The Kentucky Center Announces 2012 Winter/Spring Season

This winter/spring season, The Kentucky Center is offering something for everyone. The Winter/Spring 2012 season includes dance, comedy, zydeco, pop, orchestra, country and even kitchen king Anthony Bourdain.

The newly acoustically improved Whitney Hall will offer patrons exceptional sound no matter what type of performance is on stage. This past summer, a new, state-of-the-art theatrical rigging system was installed, and now the hall can be configured to match the unique requirements of a full orchestra, an intimate singer/songwriter, a Broadway spectacular or a fully amplified rock concert. Whitney Hall will sound better than ever, and audiences are sure to notice the difference.
Check the Kentucky Center web site at www.kentuckycenter.org/aboutus/kcpresents for a preview of what’s to come later in the year and to purchase tickets.

Patrons are encouraged to become Kentucky Center Members to have the best chance at getting the choicest seats. For as little as $100, patrons get Member benefits like great “Members-only” seats that are held back from the general public up to two weeks before the performance, “buy before the public” pre-sale opportunities for most Kentucky Center Presents and Broadway Across America shows, waived handling fees on all performances purchased through the Member Hotline and 15% discounts on select shows. For a complete list of benefits, visit www.kentuckycenter.org/content/downloads/MembershipBenefits.pdf.

Following is The Kentucky Center’s Winter/Spring 2012 Season. All tickets are on sale unless otherwise noted. Please remember that new shows and concerts are added to our schedule throughout the season; the surest way to know everything going on at The Kentucky Center is to visit our website at www.kentuckycenter.org. While there, you can sign up for The Kentucky Center eClub and get a monthly calendar emailed directly to you.

Winter/Spring 2012 Season:

The Glenview Trust Enriching Life Series

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Pinchas Zukerman on Thursday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Whitney Hall.

Tickets are $30-$85 and for Kentucky Center Members $47.25, $55.75, $72.75 (select areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Acknowledged as one of the UK’s most prodigious orchestras, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) enjoys an international reputation for bringing audiences worldwide first-class performances and the highest standards of music-making across a diverse range of musical repertoire. Conducting and performing with the RPO will be acclaimed violinist Pinchas Zukerman, whose four-decade career has spanned the heights of the classical music world.

Mozart, Overture from Die Zauberflöte
Bruch, Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 98
Sponsored by The Glenview Trust Company. 

WFPK Presents The Civil Wars on Friday, January 13 at 8 p.m. at The Brown Theatre.

Tickets are $20, $23 day of show and are ON SALE NOW!

The Civil Wars’ minimalist approach to Americana music has cut a clear path through the crowd of Nashville wannabes. Their signature song, “Poison & Wine,” broke on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, bringing their music to an audience far beyond the boundaries of Music City. On their recent recording “Barton Hollow,” The Civil Wars mix bare bones, acoustic arrangements with lush, whispered lyrics. “Barton Hollow” cracked Billboard’s Top 20 chart during the first week of its release and was a top download on iTunes. The dreamy quality of their music comes from vocalist Joy Williams, who grew up listening to Billie Holiday and The Beach Boys. Partner John Paul White, raised on Kristofferson, Cash and Townes Van Zandt, provides the duo’s tragic undertone. With special guests The Staves. Produced by The Kentucky Center and Production Simple. 

An Acoustic Evening with Pam Tillis on Friday, January 20 at 8 p.m. at The Bomhard Theater.

Tickets are $25 - $35 and for Kentucky Center Members $30.25, $21.75 (all areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

One of country music’s stars comes to The Kentucky Center for a very personal performance. Multiple Grammy and CMA award winner Pam Tillis will light up the Bomhard Theater stage in an intimate, electric and heartfelt performance. With six #1 hits to her credit and six million records sold, she is a bona fide Nashville superstar and country music royalty. 

Brown-Forman Midnight Ramble

Complexions Contemporary Ballet on Friday, February 3 at 8 p.m. at The Brown Theatre.

Tickets are $25 - $42.50 and Kentucky Center Members $28, $32.25 (select areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Founded by the two former Alvin Ailey members and a favorite of the hit TV show So You Think You Can Dance, Complexions’ groundbreaking mix of methods, styles and cultures has created an entirely new and exciting vision of human movement. Transcending the limits of any single genre, Complexions creates an open, continually evolving form of dance that reflects the movement of our world — and all its constituent cultures — as an interrelated whole.

LEO A Little Off Center Presents Mike Birbiglia on Saturday, February 4 at 8 p.m. at The Brown Theatre.

Tickets are $27.50 - $45 and for Kentucky Center Members $32.25 (select areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

In Mike Birbiglia's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, Mike shares a lifetime of romantic blunders and miscues that most adults would spend a lifetime trying to forget. On this painfully honest journey, Birbiglia struggles to find reason in an area where it may be impossible to find – love. Winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend was nominated for both the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. It was recognized as a Critic’s Pick by The New York Times, Time Out New York, and New York Magazine. May contain adult language and subject matter. 

LEO A Little of Center Presents Nellie McKay on Sunday, February 12 at 7 p.m. at the Bomhard Theater.

Tickets are $25 and for Kentucky Center Members $21.75 (all areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Nellie McKay arrives with her first CD of original music in four years. She has opened for Lou Reed at Carnegie Hall, sung Woody Allen movie songs at the Hollywood Bowl, performed on A Prairie Home Companion, duetted with Eartha Kitt and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, done Brecht on Broadway, played Hilary Swank’s sister on the big screen, and released three wildly acclaimed albums of original music. Her music is as tuneful and clever as the best of the Great American Songbook – part cabaret, part sparkly pop. But beneath the charming melodic surface are a wit that cuts and a sharply tuned social conscience. 

Terrance Simien and The Zydeco Experience on Friday, February 17 at 8 p.m. at the Bomhard Theater.

Tickets are $27.50 and for Kentucky Center Members $23.75 (all areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Terrance Simien returns to Bomhard Theater to raise the roof and let les bon temps roulez! Terrance and the Zydeco Experience have been ambassadors of no-holds-barred Louisiana good times (and authentic Zydeco music) for over two decades. Don’t miss this Grammy-winning artist as he breaks out the beads and dishes up some hot Mardi Gras madness!

Good Vs. Evil: An Evening with Anthony Bourdain & Eric Ripert on Saturday, February 18 at 8 p.m. at Whitney Hall.

Tickets are $35-$50; VIP Packages are $125. Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Join Anthony Bourdain, chef, author of Medium Raw, and host of The Travel Channel’s No Reservations and Eric Ripert, renowned chef of Le Bernardin, author, host of Avec Eric on PBS, and regular guest on Bravo’s Top Chef as they share stories and muse on the place of food in our personal, community and global life. It’s an evening of storytelling and observation providing frank and provocative insight into what really goes on behind kitchen doors. VIP Packages include special seating (within first 6 rows), post-show reception/meet and greet with Bourdain and Ripert, limited edition tour poster. 

Dark Side of the Wall on Saturday, February 25 at 8 p.m. at the Brown Theatre.

Tickets are $25, $32.50 and for Kentucky Center Members $28.00, 21.75 (all areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Since 2008, The Dark Side of the Wall has dedicated itself to recreating Pink Floyd’s psychedelic soundscapes and “Art House” rock. The Dark Side of the Wall returns with their most ambitious production to date, offering an audiovisual journey through the catalog of one of the most influential bands of the modern era. This three-hour multi-media event includes 16 years of classic tracks (1967-1983), and is the perfect complement to Roger Water's 2012 tour of "The Wall”.

Live Nation and The Kentucky Center Present Lewis Black: In God We Rust on Sunday, February 26 at 7 p.m. at the Brown Theatre.

Tickets are $37.75 - $47.75 and for Kentucky Center Members $41.00, 32.50 (all areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Lewis Black – stand-up comedian, actor and author – is one of the most popular performers working today. Not one to rest on his laurels, Black continues to hone his craft by performing in front of live audiences 200 nights a year in venues such as Carnegie Hall and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. A passionate performer who is more of a pissed-off optimist than a mean-spirited curmudgeon, Lewis Black is that rare comic who can cause an audience to laugh themselves into incontinence while making compelling points about the absurdity of our world. Mature subject matter and adult language. 

The Kentucky Center and Crane House, The Asia Institute, Inc. present Shen Wei Dance Arts on Saturday, March 3 at 8 p.m. at the Brown Theatre.

Tickets are $25 - $42.50 and for Kentucky Center Members $32.25, $28.00 (select areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Shen Wei Dance Arts has been heralded around the world as one of the most exciting companies performing today. Artistic Director Shen Wei develops an original dance vocabulary incorporating visual and storytelling elements from theater, Chinese opera, Eastern philosophy, traditional and contemporary visual art, and sculpture. The result combines performance with strong scenic elements.

YUM! Family Series Program

TAO: The Way of the Drum on Thursday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Brown Theatre.

Tickets are $15-$38.50 and for Kentucky Center Members $28.00, $21.75 (select areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Athletic bodies and contemporary costumes meet explosive Taiko drumming and innovative choreography in a show that has critics waxing lyrical about TAO’s precision, energy and stamina. With hundreds of sold-out shows and more than a million fans, TAO has proven that modern entertainment based on the traditional art of Japanese drumming has massive international appeal. 

Republic Bank Presents Celtic Crossroads – World Fusion Tour  on Friday, March 9 at 8 p.m. at the Brown Theatre.

Tickets are $23.50-32.50 and for Kentucky Center Members $23.75 (select areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Celtic Crossroads is an explosion of youthful energy and dazzling musicianship. Celtic Crossroads abounds with fusions of traditional Irish music, bluegrass, gypsy and jazz, while pulsating with the rhythms of exciting Irish dance and percussion. Spontaneous mid-show ovations are the norm, and enraptured Celtic Crossroads audiences are always compelled to shout for more. 

1-2-3 Imagine! with Elmo & Friends Sesame Street Live on Friday, March 30 at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 31 at 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 1 at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Brown Theatre.

Tickets are $15.75-$29.75, Sunny Seats for $49.75 and for Kentucky Center Members $15.50, $19.75 (select areas; not valid opening night). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Imagine singing and dancing with Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and all your favorite Sesame Street Live friends! It’s as easy as counting “1-2-3 Imagine!” This high-energy musical will transport audiences to faraway places as Ernie captains the high seas, Elmo dances to the rhythm of the African rainforest and Bert meets an octopus who has the blues. It’s a story of adventure and fun that teaches children they can be anyone, do anything and go anywhere with the power of imagination.

Get the ultimate fan experience with Sunny Seats! The Sunny Seats Package includes a VIP Seat and a pre-show photo opportunity with two characters from the show. Sunny Seat orders will include a special admittance ticket for entry into the Photo Opportunity. You will receive the special admittance ticket with the rest of your show tickets. All Photo Opportunities start one hour prior to the performance and last for 20 minutes. Latecomers may miss the opportunity. Meet at the merchandise stand in the main lobby to be directed to the photo opportunity. Please bring your own camera.

Red Baraat on Thursday, April 12 at 8 p.m. at the Bomhard Theater.

Tickets are $22.50 and for Kentucky Centers Members $19.50 (all areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Led by dholi Sunny Jain, Red Baraat is the first and only dhol ‘n brass band in North America, melding the infectious North Indian rhythm Bhangra with brass funk and expressing the human spirit through improvisation and a powerful live sound. Comprised of dhol (double-sided, barrel-shaped North Indian drum slung over one shoulder), drum set, percussion, sousaphone, and five horns, this NYC-based group plays fresh originals and Bollywood favorites with an explosive stage performance and presence.

The Glenview Trust Enriching Life Series

The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Joshua Bell on Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $30-$85 and for Kentucky Center Members $47.25, $55.75, $72.75 (select areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Renowned for its polished and refined sound, rooted in outstanding musicianship and boasting a bold conductor-less format, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is one of the most beloved (and recorded) chamber orchestras in the world. Now on tour with Music Director and virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell, the Academy will perform a crowd-pleasing, all-Beethoven program in the acoustical brilliance of Whitney Hall. All Beethoven program featuring:
Coriolan Overture
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
Sponsored by The Glenview Trust Company. Media support provided by WUOL.

Brown-Forman Midnight Ramble

Bela Fleck and The Flecktones: The Original Line-Up on Saturday, April 28, 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25-$45 and for Kentucky Center Members $32.75 (select areas). Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Back together for the first time in twenty years, the original Béla Fleck & The Flecktones return to where it all began with all-new music from their #1 CD Rocket Science. Joined by Howard Levy, Victor Wooten and Futureman, Béla will explore every corner of the musical landscape for an evening of discovery, revelation and good times. 

Please call 502-562-0111 (V), 502-562-0140 (TTY) or email access@kentuckycenter.org for information about the range of accessibility options.

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