Sunday, July 20, 3 p.m.
The eclectic combination of harp and viola deserves an equally unexpected repertoire. The Appassionata Duo plays the classics of Chopin and Beethoven along with favorites such as Billy Joel, The Beatles and Journey. Jeff Cowan and Jill Wiebe play as the Appassionata Duo at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 20, at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Second St. Tickets are $12-$20 and available at www.tulsapac.com.
Tuesday, July 22-July 26
Camelot has inspired centuries of writers and artists swept up in the history, fantasy and lore of brave knights, fair maidens and bold quests for treasure and salvation. In 1975, it inspired a little flick called Monty Python and the Holy Grail, starring Britain’s most infamous comedy troupe. Irreverent, absurd and as perfect as parody gets, the film became a cult classic that finally made its way to the stage in 2005 as the hilarious musical Monty Python’s Spamalot. MP alumnus Eric Idle wrote the book and lyrics putting King Arthur and his Round Table knights on a quest for the ultimate relic and to stage a Broadway musical despite encounters with monster rabbits and snooty Frenchmen. Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma brings Spamalot to the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., as part of its summer musical season. The show runs from Tuesday, July 22, to Saturday, July 26. Tickets are $35-$74 each, available at www.lyrictheatreokc.com.
Garth Brooks is, officially, out of retirement, and a world tour is in the works.
The country megastar and Owasso resident has signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to record a new album. The announcement was made during a highly-anticipated press conference from Nashville Thursday morning.
Doug Morris, CEO of Sony Music Entertainment made the announcement.
“When you have the opportunity to add one of the best-selling recording artists of all time to your roster, you just jump at it,” Morris said.
Brooks later came to the stage.
“Today I feel very lucky to be joining Sony Music,” Brooks said.
Feeling “old and scared” at the prospect of beginning the second half of his career, Brooks said the experience has been humbling.
“New music is on the way,” Brooks said. “I can’t tell you when, because truthfully we don’t know … my job at this point is just to create, have fun, record.”
Brooks said he will be recording again with many of the same engineers from his previous work. Plans for a forthcoming world tour – including the opening tour stop – will be announced in about mid July.
Brooks knows how to build suspense. The 52-year-old country star has kept his fans on their boot-holstered toes since he confessed late last year his plans to resume touring in 2014. Naturally, fellow Okies have assumed that Tulsa and/or Oklahoma City would be on the tour schedule once it was officially announced. For more than a week, www.garthbrooks.com, the singer’s official website, flashed the not-too-subtle hint that Brooks would make an announcement of some sort on July 7. The news was that a press conference had been scheduled.
For three days, media and star-watchers waited amidst news that Brooks’ “comeback” concerts scheduled in Ireland were in jeopardy because of Dubliners living near the planned venue keen to see a local ordinance enforced, preventing Brooks from holding two of the five outdoor shows originally scheduled at Dublin’s Croke Park. The concerts sold-out, but Brooks canceled all the shows.
He addressed the canceled concerts during Thursday press conference, telling journalists that it hurt him to nix the shows.
Brooks is one of the top-selling recording artists worldwide. In the 1990s, he took country music to new heights with his writing and lyrics as influenced by folk and rock music of his youth as by the country music his parents loved. With more than 69 million albums sold and counting, Brooks is the best-selling artist in the U.S. He’s also known for taking his multiplatinum hits such as “Friends in Low Places,” “Shameless” and “The Thunder Rolls” to the concert arena set to effects and theatrics on a scale previously reserved for major rock acts.
The singer made even greater headlines when he retired from the business in 2001 to focus on raising his children. In 2005, he married fellow country music star Trisha Yearwood. In 2009, Brooks returned to the stage to play weekend shows at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. Since the end of his four-year gig on the Las Vegas Strip, he has done several benefit concerts and occasionally teased that he was ready to star recording and touring again.
Opens Friday, July 11
American Theatre Company ventures into new territory this weekend with fantastical consequences. She Kills Monsters: The New Dungeons and Dragons Comedy opens at 8 p.m. Friday, July 11, at the new ATC Studios, 308 S. Lansing Ave., in Tulsa’s emerging East Village District. Following a girl on an online gaming quest to leave reality behind, She Kills Monsters features special effects and puppetry to bring 15 monsters to life. The play continues with performances at 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday, July 12. The play then runs July 17-19. Tickets, $10-$15, are available at www.myticketoffice.com. The play is the last of the ATC 2013-14 season, but it will be a first opportunity for many to visit company’s new theater spaces and classrooms for performing arts education. For more about ATC, visit www.americantheatrecompany.org.
Thursday, July 10, 7 p.m.
The Tulsa Playboys are back at Cain’s Ballroom with more western swing tunes and fun. The band plays the music of Bob Wills and other big stars of the genre that became Tulsa’s signature sound thoughout the 1930s and ‘40s. As a tradition, western swing jazz music and culture are still celebrated in Tulsa with regular tributes to Wills and his brothers and other artists who played in their bands and beyond. The Tulsa Playboys, made up of local musicians honoring that heritage, take the stage at Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St., at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 10. Tickets are $7 at the door for dancers ready to put the Cain’s floor to its intended use. For more, visit www.cainsballroom.com.
Closes Saturday, July 12
It’s always cooler “Under the Sea,” where Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma takes audiences for a tale of adventure, true love and music. The company continues its production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Thursday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. with three more performances scheduled through Saturday evening. Based on the Disney animated movie, the musical invites families to an underwater world of magic, where mermaids dream of taking to the Earth on two legs. Filled with classic songs, The Little Mermaid opened last weekend and continues at the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., in Oklahoma City. Tickets, $35-$74, area available at www.myticketoffice.com. For more about Lyric and its season of summer musicals, go to www.lyrictheatreokc.com.
Thursday, July 10, 7:30 p.m.
UPDATE (07/10/14): THE RASCAL FLATTS CONCERT HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO ILLNESS WITH THE BAND’S LEAD SINGER. REFUNDS ARE AVAILABLE AT STUBWIRE.COM. TICKET HOLDERS CAN ALSO EXCHANGE TICKETS FOR TONIGHT’S CANCELED SHOW FOR TICKETS TO RASCAL FLATT’S AUG. 29 SHOW AT BUFFALO RUN CASINO IN MIAMI, OKLA. CALL 877.990.7882 FOR DETAILS.
Rascal Flatts brings its Rewind Tour to Oklahoma City’s OKC Downtown Airpark stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 10. The multiplatinum-selling country music trio behind such hit singles as “Bless the Broken Road” and “What Hurts the Most” bring their tour to the outdoor stage along with special guest Sheryl Crow. Country and Americana band Gloriana opens the show at 1701 S. Western Ave., Oklahoma City. Tickets are $50.50 (general admission)-$128 (VIP access). To purchase them, visit www.okcairpark.com.
Month after month, we present a colorful kaleidoscope of the people, places and culture that make Oklahoma such a fascinating place.
© Oklahoma Magazine
