When Grand Rapids Civic Theatre unveiled their lineup for the upcoming 2018/2019 season, there was a notable absence in the ensemble. One of their shows was deemed a “surprise musical” due to the production’s licensing agreement with Civic Theatre. Several suspenseful months later, our guessing games can, at last, be put to rest…
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre proudly invites you to save the date for Mamma Mia!, coming February 22.
More than 54 million people all around the world have fallen in in love with the characters, the story and the music that make Mamma Mia! the ultimate feel-good show! A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget!
Featuring Abba favorites, like Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Take a Chance On Me, and the title hit, Mamma Mia, Executive and Artistic Director Bruce Tinker noted, “We were very fortunate to secure the rights to this show – but only if we agreed to withhold revealing the title until a later date this season. The chance to produce one of the most successful and entertaining musicals of recent history was too important to pass up”.
Writer Catherine Johnson’s sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. The timeless songs and storytelling of Swedish pop group ABBA propel this enchanting tale of love, laughter, and friendship, creating an unforgettable show. A large cast non-stop laughs, and explosive dance numbers combine to make Mamma Mia! a guaranteed smash hit.
The show will run Feb. 22 – March 17. For ticket information or the complete Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s 2018-2019 season, visit grct.org.
The rock band Chicago never dominated pop culture like Elvis or Madonna. Its musicians never became household names like John, Paul, George and Ringo. The group from the Windy City never filled arena after arena the way Bruce Springsteen, Prince or the Rolling Stones did.
Yet Chicago, over a 50-year career, has become, according to Billboard, “the greatest of all time” American band in singles chart success as well as the greatest of all time American band in album chart success.
The music of Chicago, one of the longest-running, most successful rock groups of all time, is coming to the Grand Rapids Symphony’s D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops for the second week of the 2017 Picnic Pops.
Brass Transit from Toronto joins the Grand Rapids Pops for The Musical Legacy of Chicago at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 20-21 at Cannonsburg Ski Area, 6800 Cannonsburg Rd NE. Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt will be on the podium for concerts underwritten by Gerald. R. Ford International Airport, Mercy Health, Vredevoogd Heating and Cooling, and Witness Inspection as Benefactor Sponsors.
Lawn seats begin at $19 for adults, $16 for seniors and students, $5 for ages 2 to 18, and free for children under age 2. Call the Grand Rapids Symphony at (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 during business hours or (616) 885-1241 or go online to PicnicPops.org
Grand Rapids Symphony performs at the Picnic Pops. Photo by Terry Johnston
Chicago, the self-described “rock and roll band with horns,” This rock and roll group, according to Billboard, led the U.S. singles chart during the 1970s and has sold over 40 million units in America.
With songs such as Beginnings, Saturday in the Park, andYou’re the Inspiration, Chicago has sold more than 100 million records worldwide over a five-decade career that began in 1967.
Their 1969 debut album, Chicago Transit Authority, was a double album, rare for a band’s first release. But within a year, the band sold over 1 million copies, earning a platinum disc, an impressive beginning for the group that would go on to record 25 or 6 to 4,Feelin’ Stronger Every Day and the ballad, If You Leave Me Now, which held the No. 1 spot on the U.S. charts for two weeks in 1976, winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.
Brass Transit, organized nearly 10 years ago specifically to play the music of Chicago, features eight accomplished, award-winning musicians from Toronto, Ontario. Founder Tony Carlucci, musical director and trumpet player, launched the group to do something for himself. He explained, “My favorite band of all time is Chicago, and I decided to put something together to just have some fun.”
The plan was to stay local and play at nightclubs from time to time. After the son of one of the band members posted a video of their performance on YouTube, Brass Transit took off. Carlucci said, “The ball was thrown in my court and I decided to run with it.” Hear Brass Transit on YouTube.
Today, Brass Transit has been successful enough that several members of the group have filled in as occasional subs with Chicago itself. This tribute band does not simply play songs; they embody the music and bring the notes to life on stage.
In addition to all of the songs above, Brass Transit joins the Grand Rapids Pops for such Chicago hits as Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, Make Me Smile, Old Days andHard To Say I’m Sorry.
In an October 2014 review on Icon Fetch, Tony Peter, after attending a concert, wrote, “I’ve seen Chicago 25 years ago, and they were nowhere near this good. Brass Transit led a high-energy, hit-filled evening that, with or without orchestra, is a must see.”
This incredibly talented band will appear at Cannonsburg for the first time on July 20-21 at 7:30 p.m., bringing D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops fans back to some of the most memorable times of their lives in concerts underwritten by Grand Wealth Management, Mercantile Bank and Ranir as Patron Sponsors.
Coming next week, the Grand Rapids Pops’ three-concert, all classic pop/rock series rolls on with the music of Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Carole King and Pat Benatar in Women Rock on July 27-28 at 7:30 p.m.
In August, join the Grand Rapids Symphony for the audience favorite Classical Fireworks show on Thursday, Aug. 3 with Music Director Marcelo Lehninger making his debut at Cannonsburg. Capping off the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops is the marvelous mariachi sound of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán on Saturday, August 5. Both special-event shows begin at 8 p.m.
About Cannonsburg Ski Area
Gates at Cannonsburg Ski Area open at 5:45 p.m. each night for picnicking and pre-concert entertainment, including free, kid-friendly activities such as face painting, crafts, and a musical instrument petting zoo.
Pack your own picnic baskets and coolers or purchase food from the grill at the Cannonsburg concession stand. Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the grounds, and parking is free for concertgoers.
Tickets
Single Tickets
Single tickets for lawn seats in advance to The Musical Legacy of Chicago are $19 for adults, $16 for college students and seniors, or $5 for ages 2-18. Single tickets for general admission chair seating are $30. Single tickets for an individual, reserved table seats are $51 or $408 for an entire table for eight.
MySymphony360 members can attend for $15. U.S. Military on active or reserve duty or in the National Guard may purchase up to two tickets for $15 each. All children younger than age 2 are admitted for free.
All single tickets for all concerts are $5 more on the day of the show.
Flexpass Packages
The Flexpass 6-Pack offers six lawn tickets that can be used in any combination, on any concert night, for The Musical Legacy of Chicago and Women Rock on July 27-28. Flexpasses are $96 for adults and $84 for seniors. Flexpasses cannot be used for the special events in August.
Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more people by calling (616) 454-9451 ext. 192.
Tickets can be purchased through the GRS box office by calling (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 weekdays or (616) 885-1241 evenings; or in person at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100; or online at GRSymphony.org.
Tickets also may be purchased through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787, or at Ticketmaster outlets at select D&W Fresh Markets, Family Fare stores and Walmart. Tickets purchased at these locations will include a Ticketmaster service fee.
In 1815, Napoleon met his Waterloo with a spectacular defeat that ended his reign as Emperor of France. In 1974, four Swedish singers met their “Waterloo” with spectacular success, winning the Eurovision Song Contest, launching a career in music that would inspire a Broadway musical, a major Hollywood movie, and sell millions of records.
Arrival from Sweden joins the Grand Rapids Pops with songs such as “Mama Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Gimme Gimme,” “Take a Chance On Me,” and many more to open the season at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 13-14, at Cannonsburg ski area, 6800 Cannonsburg Rd NE. Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt will be on the podium for both concerts underwritten by Kennari Consulting, Price Heneveld LLP and TerryTown RV as Benefactor Sponsors.
Season tickets offering substantial discounts as well as single tickets for all concerts in the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops are on sale. Call the Grand Rapids Symphony at (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 during business hours or (616) 885-1241 evenings or go online to PicnicPops.org
ABBA, named after the first names members of the group, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, was the first non- English speaking musical group to achieve major success across the English-speaking world from New Zealand to the United Kingdom and from South Africa to the United States.
From 1972 to 1982, ABBA sold over 500 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. After 10 years of international success, the band dissolved. Except for a TV appearance in 1986, the four musicians did not appear together publicly again until they were reunited at the Swedish premiere of the movie Mamma Mia! starring Meryl Streep, in July 2008.
Arrival from Sweden, the most popular ABBA tribute group, has toured more than 48 nations and appeared with dozens of symphony orchestras since 1995.
Over the past 10 years in the United States, ARRIVAL has sold out eight shows in the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Denver, an arena where other world-famous artists including Elvis Presley, the Beatles, U2, and many more have appeared. Arrival last was in Grand Rapids in February 2012 at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center.
Named for ABBA’s fourth studio album, “Arrival,” as well as ABBA’s No. 1 best-selling album in Europe and Australia, Arrival from Sweden is the only tribute group given a previously unreleased ABBA song, “Just A Notion,” composed by Ulvaeus and Andersson. Arrival also has permission from ABBA’s original designer to wear exact copies of ABBA’s original stage costumes.
ARRIVAL from Sweden not only resembles ABBA in appearance, the group truly embodies the sound and personality of the Swedish pop band, making audiences feel as though ABBA itself is on stage. In fact fans often say, “It was like a real ABBA concert!”
Nancy Brozek
