Final GAAC show of season to celebrate Gershwin

Published 6:33 pm Friday, February 17, 2017

Embraceable You will celebrate the musical stylings of George Gershwin tonight at the Ritz, starting at 7 p.m.

Embraceable You will celebrate the musical stylings of George Gershwin tonight at the Ritz, starting at 7 p.m.

Do you like a Gershwin tune? If so, the final production of the Greenville Area Arts Council’s 2016-2017 artistic season may very well leave you saying, “Who could ask for anything more?”

“Embraceable You: The Music of George Gershwin” is set for 7 p.m. Saturday night, February 18 at Greenville’s historic Ritz Theater.

“Embraceable You” promises full-scale musical theater featuring a quartet of musicians and a love story set in post-WWII Paris.

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Kim Scarboro of the North Florida CC Artist Series said the show’s stars, Broadway veterans Dean and Lisa Ferguson Balkwill, “light up the stage with their talent and natural rapport . . . they can bring you to tears and make you laugh out loud.”

Christine Weise of the Ida County Courier said this about the performers: “It’s easy to see this duo loves what they do.

They are thoroughly engaged in their stage performance and they certainly have the talent. They sing; they dance; they act with aplomb. Their self assurance and joie de vivre were apparent from the opening strains of ‘I Got Rhythm’ to the closing refrain of ‘Embraceable You.’”

GAAC director Nancy Idland is excited about this “ great belated Valentine treat” for the community.

“This is the last, and in some ways, the biggest production of our season,” says GAAC director Nancy Idland. “We actually have to move the piano on to the stage for the show! We hope everyone will come out to enjoy an evening of live musical theater featuring those great Gershwin tunes. And plan to join us with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at our after-party.”

Tickets for “Embraceable You” are $20 and available at The Pineapple.