The orchestra will perform John Williams’ score live while the entire 2004 film plays in high-definition on a 40-foot screen.

Performances are scheduled at 1 and 7 p.m. Jan. 11, and 2 p.m. Jan. 12. A limited number of tickets are still available.

This latest screening follows sold-out performances of the first two films in the “Harry Potter” series in 2023 and 2024.

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” directed by Alfonso Cuaron, centers on the third year at Hogwarts for teenage wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his best friends Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). The year begins badly when Harry learns that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped Azkaban prison and is supposedly bent on murdering Harry.

A swarm of nasty Dementors is sent to protect the school. Meanwhile, a mysterious new teacher helps Harry learn to defend himself but he may have a secret tie to the fugitive.

Bringing in new audiences

The score will be conducted by American conductor Bruce Kiesling.

Live performances of music with film — referred to as film concerts — have become a prominent feature on the schedule of almost every large- and medium-sized orchestra in the United States. They’re a relatively recent orchestral innovation: 20 years ago, few orchestras offered film concerts.

Film concerts often bring new audiences to the concert hall. Williams’ music scores, with soaring melodies and brassy themes for full orchestra, are among the most popular for film concerts.

The Harry Potter Film Concert series has been seen by more than 3 million fans worldwide since 2016, according to producer Warner Bros. Discovery.

Want to go?

What: Greenville Symphony Orchestra: “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”

When: Jan. 11-12

Where: Peace Center

Tickets: $55-$100

Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org

The post Greenville Symphony to perform with third ‘Harry Potter’ movie appeared first on GREENVILLE JOURNAL.

Sounding like Diamond, however, required months of work.

“My voice is naturally similar to his,” Fradiani said, “but I had to do a lot of vocal training, especially in my lower register, and I listened for weeks to the way he says certain words and how he phrases songs.

“That was important because I think people go to the show really wanting to hear Neil Diamond songs sung as close to him as possible,” he added.

Fradiani, the 2015 winner of “American Idol,” leads a cast of almost two dozen in the national tour of “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical,” headed to the Peace Center Jan. 14-19.

The biographical musical traces the sometimes-tumultuous life of Diamond while delivering decades of the singer’s hits, such as “Sweet Caroline,” “America,” “Love on the Rocks,” “Solitary Man,” “Song Sung Blue,” “You Don’t’ Bring Me Flowers,” “I Am … I Said,” “Kentucky Woman” and, of course, the title song.

Fradiani played the role of Diamond in the Broadway incarnation of “A Beautiful Noise” for more than a year before embarking on the national tour in September.

It’s a role he passionately pursued when he heard in 2021 that the musical was being developed.

‘Perfect for me’

“I knew it would be perfect for me,” Fradiani said, speaking by phone from a recent tour stop in Washington, D.C. “My dad loved Neil Diamond, and I grew up on his music.”

Fradiani performed as Diamond in an unrelated cabaret show at Fort Worth’s Casa Manana theater and sent a tape of it to the Broadway show’s producers and Neil Diamond’s wife.

Before he knew it, Fradiani was in the Broadway show — first as the understudy for the role of Neil Diamond, then as an alternate, then as the star.

“It’s taken over my life in a great way,” said Fradiani, who performs the demanding role eight times a week on tour. Fradiani plays Diamond during the decades of his career. Another actor plays Diamond in retirement.

A favorite moment for Fradiani is when the audience joins in a singalong of “Sweet Caroline.”

“For the first time, the lights go up and I can really see the audience, and the genuine joy on people’s faces is so real,” he said. “I see an older couple holding hands and little kids singing, too. There’s something wonderful about that moment. It’s amazing to see and it happens every night.”

Want to go?

What: “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical”

When: Jan. 14-19

Where: Peace Center

Tickets: $50-$125

Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org

The post ‘American Idol’ winner leads cast of ‘A Beautiful Noise’ at Peace Center appeared first on GREENVILLE JOURNAL.

Among the most significant arts events of the year was a major changing of the guard at the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. Lee Mills began his tenure in September as conductor and music director of the orchestra with triumphant performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Mills succeeded Edvard Tchivzhel, the charismatic leader of the orchestra for almost a quarter of a century — a notably long tenure for an American orchestral conductor.

Meanwhile, Bing Vick, longtime artistic director and conductor of the Greenville Chorale, began his final full season leading the 160-voice choral ensemble. Vick concludes his tenure in September 2025, marking his 45th year conducting the chorale.

In July, the Greenville arts community mourned the death of Christian Elser, 53, an iconoclastic arts leader who with his then-wife Jenna Tamisiea created Glow Lyric Theatre in 2009. Glow was known for staging bold, daring productions of opera and musical theater that grappled with contemporary social and political issues. Elser, Glow’s executive director, died July 20 at Duke University Hospital after a long battle with a rare lung disease. It’s uncertain whether Glow will be revived.

Throughout 2024, the Peace Center’s Broadway Series continued to bring world-class musical theater to the Upstate. Greenville has long punched above its weight with Broadway tours. The same blockbuster musicals that play at the Peace Center also tour to Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and other major metropolitan areas.

The 2024-25 Broadway Series opened in September to packed houses with Disney’s ever-popular “The Lion King.” In October, “& Juliet” raised the rafters with a story that imagines what might have happened if Shakespeare’s Juliet had not died but lived to enjoy a life set to a pop-rock soundtrack. The theatrical dazzle continues in 2025, with eight musicals, including “Hamilton” and “Moulin Rouge,” scheduled at the Peace Center in the next eight months.

Record-breakers

Centre Stage enjoyed record-breaking ticket sales for “Legally Blonde” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”With 22 actors on stage, plus two dogs, “Legally Blonde” spotlighted one of the largest casts ever for the theater. The theater’s second Fringe Festival, with fringe plays performed in the span of several weeks, proved an artistic and box office success.

Greenville Theatre’s staging of the thriller “Dial M for Murder” was an audience favorite. Its recently completed “Anastasia,” meanwhile, is likely one of the theater’s top-selling shows of all time. The latter show was particularly ambitious, with dozens of lavish costumes designed and created in-house.

The Warehouse Theatre burnished its reputation for edgy and thought-provoking fare in 2024 with big hits such as Stephen Sondheim’s “Assassins” and Stefano Massini’s “The Lehman Trilogy,” the latter featuring tour-de-force performances by Thomas Azar, Matt Reece and Christopher Joel Onken.

The South Carolina Children’s Theatre brought in new patrons with its ambitious production of “The SpongeBob Musical,” with a big cast that included Carter Allen, Adell Ehrhorn, Mitchell Smith and Javy Pagan.

The Mauldin Theatre Company, led by Kristofer Parker, staged ambitious and well-received musicals such as “A Chorus Line” and “Sweeney Todd.”

Will Ragland’s Mill Town Players performed to more than 25,000 patrons in Pelzer, featuring musicals, comedies and concerts. The company offered its most ambitious summer musical to date with “Bonnie & Clyde,” spotlighting 21 local actors and eight onstage musicians.

Clemson’s Brooks Center for the Performing Arts offered a variety of entertainment, including a sold-out performance of the biographical musical “The Cher Show.” The center’s acclaimed Utsey Series, meanwhile, continued to host admission-free performances of world-class chamber music.

Arts groups finished the year strong with seasonal offerings. International Ballet sold out three performances of “The Nutcracker” at the Peace Center, inspiring the ballet company to schedule four performances of the popular ballet next year. Carolina Ballet Theatre also enjoyed strong ticket sales for its Greenville-centered “Nutcracker.” A near-capacity audience attended the Greenville Chorale’s Dec. 14 performance of Handel’s “Messiah” at Furman University’s McAlister Auditorium.

Other Upstate community theaters, arts groups and university theaters reported strong attendance and notable artistic accomplishments in 2024.

With the considerable disruptions of the pandemic now a distant memory, Greenville arts groups are optimistic and poised to build on their successes in 2025.

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A cast of five, plus a pianist, will offer five performances in the Peace Center’s Gunter Theatre, Jan. 3-5.

Always striving to be up to date, “Forbidden Broadway” in this incarnation will lampoon several shows that have played at the Peace Center in recent years, including “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Tootsie,” “Beetlejuice,” “Frozen,” “Hadestown,” and the dark and controversial “Oklahoma” revival.

“Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation” will also poke fun at some classics, such as “The Lion King,” “Les Misérables,” “Wicked” and “The Phantom of the Opera.”

In addition, audiences can expect impersonations of Broadway stars like Bette Midler, Andre de Shields, Bernadette Peters and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

This all-new edition of “Forbidden Broadway” wowed critics when it opened in October, with The New York Times making it a Critics Pick, and calling it “The best edition of ‘Forbidden Broadway’ in recent memory.”

“Forbidden Broadway” has been a theatrical institution since 1982, when playwright Gerald Alessandrini created the first edition of the off-Broadway show. The original show has been succeeded by several other editions, all overseen by Alessandrini. At least eight cast albums of the various editions of the show have been released.

Over the past 42 years, the show has garnered a number of awards including a special Tony Award, an Obie Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical.

Want to go?

What: “Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation”

When: Jan. 3-5

Where: Peace Center

Tickets: $45

Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org

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“I’ve heard a lot of people say ‘it’s not Christmas if I don’t hear “Messiah” at least once,’” said Bing Vick, artistic director and conductor of the Greenville Chorale.

“The tradition is important to a lot of people.”

The 140-voice Greenville Chorale performs “Messiah” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14 in McAlister Auditorium on the Furman University campus.

Vick will conduct the chorale and a chamber orchestra in Part I of Handel’s oratorio which centers on the birth of Christ and prophecies of the Old Testament.

The performance also includes other numbers from the choral work, including the “Hallelujah” chorus, perhaps the most famous single choral piece in the classical repertoire.

The concert represents the 10th time the chorale has performed the work since 1988, bringing it back every few years by popular demand since that time.

‘Dramatic musical expression’

“As many times as I’ve conducted it, every time we work on it I find something new and exciting,” Vick said.

“The work has lasted since 1742 for some very good reasons,” he added. “It’s a dramatic musical expression of the Christian faith with some incredible solo arias.”

Vick pointed out that Handel wrote “Messiah” in 1742 for performance in spring during Lent. It took more than 75 years for the work to make its way to the United States, with the Boston-based Handel and Haydn Society giving the premier in 1818. The work has been associated with Christmas since that time.

Apart from the chorale, Vick has conducted “Messiah” more than a dozen other times with Furman University choruses and with church groups.

Vick is completing his final full season as the chorale’s conductor. His final concert will take place in September 2025, marking his 45th year leading the ensemble. A search for Vick’s successor is nearing its conclusion.

Want to go?

What: Greenville Chorale performs Handel’s “Messiah”

When: Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m.

Where: McAlister Auditorium at Furman University

Tickets: $50 adults; $20 students; $10 children under 12

Info: greenvillechorale.org

The post Hallelujah! Greenville Chorale performs Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at McAlister Auditorium appeared first on GREENVILLE JOURNAL.

Greenville residents have at least three “Nutcracker” productions to choose from in the next few weeks.

International Ballet

First to pirouette onto stage will be the International Ballet’s staging of “The Nutcracker,” Dec. 13-15 at the Peace Center.

Now in its 21st year of “Nutcracker” performances, International Ballet is enjoying its best ticket sales ever. The three performances this year are almost sold out, prompting International Ballet to add a fourth performance to its schedule next year.

Guest artists include Victoria Jaiani from the Joffrey Ballet, and Brooklyn Mack, formerly of the Orlando and Washington ballets. In addition, three other guests will join the cast of 92 local pre-professional company dancers and academy students from International Ballet.

Another guest, Ukrainian character dancer Denys Simon, returns to perform dazzling folks dances.

The production features conductor Lee Mills leading the Greenville Symphony Orchestra and the Greenville Youth Chorale.

With choreography by Ukrainian-born Vlada Kysselova (artistic director of International Ballet) and Hennadii Bespechnyi, the production traces its roots back to Russian and Ukrainian dance tradition.

The costumes and sets were created at the opera house in Kiev.

Want to go?

• What: International Ballet: “The Nutcracker”
• When: Dec. 13-15
• Where: Peace Center
• Tickets: $25-$85
• Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org

Carolina Ballet Theatre

Carolina Ballet Theatre’s “Nutcracker,” Dec. 20-22 at the Peace Center, is subtitled “Once Upon a Time in Greenville” and it takes place in a magical land called, you guessed it, Greenville.

The sets spotlight the Liberty Bridge, Main Street and the Shoeless Joe Jackson statue, among other Greenville sights. Some dancers portray Greenville’s Mice on Main. A new backdrop was recently created to offer a view of the Reedy River.

Guest dancer James Kopecky, former principal dancer with Charlotte Ballet, will perform the cavalier. The production features CBT principal dancers Meghan Loman and Gabrielle Moore. Meanwhile, Martin Justo takes on the role of the Nutcracker. Devdan Ferguson from Charlotte Ballet Academy will perform the Mouse King and the soloist in the Spanish Dance.

Professional ballet dancers from CBT will be performing the main soloist roles, and they’ll be joined by students from several schools.

The choreography is by Hernan Justo, CBT’s artistic director. More than a hundred dancers will participate in the production.

Want to go?

• What: Carolina Ballet Theatre: “The Nutcracker: Once Upon a Time in Greenville”
• When: Dec. 20-22
• Where: Peace Center
• Tickets: $35-$65
• Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org

Greenville Ballet

Greenville Ballet offers the longest-established “Nutcracker,” an Upstate tradition for four decades.

Upwards of 90 dancers are expected to be on stage for “The Nutcracker,” 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at McAlister Auditorium on the campus of Furman University.

Choreography is by Andrew Kuharsky, director of Greenville Ballet, with additional choreography by Merry Kuharsky, co-director of Greenville Ballet. The staging is inspired by the choreography of George Balanchine for the New York City Ballet.

Want to go?

• What: Greenville Ballet: “The Nutcracker”
• When: Dec. 20, 7 p.m.
• Where: McAlister Auditorium, Furman University
• Tickets: $35-$40
• Info: 864-234-5677

The post Three productions of ‘The Nutcracker‘ pirouette onto Greenville stages appeared first on GREENVILLE JOURNAL.

The Rivertree Singers’ annual Yuletide program will be performed twice this year: Dec. 16 at White Oak Baptist Church and Dec. 20 at the Peace Center’s Gunter Theatre.

“I like to say we have something for everyone,” said Warren Cook, founder and artistic director of the Rivertree Singers.

“We have titles that choral-music lovers will recognize with featured composers such as William Mathias, John Rutter, William Walton and Ola Gjeilo,” he said.

“We’ll also have familiar carols like ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’ and traditional seasonal favorites like ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.’”

The 40-member group will be accompanied by a small instrumental ensemble. Some works will be performed a cappella.

Youth choruses spotlighted

The program will also feature two youth choruses: The Blue Ridge High School Choir at White Oak Baptist and the Greenville Youth Chorale at the Peace Center.

The young choral groups will be featured alone, as well as with the Rivertree Singers in a few pieces.

“It’s part of our mission to reach out to arts programs in the schools to help foster that lifelong singing that we want everyone to enjoy,” said Cook, who retired in 2021 after serving 41 years as professor and director of choral activities at Bob Jones University.

The concerts will conclude with singalongs of “White Christmas” and “Away in a Manger.”

Founded in 2010, the Rivertree Singers is a talented group of vocalists made up of alumni of 13 collegiate choral programs. Fourteen members are choral conductors themselves in Upstate public and private schools.

The Rivertree Singers perform a season of four programs a year.

Other upcoming concerts include:

• “A Rivertree Valentine,” 7 p.m. Feb. 15 at the War Memorial Chapel at Bob Jones University.
• “Hosanna to Hallelujah!” 7 p.m. April 19 at White Oak Baptist Church.

In addition, every summer Cook directs the Rivertree Singers & Friends Choral Festival. Last June, Cook led a chorus of 200 voices and an orchestra of 60 in the Southeastern premiere of a new oratorio, “Creation,” by Greenville-based composer Dan Forrest.

Next June, Cook will lead a large chorus and orchestra in Forrest’s “Jubilate Deo” in Rodeheaver Auditorium on the Bob Jones campus.

Want to go?

What: “A Rivertree Christmas”

When and where:

• Dec. 16, 7 p.m., White Oak Baptist Church, 1805 Wade Hampton Blvd. (Info: rivertreesingers.com)
• Dec. 20, 7 p.m., Peace Center Gunter Theatre (Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org)

Tickets: $15-$30

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Longtime fans of the show will notice several new features at this year’s performances, Dec. 6-8 at the Peace Center.

For one, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra’s new music director Lee Mills will take the reins of the annual celebration.

“It’s going to be a fast-paced and highly entertaining extravaganza for the whole family,” Mills said.

In addition to the orchestra, the performances will feature vocalist Siri Howard, a Broadway actress now living in Greenville.

Returning guests International Ballet will be joined by a new group of tap dancers. The ballet dancers and tap dancers will engage in some good-natured competitive dance, Mills said.

In addition, the show will spotlight the Long Branch Baptist Church Gospel Choir.

‘World-class talent’

The popularity of Holiday at Peace inspired the orchestra to schedule a fourth performance this year, a Saturday matinee.

“Each year, we add more spectacular elements to the show featuring world-class talent from the Upstate and nationally, and the demand has grown,” said Jessica Satava, the orchestra’s executive director.

Howard will offer such songs as “In the Bleak Midwinter,” “O Holy Night” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Howard has appeared in the Broadway musicals “Les Miserables” and “The Sound of Music” as well in national tours of “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Miserables.”  She is a professor at USC Upstate and is married to Max Quinlan, producing artistic director at Greenville Theatre.

International Ballet dancers will be featured in some scenes from “The Nutcracker.”

The idea of adding a gospel choir was inspired by the fact that “we’re in the South, the heartland of gospel music,” Mills said.

Mills said he’s enjoying the opportunity to contribute to all aspects of the program, including the set and lighting design.

One Holiday at Peace tradition has remained unchanged through the years: Santa Claus is expected to make an appearance.

Want to go?

What: “Holiday at Peace,” conducted by Lee Mills

When: Dec. 6-8

Where: Peace Center, 300 S. Main St., Greenville

Tickets: $25-$65

Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org

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The Warehouse Theatre has built its considerable reputation on bringing the unexpected to the stage.

The play was adapted by William Goldman from his own popular 1990 film “Misery,” starring Kathy Bates and James Caan and based on King’s novel.

Want to go?

The post Warehouse Theatre stages dark comedy thriller ‘Misery’ appeared first on GREENVILLE JOURNAL.

They sing, they dance, they interact with the audience, and they decorate the stage — all at the same time.

The 2003 jukebox musical, running Dec. 5-22 at Centre Stage, centers on a 1960s girl group called the Wonderettes. As the show begins, they’re entertaining folks at the annual Harper’s Hardware Holiday Party until Santa arrives.

But when Santa doesn’t show up, the girls use their talent and creative ingenuity to save the holiday party.

They sing 1960s-style close-harmony arrangements of holiday classics such as “Santa Baby,” “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Run, Rudolph, Run,” and “Winter Wonderland,” among many others.

“It’s a lot of fun and very funny,” said Parker, who both directs and choreographs the show. “These actors are all comedic geniuses. It’s a very campy show with a lot of dancing and non-stop energy. Plus, the girls sound amazing together.”

Parker is a frequent actor and director at Centre Stage and serves as the artistic director of the Mauldin Theatre Co.

“Winter Wonderettes” is a sequel to the jukebox musical “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” which Greenville Theatre staged several years ago. “The Marvelous Wonderettes” premiered in 1999 and has been performed throughout the country, including off-Broadway in 2008 and 2016. It inspired three sequels, of which “Winter Wonderettes” was the first, premiering in 2003 at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. All of the “Wonderettes” shows were created by writer and director Roger Bean.

Want to go?

What: “Winter Wonderettes,” by Roger Bean

When: Dec. 5-22

Where: Centre Stage, 501 River St., Greenville

Tickets: $33.50-$38.50

Info: 864-233-6733 or centrestage.org

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The rumor that the 17-year-old Grand Duchess Anastasia escaped death inspired several films and a 2017 musical that was produced on Broadway and in many other cities worldwide.

The Broadway staging even generated a nickname for the devoted followers of the musical: “Fanastasias.”

Now, Greenville Theatre is presenting South Carolina’s first regional-theater production of “Anastasia,” running Dec. 5-22.

The musical, based on the 1997 animated film of the same name, centers on Anya, a teenage amnesiac orphan struggling to survive in a starving and desperate St. Petersburg 10 years after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

Down-at-heel con artists Dmitry and Vlad come up with a plan to pass Anya off as the missing Anastasia, taking her to Paris to meet Anastasia’s last surviving relative, who is waiting with a hefty reward.

But is it possible that Anya may be the real Anastasia?

“It’s a beautiful show — magical, sweeping and epic,” said Max Quinlan, producing artistic director of Greenville Theatre.

“It’s also perfect for the holiday season with its themes of love, home and family,” he added.

‘Incredible company’

The musical score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (“Ragtime,” “Once On This Island”) features a mix of haunting ballads and uptempo showstoppers in traditional Broadway and pop styles.

“They’re two of the greatest composers of our time,” Quinlan said of Flaherty and Ahrens. “Their take on this story is really beautiful, poignant and accessible. They really know how to make a moment sing.”

The musical features an all-local cast of 26 and sumptuous costumes, Quinlan said.

“We have wonderful voices and people who really embody the characters,” Quinlan said. “I’m excited to showcase this incredible company we have.

“Our costumes are stunning,” he added. “I think they’re going to wow and amaze our audience.”

In addition to “Anastasia,” Greenville Theatre will host a one-night-only concert featuring Christy Altomare, Broadway’s original Anastasia on Dec. 17. The cabaret concert will feature songs and stories from Altomare’s Broadway career including leading roles in “Mamma Mia!,” “Spring Awakening,” “Camelot” and, of course, “Anastasia.”

Want to go?

What: “Anastasia,” the musical

When: Dec. 5-22

Where: Greenville Theatre, 444 College St.

Tickets: $40

Info: 864-233-6238 or greenvilletheatre.org

Behind the scenes with Greenville Theatre’s ‘Anastasia,’ coming Dec. 5-22

The post Greenville Theatre stages ‘Anastasia,’ a musical about a young legend and love appeared first on GREENVILLE JOURNAL.

Davis, a multi-instrumentalist, wanted to release an album of Christmas tunes in a style he called “18th century classic rock.”

He was told it would be a dud.

“Everyone in the music industry back in 1984 told me, ‘A Christmas album? You can’t do that,’” Davis said. “Only artists who have run out of ideas ever do a Christmas album.”

The critics were wrong and Davis was right. His band, Mannheim Steamroller, made that holiday album and it sold millions.

It also resulted in 40 years of popular Christmas tours for group, including several visits to Greenville.

Mannheim Steamroller brings its unique brand of music — a mix of classical, New Age and rock styles — in a return visit to the Peace Center on Nov. 27.

The show will feature classic Christmas hits from several Mannheim Steamroller holiday albums, performed against a dazzling multimedia backdrop. The performance features 15 musicians performing on more than 20 instruments.

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas concerts are so popular that two troupes, both supervised by Davis, travel under the group’s banner.

‘Comfort food’

Mannheim Steamroller’s musical take on Yuletide tunes has multigenerational appeal, Davis said.

“At Christmas time, people want to listen to something that is familiar in their lives,” Davis said. “And for more than 35 years, millions of people have grown up listening to our music. It’s comforting to hear something from your childhood — kind of like comfort food. Also, Christmas time is family time, and our music and concerts are all family friendly. We often see three generations attending our shows.”

From the beginning of the group, Davis wanted to create a new kind of sound.

“I wanted to explore new ways of expressing music and created a sound I call ‘18th century classic rock,’” he said. “I don’t believe in all acoustic or all electronic, all digital or all analog. My style is where they all meet.”

Davis limits himself to recording and producing Mannheim Steamroller. A car accident several years ago prevents him from performing.

Davis also runs other businesses associated with Mannheim Steamroller, including a line of food items, apparel, and bath and body items.

Behind the scenes, Davis works tirelessly, as he said, “to keep Mannheim Steamroller rolling.”

Want to go?

What: Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis

When: Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Peace Center, Greenville

Tickets: $55-$85

Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org

The post Mannheim Steamroller rolls into Peace Center with Christmas favorites appeared first on GREENVILLE JOURNAL.

The orchestra’s Nov. 23-24 concerts at the Peace Center continue music director Lee Mills’ season-long theme of optimism and unity.

Spencer Myer is the featured soloist for the Norwegian composer Grieg’s Piano Concerto.

“Every time I come back to the Grieg, I marvel at how terrific it is,” Myer said in recent interview. “It’s very tuneful and features great interplay between the orchestra and soloist.”

Grieg’s only Piano Concerto is a product of youth and happiness, and it overflows with an abundance of rich melody. Only 25 at the time, Grieg wrote the three-movement concerto in a secluded cottage in Denmark in the summer of 1868. The concerto seems to evoke that bucolic setting.

The dramatic first movement is perhaps most familiar to audiences, Myer said, “but the second and third movements are just heaven.”

Mills, for his part, called the concerto “one of the best in the repertoire.”

Myer is a busy concert artist, having performed with such orchestras as the Cleveland Orchestra. He is a frequent chamber musician as well and serves as a professor of music at the renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

‘Spring Symphony’

Schumann’s First Symphony, composed in 1841 during a time of personal and professional happiness for the German composer, is a vibrant and cheerful piece. It even has the nickname “Spring Symphony.”

“It’s such a great piece of music,” Mills said. “Every movement is filled with joy. It inspires the audience to think of spring and things blooming.”

The concerts open with “warp & weft,” a work by Spartanburg-born composer Sarah Gibson, who passed away this past summer at age 38.

“She was a wonderful human being,” Mills said. “This piece refers to the two directions on a loom. I thought it particularly fitting for the program not only because she’s from Spartanburg but also because how strong the textile industry has been in the history of Greenville.”

Mills sees in the work a metaphor for music, binding the community together in a unified and colorful tapestry.

Want to go?

What: Greenville Symphony Orchestra: Grieg’s Piano Concerto

When: Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 24, 3 p.m.

Where: Peace Center, Greenville

Tickets: $20-$79

Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org

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“It looks at Cher as a fully dimensional human being,” said Casey Hushion. “You see her vulnerability and her strength. Every time she gets knocked down, she gets back up and reinvents herself.”

The national tour comes to Clemson’s Brooks Center on Nov. 10.

Featuring more than two dozen hits from Cher’s 60-year career, the jukebox musical highlights the Goddess of Pop’s indomitable will to survive in a tough business — and always on her own terms.

Three performers play Cher throughout the years as the show breezes through such chart-toppers as “I Got You Babe,” “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves,” “Half Breed,” “Just Like Jesse James,” “Believe” and “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

“The audience can expect to hear all their favorites,” Hushion said, speaking from a rehearsal studio near New York City’s Times Square.

“The music is fantastic and there’s so much joy and energy in the show,” she added.

‘Strength and resilience’

Hushion spoke during a break in working with some new cast members for the tour’s second year on the road.

The musical, with a cast of two dozen, spotlights costumes by designer Bob Mackie, who won a Tony Award for the show.

“There are so many big dynamic production numbers in this show,” Hushion said. “They are incredible.”

A personal favorite for Hushion is “You Haven’t See the Last of Me,” a show-stopping anthem from the 2010 film “Burlesque.”

“It’s an inspiring song that embodies Cher’s strength and resilience,” Hushion said.

In a review of the original 2018-19 Broadway production of “The Cher Show,” David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter called the musical “slyly fabulous and imbued with a plucky feminist spirit that’s quite stirring, basically recounting the story of how the innately shy Cherilyn Sarkisian stopped letting men tell her what to do and found the strength to run her own show.”

He added, “I had a blast.”

Want to go?

What: “The Cher Show: A New Musical”

When: 7:30 Nov. 10

Where: Clemson’s Brooks Center

Tickets: $60; $20 students

Info: 864-656-7787 or clemson.edu/brooks

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Then a teenager and budding actor, Fagan was captivated by the Broadway show’s dynamic music and edgy storyline about a barber who seeks murderous revenge.

“I thought it was amazing,” Fagan said. “I purchased the double album and wore it out.”

Flash forward to today: Fagan, the longtime director of the Upstate Shakespeare Festival, is staging “Sweeney Todd” at the Mauldin Theatre Company, Nov. 7-24.

The Tony Award-winning musical follows an unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th-century London to seek vengeance against those who wronged him and attacked his young wife.

The show features propulsive music such as the opening number “Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd” but also some of Sondheim’s most tuneful ballads, such as “Johanna,” “Pretty Women” and “Not While I’m Around.”

Fagan admires Sondheim’s and book writer Hugh Wheeler’s craftsmanship in creating a story that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats.

“It’s an amazingly well-written piece of theater,” Fagan said. “You’re never sure what’s coming next.”

Iconic roles

The show spotlights at least two of Broadway’s most iconic roles: those of Sweeney (Griffin Lewis in this production) and Mrs. Lovett (Jackie Collison), the latter a proprietress of a failing pie shop.

“We really hit the jackpot on the casting,” said Kristofer Parker, artistic director of the Mauldin Theatre Company.

With 30 actors in the total ensemble, the show features the largest cast in the theater’s history, Parker said.

Parker has been scheduling a season of challenging musicals. “Sweeney Todd” arrives close on the heels of the theater’s well-received “A Chorus Line.”

“I thought it was important for the theater to do ‘Sweeney Todd,’” Parker said. “It was the first show I ever saw in Greenville (at Centre Stage). I remember being amazed.

“People are very excited because ‘Sweeney Todd’ hasn’t been done here in a long time,” he added.

Want to go?

What: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” by Stephen Sondheim

When: Nov. 7-24

Where: Mauldin Cultural Center, 101 E. Butler Road, Mauldin

Tickets: $15-$20

Info: mauldinculturalcenter.org

The post Mauldin Theatre Co. stages ‘Sweeney Todd,’ Sondheim’s murderous musical appeared first on GREENVILLE JOURNAL.