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B.E. Taylor Christmas slated for Dec. 22
WHEELING -- The family of the late singer, songwriter and musician B.E. Taylor knows how much his annual Christmas concert meant to the local community and to them.
In an effort to pay tribute to Taylor, who died in August from a brain tumor, his band, his son, B.C. Taylor and the rest of his family, will honor his memory with a special concert celebration planned for 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 22 at the Capitol Theatre.
"I Will Remember -- B.E. Taylor Christmas" will be a collaboration of the band's previous holiday offerings with a few surprises along the way, B.C. Taylor said during a press conference at the theater on Monday. Although the concert will remember the joy and upbeat message B.E. Taylor delivered each year, his son knows there will be some emotion to the event that's bound to occur.
"None of us have ever been afraid to show our emotions … where we are, what we feel. We just want to feel the love that my father gave to everyone in his life and his music," B.C. Taylor said.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and will be sold exclusively through the WesBanco Box Office -- online at capitoltheatrewheeling.com or by phone at (304) 233-4470. This will be a one-performance-only concert on Dec. 22.
B.E. Taylor's widow Veronica wrote, "For so many there was such a chill in the air during the silent nights of last December -- an emptiness that could not fill the hearts of all those who came to love and attend the B.E. Taylor Christmas Concert each year. They sent messages of sadness, loss and that Christmas just didn't seem the same without his show."
That outpouring of concern and feelings are what prompted the family to bring the band together for an uplifting holiday show that they hope will fill the void.
B.C. Taylor said his father will be there through the magic of technology. Photos and videos will be interspersed with the live performance, adding an authentic touch of "the voice of Christmas."
The audience can expect some of their favorite classic Christmas tunes akin to Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and others. "Feel the Love of Christmas" and "Mary's Boy Child" are among the crowd favorites B.E. Taylor performed each holiday season.
'Cloak & Dagger On the Air' planned
WEIRTON -- The Ohio Valley Cloak and Dagger Co., in partnership with Striplight Theatre, will present a Thanksgiving-themed "Cloak & Dagger On the Air" at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Ashley Marie Theatre at 3385 Main St.
Featuring the debut of an original radio play, "Welcome to the Family" by Pete Fernbaugh, and live commercial skits for sponsors Saxon Jewelers and Iconic, tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for seniors and students and can be purchased at the door or reserved by calling (724) 255-5911.
FUS to present Christmas show
STEUBENVILLE -- Anathan Theatre's main stage production this fall will be "Merry Christmas, George Bailey!," one of the most challenging plays Franciscan University of Steubenville's Theatre Department has undertaken.
Performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and and 2 p.m. Sunday in Anathan Theatre, Ground Floor, Egan Hall.
"Merry Christmas, George Bailey!" is adapted from the popular Frank Capra movie "It's a Wonderful Life."
The play will be presented as a live radio show set in the 1940s, with much of the action taking place through voice acting.
"This play hits on several levels. It's a live show for the audience as they watch the recreation of a 1940s radio play with all of its 1940s technology unfolding with sound effects and live music," said John Walker, assistant professor of theater at Franciscan University and director of the play. "And it's a fresh approach to one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time."
Adding to the authenticity of a radio studio broadcast will be audience response applause signs, early radio-era microphones, live music and a cast of 25 students dressed in 1940s attire and waiting in chairs for their cues.
"Ironically, we are using the latest digital technology to record the performance, which will be broadcast on EWTN's 350 radio affiliates nationwide during the Christmas season," said Walker.
The play is adapted by Shirlee Hurst Shields by permission from Leicester Bay Theatricals.
Tickets cost $4 for adults and $2 for students and seniors. Admission is free for clergy and religious, and children ages 12 and under. Tickets may be purchased at the door or reserved by calling (740) 283-6245.
Victorian Christmas tea slated
BARNESVILLE -- A Victorian tea is planned Dec. 1 at the Belmont County Victorian Mansion Museum, 532 N. Chestnut St.
There will be two seatings for the tea. The first seating will be at 11:30 a.m., and the second seating is set for 2:30 p.m. The fee is $15.
The public is invited, and reservations are required.
Payment, reservations and cancellations are due by Nov. 28.
Call (740) 695-0766 or (740) 425-2228 to place a reservation. Checks or money orders should be made payable to BCHS Treasurer and mail to: BCHS, P.O. Box 434, Barnesville, OH 43713.
All 26 rooms of the Victorian Mansion Museum are decorated for the Christmas Holidays. For "Magic of Christmas" tour dates and times visit www.barnesvilleohio.com/belmontcountymuseum.
'The Humans' performances continue
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Public Theater celebrates Thanksgiving with "The Humans," by Scranton, Pa., native Stephen Karam.
"The Humans" was honored with the 2016 Tony Award for best play.
Directed by Pamela Berlin, "The Humans" runs now through Dec. 10 at the O'Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater's home in the heart of Downtown's Cultural District. For tickets, call (412) 316-1600 or visit ppt.org.
In "The Humans," three generations of the Blake clan, plus one significant other, meet for Thanksgiving dinner in Lower Manhattan. The Irish Catholic family from Scranton find themselves in Chinatown for the holiday because the youngest, Brigid (Valeri Mudek), has just rented an apartment there with her boyfriend, Richard Saad (Arash Mokhtar). Their dinner guests include Brigid's mother Deirdre (Charlotte Booker), her father Erik (J. Tucker Smith), and his mother, known as Momo (Cecelia Riddett). Brigid's sister Aimee (Courtney Balan), a lawyer who lives in Philadelphia, is also there.
In 90 minutes of real-time, the company eats, airs everything from minor complaints to serious setbacks, runs up and down a spiral staircase to get to the bathroom, finds joy in their shared traditions, criticizes and demonstrates their unshakable love for each other. But beneath the typical holiday festivities, eerie things take place: Thuds, shadows, rumbles. Is this just life in contemporary Manhattan, or is something else going on?
"The play is rackingly funny even as it pummels the heart and scares the bejesus out of you," said Jesse Green in Vulture. In the Chicago Tribune, Chris Jones called it, "truly remarkable and exceptionally moving."
The design team for "The Humans" is Michael Schweikardt (Scenic), Suzanne Chesney (Costumes), John Lasiter (Lighting) and Zach Moore (Sound).
The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesdays at 7 p.m.; Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. (except for this Saturday and Nov. 18); and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (except Dec. 10, when the final show is at 2 p.m.). There will be no performance on Thanksgiving.
Ticket prices are $25 – $65. Tickets for students and age 26 & younger are $15.75.
Twitter, BuzzFeed plan morning show
NEW YORK -- Twitter and BuzzFeed initially planned to start their new morning show, "AM to DM," each weekday at 8 a.m. Then they considered their likely audience, and scheduled it for 10.
Now there's time to wake up leisurely, have coffee and fire up your smartphone. Four-fifths of the audience is under age 35, just like hosts Isaac Fitzgerald and Saeed Jones. They don't have to get up at an ungodly hour, either. It's all so civilized.
Launched quietly in late September from a studio in BuzzFeed's Manhattan office, "AM to DM" is a breezy mix of news and pop culture. Viewers can click on Twitter and watch the stream live, or catch highlights later in the day.
Linkin Park dedicating new live album
NEW YORK -- Linkin Park is releasing a new live album that the band is dedicating to late member Chester Bennington.
The group says their last live shows before Bennington died in July were "extraordinary." The "One More Light Live" album will be released on Dec. 15.
The songs were performed on the One More Light World Tour, which kicked off in May in South America and Europe. The U.S. leg of the tour was canceled after Bennington died a day before the tour was to begin.
Williams warning about climate change
SHANGHAI -- Pharrell Williams is using music to sound the warning about climate change.
The Grammy-winning musician appeared in Shanghai this week to debut a song titled "100 Years," which he described as "a postcard, a sarcastic one, to the people who should be ashamed to call themselves scientists and politicians."
The song addresses those who deny climate change.
Said Williams: "I thought, 'Let me just troll all the pseudoscientists, the ones that don't care about the ecosystem.'"
However, the targets of his song most likely won't hear it; the collaboration with cognac brand Louis XIII is set for release in 100 years.
From staff and wire reports