HAMLET — The 2015-16 DeWitt Performing Arts Series at Richmond Community College will kick off on Thursday.

The inaugural show, “Under The Streetlamp,” begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday with a Jersey Boys-style celebration of classic hits from the 1950s through 1970s.

“Under the Streetlamp” is a performance featuring four leading singers who have performed in numerous hit Broadway musicals. Their song and dance routine will include behind-the-scene tales and renditions of classic hits first recorded by Frankie Valli, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, The Beatles, Roy Orbison and Bobby Darin. The show has aired twice on PBS and received rave reviews.

“Under The Streetlamp” is the first of six shows scheduled for this season’s DeWitt Performing Arts Series, which will run through April, culminating with a concert by Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill.

Tickets to individual shows range from $35 to $50, but season tickets are also available starting at $115 for admission to all six shows. Individual ticket price to this month’s performance of “Under The Streetlamp” is $35.

Additional Shows

The Lowe Family is slated to perform the Christmas show, which will feature traditional carols, as well as secular and sacred songs, and maybe even a sing-along or two.

The DeWitt Performing Arts Series will kick off the New Year with a tribute to Frank Sinatra, a few weeks after what would have been Ol’ Blue Eyes’ 100th birthday. The show will be held Jan. 21 and will feature Steve Lippia, who has been described as a young Sinatra.

Attendees are encouraged to break out their bellbottoms and leisure suits for February’s show, which will be a musical based on the hit 1977 movie “Saturday Night Fever.” The show is packed with legendary hits from the Bee Gees, including “Stayin’ Alive,” “Night Fever,” “Jive Talking,” “You Should Be Dancing,” and “How Deep is Your Love,” in addition to several new songs written especially for this production.

The fifth show of the season, scheduled for April 2, will also be a trip back in time with songs from the Big Band Years. Featuring hits from Gypsy, 42nd Street, Damn Yankees, Kiss Me Kate, Guys and Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, West Side Story, and On The Town, BROADWAY: The Big Band Years is a musical adventure.

The energetic show includes a 12-piece band featuring soloists with Broadway credits.

Country music legend Vince Gill’s performance will wrap up the series in the April. A multi-platinum recording artist who has won 20 Grammy Awards and 18 CMA Awards, Gill has an extensive collection of hit songs that include “I Still Believe In You,” “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away,” “One More Last Chance,” “Tryin’ to Get Over You” and “Look at Us.”

Becoming an in-demand duet partner, Gill sang with Amy Grant on “House of Love,” the title cut of her 1994 album, and with Dolly Parton on a duet version of her signature “I Will Always Love You” from her Something Special album that earned the duo the CMA Vocal Event of the Year Award in 1996. He also sang “The Heart Won’t Lie” with Reba McEntire.

Traditional county music isn’t the only genre in which Gill has found fame. He frequently tours as part of The Timejumpers, a country swing group and can often be heard playing bluegrass music. His 1995 hit, “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” also brought him acclaim in gospel music circles.

For more information about this month’s show or season tickets to the 2015-16 DeWitt Performing Arts Series, contact the Cole Auditorium Box Office at 910-410-1691.

Contributed photo The cast of “Under The Streetlamp,”will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday as part of the DeWitt Performing Arts Series at Richmond Community College.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_Under-The-Streetlamp.jpgContributed photo The cast of “Under The Streetlamp,”will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday as part of the DeWitt Performing Arts Series at Richmond Community College.

Staff report