The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Announces More Shows for the Season
When the first few months of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall’s 2024-25 season were wiped out due to damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton, it meant no holiday shows celebrating Halloween or Christmas. But executive director Mary Bensel, a self-admitted “holiday girl,” is making up for that with a bigger than usual slate of holiday shows for the coming year.
One example: the Sarasota premiere of the musical Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Nov. 14-16. (That’s part of the previously announced Broadway season; see here for more on that.) But there’s lots more to the holiday celebrations at the hall, starting with a Twilight in Concert event Oct. 17 that should get everyone into a creepy mood for Halloween, as the 2008 vampire movie screens with a live orchestra and candlelit atmosphere.
“Halloween’s gotten so big,” explains Bensel, adding that you can expect costumes, ticket giveaways and more as treats, not tricks. While there may not be as many Halloween stage offerings as for Christmas, the hall will continue to mark the scary season with Haunted Illusions, starring David Caserta in an evening of levitation, disappearing and reappearing people, on Oct. 26. No one in the audience is safe.
As for Christmas, the expanded holiday lineup includes ever-popular musical ensemble Mannheim Steamroller (Nov. 18); a special Beatles Christmas Tribute from the band Rain (Nov. 22); and a Never-Ending '90s Xmas show on Nov. 29, with music from that decade performed by singers of the day that Bensel says should reach an audience not always well served here in the past.
Image: Andrew Eccles
Coming back to the Van Wezel with special holiday-themed performances are Dave Koz & Friends (Nov. 30); soprano Sarah Brightman, with a Winter Symphony (Dec. 15); singer-pianist Michael Feinstein in Coming Home—the Holiday Celebration (Dec. 16); and Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland, a family favorite (Dec. 21). After missing out last year, a stage version of the classic A Christmas Carol will return (Dec. 23). And longtime country-gospel staples The Oak Ridge Boys turn up Dec. 4 for their American Made Christmas Farewell Tour.
Beyond Christmas, Bensel has also rebooked composer-producer Neil Berg with his Hollywood, Broadway and rock ‘n’ roll concerts (April 9, Feb. 25 and Nov. 13, respectively). Tribute shows include "The Beat Goes On "(Feb. 1), saluting pop legend Cher; "Revisiting Creedence," offering Creedence Clearwater Revival music (Jan. 15); "Stayin’ Alive: One Night with the Bee Gees" (March 8); and "Get the Led Out," honoring Led Zeppelin (March 10).
There are also musical memories courtesy The Doo Wop Project, presenting "Echoes of the Street" (March 12); Three Dog Night (March 19); the Temptations and the Four Tops (March 23); and frequent hall visitor Paul Anka (March 11).
Other musical talents in the season lineup: opera/classical star Renee Fleming (Jan. 9); trumpeter Chris Botti (Feb. 17); married team David Foster and Katharine McPhee (Feb. 19); the ensemble Il Divo (Feb. 24); Mandy Patinkin (March 29); Celtic Angels Ireland (St. Paddy’s Day, March 17); male a cappella group Straight No Chaser (Dec. 29); the musicians behind the Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert (Dec. 30); the Shamrock Tenors (Feb. 26); and Al Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band, paying tribute to late Beach Boys visionary Brian Wilson (March 3).
Hall audiences who’ve enjoyed live game shows there in past seasons may be glad to see Wheel of Fortune and The Price Is Right return (Dec. 17, Feb. 18). There’s even a dog comedy show on the schedule—Mutts Gone Nuts, Unleashed (Jan. 10).
As of now, comedians bookend the season, with "Trevor Wallace: The Alpha Beta Male" kicking things off Oct. 14 and Jerry Seinfeld wrapping the year up with two shows on May 2. But Bensel says more comics will most likely be booked through the coming months, as those appearances have become really popular with audiences.
Not so popular with her maintenance staff, Bensel jokes, will be performance art trio Blue Man Group, “because they make a mess.” And she says that since the month of February doesn’t have a single vacant date, with shows booked solid, “the tech crew will hate me,” too.
For complete info on the season, visit vanwezel.org.
