Fennelly: January no longer a 'slow month' for the arts

Let us pause to say a word of thanks for Theatre Macon's Youth Actor's Company. The first few weeks of a new year are traditionally a lean time, but not so this year.

It seems almost too good to be true, but Saturday night will see the opening of the YAC production of "A Chorus Line," running through Jan. 17. Theatergoers will want to take note of YAC's new ticket system. While season tickets are no longer available, single tickets can be purchased online up until one hour before show time.

PLENTY MORE AHEAD

The YAC production is just the tip of the iceberg for an amazing month. The Macon Symphony Orchestra's annual pops concert is coming up next weekend at the City Auditorium in collaboration with Windborne Music. "Music of Michael Jackson" ought to be just the thing to warm up a winter night.

Coming at the end of the month are other nostalgic trips. On Jan. 27, the Douglass Theatre will host "An Evening with the Dance Theatre of Harlem," while just two days later the City Auditorium will present "In the Mood," bringing back the big band music of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and lots more.

Speaking of icons of American music, Mercer University Opera is presenting the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma" on Jan. 21-23 at the Grand Opera House.

For actual grand opera, we need look no further than the Douglass, where two HD telecasts from the Metropolitan Opera are on the January calendar. Bizet's "Les Pecheurs de Perles" ("The Pearl Fishers") has been termed the sleeper hit of the Met's season and airs Jan. 16, while Puccini's "Turandot" is scheduled for Jan. 30.

To ice the cake, the Douglass has an HD production of "Les Liaisons Dangereueses" from Britain's National Theatre set to close out the month. Along the way, the historic theater also will host screenings from the Macon Film Guild, plus the annual College Town Film Series, a collaborative effort of Mercer, Middle Georgia State University and Wesleyan College.

I haven't even mentioned the Macon Concert Association or the musical events slated for Fickling Hall, the Vineville and the Arts series or the noontime organ concerts at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Make a note: January is supposed to be a "slow month."

Contact Larry Fennelly at LarryFennelly@avantguild.com.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Fennelly: January no longer a 'slow month' for the arts ."