Insider recommendations for Tucson's performing arts

We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth. — President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Truth will flood off of Tucson stages for the next few months. Dance, theater, music — they all can illuminate, provoke, soothe and help us to see things as they were, as they are, or as they ought to be. The arts can do all that, and entertain.

We’ve asked a few local arts aficionados to clue us in on some bits of truth they are looking forward to during the second half of the season. And we’ve added a few of our own. But take note: There is more, much more, happening. Check tucson.com/calendar for events, which is constantly updated.

Arizona Theatre Company’s David Ivers has Live Theatre Workshop’s production of John Guare’s dark comedy “The House of Blue Leaves” on his to-go list (through Feb. 10, Live Theatre). It’s “a play that deserves a visit,” says Ivers. “Funny, bizarre and touching in ways. It was a shot of fresh air when it premiered all those years ago” (that was 1971).

Ivers, who joined ATC as its artistic director in July, has also got The Gaslight Theatre’s “The Lone Ranger” in his sights (through March 25). “Sounds fun and I’m hearing great stories about fun family evenings at Gaslight,” he says. “It’s a company that has found its audience and voice in Arizona and I want to experience that.”

Ivers and theater director and actor Mark Klugheit both point to The Rogue Theatre’s “King Lear” as a show not to miss (April 26-May 13, Rogue). “There is just no better place to see Shakespeare than at The Rogue, where the poetry of the verse is always preserved and accessible, the costuming is invariably magnificent, and the spare settings apt and evocative,” says Klugheit.

Klugheit is also looking forward to Winding Road Theater Ensemble’s production of the musical “The Fantasticks” (Feb. 1-18, Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theatre). “Its story of young love, gone right too easily, gone wrong too readily and then finally restored after loss and heartbreak, is easy to follow, delightfully heartwarming and very family-friendly,” he says.

And he won’t miss Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre’s production of Mickie Maher’s “There is a Happiness That Morning Is” in the company’s intimate black box space (March 15-April 1, Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre). “Maher’s play is at moments funny, quirky, bawdy and touching, and features a biting and clever script almost entirely in rhyming pentameter,” says Klugheit.

We long ago fell in love with John Shanley’s works (“Doubt” and “Moonstruck” among them), so we’re looking forward to Arizona Theatre Company’s “Outside Mullingar,” set in rural Ireland and about a couple of misfits who find each other (Jan. 20-Feb. 10, Temple of Music and Art). And ATC’s Artistic Director Emeritus, David Ira Goldstein, returns to the company to direct the compelling and heartbreaking “The Diary of Anne Frank” (April 21-May 12, Temple of Music and Art).

Invisible Theatre’s production of Frank Higgins’ “Black Pearl Sings!” should be a knock-out. Packed with traditional spirituals and folk songs, it tells the story of a folklorist from the Library of Congress, and a woman in a Texas prison with a gorgeous voice and a massive collection of historic African-American music. (Feb. 13-25, Invisible Theatre)

Also on our must-see list: Broadway in Tucson brings the road show of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The King and I” at Centennial; The Rogues “Three Tall Women” (March 11-25, The Rogue); the Roadrunner Theatre Company production of the very funny “I Hate Hamlet” (Feb. 18-March 11, Roadrunner); the irresistible musical “The Pajama Game” at Arizona Repertory Theatre (April 8-29, Marroney Theatre), and who can resist “Priscilla: Queen of the Desert the Musical,” which Pima Community College will stage (Feb. 22-March 4, Pima Community College).

And lovers of new, experimental works won't want to miss the Tucson Fringe Festival (Jan. 12-14, various venues). It's 20 plays in three days in six venues. And it's grand fun.

Finally, we welcome the hyped-up activity of Live Theatre’s late-night arm, Etcetera. On the boards are three original pieces that promise to disarm and charm: Tyler West’s “Abeyance” (March 9 and 10), “An Unkept Secret” (May 19-20), and “Three Lonely Plays and A Day at the Park" (June 16-17). They are all at Live Theatre.

In addition to some of the Bernstein events, and TSO’s Beethoven 9th, both mentioned in classical music, we are going to catch Southern Arizona Women’s Chorus’ “Mass en Mass,” a collection of short masses in a variety of styles (April 22, Ascension Lutheran Church).

Also a must for choral lovers: “King David,” performed by Arizona Repertory Singers. The Arthur Honegger oratorio employs a chamber orchestra, Gregorian chant, solo voices and jazz (April 27, Catalina United Methodist Church; April 29, Temple Emanu-El).

An always-anticipated event is the Sons of Orpheus’ annual Spring Gala concert — this is the 27th year for it. The songs in this year’s event pull from classical, popular and cowboy classics (April 6, Vail Theatre of the Arts; April 7, St. Francis in the Foothills; April 15, Buena Performing Arts Center).

Jazz drummer Pete Swan has a busy time ahead of him as he takes in the abundance of jazz slated to hit the Old Pueblo. High on his list: “Anything in the Tucson Jazz Festival,” says Swan (Jan. 11-21 — see stories on the event elsewhere in this section). Among Swan’s must-sees at the fest: The Bill Charlap Trio opening for one-time Tucsonan Diane Schuur (Jan. 18, Fox Tucson Theatre). “This concert will be exceptional,” says Swan. “This will be two great artists on the same stage that night.” He is also looking forward to Sheila E. (“A legendary percussionist and drummer”) (Jan. 14, Rialto Theatre).

Both Swan and jazz musician Larry Redhouse are planning to catch the Matt Holman Group (Jan. 13, Club Congress). Holman is a Tucson Jazz Institute alum who now calls New York home. “I've listened to some of his music and find his musicality to be mature and an unexpected surprise from traditional jazz offerings,” says Redhouse. “To me, Holman's compositions are fresh, introspective and fluid.”

Another TJI alum, Robbie Lee, will opens for The Hot Sardines (Jan. 12, Fox). He is “a spectacular talent,” says Swan.

Redhouse also has the Arturo Sandoval concert with the Tucson Symphony SuperPops Orchestra on his to-go list (Jan. 13-14, Tucson Music Hall). “I don't know what music Arturo Sandoval and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra will be playing, but from what I've heard Arturo play live, on recordings and in videos, I'm sure it will be amazing. He is one of the great trumpet players of our time, possessing an incredible range and soloing ability.”

The great Herbie Hancock performs at Centennial Hall March 6 courtesy of UA Presents. “He has been one of the iconic figures in jazz since performing with Miles Davis as a young man,” says Swan. “He has continued to grow creatively throughout his long career. This is a must see.”

Redhouse, who has an eclectic musical background (he has played drums, trumpet and now piano) agrees. “I grew up listening to Herbie Hancock,” he says. “He is a big influence on me as a musician. His music covers the whole spectrum of styles, acoustic, electric, straight-ahead, fusion, funk etc.”

UA Presents also brings in Edmar Castaneda (April 19, Fox), and Swan’s looking forward to that one, too. “He’s an amazing jazz harpist, and I want to see his rhythm section.”

Other jazz highlights include vocalist Rene Marie (Feb. 14) from UA Presents, and the Fox brings in Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti, (March 7) (he “always has a great band and a great drummer, Bill Kilson,” says Swan), both performing on the Fox Tucson stage.

The Tucson Desert Song Festival celebrates Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday (which was last year, but who’s quibbling?). The fest matches up internationally celebrated soloists with local arts groups. So we’ll have a whole lot of Bernstein. And who can complain about that? (Check the Jan. 18 Caliente for comprehensive stories on the festival, and a related story in this issue.)

High on our list of the events is Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s performance of the “Kaddish,” Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3. It is based on the Jewish prayer; Bernstein first performed it shortly after John F. Kennedy was assassinated and the piece was dedicated to him. It is a massive undertaking, including soloists, the TSO Chorus and the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. Bernstein’s daughter, Jamie Bernstein, the festival's artist-in-residence, will serve as narrator. (Jan. 19 and 21, Tucson Music Hall.)

True Concord Voices and Orchestra, Grammy-nominated baritone Jubilant Sykes, the University of Arizona Dance Ensemble and the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus team up for Bernstein’s Mass; it promises to be an impressive event (Jan. 26, 28, Centennial Hall).

But it isn’t all-Bernstein all the time. TSO’s Music Director José Luis Gomez is looking forward to the Takacs Quartet playing Mozart, Brahms and Dohnányi in an Arizona Friends of Chamber Music performance (Jan. 17, Leo Rich Theatre). “One of the world’s best-known string quartet ensembles,” says Gomez. “For sure a date not to miss as they are amazing musicians.”

Also on Gomez’s list: Wu Han, Philip Setzer and David Fincke performing the complete Beethoven piano trios over two days. “In my career as violinist, it is a repertoire that I had the chance to explore a lot performing many of them,” he says. “Having the chance to listen to a complete cycle is a unique experience for sure.” They are here courtesy of the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music (March 28-29, Leo Rich Theatre).

Arizona Theatre Company’s Artistic Director David Ivers counts classical music among his loves, and he is anxious to expose his children to it. It’s one of the reasons he plans to catch Tucson classical guitarist Brad Richter’s concert (Jan. 26, Tubac Center for the Arts). There’s “something mesmerizing about watching a classical guitarist and I want my boys to see and hear it,” says Ivers.

Ivers also loves the cello, so seeing Andrei Ionita, who took first prize at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, in his Arizona Friends of Chamber Music performance is a must (April 15, Leo Rich Theatre).

Gomez plans to go to hear TSO’s Concertmaster Lauren Roth when she joins the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra to play Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 2. (April 14, Desertview Performing Arts Center, April 15, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church). 

We are also itching to see the TSO do Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody with pianist Vadym Kholodenko (Feb. 16, 18, Tucson Music Hall); Verdi’s Requiem performed by True Concord and the UA Arizona Choir (Feb. 24 at Valley Presbyterian Church and Feb. 25 at Centennial Hall); anything from the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music world class Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival (March 4-11, Leo Rich Theater); and, especially, the TSO’s season finale of Beethoven’s 9th (April 6, 8, Tucson Music Hall.)

Celtic music is a regular in the Old Pueblo thanks to In Concert! Coming our way courtesy of the organization is We Banjo 3, a quartet hailing from Galway, Ireland, making its first Tucson visit. They call their music Celt-Grass (Feb. 14, Berger Performing Arts Center). In Concert! Is also bringing in Old Blind Dogs (March 3, Berger). The group is packed with talent and humor.

And if you are hungry for more from the Celts, check out the irresistible Chieftains, on the group’s 55th anniversary tour (Feb. 28, Fox).

Cabaret singer Julie Budd performs the songs of Frank Sinatra in an Invisible Theatre-sponsored concert. Budd and Sinatra seem like the perfect pairing (March 10-11, Berger).

The great Chita Rivera will pull songs from her impressive Broadway career (among her hits: “West Side Story,” “Chicago,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and many, many more), thanks to UA Presents (Jan. 23, Centennial Hall).

UA Presents is also behind a concert by the brilliant Broadway star, Audra McDonald, whose voice is pretty much incomparable (March 20, Centennial).

More must-sees: The great Lyle Lovett (Feb. 15, Fox), and TSO’s Women Rock concert, which celebrate the female legends of rock and roll (March 10-11, Tucson Music Hall).

Yvonne Montoya, co-founder and director of Safos Dance Theatre, will be at Centennial Hall when Momix takes the stage to perform “Opus Cactus,” a dance journey through the Southwest desert, which was originally performed in a shorter version by Arizona Ballet (Jan. 18, Centennial Hall). UA Presents brings the group here. “It’s nice to see the flora and fauna of our region artistically interpreted,” she says. And she likes that it’s longer. “I’m excited to see as a full evening length work.”

That’s on Soleste Lupu and Joseph Rodgers’ list, as well. “This group was inspired by Pilobolus, a modern dance group which uses props and human bodies to make shapes and forms,” say the founders of Dancing in the Streets in an email.

They also plan to catch Philadanco and Rennie Harris Puremovement, brought here by UA Presents (Feb. 8, Centennial Hall). When Rodgers was dancing with the Hartford Ballet, Harris choreographed a piece for the company. “He said her choreography was refreshing, and (there were) challenging movements other than ballet,” says Lupu. “She used a lot of integrative multicultural themes of dance.”

Lupu and Rodgers are looking forward to seeing the worldclass Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Voces del Sur perform. It is “a rare treat to see some amazing Flamenco Dance,” says Lupu, “Flamenco Dance is so emotionally intense and beautiful at the same time” (March 20, Green Valley Recreation West Center).

Montoya loves seeing local dancers, which is why she plans on catching Pima Community Colleges spring concert, Dance Fusion (April 27-28, PCC Center for the Arts). “I’m interested in seeing raw talent,” she says. “Pima incubates local dancers, and I’m really passionate about growing our own. I’m excited to see that talent.”

We’re interested in home-grown talent, too. And you get that, and excellence, with Artifact Dance Project. Among the performances we are looking forward to is the company’s “Frida" (March 22-25, Stevie Eller Dance Theatre). Artifact's story-telling is strong and unique, and it's always accompanied by live, and often original, music.

Also must-sees: Ballet Tucson’s “Bernstein & Ballet” (Feb. 3-4, Stevie Eller) includes a tribute to the composer and the premiere of a piece, all accompanied by live music; University of Arizona’s School of Dance Spring Collection (April 20-29, Steve Eller) is a great chance to catch some amazing talent before it heads off to companies around the country, and TSO’s SuperPops concert “Let’s Dance” (Feb. 10-11, Tucson Music Hall), which features ballroom dancing and live music.

Finally, Dancing in the Streets joins up with the Civic Orchestra of Tucson to perform the ballet classic, "Sleeping Beauty" (April 8, Temple of Music and Art). The company embraces at-risk children and teaches them to dance, and the joy in their performances is contagious.

Dan Buckley, a writer, filmmaker and former Tucson Citizen music critic, points to Arizona Opera’s “Barber of Seville” as a good gateway opera, as well as one for established opera lovers. It’s “tuneful, animated and charming,” he says.

“Even among Rossini's voluminous operatic output, ‘Barber of Seville’ is a standout. A staple of the repertoire it may be, but also always a dependably joyful experience as well. The novice will love it, the opera lover already has it on his/her calendar,” he says (March 3-4, Tucson Music Hall).

Also coming up for Arizona Opera is a production of Leonard Bernstein’s funny and fabulous “Candide” (Jan. 27-28, Tucson Music Hall) — a show on our must-go list. It's part of the sixth annual Tucson Desert Song Festival.

Ascension Lutheran Church, 1220 W. Magee Road

Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 West Speedway

Buena Performing Arts Center, 5225 Buena School Blvd., Sierra Vista

Catalina United Methodist Church, 2700 E. Speedway

Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. on the University of Arizona campus

Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St.

DesertView Performing Arts Center, 39900 S. Clubhouse Drive, SaddleBrooke

Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.

The Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway

Green Valley Recreation West Center, 1111 S. GVR Drive, Green Valley

Invisible Theatre, 1400 N. First Ave.

Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church Ave.

Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway

Marroney Theatre, in the University of Arizona Fine Arts Complex at the corner of East Speedway and North Park Avenue

Pima Community College Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam Road

Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress St.

Roadrunner Theater Company, 8892 E. Tanque Verde Road

The Rogue Theatre, 300 E. University Blvd.

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 7575 N. Paseo del Norte

St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church, 4625 E. River Road

Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre, 738 N. 5th Ave. in the Historic Y

Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1737 E. University Blvd. on the UA campus.

Temple Emanu-El, 225 N Country Club Road

Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave.

Tubac Center for the Arts, Plaza Road, Tubac.

Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.

Vail Theatre of the Arts, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, Vail

Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol, Green Valley

Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, 577-3769 , arizonachambermusic.org

Arizona Opera, 293-4336, azopera.org

Arizona Repertory Singers, 792-8141, arsingers.org

Arizona Repertory Theatre, 621-1162, theatre.arizona.edu

Arizona Theatre Company, 622-2823, arizonatheatre.org

Artifact Dance Project, 235-7638, artifactdanceproject.org

Ballet Tucson , 903-1445, ballettucson.org/

Broadway in Tucson, 1-800-745-3000, broadwayintucson.com

Dancing in the Streets, 867-8489 or 298-7738, ditsaz.org

Fox Tucson Theatre, 547-3040. Foxtucson.com

The Gaslight Theatre, 886-9428, thegaslighttheatre.com

Green Valley Recreation, 625-0288, gvrec.org

In Concert!, 981-1475., Inconcerttucson.com

Invisible Theatre, 882-9721, invisibletheatre.com

Live Theatre Workshop, 327-4242, livetheatreworkshop.org

Pima Community College, 206-6986, pima.edu/community/the-arts

Rialto Theatre, 740-1000, rialtotheatre.com

Roadrunner Theatre Company, 207-2491, roadrunnertheatrecompany.org

The Rogue Theatre, 551-2053, theroguetheatre.org

Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre, 448-3300, scoundrelandscamp.org

Sons of Orpheus, 484-3743, sonsoforpheus.org

Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, 308-6226, sasomusic.org

Southern Arizona Women’s Chorus, 404-3148, southernarizonawomenschorus.org

True Concord, 977-9354, trueconcord.org/

Tubac Center for the Arts, 398-2371, tubacarts.org

Tucson Desert Song Festival, tucsondesertsongfestival.org

Tucson Fringe Festival, tucsonfringe.org

Tucson Jazz Festival, tucsonjazzfestival.org

Tucson Symphony Orchestra, 882-8585, tucsonsymphony.org

UA Presents, 621-3341, uapresents.org

University of Arizona School of Dance, 621 - 1162, http://dance.arizona.edu

Winding Road Theatre Ensemble, 401-3626, windingroadtheater.org