Musical theatre celebration slated for Sept. 2 to celebrate 85th anniversary of Iroquois Amphitheater
On July 4, 1938, the dazzling water curtain opened on the premiere performance at the Iroquois Amphitheater, Victor Herbert’s Naughty Marietta.
For the next 20 years, the Iroquois brought the best of Broadway to Louisville. Celebrate the Amphitheater’s 85th Anniversary with a glimmering glimpse into these musicals under the stars presented in partnership with American Musical Productions. This free show will be held on Saturday, September 2, at 7:30 p.m.
Music from the Golden Age of Musical Theatre will once again fill the night air at the Iroquois by such beloved American composers as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Sigmund Romberg and Jerome Kern. The program includes favorites from the most popular shows in the history of the Iroquois including The Desert Song, Show Boat, The Student Prince, Anything Goes, The Merry Widow and much more.
This special “living history” concert will be conducted by Joseph Rubin and feature the following soloists: Louisville’s own soprano Emily Albrink and baritone Chad Sloan, soprano Erin Alcorn and tenor Tristan Tournaud. A 25-piece orchestra and chorus will perform newly restored original orchestrations, just as audiences first heard them at the Iroquois.
One of the foremost authorities on early American Musical Theatre, conductor Joseph Rubin has restored, produced, and conducted forgotten musical gems across the country. Mr. Rubin founded American Musical Productions, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and performing historic American Musical Theatre and Popular Song.
This concert is funded in part by The Victor Herbert Foundation. Historic Iroquois Amphitheater materials reproduced from the Collections of the Filson Historical Society.
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