform live.<\/p>\n

Nile\u00a0has tapped\u00a0into his own lockdown experience as a source of inspiration for the set of haunting new songs that comprise his emotion-charged latest album, \u201cThe Day the Earth Stood Still.\u201d The album was inspired by the sight of\u00a0Nile\u2019s beloved hometown temporarily turned into a desolate ghost town, thanks to COVID-19 safety precautions.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor more than a year, New York\u00a0was\u00a0like a ghost town,\u201d said\u00a0Nile, \u201cI have a storage space near the Holland Tunnel, and normally on a Friday night at rush hour, it can take an hour to move five blocks.\u00a0One night\u00a0at 6 p.m., I was on Varick Street. I looked in both directions and there wasn\u2019t a car in sight. I could have laid down in the middle of the street without anyone noticing. It was like a science fiction movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nile\u2019s debut album, \u201cWillie\u00a0Nile,\u201d was released by Arista Records in early 1980 to critical praise. Now, more than 40 years later,\u00a0Nile\u00a0is still going strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018The Day the Earth Stood Still\u2019 album in January 2021,\u201d said\u00a0Nile. \u201cWe all wore\u00a0masks the whole time and did our best to keep things safe.\u00a0In the studio, if someone was singing in a room, we couldn\u2019t go in until an hour after they finished singing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole band, except me, had actually caught COVID on our last gig before the pandemic hit \u2014 February 29, 2020 at the South Orange Performing Arts Center. Everyone recovered and, for some reason, I never got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Co-produced by\u00a0Nile\u00a0and Grammy-winner and longtime collaborator\u00a0Stewart Lerman\u00a0(Elvis Costello\/Patti Smith\/Norah Jones), the album features such timely compositions as \u201cSanctuary,\u201d \u201cExpect Change\u201d \u201cWay of the Heart,\u201d \u201cOff My Medication\u201d and \u201cWhere There\u2019s a Willie There\u2019s a Way,\u201d \u201cBlood on Your Hands,\u201d and \u201cThe Justice Bell\u201d (which was inspired by\u00a0Nile\u2019s encounter with civil\u00a0rights icon and U.S. Congressman John Lewis).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album in New Jersey at the same studio we\u2019ve used several times in the past \u2014 Hobo Sound in Weehawken,\u201d said\u00a0Nile, who plays acoustic and electric guitars and piano.\u00a0We cut it in January. We spent three days doing the basic tracks and a few days doing overdubbing. \u2018The Day the Earth Stood Still\u2019 is not a concept album, but it is clearly inspired by New York in the pandemic\u00a0shutdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Willie\u00a0Nile\u00a0\u2014\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/LCM1QyWM-3M<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show in Sellersville on August 25 will start at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are priced from $25-$39.50.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Paula Poundstone on August 26, Shinyribs on August 22 and Get the Led Out on August 31.<\/p>\n

Dar\u00a0Williams visited the area back in June for a show at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville. Now, she is coming back again to perform at Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts (9 South Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr,<\/a>\u00a0brynmawrtwilightconcerts.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The veteran singer\/songwriter\/author recently has been out on a support tour \u2013 but not a tour in support of a new album.<\/p>\n

Williams has been touring in support of a newly released book,\u00a0\u201cHow To Write A Song That Matters,\u201d which was released in September 2022 via Hachette Books.<\/p>\n

But she also has been out on the road playing her music at venues around the East Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cMostly just touring,\u201d said Williams, during a recent phone interview from her home in New York\u2019s Hudson Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been home a lot. I\u2019ve been involved in community issues because of a book I wrote \u2013 trying to harmonize things in the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a really busy fall. I was all over the country. I put out my latest book in September and then did a book tour all fall. I did concerts because it\u2019s a book about songwriting. A big theme of the book is that we all have a song we could write. I did three-hour workshops in four or five cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams\u2019 normal schedule was thrown off by the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of musicians had a very different time during COVID because we\u2019re travelers,\u201d said Williams. \u201cI\u2019m a traveler by trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last time I was in the studio was 2020 and I put the album out in 2021. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll be going back in the studio for a while. I don\u2019t have an album yet. But I\u2019m always courting inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams, who has recorded more than 20 albums, released her most recent album, \u201cI\u2019ll Meet You Here,\u201d in October 2021 on BMG\u2019s recently launched Renew label. Her most recent album prior to this was \u201cEmerald,\u201d which came out in 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a gap between albums because I did a book,\u201d said Williams, a well-respected speaker\/author\/singer-songwriter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I released \u2018Emerald\u2019 in 2015, I stopped writing songs for a while. I didn\u2019t start writing songs again until 2017. Then, I recorded \u2018I\u2019ll Meet You Here\u2019 in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to release it in 2020. But because of the pandemic, I moved the entire release up a year. It was just a year off and now it\u2019s really full out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the album in North Jersey at a studio near Weehawken with producer\u00a0Stewart Lerman. The core of the recording was done in a couple weeks in November 2019. Then, I did an intensive week in January 2020 with Stuart Smith, who plays with the Eagles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sent a scratch track of the title song to Larry Campbell in Woodstock. I wanted to do it as a duet with bassist\u00a0Gail Ann Dorsey\u00a0and\u00a0Larry Campbell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell produced the track and played\u00a0guitars, pedal steel and twangy baritone guitar. Later, they had to postpone a mid-March mixing date because Campbell said he wasn\u2019t feeling well anyway which turned into a serious case of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a schedule conflict, so we had to postpone the mixing date with Larry for day,\u201d said Williams. \u201cHe was getting really sick and then found out he had COVID. He got very sick with COVID. We were very lucky because if we had done the mixing session, a lot of people could have contracted the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite encountering some speed bumps along the way, Williams was finally able to put the album out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album officially came out on October 1,\u201d said Williams. \u201cWe had a few singles that came out prior to the album release and that helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album has 10 songs including nine originals.<\/p>\n

Even when Williams isn\u2019t focusing on music, she still stays very busy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on a novel,\u201d said Williams, who also handles the duty of being a mother to a young child. \u201cI\u2019ve also been writing songs. They\u2019re not all written. I try to be disciplined and not go into the studio until I reach 80 per cent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just taught a college course at Wesleyan University. Teaching at a university was great. I\u2019ve also done some songwriting retreats and that\u2019s been great too. I like to have different avenues rather than just recording and touring.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those avenues has been writing books. Williams published two young-adult novels with Scholastic in the mid-2000s, along with a green blog for Huffpost, before she tackled her urban-planning study, published in 2017 \u2013 \u201cWhat I Found in a Thousand Towns: A Traveling Musician\u2019s Guide to Rebuilding America\u2019s Communities \u2014 One Coffee Shop, Dog Run & Open-Mike Night at a Time.\u201d<\/p>\n

In that book, Williams muses on why some towns flourish while others fail, examining elements from the significance of history and nature to the uniting power of public spaces and food. Drawing on her own travels and the work of urban theorists, Williams offers real solutions to rebuild declining communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I Found in a Thousand Towns\u201d is more than a love letter to America\u2019s small towns, it\u2019s a deeply personal and hopeful message about the potential of America\u2019s lively and resilient communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a memoir,\u201d said Williams. \u201cIt\u2019s what I had seen from tours in my travels at towns that had found a way to be resilient \u2013 hometown pride and a world welcome. I followed that thread and tried to figure out what it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call it \u2018positive proximity\u2019 \u2013 a state of being in a town where people know that living side-by-side is beneficial\u2026that the more they follow that proximity, the better life can be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote about how to build positive proximity, how to maintain the benefits of positive proximity and how to sustain positive proximity.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her book, Williams looks at two area towns \u2013 Phoenixville and Wilmington.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Phoenixville chapter is about what happens when a town digs into its history and builds on that,\u201d said Williams. \u201cIt is a town that has become a vibrant place because of that. The Wilmington chapter is about waterfronts \u2013 about how towns can come back to life by developing their waterfront areas with parks, restaurants and public spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams headed in an entirely different direction on her new book,\u00a0\u201cHow To Write A Song That Matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to write a book that was written by a performing songwriter,\u201d said Williams. \u201cThere is a broad and magical way that songs live in the world. Songs bring people back to times in their lives with new eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for\u00a0Dar\u00a0Williams \u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/4-0tPKPbypk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show, which is produced by\u00a0Rising Sun Presents\u00a0in association with\u00a0Lower Merion Township Parks & Recreation, has Crys Matthews as the opening act.<\/p>\n

The concert will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows in the Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts are Carsie Blanton & Marielle Kraft on September 1 and Jon McLaughlin on September 8.<\/p>\n

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a>) will present \u201cNunsense\u201d from August 25-27.<\/p>\n

The hit musical is a laugh-a-minute spoof that is fun for everyone — even for those whose younger years did not include the experience of surviving school days with nuns in charge.<\/p>\n

\u201cNunsense,\u201d which features book, lyrics, and music by Dan Goggin, won four Outer Circle Awards, including Best Off-Broadway Musical. The original Off-Broadway production opened December 12, 1985, ran for 3,672 performances and became the second-longest-running Off-Broadway show in history.<\/p>\n

The story features five of the 19 surviving Little Sisters of Hoboken, a one-time missionary order that ran a leper colony on an island south of France. The nuns discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, accidentally killed the other 52 of the convent\u2019s nuns with one of her dishes.<\/p>\n

Sister Mary Regina, the Mother Superior, started a greeting card company to raise funds for the burials. The greeting cards were an enormous success and, thinking there was plenty of money, the Reverend Mother bought a Smart TV for the convent.<\/p>\n

Financial miscalculations resulted in the convent having insufficient funds to pay for the last four burials. With the dead stashed in the freezer, the five nuns decide to stage a variety show in the Mount Saint Helen\u2019s School auditorium to raise the necessary amount.<\/p>\n

Despite its very definite Catholic story, \u201cNunsense\u201d is a show with universal appeal — a funny show that has a real human feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cNunsense\u201d has become a timeless classic of comedic theater. The show has since been adapted for television, starring Rue McClanahan, and has spawned six sequels and three spin-offs.<\/p>\n

Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.), Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Ticket prices start at $37.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,\u00a0www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) continues its tradition of presenting top quality blues music this weekend.<\/p>\n

Area music fans know that Jamey\u2019s House of Music is a primo spot to hear folk, jazz and blues music every Thursday through Sunday.<\/p>\n

On August 25, Jamey\u2019s will host BLUESTIME at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

BLUESTIME is billed as \u201chouse rockin’, juke joint jumpin\u2019 electric blues played by folks that grew up listening, watching and learning from the Golden Age Blues Masters.\u201d<\/p>\n

On August 26, Jamey\u2019s will present Children of Adam Band.<\/p>\n

Children of Adam Band is a 14-member \u201cNew World Music\u201d band performing its own original \u201cPMB Music\u201d (PMB=Positive Message Bearing Music). The music is a hybrid fusion of<\/p>\n

jazz, funk, R&B, soul, Latin, African, Middle Eastern and Spoken Word.<\/p>\n

The \u201cJazz at Jamey\u2019s Series\u2019 will showcase on August 24.<\/p>\n

Epps will perform from 7-8 p.m. and then there will be an Open Mic Jazz Jam from 8-10 p.m.<\/p>\n

The \u201cSunday Blues Brunch & Jam\u201d is scheduled for every Sunday from noon-3 p.m. with the host band\u2019s set from noon-1 p.m. followed by an open mic from 1-3 p.m.<\/p>\n

The first, third, fourth and fifth Sunday sessions are hosted by the Philly Blues Kings while the hosts for second Sunday sessions are the Girke-Davis Project.<\/p>\n

On August 24, Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) is presenting \u201cBetter Than Bacon Improv: Bacon Gives Back,\u201d a charity fundraiser for\u00a0Kennett Area Community Service. Showtime is 7 p.m. with tickets priced at $20.<\/p>\n

The Eagleview Summer Concerts on the Square\u00a0at Eagleview Town Center (Wharton Boulevard, Exton,\u00a0www.ineagleview.com<\/a>) will present\u00a0Mellow Fever on August 29.<\/p>\n

King Of Prussia\u2019s live outdoor music series\u00a0Concerts Under the Stars\u00a0(Upper Merion Township Building Park, West Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia, concertsunderthestarskop.com<\/a>) has Al Stewart & The Empty Pockets on August 26, Splintered Sunlight (Grateful Dead Tribute) on September 2, and Easy Star All\u2010Stars on September 16.<\/p>\n

Disney Theatrical Productions, along with the Kimmel Cultural Campus and The Shubert Organization, has welcomed Disney\u2019s \u201cThe Lion King\u201d for a four-week summer engagement on the Kimmel Cultural Campus.<\/p>\n

The musical, which features music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, is running now through September 10 at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333,\u00a0www.kimmelculturalcampus.org<\/a>), as part of the Kimmel Center\u2019s \u201cBroadway Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lion King\u201d\u00a0is a\u00a0stage musical\u00a0with a book\u00a0by\u00a0Roger Allers\u00a0and\u00a0Irene Mecchi, with additional music and lyrics by\u00a0Lebo M,\u00a0Mark Mancina,\u00a0Jay Rifkin,\u00a0Julie Taymor, and\u00a0Hans Zimmer. It is based on the 1994\u00a0Walt Disney Animation Studios\u2019 film\u00a0of the same name. Directed by Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow\u00a0puppets. The show is produced by\u00a0Disney Theatrical Productions.<\/p>\n

After 25 landmark years on Broadway, \u201cThe Lion King\u201d continues its ascent as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world.\u00a0Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 27 global productions have been seen by more than 112 million people.\u00a0Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), \u201cThe Lion King\u201d has made theatrical history with six productions worldwide running 15 or more years, with four of those running 20 or more years.<\/p>\n

The show, which is set in the jungle somewhere in Africa, tells the story of the lion Simba from his days as a newborn cub through his adult years and is filled with sub-plots and unexpected twists. The hyenas \u2013 Shenzi, Banzai and Ed \u2013 provide a bit of comic relief.<\/p>\n

With \u201cThe Lion King\u201d, the animated feature came first and then the Broadway show. The stage production is very similar to the movie. The story and the characters are exactly the same and so is a lot of the dialogue.\u00a0\u00a0The stage version \u201cThe Lion King\u201d is known for its elaborate costumes — outfits that transform human actors into jungle animals. It also wins over audiences with its lively, exotic music.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lion King\u201d won six 1998 Tony Awards — Best Musical, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical.\u00a0\u00a0It has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and the 1999 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.<\/p>\n

One of the key players in the touring show is\u00a0Gugwana Dlamini<\/a>, who performs the role of\u00a0Rafiki, a Sangoma.<\/p>\n

Philadelphians can look forward to seeing two local cast members appearing on Pride Rock — Nick LaMedica, who plays the role of Zazu, is a native of Newark, Delaware. Ensemble member Eric Bean, Jr. is a graduate of Philadelphia\u2019s University of the Arts.<\/p>\n

The production features Peter Hargrave as \u201cScar,\u201d Gerald Ramsey as \u201cMufasa,\u201d Nick Cordileone as \u201cTimon,\u201d Nick LaMedica as \u201cZazu,\u201d John E. Brady as \u201cPumbaa,\u201d Darian Sanders as \u201cSimba,\u201d Forest VanDyke as \u201cBanzai,\u201d Martina Sykes as \u201cShenzi\u201d and Robbie Swift as \u201cEd.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khalifa White will play \u201cNala\u201d from August 16 \u2013 20 and Syndee Winters will play the role from August 22 \u2013 September 10.<\/p>\n

The role of \u201cYoung Simba\u201d is alternated between Jackson Hayes and Mason Lawson\u00a0and the role of \u201cYoung Nala\u201d is alternated between Jaxyn Damasco\u00a0and Aniya Simone.<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cThe Lion King\u201d —\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/awqwdi1xakU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tickets for \u201cThe Lion King\u201d range in price from $29-$189.<\/p>\n

If you want to attend \u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d in a comfortable dinner theater setting, you have just a few more days.<\/p>\n

From August 25-27, the Candlelight Dinner Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware,\u00a0302- 475-2313,\u00a0www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org<\/a>) will be presenting its latest offering of the 2022-2023 season \u00a0\u2013 \u201cThe Sound of Music.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to sheer volume of songs that have lodged in everyone\u2019s subconscious, no show can come close to \u201cThe Sound of Music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is there anyone out there who doesn\u2019t recognize at least one of these songs — \u201cThe Sound of Music,\u201d \u201cMaria,\u201d \u201cMy Favorite Things,\u201d \u201cDo-Re-Mi,\u201d \u201cSixteen Going on Seventeen,\u201d \u201cClimb Ev\u2019ry Mountain,\u201d \u201cEdelweiss,\u201d and \u201cSo Long, Farewell\u201d?<\/p>\n

The Candlelight Dinner Theater\u2019s production of \u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d runs through the last Sunday of the month. The show stars Sophie Jones as Maria Rainer and Paul McElwee as Captain Georg von Trapp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d\u00a0is a\u00a0musical\u00a0with music by\u00a0Richard Rodgers, lyrics by\u00a0Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by\u00a0Howard Lindsay\u00a0and\u00a0Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of\u00a0Maria von Trapp,\u00a0\u201cThe Story of the Trapp Family Singers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Set in Austria on the eve of the\u00a0Anschluss\u00a0in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children, and eventually their widowed father,\u00a0Captain von Trapp.<\/p>\n

He is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy, but he opposes the Nazis. He and Maria decide on a plan to flee Austria with the children.<\/p>\n

The original\u00a0Broadway\u00a0production, starring\u00a0Mary Martin\u00a0and\u00a0Theodore Bikel, opened in 1959\u00a0and won five\u00a0Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The first London production opened at the\u00a0Palace Theatre\u00a0in 1961. The show has enjoyed numerous productions and revivals since then. It was adapted as a\u00a01965 film musical\u00a0starring\u00a0Julie Andrews\u00a0and\u00a0Christopher Plummer, which won five\u00a0Academy Awards, including Best Picture.<\/p>\n

Performances of \u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d are scheduled for Friday and Saturday evenings (doors 6 p.m.\/show, 8 p.m.) and Sunday afternoons (doors, 1 p.m.\/show, 3 p.m.). Tickets, which include dinner and the show, are $69 for adults and $33 for children (ages 4-12).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Fans and journalists make a big deal about the age of some of the singers and musicians who are still performing live \u2013 acts such as Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Roger Daltrey (79), Ray Davies, Rod Stewart, Stephen Stills (78) and Van Morrison, Debbie Harry, Bryan Ferry, Pete […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5166],"tags":[5667,3912,12159,6403],"class_list":["post-34075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-dar-williams","tag-featured","tag-wayne-newton","tag-willie-nile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34076,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34075\/revisions\/34076"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}