Freedom Hall in Park Forest Announces their 2014-2015 Season

PARK FOREST, Ill. - Sept. 29, 2014 - PRLog -- It rocks ‘n’ roll and bursts with soul. Energizes, tantalizes and holiday Santalizes. It sings and swings, leaps and slides, bounds, astounds and goes back in time. Best of all, tickets are on sale now for the blockbuster 2014-2015 stage series in the intimate 280-seat Nathan Manilow Theatre in Park Forest’s Freedom Hall.

With three categories – Main Series, Senior Series and Family Shows for the general public -- the season promises a cornucopia of exciting attractions from every corner of the entertainment world. All parking is free and there’s plenty of it. More details are at http://freedomhall.org and by phone, 708-747-0580. Both Series and Individual tickets are on sale now. For Series information, please call, check the website or e-mail tickets@freedomhall.org

Main Series

The Main Series kicks off on Oct. 11 with the Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago. Stunning costumes and extraordinary African choreography with moves that defy gravity and emphasize grace, speed and agility always mesmerize and energize audiences. The Seneke West African Percussion Ensemble also returns for this encore dance concert. Tickets are $24

On Nov. 7, the phenomenal Slide Brothers, with faster-then-speed fingers on their “sacred steel” guitars, make their Freedom Hall debut with a performance that encompasses blues, rock and soul. These four artists perform with “ferocity that will startle fans of Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and Muddy Waters,” according to Guitar World magazine. Tickets are $28

“Winter Wonderland with Mandy Barnett” on Dec. 12 rings in the holiday season and spotlights Barnett’s mighty talent, a voice USA Today calls one of the “finest classic country and torch singers” to come out of Nashville. Barnett’s holiday repertoire includes “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland,” to name a few, will uplift the soul and leave every audience member in a holiday frame of mind. Tickets $24

On into the New Year, the Main Series picks up Feb. 13, 2015, with a return of the knockout “Masters of Soul, a MOTOWN celebration of the music, choreography and sheer genius of sounds that rocked Detroit and spread across the globe. The audience travels back in time as artists rock the hall in this powerful tribute production to the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Smokey and the Miracles, Gladys and the Pips, Diana and the Supremes. This is a do-not-miss and tickets sell out early!! Tickets are $30

On March 13, 2015, C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band return to Park Forest and revive the zesty, peppery sounds of the late King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier. C.J. picks up where his father stopped and resurrects the red hot energy that knocks audiences out of their seats and into the aisles. Indeed, the Chenier sounds are alive and well in the 21st century. Tickets $28

A triple treat talent, the extraordinary Dana Leong is composer, cellist and trombonist whose pioneering compositions and performances have garnered critical acclaim and admirers worldwide including the late Ray Charles and Barry White as well as Kanye West and Wynton Marsalis. On March 27, 2015, the Dana Leong Trio makes its Manilow debut with a blend of jazz, classical and pop. Synthesizers and turntable twists dazzle music lovers and New York Magazine calls the trio “Hands-down excellent.” Tickets are $24

Senior Series

“Hello darkness my old friend…” opens one of the legendary songs from the duo that ruled the soft pop world in the 1960s and ’70s. On Oct. 21, 2014, AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle as the Simon & Garfunkel Retrospective take the audience back with “Sounds of Silence,” “Bridge over Troubled Waters,” “Mrs. Robinson” and a full program of the iconic team’s classic songbook. This celebrated acoustic show that touches the mind to recall memories only Simon & Garfunkel could create. Tickets $13

Freedom Hall audience favorite, “Lisa Rock, Carpenters Holiday Show” returns Dec. 16, 2014, with a six-piece band and the touching and unforgettable tribute to the sounds of The Carpenters, the vocals of the late Karen Carpenter. This Christmas production spreads joy and cheer wherever it plays, just as the music of this brother sister team was meant to do. Tickets $13

His powerful moves on the field brought former NFL star Benjamin Utecht a Super Bowl ring. His equally strong vocals, in concert with Anne Cochran’s magnificent voice, blend for “Two of Hearts, Cherished Love Song Duets,” a Feb. 3, 2015, valentine for all. Reprising songs from their Two of Hearts” album, Utecht and Cochran travel the decades via love songs from Nat ‘King Cole’s “Unforgettable” to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” in the duo’s Manilow debut. Tickets $13

Tantalizing “Two On Tap” traps the magic of Fred and Ginger, Mickey and Judy, Gene and Cyd and takes it forward to the South Suburbs on March 17, 2015, for a dazzling tap and charismatic vocal harmony production making its Manilow debut. Broadway musical theater artists Melissa Giattano and Ron DeStefano celebrate the stars in a brilliantly choreographed and beautifully costumed stage show that will revive an beloved era for today’s audience. Tickets $15

With mesmerizing stage presence and a velvet voice compared to Jim Reeves, Perry Como, and Nat King Cole, Northwest Indiana native Allen Edwards, “The Singer,” for years has thrilled fans with a repertoire that touches the hearts of all. On April 14, the acclaimed vocalist and (unknown to many fans), a onetime police officer, Edwards returns to close the Manilow Theatre’s 2014-2015 Senior Series. Tickets $13

Children’s and Family Shows

Not just for kids, the two shows in this series will rock your world, bring out your own inner child and of course, delight youngsters with the wonders of live musical theater. ArtsPower National Touring Theatre, a beloved troupe that brings children’s books to life in original stage musicals, returns for two family shows this season. All tickets are $8.

On Nov. 14, the company, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2015, presents an all-new musical, “Harry the Dirty Dog,” based on the 1956 classic children’s story about a small white dog that hates baths. Harry has a good life but one day he gets so grubby, his family doesn’t recognize him. The mix-up, the music, the mirth and maybe a good word about baths always delight audiences.

On Feb. 27, 2015, ArtsPower returns with the beloved musical, “The Rainbow Fish,” based on the 1999 children’s story about the most beautiful fish in the ocean. When fish friends ask for some of its exquisite silver scales, the Rainbow Fish refuses. How will she remain gorgeous if she sacrifices the beauty that sets her apart? This wonderful musical about true friendship remains an ArtsPower audience favorite.