Live, at the Admiral

Great nights to help you forget the short days

By Bob Smith • January 24, 2018 1:30 am

Tags: kitsap weekly

For Puget Sound-area residents, this season — dominated by dark gray skies and rainy landscapes — can best be defined as the “winter doldrums.”

If you’re not a skier or snowboarder, your entertainment agenda might be isolated to whatever strikes your fancy on Netflix. But what might brighten your evenings (and late afternoons, since we’re still experiencing darkening skies before 6 p.m.) is a night out at Bremerton’s Admiral Theatre, which has an ambitious lineup of prominent performing artists.

The 800-seat theater, which celebrated it 75th anniversary last year, began 2018 with the Golden Dragon Acrobats on Jan. 13 and piano-rock singer-songwriter Vladimir John Ondrasik III, better known by his stage name Five For Fighting, on Jan. 20. It continued its winter/spring series with ’80s synth-electronic pop master Howard Jones (remember his hit singles “Things Can Only Get Better” and “No One Is To Blame”?) on Jan. 26; The Doo Wop Project the folloowing day; then country singer Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen Jan. 28.

Cirque Eloize Saloon is a little bit Wild West, a little bit theatrical circus. Mystified? So are we. But this troupe of entertainers will present shows on the Admiral Theatre stage Feb. 2-3. Here’s what the theater’s website says about Cirque Eloize: “Swing open the Saloon doors and lasso up some fun for the entire family. Enter a mythical world where theatre and circus collide with nonstop live folk music combined with strength, agility and original choreography.” While what their show is all about is still a bit of a mystery (I’m thinking Cirque de Soleil?), I’m certain it will be a glitzy spectacle.

Are you a pro football fan who’s still following the NFL to the Super Bowl, even with the Seahawks relegated to the sidelines? Remember, the New England Patriots will be on the field … still with us? The Admiral will be presenting the Super Bowl in all its televised glory Feb. 4 on its 50-foot big screen. “That” Football Sunday, as it’s titled, will include the requisite munchies and beverages for watchers.

From America’s big game to something on the mellower side, the Admiral will have HAPA with Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole, featuring the “Sound of Maui.” This show on Feb. 9 is described as being “hypnotic” and including “liquid guitar runs woven around clear, tenor Hawaiian vocals and immaculate harmonies.” Is the show on Hawaiian time? We’ll find out, but it’s scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. that night.

A Night With Janis Joplin, starring singer Kelly McIntyre, takes the stage Feb. 13. McIntyre’s tribute to the late blues-rock singer also will include some of her biggest musical influences, such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta and Bessie Smith.

Step back to an earlier time Feb. 14 where romance dominated the silver screen, thanks to the chemistry of Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday.” Titled “Be My Valentine: Dinner & A Movie,” the motion picture program also will include a sumptuous dinner, with lots of flowers and chocolate to sweeten the evening. It’s up to you and your sweetheart to get the sparks flying, however.

On Feb. 16, the Admiral’s Classic Albums Live program presents Supertramp’s “Breakfast in America.” The 1980s supergroup’s big hits, including “The Logical Song,” “Goodbye Stranger” and “Take The Long Way Home,” will be performed live on stage.

If you’re a fan of the TV show “America’s Got Talent,” you’ll recognize the name Mandy Harvey. Harvey, who’ll appear on stage Feb. 26 at the Admiral, gained plenty of fans from her unique, amazing performances on the show last year, in spite of being a deaf singer-songwriter. While she didn’t win the big enchilada, she nonetheless has carved out a successful musical performing career around the country.

As the winter season draws to a close and spring beckons, an entertaining blend of performances will visit the Admiral through April: Rhythm In The Night — The Irish Dance Spectacular on March 17; Louis Prima Jr. on March 30; Benise: Spanish Nights on April 7; and Branford Marsalis on April 12; “Creature From The Black Lagoon” on April 13; The Brothers Four on April 20; and Poco on April 27.

For showtimes, ticket prices and additional information, visit the Admiral Theatre’s website at www.admiraltheatre.org or call the box office at 360-373-6743.

— Bob Smith is an editor for Kitsap News Group. Contact him at rsmith@soundpublishing.com.