Heartland Men’s Chorus Goes Big with “Vegas, Baby”
Heartland Men’s Chorus will bring together guest artists from the worlds of theatre, magic, music and aerial acrobatics for its upcoming concert “Vegas, Baby,” June 13-15, 2014, at the Folly Theater. Audience interest in the concert is expected to be so great, the chorus has added a third performance of the concert’s run, something previously reserved for the group’s holiday performances.
Musical theatre mainstay Anthony Edwards will conduct HMC in musical numbers celebrating the “Rat Pack” era of Las Vegas, as well as music from modern day headliners like Celine Dion and Cher. Edwards was chosen to conduct due to his production expertise, as well as his musicianship.
“Anthony has worked as musical director for virtually every professional theatre in Kansas City,” says Rick Fisher, executive director of HMC. “When we were searching for a guest conductor, his was the only name we considered. With a show of this size and scope, we needed a conductor who could bring out the best of our singers as musicians and integrate all the various production elements to make the concert as spectacular as a Las Vegas extravaganza.”
“Vegas, Baby” will mark the first collaboration between HMC and Quixotic, the Kansas City-based dance and aerial acrobatics troupe. Edwards initiated the collaboration shortly after coming on board to conduct.
“The concert will represent all things Las Vegas, and having Quixotic on the program will allow us to stun the audience with the aerial work that has become so dominant in Las Vegas in the last fifteen years.”
Also joining the chorus is Martin Preston, the only performer granted express permission by the Liberace estate to appear and perform as Liberace. Preston’s act has garnered acclaim in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and internationally. He will perform with the chorus, playing a rhinestone-covered grand piano (complete with Liberace’s trademark candelabra), and wearing a series of costumes based on the original designs worn by Liberace.
“My opening costume has a quarter of a million hand-sewn sequins, beads, and crystals, not to mention over ten pounds of Swarovski rhinestones,” says Preston.
Noted magicians David Sandy and Lance Rich will perform magic as part of the concert, including a series of illusions performed to the accompaniment of “That Old Black Magic” sung by the chorus.
“I wanted to make sure that all of our guests were fully integrated into the show,” says Edwards. “Even when our guests take the stage, the chorus will sing and be part of the action.”
Members of the chorus will also appear as dancers and “showgirls” throughout the performance.
The concert closes the 28th season for Heartland Men’s Chorus, Kansas City’s gay men’s chorus. The group regularly performs with more than 120 singers, and draws the largest audience for choral music in the region.
Heartland Men’s Chorus presents “Vegas, Baby” at 8:00 p.m. June 13 and 14, and 4:00 p.m. on June 15. All performances are at the Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th Street, Kansas City, Mo. Tickets range in price from $15-$40 and are available at https://hmckc.org or by calling 816-931-3338.
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High resolution photos of the chorus may be downloaded at https://hmckc.org/photos.
For more information:
General Contact:
Rick Fisher, Executive Director
Heartland Men’s Chorus
(816) 931-3338
hmc@hmckc.org
Marketing Contact:
Tom Lancaster
Kansas City Direct Response Marketing
(816) 471-1120
tom@kcdrm.com