As I mentioned in Part 1, this series is a rundown of shows that I’d really enjoy seeing at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.  So, here are acts 6, 5, and 4.

6.  KATE BUSH – When I think of “art-rock” the first voice I hear in my head is that of Kate Bush.  The lush soundscapes, the baroque undercurrents, the cinematic elements that made her music such an excellent fit for then-fledgling network MTV – it all works, and would lend itself beautifully to on-stage choreography (are you reading this, James Canfield?  I smell a collab with Nevada Ballet Theatre, here!).  Bush (who was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), by Queen Elizabeth II, this past April), has been cited as an influence for everyone from Bjork, Pat Benatar, Florence Welch, and Tori Amos to OutKast, Muse, and Suede.  Her 1985 single, “Running up that Hill (A Deal with God)” has been covered by such disparate acts as Kiki & Herb, Placebo, and Little Boots, and was the inspiration for Coldplay’s “Speed of Sound”.  As trip-hop maestro Tricky once said of Bush  “I don't believe in God, but if I did, her music would be my bible.”

5.  ELAINE STRITCH – After studying under Stella Adler at the New School, alongside Marlon Brando, Walter Mathau, and Bea Arthur (to whom she eventually lost the role of ‘Dorothy’ on The Golden Girls), Elaine Stritch's big break came when she was cast as Ethel Merman’s understudy.  She was a favorite of Noel Coward (who famously dubbed her “Stritchy”).  She originated the role of ‘Joanne’ in Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-juggernaut, Company.  Nominated for five Tony Awards (winning in 2002 for “Best Special Theatrical Event” for Elaine Stritch at Liberty), and seven Emmy Awards (winning in 1993 for “Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series” for Law & Order; in 2004 for “Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety Program” for Elaine Stritch: At Liberty; and in 2007 for “Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series” for 30 Rock) – Elaine Stritch has seen it all, done it all, and has happily shared it all.  Let’s get her before it’s too late!

4.  THE CITIZENS BAND – The first time I saw The Citizens Band, I was completely gobsmacked.  Perhaps best described to the uninitiated as a performance collective; The Citizens Band sing, swing, and shimmy, in productions that bring to mind Weimar-era Germany (à la Cabaret), Vaudeville, and the Roaring Twenties.  All of this from a troupe of artisans singing and dancing in costumes designed by Zaldy.  Founders Sarah Sophie Flicker, Karen Elson, Adam Dugas, and Jorjee Douglass with aerialist Chelsea Bacon, are joined by a company of rotating regulars that includes Melissa Auf der Maur, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rain Phoenix, Ronin, Michael Cavadias, Duke Bojadziev, Desi Santiago, Ian Buchanan, Cyndi Lauper, Zooey Deschanel, and Scottish songbird Angela McClusky, whose soulful rendition of Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today” in TCB’s Chewing Up the Scenery, brought the audience to tears.  If Cirque du Soleil rules the Strip, then The Citizens Band would reign over Downtown.

Next time – my top three dream acts; a diva, a duo, and a dame.  Y’all come back, now; ya hear!

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