The 2010-2011 Season

NNENNA FREELON

"If you're looking for good entertainment and very hip music, be sure to check out Nnenna Freelon." ~ Aretha Franklin
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Esteemed jazz vocalist and multi-Grammy nominee, Nnenna Freelon, has been called the "international voice of jazz," and has earned a well-deserved reputation as a compelling and captivating live performer. From phenomenal performances at Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl to major jazz festivals worldwide, she has shared the stage and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, as well as inspired an enthusiastic standing ovation from over 20,000 fans at the 43rd annual Grammy Awards telecast. Nnenna's new album, Homefree, was released in April 2010, and she can also be seen and heard in the film What Women Want. Tickets $25

Friday, September 10th at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 11th, 8:00 p.m.

Availability: No Longer Available

RHYTHMIC CIRCUS

"Flat out amazing!" ~ Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Rhythmic Circus has quickly risen from an underground percussive dance phenomenon to an innovative live performance company backed by the funky stylings of a seven-piece band. Four of the most sought-after dancers in the country team up with Twin Cities' heavyweight musicians, including a beatboxer, to integrate rapid-fire tap with a wide variety of musical genres. Transforming their taps into instruments themselves, Rhythmic Circus performs on everything from sand to folding chairs, and in one number, even utilizes the technology of electric drum triggers to change the sound of their taps!

This performance is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

South Arts NEA  

Thursday, October 28th at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, October 29th at 8:00 p.m.

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RITA COOLIDGE

"One of the most versatile singers of the rock generation"
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With only a piano, this acclaimed, two-time Grammy award-winning vocalist brings a unique and elegant evening of hits that topped the charts from the 1970s onward, including "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher& Higher," "Fever," "The Way You Do the Things You Do" and "One Fine Day." In addition to her pop and rock pedigree, Coolidge is also a remarkably versatile jazz singer and a favorite with symphonies nationwide. Says the artist, "Years and years of life experience go into singing these songs. You just have to walk through it all you have to live it." Tickets $25
Thursday, November 18th at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, November 19th at 8:00 p.m.

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THE WONDER BREAD YEARS

"This show has my funny seal of approval . . . milk-snorting funny!" ~ Jerry Seinfield
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This fast-paced, hilarious one man show-and-tell is a slice of baby boomer Americana that gracefully walks the line between stand-up and theater. Complete with slinkys, Jiffy Pop and green army men, The Wonder Bread Years not only restores a much-needed sense of wonder, but leaves audiences laughing and savoring the past like never before. Come take a joyous hayride through childhood with actor David Mann, from summer vacations to the holidays, in a show The Los Angeles Times calls "pure unpasteurized nostalgia."
Friday, December 3rd at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 4th at 8:00 p.m.

Availability: No Longer Available

LARA ST. JOHN

"Something of a phenomenon" ~ The Strad
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Canadian-born violinist, Lara St. John, has earned a reputation as a classical maverick, both as a charismatic performer and in her imaginative choice of repertoire. After picking up the violin at age two and making her first appearance as a soloist with an orchestra at age four, this still young virtuoso has performed with the Boston Pops, Royal Philharmonic and numerous symphonies worldwide. Now with seven CDs to her credit, she has been called a "high-powered soloist" by the New York Times, and her music "wild, idiosyncratic and gripping" by the Los Angeles Times. St John has been featured in People, US News and World Report and on CNN, NPR and Bravo! Tickets $25
Friday, January 14, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 15, 8:00 p.m.

Availability: No Longer Available

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS

"The hottest thing to hit the old time music community in decades" ~ NPR's
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The Carolina Chocolate Drops are the newest and youngest players in a deep lineage of black string band tradition. With a sound fostered on the back porch of their mentor, Joe Thompson, they perform everything from Gaelic acappella to R& B to hillbilly scat on claw-hammer banjo, fiddle, jug, bones and quills, with a little flat-footing thrown in the mix. The Drops moved up through the festival circuit, from the Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention to MerleFest and beyond, and in 2008, became the first African-American string band to appear on the Grand Ole Opry since the show debuted in 1925.

Recording Part 1

Recording Part 2

Saturday, February 19th at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 20th at 2:00 p.m.

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THE HUNT FAMILY

"A high-powered, energetic and refreshing experience the whole family will enjoy"
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The Hunt Family lights up the stage with homegrown fiddling, instrumental and vocal talent that has risen to a professional plateau. Mom, dad and the magnificent seven perform Celtic, bluegrass, inspirational and original numbers punctuated with world-ranked step dancing routines. With five albums to their credit, the Hunts have toured the U.S. and internationally, performed for Queen Elizabeth and have made multiple appearances at the World Championships of Irish step dancing in Scotland and Ireland.
Thursday, March 3rd at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, March 4th at 8:00 p.m.

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JERRY'S GIRLS

"A show of tremendous musicality and great wit" ~ Variety
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Jerry Herman's leading ladies light up the stage in this stunning tour de force! From Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! to Auntie Mame Dennis in Mame, this musical shouts glamour, optimism, love, melody and women. Join Kristi Tingle-Higginbotham, Jan D. Hunter, Leah Luker and Kimberly Piazza as they bring a mixture of show-stoppers, ballads and comedy songs in this highly-acclaimed off-Broadway hit.
Thursday, April 14th at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, April 15th at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 16th at 8:00 p.m.

Availability: No Longer Available

PAM TILLIS

"Rhinestoned says it all."
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The child of music royalty, Pam Tillis is a superstar in her own right. With two Grammy awards, three CMA awards and a shiny new IBMA award on her mantle, she has racked up 14 Top Five hits including six that hit #1, and has sold over six million records. Also an accomplished songwriter, Pam's compositions have been recorded by Martina McBride, Chaka Khan and many others. She was one of the first women in Nashville to produce her own record, and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2000.
Friday, May 6th at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 7th at 8:00 p.m.

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Support

The Library Theatre is sponsored in part by the City of Hoover and the Friends of the Hoover Public Library.

The Library Theatre is a professional venue bringing world-class entertainment to an intimate setting in the heart of Hoover.

HOOVER PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES

MAYOR, CITY OF HOOVER
Gary Ivey

George Farmer, Chairman
Michael Krawcheck
John Lyda
Eloise Martens
Sara Rast

Library Director
Linda R. Andrews

Fine Arts Coordinator
Matina E. Johnson

HOOVER CITY COUNCIL
Jack Wright, President
John Greene
Dr. Trey Lott
Mari Morrison
Brian Skelton
Gene Smith