UPDATED: Entertainment Digest | Week of Dec. 9

‘A Christmas Story, the Musical’ on Local Stage

BOARDMAN – The Oakland Center for the Arts and Kids First Theater initiative will again present “A Christmas Story, the Musical” this holiday season.

The Oakland first presented the musical, based on the 1983 movie, last year and it was so well-received that the theater company decided to bring it back.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13, 14, 20 and 21; and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 15 and 22, at Trinity Fellowship Church 4749 South Ave.

Tickets are $15 ($13 for senior citizens, $5 for students, and free for children 4 and under), and can be purchased at the door and in advance at OaklandCenter.info. For information, call 330 406 0606.

Opening night will include a party with Italian beef sandwiches, basil pesto pasta, salad, drinks and homemade cookies.

The large cast include Jake Platt as Ralphie (pictured at top), Jessica Joerndt as his mother and Justin Sargent as his father.

Drifters, Coasters and Platters at Stambaugh

YOUNGSTOWN – Three Rock and Roll Hall of Fame vocal groups who rose to fame in the 1950s and ’60s will perform on the same stage on Dec. 13 when The Drifters, Cornell Gunter’s Coasters and The Platters give an 8 p.m. concert at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Tickets are $30, $40 and $50 and are available at the Stambaugh box office, 1000 Fifth Ave., by phone at 330 259 0555 and at StambaughAuditorium.com.

The Drifters are known for the hits “Up on the Roof,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “Save the Last Dance for Me” and “This Magic Moment.”

The Coasters produced such songs as “Yakety Yak,” “Young Blood” and “Charlie Brown.”

The Platters are best known for their hit single “Only You.”

Celtic Woman Holiday Show, Cocktail Party

YOUNGSTOWN – Celtic Woman: The Best of Christmas will come to Stambaugh Auditorium for a holiday concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19.

Tickets range from $37 to $110 and are on sale at StambaughAuditorium.com, by phone at 330 259 0555 and at the box office, 1000 Fifth Ave.

Celtic Woman will perform timeless holiday songs accompanied by a full symphony orchestra in the Stambaugh show.

A pre-show cocktail reception in the auditorium’s Christman Hall will take place prior to the concert, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 and include early entry, VIP lanyard, Irish-themed buffet and a cash bar.

‘Great Russian Nutcracker’ Returns to Powers

YOUNGSTOWN – Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker” will return to the Mahoning Valley on Dec. 18 for a 7 p.m. performance at Powers Auditorium.

The touring troupe features world-class artists, over 200 costumes, stunning sets, larger than life puppets and more.

Tickets start at $29 and are available at YoungstownSymphony.com, by phone at 330 259 0555 and at the DeYor Performing Arts Center box office, 260 W. Federal St.

The ballet picks young dancers to take part in the performance in every city it visits.

Youngstown-area youths who have been selected to play ancillary roles are Maria Wilson, Cassidy Hluchan, Jenna Walden, Adrienne Rich, Sofia Caruso, Melena Zervas, Eliza Farr, Rylie Gillespie and Andrea Reillly.

The local ballet students, who study at schools throughout the Mahoning Valley, auditioned in the fall and rehearsed at Jordan School of Ballet in Cortland.

The children’s roles are as Party Children, Small Mice, Little Snowflakes, Snow Sprites, Snow Maidens, and Act II’s Variations of the world’s five great heritages in the Land of Peace and Harmony.

Lisa Zumpella Jordan, owner and operator of Jordan School of Ballet, is a professional ballerina, artistic director, teacher and choreographer. She performed as a soloist with the Contemporary Ballet Theatre of Williamsburg, Va., and was a principal dancer with Ballet Michigan.

The Texas Tenors in Holiday Show at Westminster

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Texas Tenors will come to Orr Auditorium at Westminster College at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 to present its Deep in the Heart of Christmas concert.

The tenors – Marcus Collins, John Hagen and JC Fisher – will apply their blend of harmonies to seasonal favorites such as “O Holy Night” and “Joy to the World,” as well as The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” and their original hit “Bootdaddy.”

The classically-trained tenors rose to fame after appearing on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” in 2009. The group has since performed more than 1,300 shows around the world, making it AGT’s most successful touring group to date. The act is a three-time Emmy Award winner and Billboard No. 1 recording artists.

For tickets, call the box office at 724 946 7354 or go to Westminster.edu/celebrity.

Theater Holding Auditions for ‘Disney’s Aladdin Jr.’

SALEM – Auditions will take place at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16 at Salem Community Theatre, 490 E. State St., for “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.”

The musical, directed by Justin Steele, will be performed Feb. 14-23.

Auditionees must prepare a one-minute section from a song of their choice. There will be no accompanist provided; you may use a phone or CD without voices for auditions or sing a capella. Auditionees will also be asked to read from the script. Casting ages 7 to 18 years old.

For information, call 330 332 9688.

Beatles Tribute Concert at the Kent Stage

KENT – Youngstown duo The Super Babes will open a free concert featuring indie rockers Illiterate Light at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at The Kent Stage, 175 E. Main St. The concert is sponsored by radio station 90.7 FM The Summit.

On Feb. 22, Beatles tribute act Hard Day’s Night will come to Kent Stage for an 8 p.m. concert.

Tickets are $15 and $20 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Dec. 13 by phone at 877 987 6487, online at TheKentStage.com and at the box office.

French Horn Holiday Fun and Music

YOUNGSTOWN – Horns A’ Caroling, presented by the Youngstown State University Horn Studio, will take place at 1 p.m. Dec. 14 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 323 Wick Ave.

French horn players of all ages are welcome to join the horn studio for an afternoon of music making and refreshments.

Registration is at YSU.edu/music/horns-a-caroling. The event is free to the public. Parking is available in the church parking lot.

Celebrity Hairstylist Accepting Local Appointments

CANFIELD – Mia Santiago, a New York-based celebrity hairstylist and a Youngstown native, is home for the holidays, and is accepting hair appointments for Dec. 20-21 at Magnolia Salon.

She can be contacted at [email protected]. Her work can be viewed on Instagram at @miasantiagohair.

In New York, Santiago styles the hair of stars, including Mariska Hargitay, Martha Stewart and Christina Hendricks.

Oakland Sets Auditions for ‘Cinderella’

BOARDMAN – The Oakland Center for the Arts and Kids First Theatre Initiative will hold auditions at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at Trinity Fellowship Church, 4749 South Ave., for Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” which will be performed Feb. 14-23.

All roles are open. A large cast of children and adult men and women must be filled. Some performers will come in contact with live animals used in the show.

For information, email OaklandCenter.info or call 330 406 0606.

Oak Ridge Boys are coming to Stambaugh Auditorium

WARREN – The Oak Ridge Boys will come to Stambaugh Auditorium on Feb. 14 for an 8 p.m. concert.

The five-time Grammy Award-winning band will play many fan favorites as part of its 2020 tour. The band has been producing hits, including more than a dozen No. 1 songs, for four decades.

Their group is best known for its chart-topper “Elvira,” as well as “Bobbie Sue,” “Dream On,” “Where the Soul Never Dies,”

“I’m Settin’ Fancy Free,” “American Made,” “Heart of Mine” and “I’ll Be True to You.”

With one of the most distinctive sounds in the music industry, The Oak Ridge Boys were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

Tickets range from $40 to $60 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Dec. 13 at the Stambaugh box office, 1000 Fifth Ave.; by phone at 330 259 0555; and online at StambaughAuditorium.com.

The box office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Road to WrestleMania leads through Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN – WWE will return to the Mahoning Valley on March 15, when the Road to WrestleMania Supershow comes to Covelli Centre in Youngstown.

The card includes wrestling star The Miz, who will battle Bray “The Fiend” Wyatt in a championship match, plus Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair versus the Kabuki Warriors in a women’s tag team match.

Tickets are $18, $28, $43, $58, $78 and $108, and go on sale at 10 a.m. Dec. 13 at Ticketmaster.com (fees apply) and the Covelli box office.

An online ticket presale will take place from 10 a.m. Dec. 11 to 10 p.m. Dec. 12 (use the password SUPERSHOW).

Youngstown Comic and Toy Expo at Metroplex

LIBERTY – The first Youngstown Comic and Toy Expo will take place Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Metroplex on Belmont Avenue.

The expo will feature 125 tables of vendors, offering new and old comics and toys for sale, plus rare items and works by local artists.

Admission is $5 and parking is free.

The event is a collaboration between the annual Toyhio Toy Show and the Youngstown Comic Con.

Rick Fusselman from Time Capsule Toys and Tom Troll of Too Sweet Toys had been presenting the Toyhio show for the past few years.

They joined forces with Greg Bartholomew of All American Comics, which also presents the Youngstown Comic Con every summer.

“The management at the Metroplex asked Rick if he thought the guys from Youngstown Comic Con would like to do a combo show, so they asked me and I said yes,” said Bartholomew. “We saw an opportunity to do a holiday season show and we think it will be a big success.”

Jamey Johnson coming to Valley

WARREN – Jamey Johnson will make his Mahoning Valley debut when he comes to Packard Music Hall on April 9. The 11-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter will be joined by opening act Caitlin Canty.

Johnson is one of only a few people to win two Song of the Year awards from both the CMA and ACM, for his songs “Give It Away” and “In Color.”

His 2008 album, “That Lonesome Song,” was certified platinum and his 2010 double album, “The Guitar Song,” went gold.

Tickets are $33, $40, $50, $60 and $82.50 at Ticketmaster.com. Fees apply and the Packard box office, and go on sale at 10 a.m. Dec. 13.

‘It’s Christmas, Carol’ continues at Stage Left theater

LISBON – Stage Left Players’ original holiday musical, “It’s Christmas, Carol!,” will continue at the Trinity Playhouse, 234 E. Lincoln Way, at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14, and 2 p.m. Dec. 15.

The musical centers around Carol Kaminski Dickens, played by Christine Schreffler of Lisbon, who plots to save her bookstore from bankruptcy as her Polish-American family celebrates the season.

Tickets are $14 ($12 for seniors and $10 for students) and can be purchased at the door or in advance by emailing [email protected] or calling 330 831 7249.

Pictured are Schreffler (foreground) and (rear, from left) Erin Ryan, Autumn Johnston, Kaleigh Ceci, Logan Wood, Grace Beil, Abby Beil, Jackson Cornwell and Brady Duncan.

Lawn Pass grants access to all Blossom, KeyBank concerts

Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment company, has announced the return of Lawn Pass. For $199, music fans get unlimited lawn access to concerts, including sold-out shows, at one of the select 29 Live Nation owned and operated amphitheaters, including Cleveland’s Blossom Music Center and Pittsburgh’s KeyBank Pavilion.

Sold for a limited time only, fans can purchase a Lawn Pass from 10 a.m. Dec. 11 to 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31, at Lawnpass.Livenation.com.

Each Lawn Pass purchaser will receive a custom laminate with their name that serves as their ticket on show day.