The SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre turns 29 years old this year and will celebrate with a 2013 summer season under the stars packed with concerts, musicals, outdoor movies and the 8th Annual Celebrity vocal competition. All performances will begin at 8 p.m.
Festivities will begin Memorial Day, May 27 with All-4-One. In the 90's, the pop and R&B sound of the multi-platinum harmony group
All-4-One took over the American airwaves. Their beautifully blended voices are a throwback to classic Motown groups like The Temptations, and the foursome of balladeers created timeless music including chart-topping multi-platinum hits I Swear, So Much In Love, Someday, I Turn To You, These Arms, Beautiful As You and I Can Love You Like That, earning a 1994 Grammy for Best Pop Performance. Now on their 20th Anniversary tour, the soulful quartet has been perfecting their showmanship to sold-out crowds around the world. From power ballads to acapella to finger snappin' funk, the musical grooves and gospel-rooted voices of
All-4-One make for a showstopper of a show.
The first live theatre production of the summer is Disney's "Tarzan: The Musical," which will be directed by Shawn Mortensen and play June 6-22. With a set, costume and light design that says "welcome to the jungle," the new musical is based on Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan of the Apes and the smash Disney animated film. Tarzan swings onto stage with the classic story of an infant boy orphaned on the shores of West Africa. Taken in and raised by a tribe of gorillas, the young boy strives for acceptance while grappling with his uniqueness. When a human expedition enters their territory, Tarzan - now a man - encounters strangers like himself for the first time. The new musical features music and lyrics by pop icon Phil Collins, including the Grammy and Oscar winning song You'll Be in My Heart.
Also featured in June, on the 25th, is country music superstar Josh Turner. As a family man, a philanthropist and a Christian, you might say Josh Turner's commitments run as deep as his voice. He's also a double platinum-selling singer, songwriter and disciple of traditional country music, and one of the youngest members of the Grand Ole Opry. With megahits Firecracker, Why Don't We Just Dance, All Over Me, Would You Go With Me, Your Man, Long Black Train and Time Is Love - combined with a knockout of bluegrass barnburners and slow and steady love ballads from his new album - and Josh's trademark baritone excels! With his soulful voice, South Carolina accent and philosophy on life, the Grammy, CMA and ACM Award nominee has developed a Mark Twain-like knack for turning out songs that stay in your head and your heart.
July brings two events that are sure to please. July 5-20 is the beloved family musical "The Sound of Music," directed by Jeremy Showgren. The hill at the Shell will be alive with the sound of the most recognized showtunes of all time as The Sound of Music tells the story of Maria, the high-spirited nun turned nanny to Captain Von Trapp's seven troublesome children. Maria teaches the children to sing and the Captain to love, but when the Nazis invade Austria, the whole family is forced to flee to safety.
Add to your pioneer day celebrations on July 22 when the soulful sophistication and smooth harmonies of The 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue come to town. Florence Larue, the founding member and lead singer of multi Grammy Award winners The 5th Dimension, has kept the crisp sound and fresh groove of the group intact, performing their classic hits Up, Up and Away, Aquarius, One Less Bell to Answer, Wedding Bell Blues and more. From the mid-sixties to the mid-seventies, The 5th Dimension brought a hip new dimension to the music scene with their sunshine pop, and continue to impress with PBS specials, symphony performances, headlining in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, four White House appearances, and a State Department tour to Eastern Europe.
The third and final musical of the summer is a patron favorite, "The Scarlet Pimpernel," directed by Jerry Elison, August 2-17. Named after a red star-shaped wildflower, Pimpernel became the calling card of an elusive and infamous English aristocrat who risked his life to rescue doomed souls from the guillotine during the French Revolution. The Pimpernel's alter ego, a dimwitted British fop named Percy, helps him hide in plain sight among his enemies, leading to all the intrigue of a grand epic when the Pimpernel falls in love with France's most celebrated actress and must keep his secret identity from her at all costs. The Scarlet Pimpernel combines historical fact with dramatic adventure to create an unforgettable story rich with magnificent music and a plot filled with romance, mystery and deception.
August continues with three concerts. The legendary Bill Medley, perhaps best known as half of the unmistakable Rock & Rock Hall of Fame duo, The Righteous Brothers, will perform August 19. The Righteous Brothers created the genre "blue-eyed soul" with their emotional rhythm & blues sound with hits like You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin, Just Once in My Life, Unchained Melody and You're My Soul and Inspiration. Medley's immediately recognizable baritone voice brings pure magic to the songs of The Righteous Brothers, and to his huge Grammy-winning solo smash I've Had The Time of My Life from the movie "Dirty Dancing." Bill is joined on tour by his daughter McKenna, creating dramatic pop duets celebrating the romance of the sixties and music from his critically-acclaimed new album.
Utah's nationally-prominent professional dancers will demonstrate explosive ballroom, jazz and hip-hop choreography Aug. 23-24 in the 8th annual "Dancing Under the Stars," featuring award-winning teams from Center Stage, dance studios from across the state, and special guests brought in from around the country.
August 29 will take you on a trip back to the 80's when Grammy-winning singer/songwriter
Richard Marx ruled the radio with 30 million albums sold and nineteen Top 20 Singles, including seven #1 hits. From upbeat pop/rock to romantic ballads, Richard hits the mark with songs including Don't Mean Nothin', Now and Forever, Endless Summer Nights, Hazard, Shoulda Known Better, Hold On To The Nights, Right Here Waiting, Angelia, Satisfied and The Way She Loves Me. Not just a hitmaker, Marx is full of personality and energy, and he is returning by popular demand!
The 2013 summer season concludes Labor Day Sept. 2 with Hotel California: A Salute to The Eagles. This extraordinary salute to The Eagles faithfully and accurately reproduces the signature sound and authentic instrumentation of The Eagles, bringing their classic rock into the new millennium. Comprised of five respected professional musicians, the band represents the supergroup whose hits, including Take It Easy, Witchy Woman, Desperado, Heartache Tonight, One Of These Nights, Tequila Sunrise and Lyin' Eyes have a staying power that can't be matched. Take a journey down "a dark desert highway," "feel the cool wind in your hair" and experience this internationally recognized tribute to the Grammy Award-winning band that defined a generation.
"We've got something to entertain just about everyone," says Adam J. Robertson, SCERA President & CEO. "Some country, pop, R&B, classic rock, 80's and oldies -- plus some stage favorites that are nostalgic, dramatic and fun."
Season tickets include all three musicals and all seven concerts and offers a 39 percent discount off the individual event price. General admission season tickets are $75 for adults and $65 for children (age 3-11), students (w/ID) and seniors (65+). Reserved Sections A and B include a reserved area with chairs and season ticket prices range from $95 to $115 for adults and $85 to $110 for children, students and seniors.
To purchase season or individual event tickets, call (801) 225-ARTS, visit
www.scera.org or stop by the SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 South State, Orem, open 10am-6pm weekdays and Saturdays from 12Noon-6pm.
Not included on the season ticket is a series of outdoor movies shown on a big screen. They include "The Sandlot" (June 12), "Les Miserables" (June 17), "Back to the Future" (July 10), "Disney's Brave" (July 17), "The Avengers" (Aug. 7), "Mary Poppins" (Aug. 14), "Disney's Wreck It Ralph" (Sept. 6) and "The Hobbit" (Sept. 7). Each movie begins at dusk. Admission to an individual movie is $4 for adults and $3 for children, seniors and students or patrons may purchase the 8-movie series at a discount for $16 adult, $8 children, students and seniors. Preliminary nights of the 8th Annual Celebrity vocal competition precede the first six outdoor movies, and patrons can come at 8:00 p.m. to hear singers accompanied by a live band compete for the title of SCERA Celebrity.
The SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre is located at 699 South State, Orem, in the middle of SCERA Park. Patrons can bring a blanket or rent a first-come, first-serve chair for $1.00.
