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On Stage at the Davis will once again bring outstanding professional touring performances to the stage in Cabarrus County’s historic courthouse at 65 Union Street S, Concord.

The third season will kick off with It Takes Two: An Evening with Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell, a Broadway revue performed by two critically acclaimed Broadway, film and television stars, on September 25.  The season also includes Pianafiddle, an improvisational all-musical-genres piano and fiddle duo, on November 12; Galumpha, which combines stunning acrobatics, striking visual effects, physical comedy and inventive choreography, on March 5; Carrie Newcomer, a singer-songwriter who has toured with Alison Krauss, on April 9; and Blood Done Sign My Name, a moving theatrical adaptation of the book about the murder of a young black man in Oxford, NC, in 1970, on May 6.

Operated by the Cabarrus Arts Council, the Davis Theatre’s 227 seats provide an intimate setting for performances with every person close to the stage.  Performers also sign autographs, pose for photos and greet audience members in the The Galleries after each show.

Each of this year’s performers is critically acclaimed and known for outstanding performances:

Saturday, September 25, 2010, 8 p.m., $42
It Takes Two:  An Evening with Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell
This sizzling evening of music includes showstoppers from Broadway, standards from the great American songbook, swing numbers, country classics and rock ‘n’ roll!  Kennedy’s roles have included Lady of the Lake in Broadway’s Spamalot, Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard, Daisy Hilton in Side Show, and the final Fantine in the history-making run of Les Miserables.  Campbell originated the role of Joe Gillis in his Tony-nominated performance in Sunset Boulevard and starred in Susan Stroman’s Tony Award-winning Contact at Lincoln Center.  He also has a long list of television credits, including five seasons on Jake and the Fat Man and roles on Three’s a Crowd, Another World and All My Children.

Friday, November 12, 2010, 8 p.m., $35
Pianafiddle
Is it bluegrass? Is it jazz?  Is it classical, old time, ragtime, or blues?  If Pianafiddle is performing, the answer is YES!  Beginning only with a familiar tune, violinist/fiddler Adam DeGraff and pianist Randy Morris improvise as they go, blending the traditional, the unwritten and the spontaneous.  Morris has enjoyed a long career as a jazz and ragtime pianist, including 38-years with Disney where he wrote, directed and performed in thousands of shows.  He has toured with Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Marvin Hamlisch and, perhaps the most famous of all, Kermit the Frog.  DeGraff is a classically trained concert violinist turned fiddler who has performed with a number of professional orchestras, most recently the Richmond Symphony.

Saturday, March 5, 2011, 8 p.m., $33
Galumpha
Galumpha brings to life a world of imagination, beauty, muscle and merriment.  Its sensory feast of images ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime, drawn together into a seamless whole, consistently brings audiences to their feet.  Galumpha delivers a fast-paced, athletic brand of movement, distinctive for its ingenuity.  Highlights include “Velcro” as seen on The Late Show with David Letterman, Crook and Chase and the MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon and “Clackers,” which has been seen on MTV, Showtime, A&E, Just for Laughs in Montreal and by over one billion television viewers around the globe.

Saturday, April 9, 2011, 8 p.m., $32
Carrie Newcomer
Describing Carrie Newcomer as a singer-songwriter is a little like saying Noah was a boat-builder.  The Indiana native sings of the small joys and pains in life, emphasizing the little moments that are often taken for granted as she illuminates life with startling depth, humor and clarity.  Her music has been praised in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and Acoustic Guitar.   She has toured with Alison Krauss and Union Station in Europe and the United States and recorded the title track of her 2002 The Gathering of Spirits album with Krauss.

Friday, May 6, 2011, 8 p.m., $30
Blood Done Sign My Name
Based on Tim Tyson’s award-winning memoir, Blood Done Sign My Name recounts the murder of Henry “Dickie” Marrow in view of multiple witnesses, the subsequent acquittal of the murderers by an all-white jury and the reaction of Oxford’s black community.  Performed by gifted playwright and actor Mike Wiley accompanied by powerful gospel singer Mary D. Williams, the drama, like the memoir, offers all of us the opportunity to examine our own roles in the complex and often confusing racial fabric of America.  Wiley is known throughout the United States for his portrayals of key figures and events in African American history.  With a voice reminiscent of Mahalia Jackson, Williams is winner of the gospel music Female Vocalist of the Year.

Tickets for all shows go on sale July 1 and will be available online at www.CabarrusArtsCouncil.org or by phone or in person at the Davis Theatre Box Office, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 704-920-2753.

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