Monday, February 29, 2016
Friday, February 26, 2016
Beautiful at the Fabulous Fox Theatre is just that—BEAUTIFUL!
Enjoy a wonderful musical evening featuring the songs of the Great Carol King...to order tickets, see below
By Steve Russell
Vice-President, TodaysSeniorsNetwork
Vice-President, TodaysSeniorsNetwork
February 24, 2016--Many in the audience might not have realized that in addition
to a wonderful presentation of the musical genius of Carol King, that they were
also watching a great performance that represented a vastly musically-talented
family.
That’s because Abby Mueller as Carole King was sensational throughout
the performance, she had a special reason to excel, because, Abby’s sister, Jessie, won a Tony for her portrayal of Ms.
King.
But kudos to Abby, for not only rising to the occasion, but
for a truly memorable performance.
The time she invested
studying the manuscript certainly paid off for her with the once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to play the part of one of America's greatest songwriters and
icons, Carole King - in "Beautiful".
The show is also a look into the music that marked a
generation. And it is a wonderful
journey.
With music by The Drifters. The Righteous Brothers and Neil
Sedaka, Beautiful has a little bit of something to offer to everyone, fans of
all ages will enjoy this production at the Fox.
I particularly liked "Curt Bouril's" interpretation
of Don Kirshner.
Be prepared, sets laden with Carole King's hits from Tapestry
and other efforts are displayed, but this encompassing production focuses on
the many artists whose lives were affected by Kings creative and insightful
lyrics, visual scores for your ears.
Thanks to All American favorites like "up on a roof"
by the Drifters and "will you still love me tomorrow" including many
other songs you love, you can't help but leave the Fox walking on air.
The supporting cast of Becky Golson portraying Cynthia Weil,
writing partner of Barry Mann played by Ben Frank Houser were charming indeed.
This performance at the Fox Theatre was what helps make
The Fox Theatre such a memorable experience in and of itself.
Add to that, the quality of the songs and the
diversity of the music throughout different genres, and you have an
unforgettable evening of musical entertainment.
Events at Fabulous Fox Theatre - St. Louis
Date
Event
Friday
Feb 26, 2016
8:00PM
Feb 26, 2016
8:00PM
Saturday
Feb 27, 2016
2:00PM
Feb 27, 2016
2:00PM
Saturday
Feb 27, 2016
8:00PM
Feb 27, 2016
8:00PM
Sunday
Feb 28, 2016
1:00PM
Feb 28, 2016
1:00PM
Sunday
Feb 28, 2016
6:30PM
Feb 28, 2016
6:30PM
Tuesday
Mar 01, 2016
8:00PM
Mar 01, 2016
8:00PM
Wednesday
Mar 02, 2016
8:00PM
Mar 02, 2016
8:00PM
Thursday
Mar 03, 2016
1:00PM
Mar 03, 2016
1:00PM
Thursday
Mar 03, 2016
8:00PM
Mar 03, 2016
8:00PM
Friday
Mar 04, 2016
8:00PM
Mar 04, 2016
8:00PM
Saturday
Mar 05, 2016
2:00PM
Mar 05, 2016
2:00PM
Saturday
Mar 05, 2016
8:00PM
Mar 05, 2016
8:00PM
Sunday
Mar 06, 2016
1:00PM
Mar 06, 2016
1:00PM
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Monday, February 1, 2016
Elvis’ First Venture to Las Vegas Was a Flop, Writes Historian On the heels of successful TV appearances, singer's foray into a Vegas night club left him all shook up
Note:, Jan. 28, 2016, marked the 60th anniversary
of Elvis Presley’s first appearance on national television
.
Newswise, February 1, 2016. – Beginning with “one electrifying
night” in 1969 and continuing through the mid-1970s, Elvis Presley reigned as
Las Vegas’ top nightclub act.
But his first attempt to win over fans in that
city 60 years ago was “a painful setback” for the young performer, writes a
historian at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T).
Presley was a pop sensation on the rise by the time he made
his national television debut on the Dorsey Brothers’ “Stage Show” 60 years ago
on Jan. 28, 1956.
That event and subsequent TV appearances on Milton Berle’s
program, “The Steve Allen Show” and the “Ed Sullivan Show” helped solidify the
singer’s reputation as the “king of rock’n’roll.” Those successes also led to a
poorly timed decision to put Presley in front of a Las Vegas night club
audience that was not accustomed to his gyrations and raucous style.
The singer’s first venture to Las Vegas – the city that later
became his favorite get-away destination – was dismissed by critics and harshly
criticized by the audience, writes Dr. Larry Gragg, Curators’ Teaching
Professor of history and political science at Missouri S&T, and the author
of two books and numerous articles about Las Vegas in popular culture.
Encouraged by Presley’s success in concerts and TV
appearances, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, “decided that the next critical
step in building a national presence for Elvis was for him to appear in a
nightclub,” Gragg writes in “’They Weren’t My Kind of Audience’: Elvis
Presley’s First Appearance in Las Vegas in 1956,” published in the Winter 2015
issue of the journal of popular history Nevada in the West. “The famed
‘Strip’ in Las Vegas was the logical place,” Gragg writes, “as it had become
the pre-eminent showplace for live entertainment.”
Parker arranged a two-week engagement for Presley as an “added
attraction” to headliner Freddy Martin and his orchestra and comedian Shecky
Greene at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas beginning April 23, 1956.
“Those
two weeks turned out to be a painful setback for the young star,” Gragg writes.
“It quickly became apparent that Elvis was ill-prepared for a nightclub crowd.”
The crowd wasn’t prepared for Presley either.
“The audience reaction to his act … made matters worse for
Elvis,” writes Gragg. “This would have been their first encounter with the
energetic, gyrating rock’n’roll singer.”
On opening night, the nervous Presley “began with his hit ‘Heartbreak Hotel,’ which he mispronounced as ‘Heartburn Hotel,’” Gragg recounts. Almost immediately, one man near the front leaped to his feet, shouting expletives about “all this yelling and screaming” and resolving to “go to the tables and gamble.”
The rest of the audience “sat in stony silence for several
minutes not knowing how to react,” Gragg writes, but eventually “a few people
were tapping their toes and snapping their fingers as others offered polite
applause, and as they left the Venus Room most were talking about Elvis.”
Reviews of Presley’s performance that night were mixed. A
writer for the Las Vegas Sun said the singer “failed ‘to hit the promised
mark,’” and Newsweek said he was “like a jug of corn liquor at a champagne
party.”
At the end of that debut, Gragg writes, a “frustrated and
angry” Presley was quoted as saying, “I don’t want no more night clubs. An
audience like this don’t show their appreciation. … They’re eating when I come
on.”
But Presley would return to Las Vegas and the night clubs some
13 years later. In July 1969, Presley – backed by two quartets and a 35-piece
orchestra – “returned in triumph” to Las Vegas, performing at the new
International Hotel “before a sold-out crowd that included a glittering array
of Hollywood stars and Las Vegas luminaries,” Gragg writes.
Already associated with the city thanks to the success of his
1964 movie “Viva Las Vegas,” co-starring Ann-Margret, Presley’s dazzling
performance on “that electrifying night in July 1969” firmly established him as
“a true Las Vegas icon,” Gragg notes.
Gragg is the author of two books about Las Vegas: Bright Light
City: Las Vegas in Popular Culture (2013) and Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel: The
Gangster, the Flamingo, and the Making of Modern Las Vegas (2015).
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