Saturday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. — RUTLAND— The Paramount Theatre is set to reopen its 830-seat theatre in downtown Rutland this Saturday with acapella superstars Straight No Chaser kicking off a lineup of six events. The show is the first to be performed inside the auditorium since the pandemic forced its temporary closure in March 2020.
“It feels magnificent to be on the verge of welcoming guests back into our beloved hall after such a long, long time away,” commented Eric Mallette, The Paramount’s executive director, when the announcement was made in July. “I look forward to celebrating this milestone with our audiences — we miss the liveliness of a crowd and cannot wait to feel that energy back in the theatre,” Mallette added.
Straight No Chaser will appear at the venue on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. Then on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m., one of America’s preeminent humor writers takes to the stage — humorist, author and satirist David Sedaris will make his second visit to the theatre, after his completely sold-out show in 2013. In October, the theatre welcomes comedian and Blue Collar Comedy Tour star Ron “Tater Salad” White on Thursday, Oct. 7, and rock and roll icons Blue Oyster Cult bring all of their hits to the historic stage on Friday, Oct. 29.
November brings with it “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” (previously cancelled due to the pandemic) on Friday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour presents American Idol winner Laine Hardy on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m.
“We are eager to get back to the robust schedule that our audience has come to expect from us. To that point, we will roll out smaller series of events, like this one, throughout the course of the season, and we will continue to add more programming throughout the year,” Mallette said, adding, “We are so glad to be back bringing live entertainment to our region and want to give a special thanks to our members, sponsors and other supporters who have been incredibly generous during the months that we were unable to open. We are so excited and look forward to welcoming audiences into our beautiful theatre.”
Straight No Chaser
If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser is neither straitlaced nor straight-faced, but neither is it vaudeville-style kitsch. As original member Randy Stine comments, “We take the music very seriously; we just don’t take ourselves too seriously.” In the process, the group is reinventing the idea of a cappella on the modern pop landscape. Originally formed over a dozen years ago while students at Indiana University, the group has reassembled and reemerged as a phenomenon —with a massive fanbase, more than 20 million views on YouTube, numerous national TV appearances, and proven success with two holiday releases, 2008’s “Holiday Spirits” and 2009’s “Christmas Cheers,” as well as “With a Twist,” released this spring. In an era when so much pop music is the product of digital processing and vocal pro-tooling, Straight No Chaser is the real deal — the captivating sound of 10 unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense… and with a sense of humor.
For more information and tickets visit: paramountvt.org.
