5 Things To Do in the Sauk Valley: Big talents hit Sauk Valley’s big stages

The fine arts are fine indeed, this week in 5 Things To Do in the Sauk Valley. The stage is a showcase. One of the most skilled violin players to grace a Branson stage will be in Sterling while one of Broadway’s most-renowned Phantoms will be in Dixon. In addition, the work of the region’s top independent filmmakers will be showcased and Dixon Stage Left has another afternoon concert in the works. On top of all that, Dixon High School’s aspiring acting troupe will bring Gomez and Morticia to the stage. So buckle up and take in the best of the boards.

1 Direct from Branson, Missouri. Violin player Randy Newman (and his fiddle-playing alter ego, Doofus Doolittle) will headline “Ozark Jubilee Presents Stars of the Grand Ole Opry,” a country-music variety show that performs at 2 p.m. Saturday April 15 at Centennial Auditorium as a Sterling Schools Foundation fundraiser. The touring group, which performs the music of country music legends, includes Australian singer Jenifer Simmons and male vocalist Doug Driesel. Tickets are $17 and up.

2 Heavenly Voice. Acclaimed Broadway star Franc D’Ambrosio will appear 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 15 at Dixon Theater, 114 S. Galena Ave., Dixon. D’Ambrosio’s salute to musical theater will include a whirlwind tour of Broadway’s finest music. The show will include D’Ambrosio’s behind-the-scenes stories of his time on the Broadway stage, including his time in “The Phantom of the Opera.” Tickets start at $25.

3 Rendezvous sounds. The Metropolis Oboe Quartet featuring Deb Stevenson on oboe, Steven Houser on cello, Thomas Yang on violin and Rose Armbrust Griffin on viola will perform 5:30 p.m. Wednesday April 19, at Dixon Stage Left. The performance will include three compositions written for the quartet: Lee Kesselman’s “Elegy & Burlesque,” Scott Stevenson’s “Three Quark Pieces” by Scott Stevenson and James Stevenson’s “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.” As with all Rendezvous Arts productions, the music will be accompanied by a demonstration by a visual artist, in this case, portrait painter Faith Humphrey Hill. Tickets start at $30.

4 Ooky and Spooky. Dixon High School will present “The Addams Family School Edition” for three performances, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 14-15 and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 16. The musical comedy cast is headlined by Shaun DeVries as Gomez and Leslie Pettorini as Morticia. General admission is $12.

5 For indie film lovers. Northwest Illinois Film Festival’s “Shorts-A-Palooza” will begin 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at Morrison Tech, 701 Portland Ave., Morrison. Featured short films are “The Offer,” “Wolfdog,” “Unknowing,” “RIP,” “Get Away,” “Chunky Chicken,” “Medicine Show,” “A Cloudy Moon,” “An Infantryman from Hero Street,” and “Creepy Cuts.”

Do you have information on an upcoming event or attraction? Be sure to let us know about it. Please submit information including photos for Shaw Local News Network’s weekly calendars to https://www.shawlocal.com/sauk-valley/forms/press-releases/. Include a contact person and phone number.