Live @ The Lyric! We’re gearing up for a wild and crazy fall season and you won’t want to miss it. We have a GREAT line up of four acts that really knocks my socks off.

First, the American Shakespeare Center is bringing Romeo and Juliet to our stage. Direct from the Blackfriar’s Playhouse in Staunton, VA, the cast and crew will bring their props and chops back to the Lyric for yet another fine show. Who doesn’t know the story, possibly stolen from West Side Story to be sure, of forbidden love and lust from a timeless century? Family friendly sex and violence abounds in Shakespeare’s classic tale of the star crossed lovers. Tickets go on sale 7/31 and the show is on 9/11.

OMG – the Cowboy Junkies rock the Theatre on 10/15. With 20 years on the road, Margo Timmins purrs in her soft alto while Michael Timmins plays crystal clear riffs backed by Alan Anton’s solid bass riffs and Peter Timmins tasteful drumming. Their albums have gone gold, platinum and double platinum. Sweet Jane and Murder in the Trailer Park are two of my all time favorites. Tickets go on sale 9/3.

Two years ago we had a juggler named Mark Nizer play at the Lyric. I thought “Yawn.” Mark Nizer is a dynamo that will have you on the edge of your seat to see what he will do next. Will he lose another arm juggling chainsaws? Will his hang glider crash into the theatre? He had a fantastic computer designed juggling partner last time and he assured me that this time the computer part of the show will dwarf the last computer show tenfold! Everyone in the family will want to see this guy juggle like a crazy man. Tickets go on sale 9/11 and the show is 10/24.

Not all Friday the 13ths are bad! Growing up I found the Kingston Trio and folk music then found Pete Seeger and the banjo. On a whim, I bought a New Lost City Ramblers album in 1963 because it had Pete’s brother Mike on it. I hadn’t heard three finger picking before – not even Earl Scruggs – but Mike Seeger set my fingers on fire. His soulful mountain singing style is a perfect match to his multi-instrumental mountain music picking. Opening for Mike is the Giles Mountain String Band. Tickets go on sale 10/2 for an 11/13 concert.

What a great season! See you Live @ The Lyric!!!!!