| A BING CROSBY CHRISTMAS Starring Jared Bradshaw featuring the music of the Andrews Sisters December 9-12 • • • MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING: Heidi Kettenring Sings Karen Carpenter December 16-19 |
| EAST HADDAM, CONN., NOVEMBER 11, 2021: The Goodspeed Opera House will be lit up again for a festive holiday season with two special concert events produced by Goodspeed Musicals in association with Artists Lounge Live. First is A Bing Crosby Christmas starring Jared Bradshaw, featuring the music of the Andrews Sisters which promises a swinging good time for all ages with some of the most popular Christmas songs and memories of yuletides past. Performances run December 9, 2021 through December 12, 2021. The holiday celebrations continue with Merry Christmas Darling: Heidi Kettenring sings Karen Carpenter and a trip down memory lane with some of The Carpenters’ greatest hits and holiday favorites. Performances run December 16, 2021 through December 19, 2021. “The Goodspeed is a wonderful place to celebrate the holidays and these concerts are perfect for the entire family. We are so happy to continue to welcome audiences back as we progress to producing a full season of musicals in 2022,” said Donna Lynn Hilton, Goodspeed’s Artistic Director. ‘Tis the season to be jolly as Broadway baritone Jared Bradshaw celebrates America’s favorite crooner Bing Crosby. A Broadway veteran of more than a decade, Bradshaw appeared in Jersey Boys and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The “immensely talented” (Associated Press) crooner leads a swinging band featuring a talented trio singing the joyful harmonies of the Andrews Sisters. This concert is one humdinger of a good time! Unforgettable hits include “Jingle Bells,” “Chattanooga Choo-Choo,” “Mele Kalikimaka,” and “White Christmas.” Performances for A Bing Crosby Christmas starring Jared Bradshaw, featuring the music of the Andrews Sisters will be Thursday, December 9 at 2pm and 7:30pm; Friday, December 10 at 8pm; Saturday, December 11 at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday, December 12 at 2pm. Chicago’s favorite leading lady Heidi Kettenring (Wicked, Broadway in Chicago) and her exceptional band present the timeless treasures and holiday hits of Karen Carpenter. A storyteller sure to stir the heart, multi-award-winner Kettenring tenderly chronicles Carpenter’s troubles and triumphs with a familiar angelic radiance. Around the Town Chicago calls the show, “Glorious. An elegant, tear jerking, sing along concert event.” Songs include “Close To You,” “Merry Christmas Darling,” “For All We Know,” and “The Christmas Song.” Performances for Merry Christmas Darling: Heidi Kettenring sings Karen Carpenter will be Thursday, December 16 at 7:30pm; Friday, December 17 at 8pm; Saturday, December 18 at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday, December 19 at 2pm. Tickets for both concerts start at $40. Tickets go on sale to the public on Monday, November 15, 2021 at 10am through the Box Office (860.873.8668), open seven days a week, or online at goodspeed.org A special dinner package that includes a 3-course meal at the Gelston House, next door to The Goodspeed, and a ticket to the show is available for Friday, December 10 or Friday, December 17. The dinner package price is $79 per person and is subject to availability. Call the Box Office for details (860.873.8668). Goodspeed will operate at full capacity for these holiday concerts. In order to attend the holiday events at The Goodspeed, patrons must provide proof of being fully vaccinated OR provide negative test results from a COVID-19 antigen test (“rapid test”) taken within 6 hours of curtain time or COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of curtain time. Masks are required at all times while inside The Goodspeed, regardless of vaccination status, except when drinking in the bar area or outside areas. Goodspeed’s complete safety policy for these events can be found at www.goodspeed.org/safety ABOUT THE ARTISTS: Jared Bradshaw: Associated Press calls him “immensely talented,” and Sound and Town cheers, “Bradshaw delivers an electrifying performance.” Jared Bradshaw is a Broadway veteran who recently appeared in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Previously, Bradshaw was a long time cast member of the Tony Award-winning smash hit Jersey Boys, swinging multiple roles in the Broadway, First National Tour, and Chicago companies. Off-Broadway, he delighted audiences in numerous incarnations of the wickedly funny Forbidden Broadway, deftly taking on celebrities such as Hugh Jackman, Harry Connick Jr, and John Travolta. Pre-Broadway: Dave. Regional theatre highlights include: The Music Man (Harold Hill), Singing in the Rain (Don Lockwood), Guys and Dolls (Nathan Detroit), Parade (Leo Frank), Jekyll and Hyde (Jekyll/ Hyde), West Side Story (Riff), Cabaret (Cliff), The Last Five Years (Jamie), My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, and numerous productions of Smokey Joe’s Cafe. Additionally, he travelled as a featured performer aboard Disney Cruise Ships. Jared and wife Lindsay Northen (Broadway’s Wicked) are the proud parents of little Georgia. jaredbradshaw.com Heidi Kettenring starred as Nessarose in the blockbuster musical Wicked (Broadway in Chicago). She also starred as Belle in the National Tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Theatre nationwide includes The King and I (Anna, Jeff Award, Broadway World Award), Oliver! (Nancy, Jeff Award nomination), Cats (Grizabella), Annie Get Your Gun (Annie Oakley), Les Misérables (Fantine), My Fair Lady (Eliza), Hairspray (Penny, Jeff Award nomination), Funny Girl (Fanny Brice, Jeff Award nomination), Little Women (Jo, Jeff Award nomination), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Milly), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Mistress Ford), Hero (Jane, World Premiere), She Loves Me (Ilona), and Guys and Dolls (Adelaide, After Dark Award). Film: Man of Steel. Television: Chicago Fire (NBC) and Cupid (ABC). Concerts: We’ve Only Just Begun and Merry Christmas Darling: Hedi Kettenring Sings Karen Carpenter; also Ravinia Festival, Millenium Park, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Pensacola Symphony. Additionally, she voices Disney Princess audiobooks. She is the recipient of a Jeff Award, eight Jeff Award nominations, two Broadway World Awards, an After Dark Award, the Richard Kneeland Award, and the Sarah Siddons Leading Lady Award. Kettenring is a graduate of Northwestern University. ABOUT ARTISTS LOUNGE LIVE: Artists Lounge Live presents timeless popular music performed by singular talents in captivating concerts marked by superb musicianship and intimate storytelling. The Chicago-based company is created and produced by married team Michael and Angela Ingersoll. All-around entertainer and producer Michael Ingersoll starred as Nick Massi of the Four Seasons in Jersey Boys, originating the Broadway tour’s San Francisco, LA, and Chicago casts. He also created retro-rock group Under the Streetlamp, starring in several PBS specials and touring internationally. Emmy Award-nominated actor, singer, and writer Angela Ingersoll tours her PBS special Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland. She also starred as Garland in End of the Rainbow, winning Chicago’s Jeff Award and LA Times Woman of the Year in Theatre. artistsloungelive.com ABOUT GOODSPEED MUSICALS: Goodspeed Musicals has achieved international acclaim and is the first theatre in the nation to receive two Tony Awards for outstanding achievement in musical theatre. Under the leadership of Donna Lynn Hilton, Artistic Director and David B. Byrd, Managing Director, Goodspeed Musicals is dedicated to the celebration, development and advancement of musical theatre. Goodspeed creates powerful, world-class productions of enlightening new and established works to entertain and inspire audiences. From Goodspeed, 21 musicals have gone to Broadway (including Man of La Mancha, Annie and Holiday Inn) and more than 90 new musicals have been launched. Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals and the Johnny Mercer Writers Grove are distinguished cornerstones of the organization that highlight its commitment to nurture the talents of new and established artists and support the creative process. Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support of The Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; United Airlines, the official airline of Goodspeed Musicals; the official audio sponsor Sennheiser; and official auto sponsor Hoffman Audi. The organization is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts. |