Tag Archives: Admiral Theatre

Garrison Keillor sets an Admiral Theatre date

Tickets are on sale at the Admiral Theatre for an April 15 appearance by writer-humorist-storyteller Garrison Keillor, he of “A Prairie Home Companion” fame.

Tickets for the show, an add-on to the theater’s 2016-17 subscription series, went on sale the morning of Nov. 16. Prices range from a top end of $95, which includes a main-floor reserved seat and a catered dinner, to $40.

The show will start at 7 p.m., with dinner served beginning at 5:30 p.m.

One of the most prolific American storytellers of all time, Keillor recently retired as host of the popular live radio variety show, “A Prairie Home Companion,” attracting more than 4 million listeners on more than 600 public radio stations each week.

Keillor is also the host of the daily radio and online program, “The Writers Almanac,” and the editor of several anthologies of poetry, including “Good Poems: American Places.” A best-selling author, he has published more than two dozen books, including “Lake Wobegon Days,” “The Book of Guys,” “Pilgrims,” “Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny,” and “Homegrown Democrat.”

In 2006, Keillor played himself — alongside a cast that included Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin and Kevin Kline — in the critically acclaimed film adaptation of “A Prairie Home Companion,” directed by Robert Altman.

In addition to Grammy, ACE, and George Foster Peabody awards, Keillor has also been honored with the National Humanities Medal, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Information: 360-373-6743, admiraltheatre.org

— MM

OHS musicians will be part of Admiral’s ‘In My Life’ show

michael c. moore

There’ll be not one, but two quartets on stage when the show “In My Life — A Musical Theatre Tribute to the Beatles” returns to the Admiral Theatre at 7 p.m. Oct. 13.

First, there’s the Beatles tribute band Abbey Road play the parts of John, Paul George and Ringo in the show. They’ll be accompanied on five songs by a local foursome, the Olympic High School String Quartet.

Violinists Julia Macazo and Cecilia Alvarado, bassist Myron David and violist Megan Gardner (clockwise from top left in the photo) will offer string accompaniment for
“Eleanor Rigby,” “Yesterday,” “A Day in the Life,” “Hello Goodbye” and “Hey Jude,” according to information provided by the show’s producers.

This is the second time a OHS quartet has been brought on for “In My Life,” students also performing in 2014 after the show’s producers contacted OHS instrumental music director Paul Williams looking for a referral. This actually is the show’s third time in Bremerton after making its Admiral debut in 2013.

“When we find a strong program like the Olympic High School orchestra, we seek them out year after year,” said producer Andy Nagle.

The show is critically acclaimed, including one review from the Orange County (Calif.) Register that enthused, “If you see one tribute show, see this one — smart and loads of fun.”

Macazo is the only senior with the quartet this year; Alvarado, Gardner and David all are juniors.

Information: Admiral Theatre, 360-373-6743, admiraltheatre.org

— MM

Macklemore, Ryan Lewis quickly sell out Bremerton show

michael c. moore

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are going on a “camping trip” — an eight-stop late-summer tour of venues around Washington — which includes an Aug. 31 stop at the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton.

Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. May 20 — and sold out in less than an hour despite limited advance publicity — for the show, part of a tour that also will make stops in Spokane, Yakima, Walla Walla, Enumclaw, Olympia, Hoquiam and Bellingham. The shows were announced by Macklemore and the Admiral on their respective Web sites and social media outlets only when the ticket sale began.

According to Admiral general manager Brian Johnson, Macklemore wanted to keep advance notice of the shows to a minimum, publicizing them only at the last minute on social media. The theaters involved in the tour were allowed to post their own notices only after the ticket sales had begun.

“I couldn’t even tell my staff about it until yesterday,” Johnson said. “They wanted to do the shows in small venues for their true fans.”

The “Thrift Shop” guys finish a long summer tour with a show in Jakarta, Indonesia on Aug. 13, but will be back in action just 10 days later for the “Camping Trip” swing, which begins Aug. 23 at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane. Following the Admiral stop, there’s one more campsite in Bellingham before they return to Seattle to headline the Bumbershoot music and art festival Sept. 2-4.

Other shows on the “Camping Trip” include the Seasons Performance Hall in Yakima Aug. 24, Main Street Studios in Walla Walla Aug. 25, the Chalet Theatre in Enumclaw Aug. 27, the Capitol Theatre in Olympia Aug. 28, the 7th Street Theatre in Hoquiam Aug. 29 and the Wild Buffalo in Bellingham Aug. 31.

General admission tickets for the Admiral show and the others on the tour were $20. The Admiral business office was closed during the morning hours (staffers probably were girding for a night shift, with the Kingston Trio in town). The ticket office closed as soon as the last of the “Camping Trip” tickets were sold. Maximum capacity for the show is 999.

Information: 360-373-6743, admiraltheatre.org

— MM

Tower of Power added to Admiral lineup

michael c. moore

Tower of Power, whose high-energy, ultra-funky sound propelled them out of the East Bay San Francisco music scene in 1968 and into international prominence, will play a January 26 concert at the Admiral Theatre, the Admiral announced yesterday.

The Tuesday night show will start at 7 p.m., with doors open at 6 p.m. The Admiral’s casual dining menu will be available. Ticket prices range from $75 on the main floor to $20 in the upper balcony.

ToP produced a string of hits, including “Down to the Nightclub (Bump City),” “What Is Hip?” and “You’re Still a Young Man,” has remained a potent live act for more than 40 years, continuing to turn out new music and touring heavily. They are a Northwest favorite, with frequent visits that include an annual residency at Seattle’s Jazz Alley. Despite numerous personnel changes over the years, ToP still can funkafize with the best of them.

The current lineup is powered by founding members Emilio Castillo (tenor sax) and Steve Kupka (baritone sax), along with original members Francis Rocco Prestia (bass) and David Garibaldi (drums). Roger Smith (keyboards), Tom E. Politzer (tenor sax), Adolpho Acosta (trumpet), Jerry Cortez (guitar), Sal Cracchiolo (trumpet) and Ray Greene (lead vocals) round out this latest incarnation.

Taken from the Admiral’s release:

“ToP performed on records with Neil Diamond, Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith, and Dionne Warwick, and influenced a generation of musicians (including Sting, who has told Emilio Castillo that he once had a “Tower of Power clone band” before he formed The Police). In the 1980s, they backed Huey Lewis and the News on world tours. They continued to play their own music in between Lewis’s gigs.

“Tower of Power is experiencing a renaissance, touring most of every year and packing venues in the United States, the Pacific Rim, and all over Europe with its audience of new and old fans. On June 6, 2004, The California Music Association inducted Tower of Power with a Lifetime Achievement Award and cited their 2003 Sony Legacy anthology Havin’ Fun as soul/R&B album of the year, beating out releases by En Vogue and Raphael Saadiq. When asked to describe the band’s music, former Tower saxophonist Lenny Pickett, now musical director for the “Saturday Night Live” band says, ‘ToP is the world’s best rhythm and blues band.’ In reality, ToP’s horn-driven, in-your-face sound is all its own.”

I’ve seen ToP a number of times over the years, in venues from Memorial Stadium at the Seattle Center to the old 99 Club in SeaTac, and they’ve never failed to entertain with top-notch musicianship and a room full of fun(k).

Information: 360-373-6743, admiraltheatre.org

— MM

Three Dog Night reschedules Admiral concert

michael c. moore

Three Dog Night will play at the Admiral Theatre on March 25, the venue announced this morning.

The venerable band’s concert scheduled for next Friday, Oct. 2 at the Admiral had to be postponed after co-frontman and co-founder Cory Wells (at left in the photo, with [from second left] Paul Kingery, Michael Allsup, Danny Hutton and Pat Bautz) suffered back problems that required treatment and rest.

The Admiral said that tickets for the Oct. 2 concert will be honored on March 25. Ticketholders who are unable to attend on that date should contact the box office at 360-373-6743 for a full refund. The Oct. 2 concert was a sell-out.

The band initially cancelled a date on Labor Day weekend, allowing Wells to receive medical attention. Further action has been deemed necessary by Wells’ doctors, however.

“Of course we are really disappointed about postponing these dates, but Cory’s physician has made this decision and the rest of us want to make sure Cory can get on top of this and have time to completely recover,” the band’s other co-frontman and co-founder, Danny Hutton, is quoted in the release. “That’s the best way to ensure we can resume touring and get back out there with our fans.”

— MM

Three Dog Night concert postponed

michael c. moore

The Three Dog Night concert scheduled for next Friday, Oct. 2 at the Admiral Theatre has been postponed by the band while co-frontman and co-founder Cory Wells (at left in the photo, with [from second left] Paul Kingery, Michael Allsup, Danny Hutton and Pat Bautz) receives treatment for a back problem.

According to a release, the Admiral is working with the band’s management to schedule a new date and we will share details via email, letter, social media and our Web site as soon as they become available. The concert — the Admiral’s 2015-16 season-opener — was a sell-out.

The band initially cancelled a date on Labor Day weekend, allowing Wells to receive medical attention. Further action has been deemed necessary by Wells’ doctors, however.

The Admiral said it hopes to have news about a rescheduled appearance within a week.

— MM

Three Dog Night kick off Admiral’s 2015-16 season

michael c. moore

Three Dog Night, who put the capper on the Admiral Theatre‘s 2012-13 season, will kick off the 2015-16 schedule, according to information from the theater.

The 1960s-’70s hitmakers played to a sold-out Admiral throng on June 8, 2013. They’re back for an 8 p.m. show on Oct. 2, the first of 28 shows announced by the Admiral in their upcoming subscription season. Season-ticket sales begin July 7, with “half-season” ducats up for grabs on July 21. Also on July 21, single-show tickets are available for purchase by Admiral Theatre Club members and sponsors. The general public can pick over single-show tickets starting on Aug. 4.

Three Dog Night is fronted by original vocalists Cory Wells and Danny Hutton, and also boast original guitarist Mike Allsup. Original keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon, who was with them for two previous Kitsap shows in recent years, died of cancer in March.

The band headlined the Kitsap County Fair and Stampede in 2008.

Other shows announced for the 2015-16 season include:

Oct. 17 — Cirque Mechanics Pedal Punk

Oct. 23 — Remember When Rock Was Young (Elton John tribute)

Nov. 6 — Macy Gray

Nov. 13 — Gaelic Storm

Nov. 29 — Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Dec. 4 — Chris Mann

Jan. 8 — Celtic Nights

Jan. 15 — Under The Streetlamp

Jan. 20 — Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra

Jan. 30 — Travis Tritt

Feb. 5 — Morgan James

Feb. 17 — Belle Starr

Feb. 26 — ABBA Mania

March 5 — “Ragtime” the Musical

March 12 — Lunasa with Tom O’Brien

March 16 — Mystery Artist (to be announced)

March 19 — Rhythmic Circus

March 23 — Barrage 8

April 1 — Glenn Miller Orchestra

April 9 — Prima Trio

April 13 — “Saturday Night Fever” musical

April 17 — Timber!

April 29 — Johnny Clegg Band

May 6 — John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

May 12 — The Waifs

May 20 — The Kingston Trio

June 4 — Chubby Checker & The Wildcats

The “Mystery Artist” scheduled for March 16 is someone, we assume, who’s almost, but not quite signed on the dotted line, and no official announcement can be made until that’s done. It’s what happened with Chris Isaak a couple seasons back.

Information: 360-373-6743, admiraltheatre.org

— MM

Admiral’s Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks show cancelled

michael c. moore

Due to unforeseen health issues, Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks have cancelled the remaining shows on their current tour, including their show at the Admiral Theatre scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 21.

Ticket-holders who haven’t already been notified about a refund can contact Tiffany Paulino at 360-373-6743 or tiffany@admiraltheatre.org during box office hours, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and three hours prior to all scheduled performances.

Here’s a statement issued by Dan Hicks:
“Dear Hixters At Large:
“The best made plans are sometimes intercepted by unforeseen forces.
Unfortunately this indeed applies to the present Hot Licks touring schedule.
Ill health has befallen me again. This time in the form of liver cancer.
I firmly believe that the proper treatment will take care of this problem but good.
In the meantime we’re putting the Hot Licks gigs on hold until perhaps late summer — doing a few local things for now.
“Who knew? Certainly not me — until recently.
“So thanks for the support and we’ll see ya soon.”

Of course, we wish Dan Hicks a speedy recovery and cancer-free future.

Bremerton Youth Symphony ensembles play at Collective Visions

michael c. moore

Here’s one that came in too late to get into this week’s exciting edition of Kitsap A&E, but we can still inform you about courtesy of this here blog thingie:

Three ensembles from the Bremerton Youth Symphony Orchestra — the elite strings, elite brass and elite woodwinds — will perform in the main (upstairs) gallery of Collective Visions Art Gallery at 2:30 p.m. on May 17. The concert will be free, but space is limited.

The Collective Visions concert is a warm-up, of sorts, for the BYSO’s final full concert of the year, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Admiral Theatre. Lydia Buck, who’ll front the full orchestra for Bruch’s first violin concerto, will be finishing a full day’s work, as she’s also performing with the elite strings at Collective Visions.

The gallery is at 331 Pacific Avenue in Bremerton; the Admiral is just down the street at 515 Pacific Avenue.

Information: 360-373-1722, bremertonsymphony.org

— MM

MacMaster was shepherding six kids; but I had it tough …

michael c. moore

There’s one thing I’m fairly certain of from an interview I did earlier today with Cape Breton fiddle whiz Natalie MacMaster, who plays the Admiral Theatre on May 8 with her fiddle-superstar husband, Donnell Leahy:

Neither one of us had anything on the other, as far as who went through the most to make the interview happen.

MacMaster was speaking from a playground in Carmel, Calif., where the MacMaster-Leahy “Visions from Cape Breton and Beyond” tour had pulled over for a May 1 show on its way up the coast to Bremerton. Hardly rough duty, until you consider that she was trying to talk to me at the same time she having a little family enrichment time with her six kids, ages 10 years to 12 1/2 months.

Me? I was in some sort of rock quarry arrangement off Totten Road near Poulsbo, across the street from where my auto mechanic was awaiting the part that would make my ride, Rocket, whole again. I had picked out a pair of Tom-and-Jerry boulders — the tall one was the desk, the short one was the chair — and found a discarded pizza box to serve as a writing surface. With all my state-of-the-art reporting paraphernalia back at the Sungeon, I took notes with — get ready to kick it old school — a pen and some paper.

MacMaster had her half-dozen offspring. I had some curious little lizards. And, unbelievably, the same sun shone on us both, more than 900 miles separated.

I had to balance the pizza box. MacMaster had to balance the attention lavished on her kids, not to mention dealing with a fall by her youngest, Sadie Agnes, that forced us to take an Interview Break.

Because we’re both dedicated professionals, the interview happened, and the Sun’s preview story will feature MacMaster’s thoughts on the upcoming show, the first official MacMaster-Leahy CD (“One,” which you’ll hear a meaty chunk of during the concert) and the whole idea of taking your kids on the road.

“Our gauge is our kids,” said MacMaster, who home-schools all the school-aged progeny. “If they weren’t liking it, we’d have to do something. But right now, they’re loving it. And it’s great for me having them with us.”

— MM