Oct. 3-5 and 10-12 are the performance dates of the comedy musical, Pete ’n’ Keely, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Pete ’n’ Keely is about a divorced couple who are forced back together to revive their failing singing careers. Filled with favorite musical standards plus several original tunes, this jukebox fantasy recalls the […]
Gus Gordon
Droll duo
PHOTO COURTESY HOOGLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS Six performances of The Odd Couple take place, Jan. 24-26, 31 and Feb. 1-2. This classic comedy by Neil Simon opens with a group of guys in the middle of a heated poker game at the apartment of divorced sports writer Oscar Madison. And if the mess is […]
Seasonal songs
A Very Hoogland Christmas is a Christmas revue featuring classic holiday tunes and contemporary Christmas music, as well as beautiful sacred music. Hosted by Gus Gordon, the show will feature Meghan Birch, Nathan Carls, Vanessa Ferguson, Kevin Ford, Amanda Reynolds, Debbie Ross, Mary Kate Smith and Matthew Vala and will showcase the Hoogland Kids, Teens […]
Reaching for the stars
The legendary musical Gypsy, considered by many to be the best American musical ever written, will be presented Aug. 23-25 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Hoogland Center for the Arts. Based on memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the show tells the backstage tale of vaudeville entertainer-turned-stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and her domineering mother Rose. Rose […]
Out-of-this-world tryst
Halloween in Springfield is not complete without the Rocky Horror Show. Director Mac Warren, Producer Gus Gordon, Hoogland Center for the Arts and ADHD Productions once again help you get wildly lost in the wacky, wonderful world of the cult classic musical. You may be more familiar with the cult classic film that was made […]
Quixotic musical
The musical Man of La Mancha opens with a gala performance on Friday, Aug. 24, followed by five performances at the Hoogland Center for the Arts LRS theater. A pre-show cocktail hour and post-show dessert reception, cast meet-and-greet and silent auction are included in the price and festivities of the opening night gala. Over the […]
Wedded bliss
Gus Gordon and Cynda Wrightsman play Michael and Agnes in the musical comedy, I Do! I Do! The story of a couple’s 50-year marriage runs for six performances at the Hoogland Center for the Arts over two weekends. Written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, who also wrote The Fantasticks, the local production includes the […]
Fast facts
Springfield PechaKucha returns for another enlightening evening at Capital City Bar and Grill on Thursday, Feb. 9. A great lineup of locals and presentations includes: Wade Kammin, The Making of an Assistance Dog; Victor Broderick, Brainwashing; Gaines Hall, The Influence of Sound on Design; Andrew Woolbright, Art and the Pharmacy Experiment; Gus Gordon, Ain’t Misbehavin’: […]
Harlem swing
The Hoogland Center for the Arts and SIU Voice Clinic present the Fats Waller musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ for two weekends in the LRS Theatre. The outrageously prodigious comic and musical soul of 1930s Harlem lives on in this rollicking, swinging, finger-snapping revue that is still considered one of Broadway’s best. Cast includes Kevin Ford, Tosh […]
Melting-pot musical
Joshua Ratz, Mary Kate Smith, Doug Hahn (standing), Gerrah Caldwell and Joel Tinsley-Hall (seated) are just a few of the dazzling local talent in a cast of more than 50 performing the Tony-award winning musical Ragtime at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Go on a journey with three families as they confront wealth and […]
Reduce, recycle, reuse
Before kids get back to the three Rs – reading, writing and arithmetic – take them back and revisit the other three Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle. Aug. 13 at the Illinois State Museum, families with kids ages 4-8 can create a stained glass gift for a teacher using recycled crayons, make a pocket notebook […]
Opposites attract
The classic Neil Simon romantic comedy finds a pair of newly married lovers, who embody Oscar and Felix-like traits, trying to live with each other’s idiosyncrasies. Six performances are slated at the Hoogland Center for the Arts for this Gordon Productions play sponsored by Staab Funeral Home and 970AM WMAY. Jenn Wellhausen and Matthew T. […]
