Lots of good stuff going on to celebrate the Klein stage 75th year, including a concert extravaganza Nov. 14th featuring musician Paul Shaffer, legendary bandleader of the Late Show With David Letterman. A restaurant promotion with four Downtown eateries is also included. Check out the details.
On Saturday, November 14th, the Klein in Bridgeport will celebrate its 75th Anniversary with an unprecedented concert featuring resident performing arts companies that regularly perform in the historic 1,450-seat theater. This is the first time that all of them have appeared together on the Klein’s stage. The emcee for the event is the popular television personality and musician Paul Shaffer, longtime bandleader of “Late Show with David Letterman.” (photos available on request)
Featured companies are: Greater Bridgeport Symphony (which has performed at the Klein for the past 70 years), New England Ballet, Fairfield County Children’s Choir, Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras, student singers and dancers from the Klein’s innovative after school program ASK as well as from All Stars Project of Bridgeport, and noted jazz musician Joel Martin, creator of “Jazzical” and the Klein’s annual “Footsteps of Peace” concerts. Also included are special appearances by Mayor Bill Finch, George Mintz, president of the Bridgeport chapter of the NAACP, Kathleen Maher, executive director of the Barnum Museum, a segment about Fairfield Theatre Company, which has presented over 100 concerts at the Klein in recent years, representatives from the Barnum Festival, and others yet to be announced.
During the concert each company will perform its own segments. They will all assemble together in a spectacular musical finale. The Klein’s executive director Laurence A. Caso says, “This is really a family celebration. We couldn’t be more grateful to our host Paul Shaffer and to our participating partners who readily agreed to perform this exciting event. This concert will proudly represent the best of the memorable history of the musical, dance and civic events that have graced our stage during the past 75 years.”
The concert will be held at the Klein on Saturday, November 14th at 8 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the Klein’s box office, on-line at www.info@theklein.org, or by calling 800-424-0160. Tickets are priced at $75 / $40 / $25 and $15.
As a thank-you to patrons of the resident companies that are performing that evening, the Klein and its performance partners have also announced a special subscription discount offer in a package of 4 upcoming events at the Klein. By calling the Klein box office, patrons who purchase tickets to all four of the following events will receive a twenty per cent discount on the entire package. The events in the package include:
WYNTON MARSALIS AND THE LINCOLN CENTER JAZZ ENSEMBLE (November 5th), presented by Fairfield Theatre Company
THE KLEIN@75: THE CELEBRATION CONCERT (November 14th)
BEETHOVEN’S NINTH SYMPHONY with the MENDELSSOHN CHOIR (December 12th) performed by the Greater Bridgeport Symphony
24TH ANNUAL NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCES (December 19th and 20th) by New England Ballet Company
RESTAURANT PROMOTION: The Klein is also conducting an exclusive discount offer through 4 restaurants in downtown Bridgeport. Beginning October 15 and running until the day of the concert, patrons of these restaurants can receive a card with a discount code entitling them to 15% off the ticket price of the November 14th concert. Participating restaurants are: Trattoria ‘A vucchella, Two Boots, Joseph’s Steakhouse, and the Holiday Inn. This promotion is in collaboration with the Downtown Special Services District of Bridgeport.
ABOUT THE KLEIN: The Klein is a 1,450-seat historic American theater that was built in the 1930s with funds willed to the City of Bridgeport by Jacob Klein. Designed by local architect Leonard Asheim, the auditorium was built in the Art Deco style and features bronze doors, a marble lobby, inlaid wood and geometric motifs.
After opening its doors for performances in 1940, The Klein has played host to programs ranging in scope to symphonies, operas, theater, folk, blues and rock concerts, local dance recitals and political debates. It also operates ASK, a tuition-free after school program where up to 100 Bridgeport students receive instruction in music, dance, drama and acting for the camera. In earlier years, the Klein has hosted such luminaries as Leonard Bernstein, Isaac Stern, Arthur Fiedler, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Paul Robeson, Milton Berle, Victor Borge, James Brown, the Temptations, and Gloria Swanson. More recently such diverse musical acts as Vienna Boys Choir, Alice Cooper, B.B. King, Boz Scaggs, Ziggy Marley, Taj Mahal, Herbie Hancock, George Carlin, Peter Frampton, Boyz II Men, the B-52s, the Parris Island Marine Corps Band, comic Elizardi Castro, and satiric comedy group Capitol Steps have appeared on the Klein stage.
Don’t forget Winton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra on November 5th.