Columbia Basin Allied Arts starts 33rd season
A still photo from a production of "Hooray fro Bollywood."
MOSES LAKE - The Columbia Basin Allied Arts is preparing to open
its 33rd premiere season with works ranging from Bollywood to
Gershwin.
"I'm excited about each one of these shows," Executive Director
Randy Johnstad said.
MOSES LAKE - The Columbia Basin Allied Arts is preparing to open its 33rd premiere season with works ranging from Bollywood to Gershwin.
"I'm excited about each one of these shows," Executive Director Randy Johnstad said.
The season starts Oct. 26 with "Hooray for Bollywood." The dance production features hits from India's film industry ranging from the 1950s to the present. Dances from across the country are part of the production ranging from the Himalayas, to Rajastan to Bengal.
"‘Hooray for Bollywood' is going to be really exciting. Every talent show seems to have something from Bollywood," Johnstad said. "It's a really neat production from everything we could see about it ... All the different regions are represented. It's going to have comedians. Some of the stuff is almost more spiritual. We've never seen anything like it here."
Allied Arts joined with the Porterhouse restaurant and Ameristay Inn to provide a package for two people to eat dinner, watch the show and stay the night for $109, Johnstad said. "We want to do our best for tourists," he said. "They'd never find anything that cheap on their own. It's a really good deal."
The next show in the series is the new Gershwin musical, "‘S Wonderful." The show features five "mini-musicals" inspired by the lives of George and Ira Gershwin. The show is scheduled for Jan. 20.
"This new musical theater extravaganza illustrates their impact on the world them and now," according to an Allied Arts spokesperson. "Like a Technicolor movie musical ‘‘S Wonderful' paints a picture of nostalgia and entertainment while paying tribute to (their) incomparable song book."
Johnstad said audiences in the area love musicals, and previous musicals such as "Cabaret" and "Gilligan's Island: The Musical" have been successful for the group.
"This is a brand-new Broadway show. It's just great music. Our audiences will just eat that up. That's why we look at musicals each year."
Season continues on Feb. 5 with the performance of the Borealis String Quartet from Vancouver, British Columbia. In the three years Johnstad has worked with Allied Arts, this is the first classical music performance the group has brought to Moses Lake, he said.
"They are an internationally-known quartet," he said. "They are young, spontaneous and dynamic ... We bring the arts to the Basin and we haven't had a classical showing for a number of years. We needed to back into the arts."
The group has held the position of Quartet-in-Residence at the University of British Columbia. The position includes performing with faculty, chamber music coaching and master classes, according to Allied Arts.
"It will just blow your socks off," Johnstad said.
The final performance of the season will be the Eugene Ballet's performance of "Alice in Wonderland" on March 1. The ballet has performed in previous years, incorporating dance students from the area into the performance.
"The wild, madcap characters from Lewis Carroll's ‘Alice' come alive in this multimedia tale," according to the allied arts. "The always-late White Rabbit, dancing Tea Table, floating jellyfish and crazy croquet game make for a rollicking good time."
All the performances start at 7:30 p.m. at the Wallenstien Theater at Big Bend Community College.
Tickets cost $25 for reserved seating, $18 for general seating and $10 for students.
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Allied Arts at 509-793-2059.
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