Tony Bennett. To say he's a legend doesn't begin to cover this icon's past success and his present popularity as one of the most celebrated artists of all time. From his big break in 1949, when he was discovered by Bob Hope, to his 18 Grammy Awards, Emmy award-winning TV specials, 24 Top 40 songs, and his legendary duets with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Lady Gaga, no one else in popular American music has recorded for so long and at such a high level of excellence as Tony Bennett. New York Magazine said it best: "His voice is still a technical marvel, and no one else on Earth can make a lyric written eight decades ago sound as natural as a conversation at a coffee shop." Show information: 8p.m., March 9, 2016, Walt Disney Theater. Tickets start at $49.50.
Crowns, A Gospel Play. Presented by Cultural Fusion and back by popular demand, this encore presentation was a sold-out hit during its first run at the Dr. Phillips Center in October 2015. A moving, celebratory musical play in which hats become a springboard for an exploration of black history and identity as seen through the eyes of a young black woman who moves to her grandmother's Southern home after her brother is killed in Brooklyn. Hats are everywhere in exquisite variety, and are used by the characters to tell tales concerning everything from the etiquette of hats to their historical and contemporary social functioning. The tradition of hats is traced back from African rituals and slavery and forward to the New Testament and current fashion. Some rap but predominately gospel music and dance are used to underscore and support the narrative.
Show information: 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., January 10, 2016, Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater. Tickets Start at $30.00
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