Tickets On Sale for Palace Theatre's New Season

The Marion Palace Theatre has released the 2011-2012 line-up for entertainment slated for the Palace stage. Tickets for all shows go on sale to the public Monday, August 29 at 9:00am.

vocaldente -- Saturday, October 22 • 8pm -- Unlike other a cappella groups, the members of vocaldente don’t rely on technical devices, amplifiers and special effects. Performing a cappella without microphones in a purely acoustic format, their repertoire is contemporary, covering pop and rock music from the past eight decades, while also taking their audience on a captivating journey back to the Roaring Twenties. vocaldente -- Germany’s most successful a cappella export.

Jason Jones & Sunny Sweeney -- Friday, November 4 • 8pm -- A night of up and coming country artists is sure to please country music lovers. Jason Jones hails from Wakulla Station, Florida. Jones, whose recent hit single “Ferris Wheel” thrilled fans, is a triple threat as a songwriter, guitarist and singer. His immediately irresistible alto-tenor voice has fans airborne. The Warner Bros. newcomer has fans buckling up for what promises to be a skyward ride. Sunny Sweeney hails from East Texas, which is quickly evident when she speaks. Off the road, Sweeney describes herself as low key, with a love for the simpler things in life -- sitting on a couch with her 3 dogs and a cold beer in her hand. But onstage, Sunny is a guitar playin’, country music singin’ force to be reckoned with. Current hits include “From a Table Away” and “Staying’s Worse Than Leaving.”

Bob Hope Road Show -- Thursday, November 10 • 2pm -- Bob Hope fans no longer have the chance to see the comedian in person, but the Marion Palace Theatre is offering the next best thing by presenting Lynn Roberts and Chuck Carson in “The Bob Hope Road Show,” a re-creation of Hope’s popular show. The production is staged as a 1940s NBC radio program with on-stage announcer, Chuck Carson, reading copy from the era, playing jingles and interacting with Hope, played by Roberts, who also stars as Jack Benny, W.C. Fields, Red Skelton and Jimmy Durante.

Rhythmic Circus Feet Don’t Fail Me Now -- Friday, November 18 • 8pm -- Infusing their unpredictable blend of hard-hitting tap, high-spirited humor and finger-snapping tunes, Rhythmic Circus satisfies their “rhythmic appetite” on everything from sand to folding chairs, and in one number, they even utilize the technology of electric drum triggers to change the sound of their taps! Rhythmic Circus has quickly risen from an underground percussive-dance phenomenon to an innovative live performance company known for transforming their tap shoes into instruments of rhythm. Feet Don’t Fail Me Now! showcases their technical capacity as dancers and explores rhythm through percussive dance as it plays off a wide array of musical genres spanning from Minneapolis funk to salsa.

The Osmond Brothers’ Christmas -- Friday, December 9 • 8pm -- Let the legendary Osmond Brothers help you usher in the holiday season! The Osmonds have thrilled many millions of people with their brand of entertainment, performing all styles of music from barbershop, pop, rock, country and jazz! They have broken records for sell out performances once held by the Beatles and Elvis, and won numerous awards including the People’s Choice Award, Best Vocal Group and Best Show in Branson, Missouri.

Steel Magnolia -- Thursday, January 5 • 8pm -- If you have a musical bone in your body, you’ll be smiling halfway through the first tune by Joshua Scott Jones and Meghan Linsey who together make-up the soulful country duo Steel Magnolia. Having met during the cattle call audition process for CMT’s Can You Duet?, the two made a mark that caught the eye of record producers and audience members alike. Spirited, romantic and elusively different, their song “Ohh, La, La” is the perfect three-minute refining of Josh and Meghan’s fresh, soul-leaning approach to country music. They do not sound like twins in close harmony; rather they’re a study in contrasts that shows how two bold and identifiable voices can mesh together, making something bigger and better.

Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone -- Friday, January 13 • 8pm -- An audience favorite and followed avidly by Noonatics worldwide, Peter Noone, accompanied by his band Herman’s Hermits, brings extraordinary talent, disarming wit, handsome features and compelling stage presence to stages around the world. Back at the Palace for a reprise performance of his 2004 visit, this leader of the British invasion is one of the most recognized pop stars from the 1960s. With 24 Gold Hits and over 51 million records sold worldwide, Peter’s fans span 3 generations. Hits include: I’m Into Something Good, Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter, I’m Henry VIII, I Am, Leaning On The Lamp Post and There’s A Kind Of Hush.

Natalie Stovall -- Saturday, February 4 • 8pm -- Natalie is dedicated to the tradition of the road-warrior in a way most modern artists don’t understand. Following in the footsteps of her musical heroes, she’s taking her music from town to town and building an audience from the ground up. Not even an accident with an eighteen-wheeler that sent Natalie and the band spinning into a ditch in the Missouri snow could slow her down. “That was a bad day... after it all settled down, it left me knowing more than ever that this is what I was meant to do.” Since her first professional gig singing and playing the fiddle at the age of 10, Natalie has already seen things of which most artists could only dream. She’s performed everywhere from Oprah to the Grand Ole Opry and now brings her fiddle and big vocal sound to the Marion Palace.

Spencers Theatre of Illusion -- Saturday, February 11 • 8pm -- The Spencers have been described as “Modern Day Houdinis” by the critics. The duo presents a big, high-tech stage show that combines drama, comedy, romance and suspense with elaborate stage illusions. People have been known to levitate, walk through walls, vanish and reappear. And be prepared to experience the magic yourself because the Spencers don’t want you to just sit in your seat and watch - they want you to participate. In one magical experiment, the entire audience is asked to get involved in a stunning, interactive mind reading experience.

U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters -- Monday, March 5 • 7:30pm -- As the United States Navy’s official chorus, this ensemble performs a variety of music ranging from traditional choral music, including sea chanteys and patriotic fare, to opera, Broadway and contemporary music. Under the leadership of Senior Chief Musician Georgina L. Todd, the group performs for the public throughout the U.S. Consisting of members from the Navy School of Music, the all-male group was originally organized just for a specific event. Their immediate success found the members transferred to the Navy Band, officially named the Sea Chanters, and tasked with perpetuating the songs of the sea. In 1980, the group added women to their ranks and expanded their repertoire to include everything from Brahms to Broadway.

Blues Brothers Revue -- Friday, April 13 • 8pm -- It seems like yesterday that brothers Jake and Elwood Blues, played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, invited the world to join them on a “mission from God.” The hit movie The Blues Brothers was a loveable tale of redemption about the pair of paroled convicts, who set out to save the Catholic orphanage in which they grew up. As the story goes, they re-formed their rhythm and blues band, The Blues Brothers, and organized a concert to raise $5,000 to pay off the debt and save the day. But things never went according to plan. Now, thirty years later, the Blues Brothers live on in the Official Blues Brothers Revue, starring Wayne Catania as Jake and Kieron Lafferty as Elwood. This Blues Brothers Revue is the only Blues Brothers show to be officially sanctioned by Dan Aykroyd and wife of the late John Belushi, Judith Belushi Pisano.

Bobby Vinton -- Friday, May 4 • 8pm • Tickets: $50/$35/$28/$23 -- A multi-talented musician, singer and actor, Bobby Vinton has sold more than 75 million albums during his career. In this full-stage musical gala, the “Total Entertainer” pulls out all the stops. Vinton is joined by an orchestra and family members to sing all his most beloved hits and many more favorites. It’s a dazzling concert event that showcases one of music’s most beloved artists.

Tickets for all of these shows may be purchased at the Palace box office, 276 W. Center St. in downtown Marion or by phone at 740/383-2101. Box office hours are 9:00am-5:00pm Monday through Friday, closed Saturday and Sunday. Information for all shows and tickets is also online at www.marionpalace.org.