Lyric adds shows to season!

Shelley Koppel
STAFF WRITER
skoppel@YourVoiceWeekly.com

STUART — The Lyric Theatre has already announced a busy season, but the planning isn’t over. The theater has added nine new shows to the schedule.  Tickets for all shows go on sale Sept. 3.

Singer/songwriter and pianist Grayson Hugh comes to town on Oct. 19. He is known for hits like “Talk it Over,” “Bring it Back” and “How ‘Bout Us,” as well as songs from “Thelma and Louise” and “Fried Green Tomatoes.” His albums, “Blind to Reason” and “Road to Freedom” have won him fans around the world. His wife, singer Polly Messer, will also perform.

Craig Ferguson, the Scottish comedian and host of CBS’ “The Late Late Show” brings his stand-up comedy to the Treasure Coast for the first time on Nov. 19. In addition to his hosting duties, Ferguson has become a fixture on the comedy circuit, selling out venues including Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall.

Last spring, “50 Shades! The Musical,’ a parody of the books that have sold millions, sold out four performances at the Lyric.  Back by popular demand, it returns Dec. 11-12. The show begins with a ladies’ book club deciding to read the novel. The show has dance numbers, original songs and a live, onstage band.  It should surprise no one that this production contains adult language and content.

Keb Mo’ is a singer/songwriter, guitarist and three-time Grammy winner. He brings his Delta blues sound to the Lyric on Jan. 28 and gives it a modern take. While his music embraces multiple genres, including pop, soul, folk and jazz, he has always emphasized story-telling in his work.
The Dukes of Dixieland come from New Orleans to the Treasure Coast on Feb. 10. They’ll rock the house with traditional jazz and Dixieland, weaving pop, gospel and country with the sounds of the Big Easy.

The Motown sound is celebrated on Feb. 17 when The Sounds of Soul bring a tribute to The Temptations, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Tina Turner, Barry White and others. The group is known for distinctive choreography and a lot of flash on stage.
From April 10-13, “Guys and Dolls in Concert” will grace the Lyric stage. The original show, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, is a Broadway classic. This show will present Lyric favorites singing some of the best-loved songs in the world: 
Bushel and a Peck,” “Luck Be a Lady,” and “If I Were a Bell among them. It’s a one-of –a kind production.

Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience come to town on May 10. Simien, a Grammy-winning artist and 8th generation Louisiana Creole, takes zydeco music and blends it with folk and soul. It becomes a blend of zydeco-New Orleans funk-reggae-Afro-Caribbean music that will make it hard to stay seated.

It’s not too early to think about the Lyric’s 100th birthday party.  Celebrating the first Lyric Theater, begun in 1913, the Nov. 16 benefit event is a gala featuring the Cab Calloway Orchestra.  Guests will come to the Lyric for a concert and then go to a speakeasy at an undisclosed location to party the night away.  Tickets for the event are $250 and a portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible. For more information, call (772) 220-1942, ext. 209.

The Lyric Theatre is located at 59 S.W. Flagler Ave., Stuart. Tickets for all shows go on sale on Sept. 3.
For more information, visit the website, www.lyrictheatre.com. or call the box office at (772) 286-7827.