Ridgefield Playhouse to Welcome Christopher Cross, 3/28

Christopher Cross was by far the biggest new star of 1980, virtually defining adult contemporary radio with a series of smoothly sophisticated ballads including the #1 hit, "Sailing". "Ride Like the Wind", "Think of Laura" and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by this game-changing singer/songwriter earned him five Grammys, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. For a memorable upbeat evening of music that sounds as good today as his timeless recordings, Christopher Cross will entertain with his band at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Friday, March 28, at 8 p.m. Special guest is Joshua Payne, a singer/songwriter with a big, classically-trained voice who brings a unique spin to the pop table and has had his own show at the Playhouse. An AllShows.com VIP Party Pass ($25 addt'l per person), which includes a pre-show cocktail party 6:30 - 7:15 p.m. with open bar, hors-d'oeuvre and priority parking, is available for this show by calling the box office (203-438-5795). This event is partially underwritten by The Manhattan Club and is part of the Xfinity Rock Series with media sponsor 98Q.

Beyond the Cross-mania years, Christopher co-wrote and sang the song that helped define the 1984 Summer Olympics, "A Chance for Heaven", and co-wrote and sang "Loving Strangers" for the hit Tom Hanks movie Nothing in Common; Cross's popularity spread to Japan and elsewhere in the East and to Europe. His string of post-megahit albums from the mid-1980s to the present represents a harder rocking style much to the delight of his fans.

Christopher Cross continues to record and perform about 100 live shows per year. He keeps giving the world a new set of songs, each of the albums growing innately from the last while resolutely advancing the state of his art. The audience response is never less than rapturous.

His most recent album, Doctor Faith, raises the bar that much higher. It is, unarguably, Christopher's finest work to date.

For tickets ($60), call the box office at The Ridgefield Playhouse, (203) 438-5795. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a not-for-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT; ridgefieldplayhouse.org.