Audience Magazine | Louisville Arts & Entertainment | February 2023

SPREADING THE LOVE AROUND

Amy Higgs Managing Editor

It’s that time of year when love is in the air! In our case, our hearts are aflutter over the performing arts calendar for the next few months. If you’re looking for the perfect date night that’s sure to touch your sweetie’s heart, take in one of the outstanding performances highlighted in this issue of Audience Magazine

First up, Louisville Orchestra is bringing a “Respect”-ful tribute to the Queen of Soul February 25. The Pops concert, featuring Capathia Jenkins, is guaranteed to get audiences on their feet and dancing to Aretha Franklin’s greatest hits. If you’re in the mood for a fairy tale you’ll love to hate, don’t miss Kentucky Opera’s reimagined Cinderella on February 24 and 26.

We’re thrilled to see CenterStage enjoying a triumphant return at the new Trager Family Jewish Community Center this season. The theater company’s latest offering, 13: THE MUSICAL, is a funny, moving a story of first kisses, love, and heartbreak. Make a date to catch the show from February 23 to March 5.

A heart-opening performance for the whole family, StageOne will present a toy rabbit’s journey to find home in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane March 25-April 21. For more grown-up fun, comedian Rodney Carrington will delight audiences with both hilarious jokes and off-color, original songs at The Kentucky Center on March 24. (If you’re not familiar with Rodney, we highly recommend you check him out in advance on YouTube so you know what you’re getting into!)

Last but definitely not least, the Louisville Orchestra’s exciting Festival of American Music returns March 4 and 10-11 in Whitney Hall. The theme this year is “Journeys of Faith.” Read the details on page 6.

If you’re not totally in love with these upcoming performances, tickets to the theater, a comedy show or concert later in the year make great gifts for Valentine’s Day or any occasion. Whether it’s this month or not, get yourself to a show sometime soon, and open your heart to the performing arts!

Thanks to our big-hearted advertisers for their continued support of the arts in Louisville.

G. Douglas Dreisbach Publisher

All our love, Amy & Doug

Open your heart. Someone will come. Someone will come for you. But first you must open your heart.

− Kate DiCamillo, from The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

G.

Rhonda

SALES

CONTRIBUTORS

Bill

Patrick Joel Martin

Ben Ruiz

Stephanie Smith

Charlotte Whitaker

FAITH IN ACTION

LO PRESENTS TWO BERNSTEINS, TWO NEW CREATORS CORPS WORKS, AND CLOCKS WITHOUT HANDS

by Bill Doolittle

PERFORMANCE PREVIEW

March 4, 2023

March 10-11, 2023

The Louisville Orchestra’s annual twoweekend Festival of American Music returns in concerts March 4 and 10-11 in Whitney Hall, with a theme of “Journeys of Faith.”

Best known works on the programs are thought-provoking symphonies by Leonard Bernstein that reflect the American composer’s search for and struggles with faith. On March 4, Music Director Teddy Abrams presents Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3 “Kaddish,” with a vocal soloist and two choirs. The following weekend, Abrams and the orchestra are joined by pianist Sebastian Chang in a performance of Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, “The Age of Anxiety.”

Included in the musical programming are works by composers Joel Thompson and Olga Neuwirth. And each concert presents a world premier of new works from the Louisville Orchestra’s Creators Corps composers. March 4, the symphony debuts TJ Cole’s Phenomenal of the Earth. Cole plays an electronic musical synthesizer in the piece. On March 10 and 11, the symphony performs Louisville native Tyler Taylor’s Revisions

Before and during festival week, participating religious groups in Louisville will explore their journeys of faith. Through a series of panel discussions pairing Jewish and Black pastors and clergy, festival sponsors and partners will seek to connect those Louisvillian communities through discussions of faith and life experience. Their goal is to enable a better understanding of one another and achieve connection through a renewed foundation of relationship.

TO AWAKEN THE SLEEPER

Audiences may be particularly intrigued with the works by Joel Thompson and Olga Neuwirth.

Thompson’s piece, To Awaken the Sleeper, brings to life the words of essayist, novelist, and civil rights activist James Baldwin.

Thompson focused on several Baldwin texts, including a 1972 essay, “No Name in the Street,” a speech to the National Press Club in 1986, and “An Open Letter to My Sister, Miss Angela Davis.” Davis, of course, was a firebrand civil rights intellectual and provocateur of the era.

 In March, the LO will premiere new works by Creators Corps TJ Cole (left) and Tyler Taylor (right) in The Festival of American Music.

Composer Leonard Bernstein, photographed in 1971.

LouisvilleOrchestra.org

Thompson, an Emmy Award-winning composer and choral director, is best known for his choral work Seven Last Words of the Unarmed that references the last words of seven Black men killed in confrontations with police. But in To Awaken the Sleeper, a symphony alone tells the story.

“I could hear melodies to go along with the words,” says Thompson. But the composer felt Baldwin’s writing and speeches held their own oratorical cadence. And adding music to that, Thompson says, “would be robbing the text of its inherent musicality.”

CLOCKS WITH NO HANDS

A journey of a different kind is reflected in Olga Neuwirth’s Masaot/Clocks without Hands. Neuwirth is a Grawemeyer Award-winning composer who Los Angeles Times critic Mark Swed calls “one of Europe’s most established, but not establishment, composers.”

The critic’s description of the piece covers a lot of ground, including Neuwirth’s sense of outrage over a variety of issues. Most notably Neuwirth is outraged by those she calls “Yodelers,” the old school arbiters of the European musical establishment.

She also is outraged over the ascension of right-wing political yodelers, who have suddenly gained power in Central Europe –70 years after the fall of the autocrats of World War II. Neuwirth, born in Graz, Austria, isn’t about to take it, vowing, “I will not be yodeled out of existence.”

The L.A. Times critic says Neuwirth’s composition is — in part — a search through the threads of a troubled life led by her refugee grandfather.

“Grandfather’s travails – masa’ot means travel in Hebrew –bring sobering thoughts of a Jew in what would become Hitler’s Austria,” Swed notes. “Neuwirth studied his life and those like him in archives. Studied his pictures. His lack of belonging to a place resonates with her own complicated feelings about belonging.”

Another writer calls the Clocks without Hands, “a series of musical postcards (combining) fragments of melodies from very different places.” Especially along the Danube River, which flows from the German Alps through nine countries of Central Europe — past Vienna and Budapest and on to Romania, finally finding the Black Sea near Odessa, Ukraine.

Then there’s the matter of the clocks. And time, itself. The orchestration calls for, not one, but three metronomes.

Indeed, there’s no shortage of percussion in Clocks without Hands. The orchestration calls for tubular bells, three gongs, 10 cymbals, three tom-toms, three suspended cymbals, six cowbells, two woodblocks, two toy ratchets, a metal guiro with metal brushes, Japanese bells, glockenspiel, small snare drum, two triangles, jingle bundle, temple bells, tam-tam, vibraphone and celesta. (Probably need about a dozen 10-handed percussionists.)

But all those jingle-bundles and glockenspiels might be required to achieve the kind of abstract sound the composer is seeking. This listener heard just one sound passage from the piece. Just a few seconds. But it sounded like a Jackson Pollack painting looks.

In fact, there’s a current artist named Jose Parla, whose style is more slashed than splashed. Maybe more brightly colored than Pollack. The bit we heard was like music “blasted” across a canvas.

You don’t want to miss this incredible, unique sound on March 4.

UPCOMING CONCERTS:

Aretha: A Tribute

February 25 | 7:30PM

The Kentucky Center-Whitney Hall

Festival of American Music: Journeys of Faith 1

March 4 | 7:30PM

The Kentucky Center-Whitney Hall

Festival of American Music: Journeys of Faith 2

March 10 | 11AM

March 11 | 7:30PM

The Kentucky Center-Whitney Hall

For more information about these and other upcoming performances or to purchase tickets, visit louisvilleorchestra.org.

Composer

Olga Neuwirth

PHOTO BY HARALD HOFFMANN

PHOTO BY STEPHEN COHEN

PAYING HER RESPECTS

Capathia Jenkins sings Aretha February 25 at The Kentucky Center

by Bill Doolittle

Capathia Jenkins isn’t impersonating Aretha Franklin. She’s singing her songs.

“It’s an extraordinary catalog of music she left the world,” says Jenkins, who will sing from the songbook of the famous Queen of Soul in a Louisville Orchestra Pops concert February 25 in Whitney Hall.

“So you, the audience, we are sort of taking you on this journey,” Jenkins explained in an interview before a recent performance of the show Aretha: A Tribute with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. “I will reach back to her

Amazing Grace album, which is Aretha’s roots in the church. Then your beautiful orchestra will play some songs right from her catalog, but you will hear it in instrumental form, and it really is a satisfying feeling, a feel-good kind of nostalgia of where you were when you first heard this music.”

And Jenkins knows right where she was when she first heard Aretha Franklin singing “Chain of Fools,” “A Natural Woman,” and “Think.”

“You know, I have older siblings, and music was always playing in the house –as far back as I can remember, maybe

It was his song that she took. But after hearing her version, he was, like, ‘Oh. Well, that’s her song now.'

like three years old. Maybe younger. I would have a hairbrush as a mike, singing in the mirror, singing along,” recalls Jenkins.

“Aretha was very much like me, growing up in her father’s church, singing. It wasn’t my father’s church, but I certainly grew up in the church, singing in the choir and all that. Maybe my mom was playing her albums, or my siblings playing and singing ‘Respect’ and ‘Chain of Fools.’ ”

So she’s got the hits in her head, and doesn’t need a costumed impersonation act or an imitating voice to deliver the soul.

“Capathia is a fabulous young singer, and it’s a terrific show,” says Louisville Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt. “And she’s got another singer with her named Darryl Jovan Williams who accompanies Capathia in some songs, and sings some on his own.”

“We are celebrating all things Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, right?” says Jenkins. “Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, these were friends and their songs are part of her world.”

“Little known fact,” adds Jenkins. “You know Otis Redding wrote ‘Respect.’ It was his song that she took. But after hearing her version, he was, like, ‘Oh. Well, that’s her song now.’ ”

To purchase tickets, visit louisvilleorchestra.org.

Little known fact... You know Otis Redding wrote ‘Respect.’

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE

New Trager Family JCC hosts CenterStage’s 2022-23 season

by Stephanie Smith

UPCOMING CENTERSTAGE PERFORMANCES

13: THE MUSICAL

February 23, 25, 26, 27 and 28

March 2, 4 & 5

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and construction of the new Trager Family Jewish Community Center, CenterStage went dark for two years, according to Erin Silliman, the organization’s Director of Arts and Ideas.

Last fall, CenterStage returned to perform at the new Trager Family JCC. Now in the heart of its 2022-23 season, true to its mission, CenterStage is delivering quality community theater and spectacular musicals. The theater gives local performers, designers, and musicians an opportunity to practice their passions all while fulfilling the organization’s collective mission to “open minds, one act at a time.”

“Although we moved into this new facility last April, we’re still exploring how this space can attract audiences like never before,” says Silliman. “We have new audience seating, drapery, and new sound and lighting systems.”

She adds, “I’m collaborating with partners across the Louisville theater scene to see how they are reopening and attracting patrons as people make their way back out to events. We are striking the balance between growing as a community theater, staying focused on our mission and fiscal responsibility.”

A RICH HISTORY

CenterStage, Kentucky’s oldest community theater, first known as the Young Men’s Hebrew Association Players, presented its first production, Behind the Scenes, on April 27, 1913, at the old YMHA at Second and Jacob Streets in Downtown Louisville.

Through the years, CenterStage has also been known as The Center Players and Heritage Theatre. The company was renamed CenterStage in 2000. Among the actors who have appeared in productions are well-known Kentuckians Ned Beatty and Warren Oates.

In addition to the mainstage productions, CenterStage Academy provides an immersive, enriching theater experience for children of all ages and backgrounds. It’s an inclusive and dynamic program that offers students the opportunity to develop skills, talents, and imagination with positivity and collaboration.

A former Shelby County music teacher, Silliman says, “The experience builds a community of acceptance while providing a fun and safe environment for self-discovery and development. Our students complete their experience by presenting a full-length, fully produced musical theater production on our stage for their friends, family, and our community.”

With a bright, catchy pop score, equal doses of humor and pathos, 13: THE MUSICAL tells the story of Evan, who moves with his mom from big-city New York to podunk Appleton, Indiana. Evan navigates the world of cool kids and nerds, jocks and cheerleaders, first kisses and heartbreak and eventually comes to understand “What it Means to Be a Friend.”

THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK

April 13, 15 & 16

For nearly two years, Anne and her family and the Van Daan family hide in a secret annex space in Amsterdam, as the Nazis deported Dutch Jews to their deaths. In spite of her oppressive circumstances and the horrors that surround her, Anne’s spirit transcends, as she voices her belief, “in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

May 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20 & 21

A riotous ride, complete with audience participation, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a delightful den of comedic genius. An eclectic group of sixth graders enter the competition, each eager to win for very different reasons.

Fiddler on the Roof

GRASSROOTS COMEDY

RODNEY CARRINGTON BRINGS HUMOR AND OFF-COLOR SONGWRITING TO WHITNEY HALL

by G. Douglas Dreisbach

When it comes to the great comedians over the years, names like Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield, and Eddie Murphy come to mind. More modern names might include Chris Rock, Jim Gaffigan, Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy, Dave Chappelle, and several others.

Live comedy has a longstanding history and a bright future. Watching a comedian perform is different than a concert or a play — it is more of a personal experience with you and the person on the stage, and how you interpret what they are trying to convey. Whatever the content might be, the personality of the person delivering the jokes shines through. And they have one goal in mind, to make their audiences laugh.

We recently caught up with one of the top comedians on tour today, Rodney Carrington, who combines humor with cleverly written songs on topics that, well, might just make you feel awkward depending on who you’re watching it with.

Nevertheless, his fans love him and we can’t wait to see him at Whitney Hall on March 24. (Do your research before you go, as the content might not be appropriate for younger audiences.)

Audience Publisher, G. Douglas Dreisbach, caught up with Rodney to find out more about his career and what fans can expect when he hits the stage.

G. Douglas Dreisbach: Your standup is unique in that you not only have a hilarious setup and delivery of jokes and content,

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

March 24, 2023

KentuckyPerformingArts.org

RODNEY CARRINGTON

March 24, 2023 | The Kentucky Center TIckets: KentuckyPerformingArts.org

but then you go for the knockout punch with your songs that are hilarious as well. When you were getting your start, what came first, the guitar or the comedy? And, when did you realize that traditional standup comedy mixed with music was going to be your niche and passion to ignite your career?

Rodney Carrington: The guitar came later out of boredom. When I was in my 20s, I was on the road and bought a guitar at a pawn shop, learned a few chords, and then just started writing little pieces of songs. Over time, the songs developed into longer ones, and it was simple as that. Early on, all I wanted to do

CLICK HERE or scan the code with your smartphone to listen to the recording of this interview.

 Rodney Carrington loves being on stage and entertaining his fans — many of whom have been with him since the early days — but once he gets home, he prefers the simple things.

Carrington picked up a guitar at a pawnshop out of boredom, but today his original songs are an integral part of his comedy act.

QUICK HITS WITH RODNEY CARRINGTON:

Hobbies / things to kill time:

I think I am a 75-year-old man in my spirit. I get up just about every day and go for about an hour and a half, two-hour walk. Then I go down to the gym, when there’s a bunch of old fellows and we piddle around down there. Then sometimes I play golf or mow the yard. I do like to cook. It’s really quite boring. I mean, you’d think I lived at Whispering Pines Assisted Living Facility, to be honest.

Sports teams:

I travel too much to really keep up with sports so no, I don’t have any sports teams. You know, when sports went to being all politicized, I quit watching. I don’t watch football for that reason. I don’t watch basketball. I don’t watch any of it. When all of the politics entered sports, I just quit altogether. I don’t care. I watch golf every now and then. I like golf.

Podcasts / shows / books:

If you come in my house and the TV is on, then I’ve died, and somebody turned it on. Sometimes I will listen to quiet music that probably has no words.

Vacation destination:

I travel so much that when I get home, home is a vacation. I think any time I’m in a hotel, it’s just like jail. So, the idea of coming home and planning some trip and going somewhere and getting in a hotel again would be like prison. So, I really do just enjoy being home. As far as traveling, I’ve been to every single state. I’ve been all over Canada. And then I went all over Australia. They said, “Hey, we can’t wait for you to come back.” I said, “You better take a picture of me. I ain’t never coming back. It’s too far over here.” And it is. It’s halfway around the world.

was try to figure out how to entertain people and would have utilized just about anything. I didn’t have any sort of agenda outside of that.

GDD: When you realized the singing and guitar playing was well-received by your fans, did you ever think about a mainstream singing career? Or did you always want to stay in the comedy genre?

RC: I never really considered singing for a living, because I felt like there were millions of people that already did that and only a few people were doing what I did that were successful. I really exceeded my own expectations, but my whole life is also a product of lack of planning. I didn’t plan comedy. I didn’t plan anything. It just kind of came along. It was something I tried when I was 20 years old, and people laughed, and I saw it as a freedom. I saw it as a way to get out of East Texas and go do something that I was enjoying.

When I was sleeping in my truck when I was in my 20s, you couldn’t have convinced me that I wasn’t living the greatest life. I guess I could look back and say it was a struggle, but it really wasn’t. It was a lot of fun, and I still feel like that. I think the world’s a different place today than it was when I started, and I don’t know how I’d start if I had to start today.

GDD: When you were growing up — grade school, high school and early career — were you always a funny guy and friends told you, “You should be a comedian when you grow up”? What was the “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to have a career in comedy?

RC: I took acting classes and theater in college and realized that people laughed at this play I was in. I asked the director, “Hey, why can’t we take this on the road?” He laughed. He said, “Son, you’re in college.” After that, the wheels just started turning, and I thought, “Well, what else is there?” There was an open mic night in East Texas where I lived and grew up, and I decided to give it a try and everyone laughed the first night I was there. I spent the next couple of years trying to figure out what I did that first night.

It wasn’t easy, I just hung in there and kept trying to figure it out. From then, I went anywhere and everywhere because back then, you could afford to go anywhere with gas at about 70 cents a gallon. Over the course of four to five years, I developed enough material and was performing at most of the bigger comedy clubs around the country. Soon after that came syndicated radio, then a record deal with Mercury, and eventually moved to Capitol, and then from that came TV and everything else.

All the success that I had came from my success on the road, and a lot of guys would put together 15, 20, 30 minutes and move to California and hinge their whole career on whether or not they got a TV deal. I just thought that was like panning for gold. At that time there were four networks with four guys who ran them. I thought, “I’m not going to let my whole life be determined by whether or not four people think I’m funny or not.”

I wanted to build job security and longevity, so I set out to build an audience for myself. My thought was that there were 330 million people in the country. If I could just get a million people who really like what I do to give me $10 a year, every year, for the rest of their life, in the form of buying a tape, T-shirt, or a bumper sticker, I might be able to make a living at this. It was a simple plan, and I treated it like I was running a business. I was just going on my own little path.

GDD: How did the growth of the internet and social media contribute to growing your brand and exposing your content to so many people? Now you were appealing to 300 million people, versus four people trying to determine if you’re funny or not. It had to be a big break.

RC: Well, I think everything played a role. I don’t know to what degree the internet had and I was never much of a social media person. They still have to drag me to get me to do anything on social media because I can’t stand it, to be honest with you. I started during a time when cassette tapes were coming out. My first comedy album was on a cassette tape. So, I never really looked at there being any sort of transition into the Internet stage. There’s a lot of people out there that become known on YouTube and this and that, that have done it that way, I guess. I don’t know anything about it, and I don’t know to what degree it played any role.

For me, there wasn’t really one thing that made it happen. Any success I had came from the success that I was having on the road, and the success that I was having on the road was coming out of my own efforts of selling. I’d go to some place and sell 10 cassettes, and then they’d go share it and those 10 people would share it with 10 of their friends, and it grew like that. It grew almost like network marketing. It was from a real grassroots place. And people that come to see me now are the people that were seeing me then, that discovered me in their 20s. Well, now they’re all older. We’re all in our 50s now and the people that I am seeing in the audiences have grown up with me, and I’ve grown up with them, and I have shared my life with them along the way.

GDD: How do you keep things fresh and find new content for your fans? And are you usually confident when you go onstage to try it for the first time?

RC: I haven’t been confident since I started. When I think of a story, or something that I’m going to tell, if it doesn’t seem funny within the first couple of lines, something is wrong. I’ve always felt that if you describe the story in a few lines, it’s probably not worth telling. But in the very beginning, when I was doing standup, I discovered that if I wrote something in letter form, like I was trying to make just one buddy of mine laugh, that there was something to it. If I was literally just saying, “Hey, Dear Doug, I’m on the road, blah, blah, blah,” and I just was writing you a letter, and my whole intent was to make you laugh, well, I discovered that that was the reality of what I was doing. I was writing letters to my friends, my buddies back home, and I’d send them to them, and they’d laugh at them. So, those were really the kind of stories I started telling.

As time went on, my life evolved. I was married. I had kids. My comedy has always been a reflection of what was going on in my life at that particular time, and you could see that in my comedy.

But it is a different place to exist in the comedy world today. I don’t even know how a young guy would start out today. There are things I don’t recognize that are being proposed in this world now, but what I have going for me is that my fans have followed me all these years, they come from where I come from and they get me.

GDD: When you go on stage, do you have a script? How do you manage your onstage content flow? And is it the same throughout the tour?

RC: I always ask myself, and others, “How am I going to start tonight?” But it doesn’t matter who I ask, my sound guy, Jay, or anybody else. I never really listen. I just kind of go out and work off of what I’m given. I have a plan in place when I get out there. As far as the tour goes, it is funny when people talk about there being a tour. I started in 1989, and I have never quit. So, I don’t just tour and stop, and then wait a long time, and then tour again. I just keep going, and the show just evolves over time. It evolves at my convenience, in my timeframe. That’s how I’ve always operated. It gets to the point where I go, “OK, I’ve ran this particular story long enough,” and then I think I’ll feel like I’ll get somewhere else, and I start talking about something else, and then it just slowly evolves that way, slowly changes in that way. That’s how I’ve always worked.

GDD: Did you have any early mentors, supporters, or influencers, back in your early days and even today?

RC: No, I don’t watch comedy at all, because I do it for a living, and it doesn’t really define me or my life, either. I do it for a living, and I have, and I’m very grateful to have had this opportunity all these years, but my life is pretty simple. I come home and go to the grocery store and mow the yard, you know, figure out what else I’m going to do.

GDD: What can we expect and look forward to about your show here in Louisville on March 24?

RC: I would say that if you don’t know what I do, then you probably ought to go on the internet and look around. It’s kind of like buying a car. You want to do your homework. Or just come! I don’t care. I don’t want to be the source of anybody’s misery. Some people will come and go, “Well, I just didn’t know what I was getting into.” Well, you should do your homework. What dumbass doesn’t read about where they’re going or doing or what car they’re buying before they take it off the line? I have no agenda except to make people laugh, and I’m content with just that.

So, I don’t know what to tell anybody what to expect. If they’ve never been to a standup show or anything, or a comedy show, or — if you come with expectations that you’re going to learn something, you’re going to be highly disappointed. If you just come with an open mind, and you want to have fun and laugh, then come on.

AARP KENTUCKY: FUN FOR 50+

by Charlotte Whitaker

AARP is your connection for great opportunities and benefits, and February is loaded with a lot of great options. There’s nothing quite like local. That’s why AARP is local — here in Kentucky to offer free events and enriching experiences that can help with finances, family, and fun. We’re in your community connecting you to what matters most, right when you need it. Helping your money, health, and happiness live as long as you do. See what’s happening near you, visit aarp.org/ky

PAYING LESS, SAVING MORE

In 2023, AARP Kentucky is focused on “Making Life More Affordable for Kentuckians 50+.” This will be true for our advocacy, education, and fulfillment efforts throughout the year. We are committed to fighting to lower the price of prescription drugs, supporting state family caregiving tax credits and paid family caregiving leave; fighting for highspeed internet (broadband) access and tax fairness for retirees; and fighting to prevent unreasonable utility rate hikes.

LIVE AT THE KENTUCKY CENTER

Our first “FUN50” offering is a 10% discount to the Broadway show Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations. The smash hit show

is touring in Louisville from April 11 to 16, 2023, at The Kentucky Center. AARP members and their guests receive a discount of 10% on tickets when using the code “FUN50.”

BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL – ROOTS 101 MUSEUM

In celebration of Black History Month, AARP members and their guests will receive $5 admission to the Roots 101 African American Museum when using the “FUN50” discount code.

Offer is limited to Friday, February 10, 2023. The Roots 101 Museum has agreed to extend its hours and offer three guided tours throughout the day at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Visit the AARP Kentucky website as we add more opportunities to save using the “Fun50” discount code in 2023!

VOLUNTEERING WITH AARP

Every day, our AARP volunteers are bringing to life the AARP mission “To Serve and Not Be Served.” Our volunteers are skilled, dedicated, and passionate about giving back to their communities and helping the 50-plus population live their best lives. When you join our inclusive family of volunteers, we’ll provide all of the training and support

you need to make a difference, make new connections, and have fun at the same time. Join AARP’s community of dedicated Kentucky volunteers and donate your time and talent — in person or from home — to improve the lives of older Kentuckians and their families.

HONORING THOSE WHO SERVED

AARP is on a mission to support our veterans, military service members and their families. Some 6 million AARP members have served our country. Now it’s time for AARP to serve them and the more than 295,000 veterans in the Bluegrass State.

WORKING TO MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR ALL

AARP keeps decision makers informed of 50-plus perspectives on critical issues that affect them and their families. We are fighting to strengthen Medicare and Social Security, both for this and future generations. AARP advocates for the 50-plus consumer—whether it be fraud protection, utility costs, or age discrimination.

Watch for more local AARP “Fun50” discounts! Learn more and connect with AARP Kentucky: aarp.org/ky or Facebook.com/AARPKentucky

“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.”

AARP is in Kentucky

AARP is in Kentucky creating real, meaningful

Honoring Dr. King’s commitment to change

We're proud to help best they can be. tips to take care communities more events all across

We're proud to help all our communities best they can be. Like providing family tips to take care of loved ones, helping communities more livable and hosting events all across the state.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s words remind us of the importance of service at any level. AARP believes your experiences, skills and passion have the power to inspire others to make a difference.

We encourage everyone to continue building on his legacy by lending a helping hand in your community.

If you don't think AARP, then you don't Get to know us at

If you don't think Real Possibilities when AARP, then you don't know “aarp." Get to know us at aarp.org/Louisville

Find ways to get involved and volunteer in Louisville at aarp.org/Louisville

Learn More: aarp.org/ky

A FAIRY TALE ENDING

by Patrick Joel Martin

February 24 & 26, 2023

kYOpera.org

inderella is a bubbly and hilarious way to make sure you’re a part of Kentucky Opera’s 70th anniversary season. Whether you want to dress up for the ball or prefer to be cozy – everyone is invited to see how Cinderella goes from rags to riches in this story of “happily ever after.”

The Brown Theatre serves as the grand but intimate setting for a quirky 18th century retelling of a fairy tale that exceeds our child-like fantasy. While there’s no glass slipper or pumpkin carriage, you’ll laugh out loud at the comedy and hijinks that are in store for Cinderella and Prince Charming.

In the comedic genius of Rossini’s music, we find a slightly different cast of characters. Of course, there’s Cinderella, who is called Angelina in the opera. Rather than an evil stepmother, Angelina has a stepfather, Don Magnifico, but don’t let the name fool you. She still has her mean-girl stepsisters, Clorinda and Thisbe, who call on her night and day for even the simplest of tasks.

Don Ramiro, the Prince of Salerno, is our Prince Charming. His trusty valet, Dandini, is an invented character for this opera – and it’s his hijinks that help our lovers fall in love. And while Cinderella won’t be saved by a fairy godmother, it is the philosopher, Alidoro, who makes sure everyone is in the right place at the right time so Angelina and Don Ramiro can meet “once upon a time.”

PERFORMANCES YOU’LL LOVE TO HATE

Conductor Joseph Mechavich leads musicians of the Louisville Orchestra in a fun and frenzied score that will make you want to dance in your seat. While sung in Italian, English captions are projected so you’ll know when to laugh and who to hate. Canadian stage director Brenna Corner is known for her whimsy and vivacity when directing and brings a fresh perspective to this production.

Taylor Raven as Angelina makes her Kentucky Opera debut, as well as her debut in the role. Her fated lover, Don Ramiro, is performed by David Walton, who also makes his Kentucky Opera debut. In one of his signature roles, Armando Contreras brings the chaos to the stage as Dandini, the valet in disguise. Bass-baritone Hidenori Inoue performs the role of Don Magnifico. Playing his daughters you’ll love to hate are Sandford Studio Artists Victoria Okafor and Georgia Jacobson. Sandford Studio Artist Jason Zacher performs the role of Alidoro.

Be sure to grab a cocktail in the lobby bar before finding your seat for an evening that will have you laughing and cheering. Cinderella is presented in two acts, with one intermission, lasting approximately two and a half hours. While the story is familiar to many, you may want to hire the babysitter and leave the kids at home for a perfect date night or a friends’ night out.

For tickets and information, visit KYOpera.org/Cinderella

 Cinderella is the tale of a spunky heroine who goes from rags to riches by defying her evil stepfather and mean-girl stepsisters to win the heart of Prince Charming.

Taylor Raven, Angelina (Cinderella)

David Walton, Don Ramiro

Armando Contreras, Dandini Hidenori Inoue Don Magnifico

Jason Zacher, Alidoro

Georgina Jacobson, Thisbe

Victoria Okafor, Clorinda

GREENBO LAKE STATE RESORT PARK

Greenup, Kentucky

Renowned Kentucky writer Jesse Stuart wrote warmly of his home in the poem Kentucky is My Land, describing the “growth and beauty of the seasons/the music of the pine and cedar tops/the wordless songs of snow-melted water/when it pours over the rocks to wake the spring.”

The beauty of Stuart’s words is reflected in his native Greenup County, where Greenbo Lake State Resort Park is located. The late Poet Laureate is remembered fondly at the park, where the lodge is named after him. The lodge reading room houses Stuart’s works along with his personal mementos, which are available for public viewing.

Most of the rooms at the lodge offer private patios and balconies with views of Greenbo Lake, the perfect place to sip morning coffee or wind down at sunset. If you’d rather travel by RV, the campground features 75 RV sites that are open year-round, along with service buildings, a grocery store, and Wi-Fi.

Birding opportunities abound throughout Greenbo, and Fern Valley Trail is a prime spot for viewing songbirds and woodpeckers. This time of year, you can see hawks, sparrows, and finches throughout the park, while in the spring, warblers, thrushes, and waterfowl emerge.

Ready to cast a line? The 225-acre lake is the home of two state largemouth bass records. Other fish include large

bluegill, crappie, catfish, and trout. An added bonus for overnight guests is the marina’s fishing loaner program, which allows them to check out equipment at no charge.

In the summer, the lake is alive with watersports. Pontoon boats, kayaks, canoes, and row boats are all available for rental, and the marina has 25 open slips. A 10-acre scuba refuge is available for certified divers from April through October.

The beautiful Greenbo Forest is rife for exploring, with 33 miles of self-guided hiking trails and 16 miles of trails for mountain bikers. For horseback riders, there are two multi-use trails that provide 24 miles of equestrian adventure. For those who would like to stay overnight, there are also four, year-round horseback camping sites, which may be reserved by calling the park. Smaller pets are welcome to stay with you overnight as well, with a limit of two per room.

Bringing the family? An 18-hole miniature golf course, three playgrounds, and a basketball court provide additional entertainment. A swimming pool featuring a water slide and a children’s area is open during the summer, as is the outdoor theater. Angler’s Cove Restaurant offers picturesque mountain views along with its delicious, Kentucky Proud meals. Stop by the gift shop for Kentuckythemed souvenirs, handcrafts, and books, including Jesse Stuart’s.

Curious to see the “growth and beauty of the seasons” that Stuart wrote about? See for yourself some of the scenery that he so poetically described, and pay his legacy tribute while you’re there. Whether you plan to visit this month or to book a stay over the summer, Greenbo Lake State Resort Park is worth a trip. Make your reservation at Parks.ky.gov, where you can also find information about Kentucky’s other 45 state parks, including 17 resort parks with restaurants, 30 campgrounds, and 13 golf courses.

CLICK HERE for more information and to make reservations.

KENTUCKY

LEXINGTON,

Original art by Sebastian Duverge

A HEART OPENER

STAGEONE PRESENTS THE BITTERSWEET STORY OF A TOY’S JOURNEY

by Ben Ruiz

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, adapted by Dwayne Hartford and based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, tells the story of a China rabbit named Edward, who finds himself quite extraordinary. As he is passed from owner to owner, he slowly learns the importance of love through loss.

On an ocean voyage, Edward is accidentally thrown overboard and sinks to the bottom of the sea. So begins his journey — a journey over which he has no control, for he is a toy rabbit. He can neither move nor speak.

As years passed by, Edward encounters many different people in many different situations: an older grieving couple who find comfort in Edward’s presence, a hobo and his dog who introduce Edward to a community of homeless wanderers, a farmer in need of a scarecrow, a sad little boy and his very ill sister, and finally a doll mender and an old doll who teach Edward an invaluable lesson.

His travels span the course of more than 30 years as he tries to find love and happiness again, even if it means having a life without his former owner. As Edward goes from place to place, he also changes emotionally. He meets new people who help him along his path, and he not only finds the true meaning of love, he also finds his way home.

March 25-April 21, 2023

StageOne.org

March 25 - April 21, 2023 | Tickets and info at StageOne.org

 StageOne presents the story of toy rabbit Edward Tulane, whose travels span the course of more than 30 years as he tries to find love again, even if it means a life without his beloved former owner.

StageOne Family Theatre presents THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE

A LONG JOURNEY HOME

Edward first comes to live with a little girl and her family, happily sitting in his chair in the dining room while the girl is in school and spending all of his time with her when she is at home. Until tragedy strikes when he is accidentally sent overboard on a cruise to London.

Edward spends a good deal of time on the ocean floor before a fisherman comes along and catches him in his nets after a storm. At the home of the fisherman and his wife, Edward is dressed up and his name is changed. In spite of that, he finds happiness with the couple, until their daughter comes along to ruin everything by sending him to the town's garbage dump.

While buried under piles of garbage at the dump, Edward becomes depressed. He is saved by a hobo and his dog who decide to keep Edward and travel with him. Edward again finds happiness in a simple life as he and his new companions travel and hide on train cars until they are caught and Edward is carelessly tossed off of the train by a railroad conductor. He is eventually picked up by an old woman who uses him as a scarecrow before being stolen by a little boy who gives

Edward to his dying sister. Edward finds that he deeply cares for this girl and she cares for him until she dies of an unknown illness. The brother then takes Edward and escapes to Memphis, but tragedy ensues once again when Edward is broken by a mean cook in a cafe.

The boy takes Edward to a doll mender, who says he will only fix Edward if the boy leaves Edward with him, and the boy unfortunately agrees. Edward is completely fixed, but he is put on a shelf to await a new owner.

Over the course of years, Edward meets other dolls. One in particular helps him regain his hope and faith that he will someday find a good home. His hope is rewarded when, after all this time, he sees the little girl who loved him so long ago. She is all grown up and now has a daughter of her own, and they just happen to be shopping in the doll mender's shop.

The little girl who loved him so long ago and Edward are finally reunited. Edward learns that love is the most important gift of all.

Eats

The restaurants below are certified and recommended by Audience as premium places for pre-show dinner, drinks or mingling. Let them know we sent you!

Coming soon to the Bomhard Theater!

By Kate DiCamillo

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES

SATURDAYS AT 2 PM & 5 PM

MARCH 25, APRIL 1* & APRIL 15

*Sensory Friendly performance April 1 at 2 pm

STUDENT MATINEE PERFORMANCES START MAR. 27…

…and continue on through April 21 2023 - 10 AM & 12 PM-Mondays thru Fridays, For 2nd grade & up. This is the story of Edward Tulane, a China rabbit who becomes lost from the little girl who loves him. His travels span the course of more than 30 years as he tries to find love and happiness again, even if it means having a life without his former owner. (Estimated Running Time: 75 minutes.)

“THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE”

KENTUCKY WOMEN: HELEN LAFRANCE

Exhibition offers a closer look at the long career of the Kentucky-born artist who chronicled small-town life

The Speed Art Museum is featuring Kentucky Women: Helen LaFrance, now through April 30, 2023, as a survey of the artist’s nearly six-decadelong career. LaFrance, who began painting in her 40s and passed away in 2020 at the age of 101, was a prolific figure in American folk art who captured memories of small-town domestic and community life, as well as biblical visionary scenes, through her paintings, murals, quilts, wooden sculptures, dolls, and collages. Drawing upon several of these mediums, the exhibition features more than 35 works showcasing LaFrance’s wide-ranging body of work, from glimpses of everyday life to powerful civic and spiritual moments.

A highlight of the exhibition is its selection of LaFrance’s celebrated sensememory paintings recalling moments from everyday life — church picnics, shared meals, parades, and funerals — including a painting acquired by the Speed in 2021, Quilting (1998), which depicts a group of women working on a quilt. Drawing from private and

public local and regional collection loans, the exhibition documents her western Kentucky rural and small-town experiences, rooted in Mayfield and around Graves County.

“Helen LaFrance’s work provides an intimate look into a century of local history through the eyes of a Black woman living from Jim Crow through the turn of the new millennium,” said Chief Curator Erika Holmquist-Wall. “LaFrance was an influential artist whose gifts were recognized by communities and collectors alike, and this exhibition is designed to introduce new audiences and longtime fans to her life’s work. It’s an important step in further cementing her artistic legacy, and we hope this display helps foster more interest in LaFrance’s unique perspective.”

As the second installment of the Speed’s Kentucky Women series spotlighting women artists from the museum’s home state, the exhibition is displayed salonstyle in its Kentucky Gallery to illustrate the scope of LaFrance’s prodigious

creative output while placing it in conversation with other regional artistic traditions. Programming will include a screening of the 2018 documentary Helen LaFrance: Memories at the Speed Cinema, as well as events and education surrounding the tornado that struck LaFrance’s hometown of Mayfield, Ky., in December 2021, nearly destroying the historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church but leaving intact a mural created by LaFrance in 1947 — one of her first known public works. The exhibition includes a display on the mural and aftermath of the tornado, and information on how visitors can support the community’s efforts to preserve the mural and the rebuilding efforts in the Mayfield region.

“When the Speed began the Kentucky Women exhibition series in 2019 with Enid Yandell, it was an affirmation of the Museum’s commitment to tell the full story of the state and its artists,” said Speed Museum Director Raphaela Platow. “Now with Helen LaFrance we are able to highlight the influence of another trailblazing figure who made an indelible impact in the arts and in her community, something we look forward to continuing with this exhibition series.”

Kentucky Women: Helen LaFrance is organized by the Speed Art Museum and curated by Holmquist-Wall and Marissa Coleman, the Speed’s 2022 American Association of Museum Directors intern. Support for the exhibition is provided by J.P. Morgan, Lopa and Rishabh Mehrotra and Anne Brewer Ogden.

CLICK HERE to learn more.

Bible Study, oil on canvas, Loan courtesy of Bruce Shelton

KENTUCKY WOMEN: HELEN LAFRANCE

August 26, 2022–April 30, 2023

Image: Helen LaFrance

(Detail): Barn Dance, 1997

Oil on canvas

22 x 28 inches (sight)

Collection of Kathy Moses

Kentucky Women: Helen LaFrance

(1919-2020) is a survey of the artist’s nearly six-decade-long career, with artwork that features glimpses of everyday life and powerful civic and spiritual moments. The exhibition is organized by the Speed Art Museum

speedmuseum.org

and curated by Erika Holmquist-Wall and Marissa Coleman, the Speed’s 2022 American Association of Museum Directors intern. Support for the exhibition is provided by J.P. Morgan, Lopa and Rishabh Mehrotra and Anne Brewer Ogden.

Friday, February 24 at 8pm and Sunday, February 26 at 2pm

The Brown Theatre

Sung in Italian with English captions

502.584.4500 | KYOpera.org/Cinderella

EVENTS CALENDAR

Audience is your connection to the performing arts and entertainment in Louisville. Below are some of the events we are looking forward to in the coming months and we hope you enjoy them all!

FEBRUARY

Now thru Apr. 30

Speed Art Museum

Kentucky Women: Helen LaFrance speedmuseum.org

14-19

Annie - A Broadway in Louisville Performance

The Kentucky Center, Whitney Hall KentuckyPerformingArts.org

February 23-March 5

CenterStage at JCC

13: The Musical Trager Family Jewish Community Center JewishLouisville.org/ centerstage

24 & 26

Kentucky Opera

Cinderella

The Brown Theatre kyopera.org

25

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros.

7:30PM

Louisville Palace

LouisvillePalace.com

25

Louisville Orchestra

Aretha: A Tribute

7:30PM

The Kentucky Center louisvilleorchestra.org

MARCH

Mar. 25 - Apr. 21

StageOne Family Theatre: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Kentucky Center, Bomhard Theater stageone.org

3-4

Disney's Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaption

The Kentucky Center, Bomhard Theater KentuckyPerformingArts.org

4

Louisville Orchestra

Festival of American Music: Journeys of Faith 1

7:30PM

The Kentucky Center, Whitney Hall louisvilleorchestra.org

10-11

Louisville Orchestra

Festival of American Music: Journeys of Faith 2

11AM, 7:30PM

The Kentucky Center, Whitney Hall louisvilleorchestra.org

10

Paul Thorn in Concert

8PM

The Kentucky Center, Bomhard Theater kentuckyperformingarts.org

11

The Dark Side of the Wall: Echoes Through the Wall 8PM, The Brown Theatre KentuckyPerformingArts.org

17

Drive-By Truckers

7:30PM, Old Forester's Paristown Hall KentuckyPerformingArts.org

18

The Sinatra Experience with David Halston

7:30PM, The Brown Theatre KentuckyPerformingArts.org

18

Louisville Orchestra

DECADES: Back to the 80s

7:30PM

The Kentucky Center, Whitney Hall louisvilleorchestra.org

24

Comedian Rodney Carrington

7PM

The Kentucky Center, Whitney Hall

KentuckyPerformingArts.org

For more of our preferred arts and entertainment recommendations, visit Audience502.com/audience-events