Archives: Events

The Black Jacket Symphony returns to Talladega’s Historic Ritz Theatre on Saturday, August 29th to perform one of rock’s greatest albums–Led Zeppelin IV.  Known for their incredible recreations of some of classic rock’s most popular albums, The Black Jacket Symphony will embark on a journey that will take the crowd through songs like “Black Dog”, “Rock and Roll”, “Going to California”, and the classic “Stairway To Heaven” before returning for a second set filled with greatest hits.  Their last performance in Talladega sold out in advance, so don’t miss your chance to get tickets to this awesome celebration of one of the greatest albums in the history of rock and roll–Led Zeppelin IV.

Filmmaker Morgan Neville pays homage to some of the greatest vocalists you’ve never heard of in this powerful and moving documentary. While the lead singers in rock, pop and R&B are the ones who get all the glory, knowledgeable music fans will tell you the backing vocals most often add the touches that make a performance truly memorable.

While the great backup singers have the respect of the music business, they are all but unknown by the general public. Twenty Feet From Stardom brilliantly brings to the screen the stories of some of these amazing unsung heroes, who by a twist of fate could well have been out front in the spotlight.

Filmmaker Morgan Neville pays homage to some of the greatest vocalists you’ve never heard of in this powerful and moving documentary. While the lead singers in rock, pop and R&B are the ones who get all the glory, knowledgeable music fans will tell you the backing vocals most often add the touches that make a performance truly memorable.

While the great backup singers have the respect of the music business, they are all but unknown by the general public. Twenty Feet From Stardom brilliantly brings to the screen the stories of some of these amazing unsung heroes, who by a twist of fate could well have been out front in the spotlight.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is universally viewed as one of the greatest novels ever written. The power of the narrative; the accurate, haunting, and heartfelt snapshot of the Roaring Twenties; and the sheer beauty of the prose are all present in Simon Levy’s masterful adaptation of the Fitzgerald classic for the stage. Although there are several movie versions of varying artistic merit, the stage offers a new, exciting, and fertile ground for this epic story.

On the stage we can feel firsthand the energy of Jay Gatsby, the sensual allure of Daisy Buchanan, and the ‘Everyman’ complexity of Nick Carraway. The Ritz is pleased to present this important national tour of the acclaimed Montana Repertory Theatre Company’s production of The Great Gatsby, produced and directed with all the care and attention such an outstanding work of art deserves. What an honor to be a part of bringing the beauty and poetry of Fitzgerald’s masterpiece – living and breathing on stage – to a new generation of theatre goers.

Have you ever met a talking dog, a real talking dog?
Well, get ready folks when comedian and ventriloquist Todd Oliver takes the Ritz stage – he will introduce you to two of them: Irving and Lucy. With a little help from their friend Todd, they are going to talk up a storm!

If you ever wondered how a dog looks at life, these little home raised companions are going to give it to you straight from the dog’s mouth. They won’t mince words, and if they do, it’s Todd’s fault anyway.
Todd Oliver and Friends have performed on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and on America’s Got Talent.

The show has been a mainstay in Branson for years. Now Todd, Irving and Lucy are touring to bring their unique brand of family fun to towns across America. Todd’s warm friendly personality creates a “magical family chemistry” with his situational and contemporary humor, resulting in clean universal comedy that just makes everyone feel good. According to Irving, “We’re gonna turn everyday K-9 experiences into a howling good time!”

Unprecedented in 17 seasons was the magnitude of audience demand to bring the amazing Black Jacket Symphony (BJS) back to The Ritz. After their performance of “Abby Road” and 5 standing ovation encores last fall, our audience fully understands now what ‘the art of the album’ is all about and the
exploding popularity of BJS across the Southeast.

In performance, BJS delivers the exhilarating live experience of top-notch rock musicians
recreating legendry classic rock albums note for note, sound for sound, guitar lick for guitar lick. There is no attempt to create the physical look or accents of original artists like a cover band, which BJS is not, but rather to focus symphonically on the music with the artistic mission to be as accurate as possible to the original studio recording.

Pink Floyd holds an undeniable place on the ultimate roll call of rock along with The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Dark Side of the Moon was Floyd’s commercial breakthrough album, packing an emotional resonance that has garnered broad popularity over four decades. Despite reaching No. 1 on Billboard for only a single week, the album proved to have astounding longevity in holding the record for the most weeks charted on the Billboard 200 over the last forty years. Dark Side of the Moon transformed Pink Floyd from ambitious art-house hipsters to international superstars. Revered as one of the greatest rock albums of all time, no one can give this classic its due better than Black Jacket Symphony.

The world still needs role models. With recent demonstrations sweeping across the country, the need for people to seek out leaders who challenge us to be better human beings is needed now more than ever.

Nelson Mandela was one such leader. He lived the spectrum from terrorist to politician to national hero. He didn’t just forgive but reconciled with his adversaries, and received the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize for the historic achievement to end apartheid.

Renowned spoken word poet Sharrif Simmons collaborated on this original Red Mountain Theatre Company work based on the lives impacted by the legendary humanitarian who, though his human rights struggles, became one of the 20th century’s most prominent political figures. MANDELA explores the life of a true visionary through spoken word, music and video. This is a powerful event for reflection and inspiration.