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Weekend spotlight: Elphaba, Tom Jones, Cheap Trick and Jelly Roll
Friday brings Broadway star Cynthia Erivo to town, for a sold-out Mahaffey Theater concert with The Florida Orchestra.
“Wicked.” Photo: Universal Pictures.
Erivo, of course, starred as green-skinned Elphaba in the 2024 film adaptation of the musical Wicked (and will be back on screen in Part 2 (Wicked: For Good), coming Nov. 21. The British-born singer and actress won a 2015 Tony Award for her performance in The Color Purple on Broadway; the show’s cast album brought her a Grammy.
Friday’s 8 p.m. concert will feature music made famous by female artists. (Bet she’ll do “Defying Gravity,” too.)
A second performance had been scheduled for Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall; due to scheduling conflicts, that one’s been moved to Sept. 3 (tickets at this link).
More from the Mahaffey: The mighty Cheap Trick is back in the bay area once again for a show Saturday. The 8 p.m. concert is in honor of the Mahaffey Theater’s 60th anniversary. Cheap Trick (currently celebrating 50 years as a band) includes founding members Robin Zander (vocals), Rick Nielsen (guitar) and Tom Petersson (bass), plus Dax Nielsen on drums and Robin Taylor Zander on second guitar. Find tickets at this link.
Robin Zander, a longtime Pinellas County resident, is Friday’s guest on our Arts Alive! podcast.
Concert calendar
Keyboard artist Richard Moultrie takes over the big stage at the Palladium Theater tonight with his Exploration Jazz Big Band. Moultrie is a Palladium Creative Fellow. Tickets are available at this link.
Tonight’s Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre show with Australian EDM/pop trio Rufus du Sol is sold out.
Tom Jones. Publicity photo.
It’s not all that unusual that the iconic singer Tom Jones is onstage tonight at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Tickets are here.
Pop singer Remi Wolf is onstage tonight at the BayCare Sound. Tickets are here.
Country singer/rapper Colt Ford is in concert Friday (8 p.m.) at Ferg’s Sports Bar and Entertainment Complex. Gates open at 6; tickets are at this link.
Friday at freeFall Theatre: A jazz concert with Michael Ross (double bass) and David Pate (tenor sax), along with vocalist Fred Johnson. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are here.
Riley Green, Jelly Roll and Blake Shelton headline the touring Country Thunder Festival Friday through Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Ella Langley, Jake Owen, Clint Black, Ashley McBryde, Dillon Carmichael, Kentucky Headhunters and others flesh out each day’s bill. Find all the details, and tickets, at this link.
Big EDM (that’s electronic dance music) show Saturday at the BayCare Sound, with headliner Liquid Stranger along with INZO, TVBOO b2b and others. Tickets are here.
St. Pete native Rachel Prather, who’s been in several shows on Broadway, is home for a visit and will sing Monday at The Studio@620, accompanied by Michael Raabe and Paul Stoddart. Saturday’s Catalyst will include a conversation with Ms. Prather. Tickets for the Monday cabaret are available here.
Matthew McGee (with Renata Eastlick, left, and Sara Delbeato) appears in the freeFall Theatre comedy “For Closure!” Image: Thee Photo Ninja.
On theater stages
Back to the Future: The Musical is onstage at Morsani Hall, in Tampa’s Straz Center for the Performing Arts, with multiple performances through Sunday. Find showtimes and schedule here.
Hannah Benitez’ riotous comedy For Closure! is onstage at freeFall Theatre in St. Pete, through May 11. Find showtimes and tickets here.
The comedy Morningside, about a baby shower gone haywire, continues at Tampa’s Stageworks Theatre through May 11.
Your Weekend Spotlight appears every Thursday in the Catalyst’s CREATE section.
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