 Hot Tickets
March To May Sizzles!
By Taylor Templeton
would be a dirty rotten scoundrel if I didn’t begin this article by mentioning that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels hits the Majestic Theatre stage on April 10 at 8pm sharp.
This long-awaited musical, which serves as the centerpiece of this year’s Broadway Across America Series in San Antonio, arrives on Tuesday and runs through Sunday of the same week. It’s a biggie as touring shows go, so put some tickets on plastic and enjoy a great evening of theater with family and friends.
Scoundrels may not be the only performance you’ll want to take in this spring at the opulent Majestic. The venerable venue’s schedule is loaded, starting with Rent, another Broadway blockbuster, March 2-4. The third month of the year also features a trio of offerings from the San Antonio Symphony, including pops sensation Bugs Bunny On Broadway, the patriotic An American Symphony under the direction of Music Director Larry Rachleff, and Sombreros, Saint-Saëns and the Sea with cellist Alban Gerhardt. March 17 brings the first visit of American Idol Taylor Hicks, who will undoubtedly sing up a storm for his Soul Patrol following.
Even more Majestic evenings are available to patrons in April and May. Classical music lovers are afforded the opportunity to experience the considerable talents of pianist Lylia Zilberstein, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and percussionist Colin Currie at San Antonio Symphony concerts during this time frame.
On the lighter side, the “band” (the ad campaign name for the symphony) brings Tito Puente, Jr. to town in April and Spectrum: A Tribute to Motown and R&B in May. One special night in April has also been set aside for Aretha Franklin. With great r-e-s-p-e-c-t for the Queen of Soul, mark your calendar on the 17th.
The AT&T Center serves as home to five super concerts this spring plus a Cirque spectacular. Try these names on for size: Eric Clapton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jamie Foxx, Josh Groban and Rod Stewart. Their show dates are March 3, 6, 11, 21 and April 17 respectively. Cirque Du Soleil: Delirium promises to wow audiences April 20-21.
Switching gears to community theater, the March to May lineup is quite impressive. March gives us productions like Disney’s High School Musical at the Woodlawn, I’d Like To Thank The Academy on the boards at the Josephine, Harlequin’s Bus Stop, Tom Masinter’s Gone To Texas staged at Church Bistro and Theatre, Cameo’s Cabaret and The Honky-Tonk Angel And Her Cowboy at Steven Stoli Playhouse.
 April and May offer such shows as Victor/Victoria (San Pedro Playhouse), Light In The Tunnel (Boerne Community Theatre), Urinetown (Sheldon Vexler Theatre), Menopause: The Musical (Cameo Theatre), Squabbles (Circle Arts Theatre in New Braunfels) and Beehive: The 60s Musical (Smith-Ritch Point Theatre in Ingram).
Add three touring productions to these community performances, and create a terrific theatrical agenda. The touring shows are Flower Power: A 60s-70s Las Vegas Style Musical at Trinity’s Laurie Auditorium on March 24, Some Enchanted Evening on April 7 at the Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre in New Braunfels, and The Pirates of Penzance at the beautifully restored (actually rebuilt) Kathleen C. Cailloux Theatre in Kerrville on April 9.
On the dance front, the Cailloux plays host to the highly acclaimed Trinity Irish Dancers March 18-19, and the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet performs its annual Dance Kaleidoscope at Jo Long Theatre on April 21.
The string of quality springtime shows seems never-ending. Here’s a six-pack starting with the Texas A&M Singing Cadets coming to the Brauntex on Sunday, March 4, the Glenn Miller Orchestra in Cailloux performances March 6-7, the San Francisco Jazz Collective in a Laurie Auditorium concert on March 16, An Evening with Yolanda Adams at the Laurie and the Lowe Family at the Brauntex, both on March 22, and Big 3 Palladium Orchestra at the Laurie on May 5.
Just for fun, add a seventh to the list. Tommy Chong, of Cheech and Chong fame, takes the microphone at Rivercenter Comedy Club March 9-11.
Disney On Ice: Princess Wishes heads up a long list of children’s shows being presented from March to May. It takes place at the Alamodome April 4-8. Other children’s show of note are Legend of the Bluebonnet, The Jungle Book and Treasure Island at Magik Children’s Theatre, Berenstain Bears and Joe Scruggs from Children’s Fine Arts Series, Old McDonald’s Farm and Cinderella, presented by Backyard Theatre at Steven Stoli Playhouse, and Oliver Twist, a production of Sheldon Vexler Children’s Theatre.
The 51 shows mentioned in this article represent only a portion of the performances available in the immediate San Antonio area this spring. For exact dates and times of these and other shows, please check the arts and entertainment section that follows in this magazine.
March to May sizzles! See a live performance soon!
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