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By Miriam Raftery
June 3, 2018 (Poway) -- “Country crooners, ‘80s hitmakers and man’s best friend are among the headlining talent Poway OnStage have lined-up for their 2018/19 Professional Performance Series at the Poway Performing Arts Center. This season, we are delighted to welcome old friends and new talents to the Poway stage,” says Poway OnStage President and CEO Michael Rennie. “Returning Poway OnStage alum include perennial Poway favorites and equal opportunity offenders The Capitol Steps, guitar masters the Romeros; and celebrity talents from Dancing with the Stars and American Idol performing the all-new Motown with a Twist.”
“First time appearances include ‘80s hitmakers Starship featuring Mickey Thomas; the Indian-dance-by-way-of-Bollywood spectacular, Mystic India; the wily canine exploits of The Stunt Dog Experience; the revamped Kingston Trio, the inimatable Arlo Guthrie, Irish dance phenomenon Murphy’s Celtic Legacy and country singer Clay Walker.”
Below is the full schedule and details:
Clay Walker
With Special Guest Anna Vaus
Friday, September 14, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
Photo right courtesy Tanya Lipper
Clay Walker topped the Billboard country singles chart in 1993 with “What’s It to You” and followed with his second number #1 hit, “Live Until I Die.” Since then he’s placed 31 titles on Billboard’s singles chart including such additional chart toppers as “Dreaming with my Eyes Open,” “If I Could Make Living,” “This Woman and This Man,” and “Rumor Has It.” (The latter two songs each spent two weeks in the number one spot.) He’s scored four platinum-selling albums, signifying sales of a million units, and two gold albums (discs that sold over 500,000 units.)
Clay Walker says he knew early that he wanted to be a country recording artist. When he was only 16-years-old, and working nights as a desk clerk at a Super 8 Motel, he took a tape of a song he wrote to a nearby radio station. The disc jockey told him it was against corporate policy to play such tapes on the air. “I was heartbroken, but when I left the studio and got in my car–and I remember it was about 6:30 in the morning– as I was driving away from the radio station and he said, “Folks, I’m not supposed to do this, but this song is just too good to pass up. This song was written by a hometown boy, his name is Clay Walker!’ He spun it and I could not believe it. It was one of the highlights of my whole career. Even to this day, when I think about the one moment in time, it said to me: ‘This is what you’re going to be!’ That defined it. I knew with no question, that was it.”
Poway native Anna Vaus was chosen by Miranda Lambert in 2016 as the first recipient of the Miranda Lambert Women Creators Fund which awards a female singer/songwriter a forty-thousand-dollar scholarship to attend Belmont University. Later that year, she was featured in Belmont’s Best of the Best Showcase. In 2017, Vaus signed a publishing deal with Black River Entertainment. She has opened for major country artists such as Lee Ann Womack and Hunter Hayes and regularly plays shows and songwriter rounds at various Nashville venues, including The Bluebird Cafe. “No matter where I play or who it's with” says Vaus “it’s always all about the song.”
This show made possible by Leah McBride of Skyline Home Loans.
This is a special engagement -- no discounts, vouchers or passes.
Mystic India: The World Tour
Friday, September 28, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
“A true celebration of Bollywood cinema” – The Star Ledger
“…like looking through a kaleidoscope of colour and beauty!” – The Weekly Voice
“Few spectacles are so global in appeal!” – The Morning Call
Mystic India: The World Tour is Bollywood dance show that traces ancient India’s transition into modern India. The costumes and sets have been designed by Amit Shah and handmade in India’s film capital by a team of 40 designers and workers over the course of four years. The team of diverse dancers from the AATMA Performing Arts dance company combines authentic Indian and modern techniques.
Over half a million have seen people have seen Mystic India: The World Tour since its inception in 2011 through its tours in South Africa, Switzerland, Canada, Bahrain, China and the United States. The company has opened for Carrie Underwood in Las Vegas and performed at top venues including major casinos, amusement parks and performing arts centers.
The Romeros
Sunday, October 7, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
Photo left courtesy The Romeros
"Collectively, they are the only classical guitar quartet of real stature in the world today; in fact, they virtually invented the format."—New York Times
The New York Times calls The Romeros “The royal family of the guitar.” Founded by the legendary Celedonio Romero with his sons Celin, Pepe and Angel in 1958, the quartet went through natural transformations, and today consists of the second (Celin & Pepe) and third generations (Lito & Celino). To have so many virtuosi of the same instrument in one family is unique in the world of musical performance, and in the realm of the classical guitar it is absolutely without precedent.
Celebrating their fifty-eighth anniversary the 2018 season will include tours in Asia, Europe, South America and the United States. The Romeros will also be presenting special concerts and festivals in memory of the 100th anniversary of patriarch Celedonio Romero, including a performance in their birth city of Málaga, Spain.
The Romeros have performed for dignitaries worldwide, including two American Presidents, Pope John Paul II and the King of Spain. In 2007, the Romeros were granted The “Recording Academy's President's Merit Award” from the GRAMMY® Awards in honor of their artistic achievements.
This is a special engagement -- no discounts, vouchers or passes.
Starship featuring Mickey Thomas
Friday, October 12, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
Photo right courtesy Starship
Mickey Thomas joined joined Jefferson Starship in 1979. Mickey had recorded “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” with the Elvin Bishop Band and was planning to pursue a solo career, but instead joined Jefferson Starship and recorded their first hit, “Jane,” almost immediately after getting together.
In 1985, the band renamed Starship, released Knee Deep in the Hoopla. Featuring two #1 hits – “We Built this City” and “Sara” – the album reached #7 on the Billboard charts and went platinum. Starship followed up their initial success with another #1 single, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” featured on the soundtrack for Mannequin. Starship continued to reach the top of the charts as MTV infiltrated pop culture and the band released videos for all of their hits. Starship music is featured in the soundtracks for Rock of Ages, Guardians of the Galaxy, Skeleton Twins, and the TV series Glee.
For their upcoming tour the band will mine their deep back catalog. “We’ll play songs from every record I had a hand in,” says the singer, promising early hits like “Find Your Way Back,” as well as a medley of the group’s earliest hits as Jefferson Airplane and, of course, the new material.
Starship is: Mickey Thomas - Lead Vocals, Jeff Adams – Bass, John Roth - Guitar, Phil Bennet – Keyboards, Darrell Verdusco – Drums, Stephanie Calvert – Vocals.
This is a special engagement -- no discounts, vouchers or passes.
Stunt Dog Experience
Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
“They are pawtastic” – Queen Latifah
The Stunt Dog Experience is the world’s largest and original stunt dog show. It has a cast of 9 human performers and 16 canine performers doing a variety of tricks, big air stunts, comedy antics, dancing and athletic feats. The show features the Golden Bone Showdown which is a series of five separate challenges that will test each dog’s intelligence, speed, accuracy and leaping ability. The Stunt Dog Triathlon includes the weave, pole/barrel racing and high-jumping.
All the dogs in the shows are trained using positive training methods with the use of a clicker and toy motivation. They each have unique talents and signature moves to showcase. The Stunt Dog Experience Team works to perfect each dog’s individual abilities, athleticism, and intelligence, then places them in segments that they can excel in. The dogs enjoy performing because they are doing what they love.
A family-owned business which started in 1999, Stunt Dog Experience is led by husband and wife team Chris and Suhey Perondi and their son Anthony. The show has produced over 8,000 live shows and has evolved into one of the largest touring animal acts in the world, with three touring units serving the United States and Canada. The Stunt Dog Experience has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Queen Latifah Show, the Early Morning Show, Good Day L.A., Good Day Sacramento, Home and Family on the Hallmark Channel and Sabado Gigante on Univision.
All the Stunt Dog Experience dogs are rescues saved from pounds and shelters from across the country. Their mission is to promote pet adoption, responsible pet ownership and to educate on the importance of spaying and neutering. During every show they take time to share their mission and encourage everyone to spend more time with their pets at home.
This show is made possible by Miramar Kitchen and Bath.
The Kingston Trio
Sunday, November 18, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
“Close your eyes and it was like listening to a Kingston Trio Album” – Folk Era Records
“…it’s like Nick, Bob and John all over again” – Nick Cassavetes, film director
Josh Reynolds, son of original founding member Nick Reynolds, has joined forces with two of Nick’s closest kindred spirits, Nick’s nephew Mike Marvin and his musical “brother,” Tim Gorelangton.
Alongside Josh, Mike and Tim have reformed the Kingston Trio. Original member Bob Shane said of the new lineup, “It was Nick Reynolds’ and my fondest hope that Josh and Mike would carry on the Trio and family legacy.”
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, when folk was one of the hottest trends in pop music, the Kingston Trio, with their original line-up of Bob Shane, Dave Guard and Nick Reynolds, earned two GRAMMY® awards from 8 nominations. At the time, no folk music category existed for the Grammy awards . The next year, largely as a result of The Kingston Trio and "Tom Dooley", the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences instituted a folk category and the Trio won the first GRAMMY®Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording for its second studio album, At Large. The group also was awarded a GRAMMY® lifetime achievement award in 2010.
The Kingston Trio’s first five studio albums achieved number one chart status and were awarded gold records. By 1961 the group had sold more than eight million records, earning over $25 million for Capitol records, roughly $200 million in today’s US dollars. For five consecutive weeks in November and December 1959, four Kingston Trio albums ranked in the top ten of Billboard's Top LPs chart, an accomplishment unmatched by any artist before or since. The Trio also charted several single records during this time, made numerous television appearances and played upwards of 200 engagements per year.
This show made possible by Casa de las Campanas.
Murphy’s Celtic Legacy
Sunday, February 17, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.
“Murphy’s Legacy was brilliant and exciting. The long applause was well deserved.” -The Journal UK
Murphy’s Celtic Legacy features dancers and musicians from Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and Celtic Woman. Created by Chris Hannon, former principal dancer for Lord of the Dance, Murphy’s Celtic Legacy features original choreography combining traditional Irish and modern dance techniques presented with multimedia elements, song, and music performed live by a seven piece band. The show’s soundtrack is composed by Irish musicians John Elliott and Gerry Conlon.
The show premiered in January 2015 with a sold-out performance in the UK at Sage Gateshead's 1600 seat Hall One. Then went on a tour of the Middle East. In 2016, Murphy’s Celtic Legacy performed for a full summer season across the Mediterranean and will tour Israel and Cyprus in 2017.
The performance centers on an original tale developed by Hannon drawn from Irish folklore—a tale of Kings and Queens, rebels and magic, epic battles between good and evil. It tells the story of the Murphy clan, who flee the corrupt tyrants of their native Eire in search of a better future. They land on the island of Ishan where they encounter the Ishas, the indigenous community of the Murphy’s new home. Pursued by the Dark Queen of Eire, the Murphys and the Ishas unite in their shared quest for peace and overcoming evil.
This is a special engagement -- no discounts, vouchers or passes.
Arlo Guthrie
Alice’s Resturant 50th Anniversary Tour
Saturday, March 16th at 8:00 p.m.
Photo left courtesy Arlo Guthrie
Born in Coney Island, New York in 1947, Arlo is the eldest son of Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, a professional dancer with the Martha Graham Company. His father is activist, singer, writer, philosopher and artist Woody Guthrie. Arlo has become a well-known figure in folk music, with a career spanning almost sixty years.
Growing up as a Guthrie, Arlo was surrounded by such renowned artists as Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Arlo drew from these influences. His debut song “Alice’s Resturant,” is an 18-minute satirical protest anthem. He and Pete Seeger colloborated for over forty years. The last Pete & Arlo show was in November 30, 2013 at Carnegie Hall only a few months before Pete passed away at the age of 94. The first time Guthrie performed in public was in 1961 at the age of 13. After almost 60 years of shows, Arlo Guthrie, now in his 70s, continues to tour, alone or with friends and family.
This is a special engagement -- no discounts, vouchers or passes.
Motown with a Twist
Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
From the producers of Ballroom with a Twist and Dancing with the Movies comes Motown with a Twist, featuring professional dancers from Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance and vocalists from American Idol, The Voice, and America’s Got Talent. This family- friendly performance features inventive ballroom dancing to the music of Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson and other Motown legends.
This is a special engagement -- no discounts, vouchers or passes.
One Night in Memphis
Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
“An Amazing Show” – The San Francisco Examiner
The titular one night in Memphis was December 4, 1956. It was the night Carl Perkins, along with his brothers Clayton and Jay, booked a recording session at Sam Phillip's Sun Records studios in Memphis, TN. They ended up jamming with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. The show One Night in Memphis is based on this night in musical history. It includes 90 minutes of songs from each of the stars repertoires including: “Honey Don’t,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Great Balls Of Fire,” “Breathless,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Get Rhythm,” “Walk The Line”and “Ring of Fire.”
Carl Perkins was to record an old blues song called “Matchbox.” Also on the session was one of Sam Phillip’s latest additions to his stable of acts, a young and relatively unknown piano player from Ferriday, Louisiana, Jerry Lee Lewis. Not too long after they got a satisfactory take, Elvis Presley dropped by and listened in. Johnny Cash dropped in as well. A jam session ensued and the engineer that day, Jack Clement, kept the tape rolling without anyone’s knowledge. The jam session went on for quite a while, and at some point during the session Sam Phillips called the Memphis Press Scimitar newspaper. They came by towards the end and shot some photos of the session. The article that appeared in the Memphis Press-Scimitar was the first use of the name “The Million Dollar Quartet.”
One Night in Memphis was created in 2012 by John Mueller who also created Winter Dance Party, tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.”
Capitol Steps
Friday, May 3, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
"They're the best. There's no one like them, no one in their league." — Larry King, CNN
"The Capitol Steps make it easier to leave public life." — Former President George H. W. Bush
The Poway OnStage Professional Performance Series is a regular stop for the Capitol Steps. More than 30 years ago Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom "Don't quit your day job!" Although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together, the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.
The Capitol Steps were born in December, 1981 when some staffers for Senator Charles Percy were planning entertainment for a Christmas party. Ronald Reagan was President when the Steps began, so co-founders Elaina Newport, Bill Strauss and Jim Aidala figured that if entertainers could become politicians, then politicians could become entertainers! Their first idea was to stage a nativity play, but in the whole Congress they couldn't find three wise men or a virgin! So, they decided to dig into the headlines of the day, and created song parodies & skits which conveyed a special brand of satirical humor that was as popular in Peoria as it was on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Since they began, the Capitol Steps have recorded more than 35 albums, including their latest, Orange Is the New Barack. They've been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS, and can be heard twice a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials.
Most cast members have worked on Capitol Hill some for Democrats, some for Republicans and others for politicians who firmly straddle the fence. No matter who holds office, there's never a shortage of material. Founding member Elaina Newport says, "Typically the Republicans goof up, and the Democrats party. Then the Democrats goof up and the Republicans party. That's what we call the two-party system.”
This show made possible by Dr. David Rauterkus.
This is a special engagement -- no discounts, vouchers or passes
Poway OnStage 2018/19 Professional Performance Series
Venue: The Poway Center for The Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Rd. Poway, CA. 92064 corner of Titan Way
Prices: GEICO Youth Tickets (12 and under) - $24
Adults - $44 and up
Prices subject to change
Box Office: 858-748-0505
No refunds or exchanges
Online: PowayOnStage.org
Tag us with @PowayOnStage #PowayOnStage
Phone: 858-748-0505 The Box Office is open 12-5pm Fridays, 10-3pm Saturday and two hours before curtain on show days.
Due to its generous sponsorship, GEICO Youth Tickets (for age 12 and under) are half off regular pricing. Discounts are available for seniors (65+), active duty military, and students (12-22). Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling 858-668-4797.
Poway OnStage, (a dba of The Poway Center for the Performing Arts Foundation), is a 26-year-old non-profit organization that offers a professional performing arts series, including music, dance, theater, comedy and more by nationally and internationally-renowned performers. Poway OnStage also hosts an Arts in Education Initiative that serves more than 4,300 students in the Poway Unified School District. Its Arts in Education Initiative programs include a free, one-week musical theater camp; Introduction to Instruments assemblies; Master Classes with visiting artists; and reduced price youth theater tickets, made possible by GEICO. Visit our website at www.PowayOnStage.org.
The Poway Center for the Performing Arts is owned and operated by the City of Poway as a division of the Community Services Department.
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