Farmers Alley Theatre Presents the World Premiere Production Of A SWINGING CHRISTMAS: THE HOLIDAY MUSIC OF TONY BENNETT

On the heels of our sold-out, extended runs of Bright Star last summer and A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder this fall, Farmers Alley Theatre will bring the very first production of A Swinging Christmas: The Holiday Music of Tony Bennett to West Michigan audiences.

And have they got a world premiere for you! Farmers Alley Theatre is transforming into a swingin' nightclub to celebrate the holidays. A Swinging Christmas: The Holiday Music of Tony Bennett will be an unforgettable evening of song and dance that features eighteen classic holiday tunes, plus the standards that made Bennett famous like "Fly Me To The Moon", "I Wanna Be Around", "The Good Life", "Rags To Riches", and of course, Tony's signature song "I Left My Heart In San Francisco".

This fantastic tribute to Tony Bennett features a jamming jazz trio on stage led by musical director Nicholas Mueller. It stars four Farmers Alley favorites: Paul Castree (The Andrews Brothers), Tony Perry (Parade), Missy Karle (The Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On) and returning after her triumphant performance in Bright Star, Michelle Duffy.

A Swinging Christmas: The Holiday Music of Tony Bennett was conceived and created by David Grapes & Todd Olson with arrangements by Vince di Mura. This premiere production is directed by David Grapes with choreography by Jeremy Blair (Bright Star). David is a familiar face to many in our community. "I love the Kalamazoo theatrical community and its devoted audiences. I directed 30 productions in the Kalamazoo area from 1982 to 1990 for the Kalamazoo Civic Players, Kindleberger Summer Theatre Festival, Kalamazoo College's Festival Playhouse, Loy Norrix Theatre, and the Red Barn Theatre of Saugatuck and I always dreamed of coming back to the area to direct another show here."

Farmers Alley Theatre's Managing Artistic Director Jeremy Koch adds, "It's a truly exciting time at the theatre as we all work to create a new and entertaining production for the Kalamazoo community. We are so excited to keep our 15th anniversary season celebration going with this special production that features the music of legendary American music icon, Tony Bennett. For this monumental show, we have assembled a tremendous group of artists to make sure everything looks and sounds amazing and we are collaborating with the creators of the show to bring it to vivid life. World premieres are rare and our audiences will be a part of one. How cool is that?"

Our cabaret-style seating, desserts, and beverages return for this special production the whole family will love!

A Swinging Christmas; The Holiday Music of Tony Bennett runs for four weekends from November 17th through December 11th. Tickets are $45 on Fri/Sat/Sun and $40 on Thursdays. Student ticket pricing is $15 for all shows. Tickets are available for purchase at www.farmersalleytheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at (269) 343-2727.

Per Farmers Alley Theatre's COVID-19 Safety plan, all of our artists, designers, and staff are fully vaccinated. We require that patrons of Farmers Alley Theatre show proof of vaccination when attending a performance. As of publishing, masks will be highly recommended for all attendees. All COVID, mask, and safety regulations will be continually monitored and are subject to change due to the advice of health experts and the State of Michigan.

A Swinging Christmas: The Holiday Music of Tony Bennett is sponsored by Rose Street Advisors, Weissert Kakabeeke and Rozankovich Retirement and Wealth Management Group of Raymond James, and DeMent & Marquardt with season sponsorship from First National Bank of Michigan.

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