RUTLAND—The Paramount Theatre has a busy week with a variety of acts in genres of all types.
Running Jan. 19-21 is the No Strings Marionette Company with its popular puppet show, “Nick of Time” being performed at the Paramount Theatre’s sibling mini-theatre, the Brick Box. Suspend reality and take a trip that is truly out of this world as astronaut Nick Eastman and his robot companion Glitch go on a space mission to study black holes. After encountering a deep-space alien, Nick is sucked into a time-warp and explores many intriguing dimensions of puppetry. Fun for the family, with a price point to match. Tickets are $10 each; but seating is limited. Shows are Thursday and Friday, Jan. 19-20 at 7:30 p.m., and a matinee on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2 p.m.
For those seeking a night of wicked laughs, comedian Bob Marley takes to the Paramount stage on Friday night at 8 p.m. Marley began performing stand up comedy in his hometown of Portland, Maine before moving to Boston early in his career where he gained experience in a city known for spawning comedy all-stars. Making his first television appearance on Comedy Central, Marley is now one of the few comics to do the complete late night circuit including “The Late Show” with David Letterman, “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” and “The Late Late Show” with Craig Ferguson and Craig Kilborn. He has also appeared on 100 television shows most recently Bob’s half-hour comedy special “Comedy Central Presents Bob Marley.” In September 2010, Marley set the Guinness Book of World Records for “Longest Stand-up Comedy Performance by an Individual,” shattering the previous record with a 40-hour long set, while raising money for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital.Tickets are $20-$35.
For the romantics at heart and any good Shakespeare fan, Live at the Met presents a screening of its famed “Romeo et Juliette” on Saturday with a 12:55 p.m. start time. When Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo starred opposite each other in Manon at the Met in 2015, The New York Times said, “the temperature rises nearly to boiling every time Damrau and Grigolo are on stage together.” Now they’re back as opera’s classic lovers, in Gounod’s lush Shakespeare adaptation. The production, by director Bartlett Sher, has already won acclaim for its vivid 18th-century milieu and stunning costumes during runs at Salzburg and La Scala. The show has a run time of 3 hours, 30 minutes, with a half-hour intermission. Tickets are $23 for the screening, showing Live in HD.
Sunday sees the Vermont Symphony Orchestra in the theatre, bringing its 3 p.m. Sunday Matinee Series featuring concert mistress Katherine Winterstein. Poetry and music join forces as they delve into Beethoven’s penultimate symphony. The opening piece is by American composer Christopher Theofanidis—“Dreamtime Ancestors”—based on the Australian aboriginal idea that everyone is connected through our dreamtime ancestors of the past, present, and future. Each movement is preceded by a short reading. Next, Winterstein takes the audience through her interpretation of American composer Samuel Barber’s iconic violin concerto. She performs on a remarkable and historic instrument, made in 1774, over a hundred years before Beethoven was even born. The program closes with Beethoven’s relentlessly cheerful eighth symphony, a masterpiece that often gets overshadowed by the more famous seventh and ninth symphonies. Tickets are $10 for students; $20-$32 for adults.
Tickets and more info on any of the shows is available at paramountvt.org or by calling the box office at 802-775-0903.
Photo courtesy of Paramount Theatre
