The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

Broadway returns to Van Wert

Broadway returns to the Niswonger this Sunday with the classic smash hit musical, Anything Goes.  With its introduction on Broadway in 1934, it has become one of those “classics” which are so good, they just keep reappearing.  The most recent revival came in 2011, when it garnered several Tony Awards, including “Best Musical Revival”, while playing at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in New York.

Cole Porter’s music helped make it the smash hit with songs like, “I Get a Kick out of You,” made popular by Frank Sinatra as well as others, “You’re the Top,” and of course “Anything Goes.”  And if you like tap dancing, you will love this musical.  A big cast of dancers and singers will appear on stage with a live orchestra in the pit.

I just came from my dentist appointment this morning and one of the hygienists came running over to my chair and said she just took her entire family to Columbus this past weekend to see the show because they were going to be gone when it’s here in town.  She said it was wonderful!  The perfect classic Broadway show with beautiful costumes, lots of color, dancing and singing.  She said everyone needs to see this one.  She did admit that she probably paid more in Columbus than she would have here.  Man! We are running a special (if there are any seats left) for balcony seats at just $10. Incredible!  I believe I saw about a hundred seats remaining for this Sunday afternoon show at 3 p.m.  Anything goes!

The second of our two Broadway shows is on Saturday night, March 28.  Memphis is a show I hope everyone will check out. My wife and I saw it in New York a couple years ago and knew we needed to get it to Van Wert for you to enjoy too.

I think it is the story line that makes this musical so appealing to me, but the music is also outstanding. The story of Memphis tells of a late night radio DJ who took a big risk of playing a new kind of music just starting to come around in the early 1950s.  It was called Rock ‘n Roll. You can imagine the chaos he created by playing this kind of music for the first time for many of the Memphis area listeners. The music is created on stage with the live band and the singing and tunes are outstanding.

The story continues when this Rock “n Roll radio DJ meets the Memphis Blues and a female African-American Blues singer and (of course) they fall in love. Remember, it’s Broadway!  This was not a good thing in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1950s in particular.  I’ll let you research the rest of the story, but let me just say that we so enjoyed the show that we wanted to share it with our Niswonger audience.  Give it a chance, I think you’ll love it too.

Tickets are on sale for both these Broadway shows which will soon fall in line with past Broadway Shows the Niswonger has bought to town including, Annie, Oklahoma!, Fiddler on the Roof, Shrek — the Musical, The Addams Family, Westside Story, and Porgy & Bess.  The Booking Group out of New York has worked with us to bring some of the greatest shows touring today to the Niswonger for our audiences to enjoy.  We are truly bringing New York, Chicago, and London right here in your own back yard.  All you need to do is buy your ticket and enjoy!

FINÉ.

POSTED: 02/11/15 at 6:58 am. FILED UNDER: News