The Numerica Performing Arts Center kicks-off the New Year with a variety of performances, beginning with the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and L.A. Theatre Works’ THE MOUNTAINTOP on January 12. The month continues with the January Monthly Movie on the Big Screen: BACK TO THE FUTURE on January 18, and MARC COHN featuring special guests THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA on January 25.
The Mountaintop
Winner of the prestigious Olivier Award for Best New Play, The Mountaintop by Katori Hall is rife with humor and political jabs, while giving the audience a glimpse at the human side of Martin Luther King Jr. Hours after his famed final speech, punctuated by the immortal line, “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” the celebrated Reverend reveals his hopes, regrets, and fears, creating a masterful bridge between mortality and immortality. L.A. Theatre Works presents this live radio theatre production, starring film, television, and stage actors Karen Malina White and Gilbert Glenn Brown; directed by Shirley Jo Finney.
L.A. Theatre Works’ The Mountaintop by Katori Hall is Thursday, January 12 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $27-$31 with discounts for seniors and youth, and increased prices on show day. This performance is sponsored by Karen Pugh, Vita Green LLC, and Warm Springs Inn & Winery.
Back to the Future
In this 1980s sci-fi classic, small-town California teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is thrown back into the ’50s when an experiment by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) goes awry. Traveling through time in a modified DeLorean car, Marty encounters young versions of his parents, and must make sure that they fall in love or he’ll cease to exist. Even more dauntingly, Marty has to return to his own time and save the life of Doc Brown.
The January Monthly Movie on the Big Screen is January 18 at 6:30pm and tickets are only $3. This movie is sponsored by the Keeping It Reel Movie Club and media sponsors ALPHA Media, Country 104.7 KKRV, and ESPN Radio 900 & 1020.
Marc Cohn featuring special guests The Blind Boys of Alabama
After winning a GRAMMY for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer/songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Cohn followed up his debut with two more releases in the 1990s, at which point TIME magazine called him “one of the honest, emotional voices we need in this decade”. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of his platinum-selling debut album, Cohn proudly released Careful What you Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities and the bonus album, Evolution of a Record, featuring never-before-heard songs and demos dating back to years before his debut album and the Grammy Award that followed. Additionally, he put together a 25th anniversary concert tour featuring special guests The Blind Boys of Alabama.
The Blind Boys of Alabama have the rare distinction of being recognized around the world as both living legends and modern-day innovators. They are not just gospel singers borrowing from old traditions; the group helped to define those traditions in 20th century and almost single-handedly created a new gospel sound for the 21st. Since the original members first sang together as kids at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in the late 1930s (including Jimmy Carter, who leads the group today), the band has persevered through seven decades to become one of the most recognized and decorated roots music groups in the world. The Blind Boys have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans over 75 years and shows no signs of diminishing.
There are less than 150 tickets left to see Marc Cohn and the Blind Boys of Alabama on Thursday, January 25 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $35-$39 with discounts for seniors and youth, and increased prices on show day. This performance is sponsored by Scott & Jennifer Anderson and The Goodfellow Family, with support by Central Washington Water, Karen Pugh, Vita Green LLC, Washington Trust Bank, and media sponsor News Radio 560 KPQ.
