Tag Archives: Admiral Theatre

Florence LaRue keeps 5th Dimension alive

I talked earlier this morning with Florence LaRue, the lone original member of The 5th Dimension, who piled up the hits in the 1960s and ’70s, and who tie a bow on the Admiral Theatre‘s 2014-15 season with a concert on June 6.

At 71, Florence_La_Rue-rt-port-9087final_16x23-9-2LaRue — who spoke by telephone from her L.A.-area base camp — not only keeps the 5th Dimension machine running, but is also a solo act, a speaker and an author. She’s got a schedule that would run most people ragged.

But The 5th Dimension, she stressed, is at the top of her priorities list right now.

“I fit everything else in around The Fifth Dimension,” she said.

The current group consists of LaRue, soprano Patrice Morris (who joined in 2008), Willie Williams (who replaced Ron Townson after he died in 2001), bass Leonard Tucker (since 2006) and Floyd Smith (the newest member, signing on in 2009).

We’ll have much more from LaRue about The 5th Dimension and her other pursuits in a preview story, probably in the June 5 issue of Kitsap A&E.

Ticket information for the show is available by calling 360-373-6743 or logging on to admiraltheatre.org.

— MM

Manhattan Transfer revving up for … Bremerton

CherylBentyneI just got off the phone with Manhattan Transfer songbird Cheryl Bentyne, a Northwest native (born and raised in Mt. Vernon), who talked about the group’s new member, Trist Curless, about coping with the death last year of founder Tim Hauser, and about their May 30 show at the Admiral Theatre.

“We’re kind of starting over,” Bentyne said during a phone conversation from her Los Angeles home. “Whatever the Transfer can get as far as work, I think we need it. … And I think Tim would’ve wanted it this way.”

MT last played the Admiral in October 2013. But Bentyne said there would be a little different dynamic this time around.

“We’ve put some songs that were Tim’s songs on the shelf; we don’t do them any more,” she said. “Now we’ve been rethinking our repertoire. Even Trist has been bringing in songs that we haven’t done. He’s the kid of the group, but he was a fan. He can do a lot of things — beat-box things, a lot of scatting — and he keeps us on our toes.”

We’ll have much more from the interview in our preview story in the May 29 issue of Kitsap A&E.

In the meantime, you can get tickets for the show by calling 360-373-6743 or logging on to admiraltheatre.org.

— MM

Admiral confirms a Three Dog Night for next spring

The Admiral Theatre has inked over a couple of penciled-in additions to their 2012-13 subscription season, both of which were tentatively announced a couple of weeks ago: Three Dog Night and Wilson Phillips.

Three Dog Night, one of the biggest hit-making bands of the 1970s, will appear in early June. The band, with two of its original three-vocalist lineup (Danny Hutton and Cory Wells) leading the way, headlined the Kitsap County Fair and Stampede several years ago (when the fair experimented for a few years with bigger-name attractions, including TDN, Grand Funk and Eddie Money), and tore the joint up.

Wilson Phillips were pop darlings in the 1990s, the daughters of music icons Brian Wilson (the Beach Boys) and John and Michelle Phillips (the Mamas and the Papas).

Tickets for the 2012-13 season go on sale July 2. More information is available from the Admiral, 360-373-6743, admiraltheatre.org.

Auditions that will have local actors chomping at the bit

Local actors will have a couple of out-of-the-ordinary opportunities in the coming months, but only if they audition:

Changing Scene Theatre Northwest is auditioning for Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song Trilogy,” while the Admiral Theatre is looking for local cast members for the upcoming return of “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding.”

Changing Scene’s auditions will be 2 p.m. April 8 and 7 p.m. April 9, both at the Bremerton Eagle Aerie 192, 205 Sixth St. in Bremerton. Auditions for three men and three women will be via cold readings from the script, except for one of the female roles, which includes singing torch songs. Hopefuls for that role should contact director Pavlina Morris at 360-813-1820. The lead role of Arnold already has been cast. Performance dates are June 22 to July 21.

A touring company of “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding will perform at the Admiral May 31 to June 3, but needs a number of local male and female actor-singer-improvisers ages 18 to 65 to complete its cast, including many paid positions. Auditions are 6 to 10 p.m. April 27 and noon to 4 p.m. April 28, both at the Admiral, 515 Pacific Ave. in Bremerton. No experience is necessary, but improv skills and acting experience both are helpful. RSVP with name, e-mail address and phone number to 360-373-6010 or admiraltheatre.org by April 25 to set up an appointment. Rehearsals are May 27 to 30.