Create
Weekend stage forecast: Boyz II Men, Nicki Minaj, Morgan Wallen
Putting Hurricane Helene and all her miseries on the back burner for a second, here comes another weekend of performances from a variety of artists, in multiple genres.
The top-selling female rapper in history will perform Saturday at Amalie Arena. Trinidad-born Nicki Minaj has more hits than wigs or costumes, and that’s saying a lot. Tickets for the 9 p.m. concert are here.
Tonight at the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center: The ‘90s R&B vocal group Boyz II Men. Singers Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris have been together since the beginning. Founding member Michael McCary, who left years ago for health reasons, joined them onstage in Las Vegas Aug. 30 – reuniting the original, hitmaking quartet – and although it was just a one-off, he told the media there might be something more permanent coming. For the time being, it’s just the three guys tonight. Tickets are here. (At press time, this show was three seats away from being sold out.)
Morgan Wallen, the country music performer with two albums in the Billboard Top 20 this week (One Thing at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album, both former No. 1’s) takes over Raymond James Stadium Friday, the makeup date for the show he missed (cancelling that afternoon) back in July. Cole Swindell, Nate Smith and Lauren Watkins are his support acts. Tickets for the 6 p.m. concert are here.
A live orchestra will accompany scenes from the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender tonight at Morsani Hall, in Tampa’s Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets.
The great singer/songwriter Lyle Lovett, who’s often incorrectly identified as a country artist, returns to Ruth Eckerd Hall Friday with his considerable Large Band. Tickets.
Friday at the Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre, it’s the Marley Brothers, with four of reggae legend Bob Marley’s progeny: Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Ky-Mani and Damien. Tickets are here, mon.
The Black Crowes’ on-again, off-again Mahaffey Theater show is on again for Sunday night. Find tickets here.
TFO and the classics
The Florida Orchestra’s 57th season officially begins Saturday and Sunday, with performances of the first Masterworks concert, spotlighting Ravel’s Bolero. Shows both evenings are at Ruth Eckerd Hall; the Saturday opener was to take place at the Mahaffey Theater, but Hurricane Helene caused minor electrical issues there … anyway, it got moved.
The program (also including De Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain featuring Chelsea Guo on piano, Chabrier’s España, Villa-Lobos’ Choros No. 10 and Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances) is at Ruth’s in Clearwater, 8 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Find tickets, and details, here.
TFO Music Director Michael Francis is Friday’s guest on the Arts Alive! podcast, discussing the new season – his 10th – and the company’s commitment to the community (there will be collection bins for hurricane relief items at each of this weekend’s concerts).
“Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash” continues at American Stage. Photo provided.
On theater stages
Originally scheduled for tonight, the screening of 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show (with a live shadow cast) at the Mahaffey Theater will now take place Friday (at 8 p.m.). The hook here is that the evening’s host is actress Patricia Quinn, who played Magenta in the film. There’ll be a memorabilia display with artifacts (including a costume from the movie), a costume contest and – as they say – more. Tickets.
Dan Fogler, most recently seen playing Francis Ford Coppola in the Paramount+ series The Offer, stars in The Boy Who Loved Batman at the Jaeb Theatre, in Tampa’s Straz Center. New York producers are workshopping the show here, through November, before opening it in London’s West End. It’s the true story of “comic book nerd” Michael Uslan, who has executive-produced every Batman and Batman-related movie since 1989. Info and tickets here.
A live band onstage plays and sings songs from the lengthy career of a country music legend in the jukebox musical Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash, through Oct. 20 at American Stage. Here’s the Catalyst interview with director Helen R. Murray.
Stageworks Theatre has Heidi Schrek’s unique show What the Constitution Means to Me through Oct. 13. With humor, intelligence and insight, Schrek discusses her lifelong fascination with the U.S. Constitution, including its failings. Here’s the Catalyst interview with lead actress Kari Goetz.
Still more concerts
Troy Andrews, aka Trombone Shorty. Publicity photo.
Friday at the Capitol Theatre: The return of “comedy magician” Piff the Magic Dragon. Tickets.
Friday at the Palladium Theater’s Side Door Cabaret: Jazz saxophonist Kyle Schroeder and band. Tickets.
Saturday at the Palladium Theater’s Side Door Cabaret: Nashville blues guitarist Yates McKendree. Tickets.
Saturday at the Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheater: A live concert from the family-friendly musical brand KIDZ BOP. It’s at 6 p.m., and tickets are here.
Sunday at the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center: The New Orleans jazz/funk horn player and bandleader Trombone Shorty. Tickets.
Sunday at Central Park Performing Arts Center: An acoustic show from guitarists Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and Brandon Gibbs (Devil City Angels). Tickets.
Your weekend stage forecast appears every Thursday in the Catalyst’s CREATE section.
Please add us to your mailing list – send all press releases and event info to bill@stpetecatalyst.com.
You can also submit your events to the Catalyst calendar, by clicking here.
