Jimmy Webb, Black Violin And More Join Kean Stage's 2020 Season

Kean University continues to offer exciting and eclectic performances to the public, adding four new shows to its lineup for spring 2020 in Wilkins Theatre and the intimate Enlow Recital Hall.

Taylor 2 Dance Company will perform at Wilkins Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. Renowned choreographer Paul Taylor has been hailed as one of the creators of American modern dance, winning both public and critical acclaim for the vibrancy, relevance and power of his dances.

In establishing Taylor 2, he looked back to the 1954 origins of his company. Several of the dances have been reworked from the original version to enable a smaller ensemble to perform them, still bringing forth the athleticism, humor and range of emotions found in his original work.

Singer, songwriter and composer Jimmy Webb, the only artist to receive Grammy Awards for music, lyrics and orchestration, will perform at Enlow Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 4. If the name doesn't immediately ring a bell, the timeless hits he wrote surely will. The Worst That Could Happen; By the Time I Get to Phoenix; Galveston; Wichita Lineman; Up, Up and Away and MacArthur Park, among many others. Maybe he'll finally explain why "someone left the cake out in the rain."

The members of Black Violin will bring their Impossible Tour, a performance like no other, to Wilkins Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18. These classically-trained musicians - Wil B. on viola and Kev Marcus on violin - play a genre-shattering mix of classical, hip hop, jazz, R&B and reggae that has often been described as "classical boom."

For more than a dozen years, Black Violin has been all about taking things further, exceeding expectations and challenging conventions. The classical-meets-hip-hop duo has steadily built a devoted following and a diverse touring base while occupying a musical lane that's entirely its own. Their new album, Take the Stairs, was released on November 1.

At 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, Kean Stage welcomes Voctave to Enlow Recital Hall. The singers in this 11-member a cappella group have performed at Disney theme parks, on Broadway and in venues such as Carnegie Hall. They sing original arrangements of Disney and Broadway hits and have collaborated with the Boston Pops, London Symphony, Marvin Hamlisch and David Foster. With multiple #1 songs and albums on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify, Voctave has also ranked in the Top 25 on Billboard magazine's charts. Their videos on Facebook and YouTube have received more than 100 million views.

Tickets can be purchased at the Kean Stage Box Office in Wilkins Theatre, by phone at 908-737-7469 or online at www.keanstage.com. Wilkins Theatre is located at 1000 Morris Ave., Union, N.J. on Kean University's main campus. Enlow Recital Hall is located at 215 North Ave., Hillside, N.J. on Kean University's east campus.