Broadway’s master tap dancer Savion Glover is headlining a July 15 concert rechristening the renovated John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood, California.
The dance concert is being billed as “a dynamic and uplifting evening centered on a message of hope.”
Glover is scheduled to be joined on the revitalized 1,200-seat outdoor hillside stage by members of his ensemble, Marshall Davis Jr., Robyn Watson and Karissa Royster, accompanied by the dance band Dance Candy. The 8 PM performance will also inaugurate the IGNITE@theFORD series of cultural collaborations with The Lincoln Center Festival, the Apollo Theatre, The Music Center, L.A. Opera, Skirball Cultural Center, and Fountain Theatre.
Originally built in 1920 as the Pilgrimage Theatre to house the annual summer performance of Christine Wetherill Stevenson’s The Pilgrimage Play (through 1964), the site was renamed for Los Angeles County Arts Commissioner John Anson Ford in 1976 and used intermittently for concerts and plays. A full-scale refurbishment began in 2014.
Glover has starred on Broadway four times, starting when he was 10 years old in The Tap Dance Kid. He won the Tony Award for Best Choreography in 1996 for Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk. He also choreographed the 2016 musical Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.
The IGNITE@theFORD series is the first among what are being described as “new programming initiatives that will broaden the Ford’s offerings.” A rich variety of multicultural music and dance events is planned for the next few months. See the whole list here.
Here are some of the other planned theatre-related events:
July 24: Broadway Sing-along with Kareen Hogle Brown, part of the free “Jam Sessions at the Ford” series. 7 PM
September 24: The Apollo Theater Celebrates Ella’s 100th Birthday! Grammy-winning artist Patti Austin hosts an all-star evening celebrating Ella Fitzgerald’s centenary, part of the Harlem theatre’s year-long celebration of the iconic jazz singer.
October 7: Chris Isaacson Presents: Broadway Under the Stars Musical revue featuring songs from musicals of the past, as well as new favorites from recent Broadway seasons including The Color Purple, Dear Evan Hansen, and Anastasia.
The theatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Boulevard East in Hollywood. Tickets for the event cost $55, $75, and $105, and can be ordered at Fordtheatres.org or by calling (323) 46-3673.
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