GRAHAM ROCKINGHAM
Burlington Performing Arts Centre cooks up an eclectic brew for its 2018-19 season
‘Thank You for Being a Friend’ “The 2018-19 season thematically is about diversity and inclusivity, but sometimes just simply being entertained is admirable too.” TAMMY FOX
Executive director, Burlington Performing Arts Centre
THE
SONGS AND STORIES of Tony Danza, American bluegrass picker Ricky Skaggs, the two cops who captured Pablo Escobar, an Andy Kim Christmas and a wacky tribute to “The Golden Girls” performed by life-size puppets ...
OK, I’m still trying to come to terms with the “songs and stories” of Tony Danza. The former boxer turned “Who’s the Boss?” TV star can sing? Who knew?
Suffice it to say that the Burlington Performing Arts Centre has a varied and eclectic repertoire for its 2018-19 season.
Besides Skaggs (Oct. 16), the season will also contain more standard fare by the Jim
Cuddy Band, which opens the season Friday, Oct. 5; Juno-winning reggae pop band Magic! (Oct. 12); roots-rock group Cowboy
Junkies (Oct. 13); the husband-and-wife
team of Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine
Maida performing as Moon vs. Sun (Oct. 25); comedian Jeremy Hotz (Nov. 3); worldfusion singer Anandi Bhattacharya (Nov. 4); Grammy-nominated Cuban jazz from
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque (Nov. 16); singer-songwriter Royal Wood (Nov. 18); tenor John McDermott’s annual Christmas show, with Dala (Dec. 2); A Next Generation Leahy Christmas (Dec. 13); the heavy rock double bill of I Mother Earth and
Finger Eleven (Jan. 25); “Strange Animal” singer Gowan (Feb. 27); jazz singer Holly Cole (Feb. 28); neo-flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook (March 17); and an all-star tribute to
Gord Downie, featuring Tom Wilson, Danny Michel, Matthew Barber, Damnhait Doyle, Trent Severn (Oct. 17), raising funds for the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund.
Now back to Tony Danza, who performs at the theatre on Friday, Oct. 19. It’s true, the guy can sing and apparently a few other things, too.
“He’s been on Broadway numerous times,” says Burlington Performing Arts Centre executive director Tammy Fox, who unveiled the season lineup Wednesday night during a gala reception at the theatre.
“He sings, he plays piano, he plays the ukulele. He’s a quadruple threat. He sings the American standards, songs from some of the plays he’s been in, and there’s a lot of storytelling about his career.”
And what about those two DEA agents —
Javier Peña and Steve Murphy, the guys who brought down Colombia’s most infamous drug lord? They’ll be featured in conversation at the theatre on Friday, Oct. 26.
“These are the two FBI agents that the Netflix ‘Narcos’ series was based on,” says Fox, a Dundas resident who took over the top position at the theatre a year ago.
“They’re going to talk about their experience capturing Pablo Escobar. And the audience will get to ask them questions.”
The season highlight for fans of ’80s TV show “Golden Girls,” will be “Thank You For Being A Friend,” featuring four life-size puppets performing the roles of Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia on Oct. 27.
“The 2018-19 season thematically is about diversity and inclusivity, but sometimes just simply being entertained is admirable too,” Fox says about the show, which enjoyed a successful run at Toronto’s Al Green Theatre.
Other highlights include the “Andy Kim Christmas.”
Kim, a native of Montreal now living in Toronto, is best known for a string of pop hits during the late ’60s and early ’70s, including “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies.
For the past 13 years, however, he’s been hosting charity Christmas concerts in Toronto, featuring stellar lineups of guest performers.
Among the guests when Kim brings the show to Burlington on Dec. 20 will be singersongwriters Ron Sexsmith and Sarah Slean.