TheatreZone’s concert series for the 2019-2020 season includes the return of the very popular Mersey Beatles, who have sold out shows the past two seasons at TheatreZone; and the Florida premiere of two new shows, Beyond the Lights: Discovering Sammy Davis Jr. and Judy & Liza at the Palladium.
Beyond the Lights: Discovering Sammy Davis Jr. will be presented on Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Beyond the Lights: Discovering Sammy Davis Jr. was developed by Aaron Reeder, last seen on the TheatreZone stage this past season as Mereb in Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida. He will bring his glorious voice and ineffable charm and warmth to TheatreZone again for the Florida premiere of his one-man show.
Embracing Sammy Davis, Jr.’s personal story with a mixture of song and music, embodiment and narration, Beyond the Lights is not a jukebox show but a visual storytelling of the man, his music and the impact of one voice.
The concert features well-known classics, including “I Gotta Be Me,” “What Kind of Fool Am I” and “Candyman” as well as lesser-known gems such as “Who Can I Turn To” and “At the Crossroads.”
Currently a Berlin-based performer and creative consultant, Reeder is a recipient of the Roger Sturtevant Musical Theatre Award given by Actor’s Equity Association.
Noted as “one of greater Washington DC area’s finest young talents” (The Gazette) and possessing “a voice that soars” according to The Washington Post, Reeder has performed with music luminaries from Dave Brubeck to Renee Fleming to Kristen Chenoweth.
The Mersey Beatles will perform on Feb. 18 at 4 and 7:30 p.m.
This FABulous Beatles tribute band returns to the TheatreZone stage with an all-new “Hits” show for 2020.
The performance will start as the lads appear in the familiar suits of Beatlemania and grow older via several quick costume changes. They will take audiences on a trip featuring 30 of the greatest Beatles hits from all eras.
Like the original Fab Four, The Mersey Beatles are a band from the great city of Liverpool. They are childhood friends who share a love of Beatles music.
Since 1999, they have been recreating the sights and sound of the Beatles worldwide. Their ten-year residency at the world famous Cavern Club, where The Beatles started out, helped to home their skills and expanded their repertoire.
Beautifully designed costumes and replica guitars, amps and drums help to create the look and sound of the Beatles. For an authentic sound, they use VOX and Ludwig gear whenever possible. The boys use replica Beatles guitars including Hofner, Rickenbacker and Gretsch.
The real showstopper is the way in which The Mersey Beatles perform around 40 of The Beatles greatest songs so naturally. All eras are covered and played in the recorded key.
Judy & Liza at the Palladium will be presented on Feb. 20 at 4 and 7:30 p.m.
Put on your red sparkly shoes, click them together three times, and join TheatreZone for Judy & Liza at the Palladium. Celebrate the music that brought the audience to their feet in November of 1964 when Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli teamed up for an unforgettable concert at London’s famed Palladium Theatre. Maestro Michael Berkowitz, who toured with Liza, will be conducting from the drums. Professional actresses Joan Ellison and Carolann Sanita, who played Judy and Liza, respectively, in The Boy From Oz at TheatreZone, will belt out the songs of those original dynamic divas, including “Once In A Lifetime,” “Just In Time,” “Gypsy In My Soul,” “Cabaret,” “New York, New York,” and, of course, “Over The Rainbow.”
Joan Ellison has been praised for her “vocal prowess… (and) organic grasp of the classic songs” by Michael Feinstein, who recently asked her to serve as editor of the Judy Garland Carnegie Hall Concert Restoration Project for the Judy Garland Heirs Trust. Ellison made her Cleveland Pops debut in 2005 and has since sung more than 35 concerts with orchestras across the country, as well as playing classic leading-lady roles in regional theatre.
Carolann M. Sanita toured as Marian in the first national tour of The Music Man and internationally as Maria in the European and Asian tours of West Side Story. She was back-up to Linda Eder at the Palace Theatre on Broadway and has performed in numerous regional theatre productions.
Michael Berkowitz was the music director/conductor/drummer for Liza Minnelli, working with her on the Tony Award-winning, “Liza’s At The Palace” on Broadway and in concerts around the world. He is now in his 15th year as the principal pops conductor of the Santa Rosa Symphony in Santa Rosa, CA.
Tickets for all concerts range from $50 to $75 and are on sale now online at www.theatre.zone and 888-966-3352 x1.
TheatreZone is located at 13275 Livingston Road in the 250-seat G&L Theatre on the Community School of Naples campus.
