Category: Performing Arts

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Thanksgiving Weekend Is Dickens Weekend in Sutton

Dickens Weekend 2015

In 2015, Gerald Charles Dickens will be performing both A Christmas Carol and Doctor Marigold

It’s never too early to plan for Thanksgiving Weekend.

Dickens is no stranger to Christmas at Vaillancourt Folk Art. Since 2009, Gerald Charles Dickens has made the flight from England to take stage at Vaillancourt’s in Sutton, MA to perform his one man performance of A Christmas Carol—in a similar fashion that his great-great grandfather, Charles Dickens, did during his American readings. Each year since, hundreds of audience members choose to start their holiday season with the intimate performance and meet-and-greet immediately following afterwards. And the 2015 season adds a bonus: one performance of Dickens’ most popular readings, Doctor Marigold.

Gerald Charles Dickens during a performance.Doctor Marigold was one of Charles Dickens most popular readings. The doctor of the title is a market Cheap Jack, named in honour of a doctor who assisted at his birth. On the surface he is a trader with a rapid sales-patter, but underneath there lays a story both moving and heartbreaking. Although little known today, Dr Marigold still moves audiences as it did in Charles’ day.

This is not the first time that Vaillancourt Folk Art has hosted Mr. Dickens for a non-Christmas performance. In 2012, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Dickens’ birth, Vaillancourt Folk Art teamed up with Mechanics Hall (a venue where Charles Dickens performed A Christmas Carol in 1868) to recreate the American tour. During that September weekend, Mr. Dickens took to the Vaillancourt stage and did readings—Oliver Twist, A Child’s Journey with Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby—to an enthusiastic audience.

To those attending one of the three performance of A Christmas Carol, discounted tickets are available for the Doctor Marigold performance to ensure you have a full Dickens weekend.

2015 Performance Schedule

A Christmas Carol

  • Saturday, November 28th at 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM at Vaillancourt Folk Art in Sutton
  • Sunday, November 29th at 2:00 PM at Vaillancourt Folk Artt in Sutton

Doctor Marigold

  • Sunday, November 29th at 6:00 PM at Vaillancourt Folk Art in Sutton
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Club Symply Fargone at Viva Bene

Magic Dick from the J. Geils Band will be at the all-new Club Symply Fargone at Viva Bene.

Symply Fargone Productions Expands to Second Worcester Venue and Beyond

Magic Dick from the J. Geils Band will be at the all-new Club Symply Fargone at Viva Bene.Symply Fargone Productions is getting bigger! The company has announced it is expanding its concert offerings to a second Worcester venue.

Club Symply Fargone at Viva Bene will be a 300+ seat venue with state-of-the-art sound and a nightclub setting which offers a more intimate experience, great food and libation. The company will continue to promote its larger shows at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.

The first show at the new Club Symply Fargone at Viva Bene is Magic Dick of the J. Geils Band and guitar virtuoso Shun Ng on Saturday, September 13 at 8:30PM. The show is just $25 and any dinner item on the Viva Bene menu is just $20 more along with parking if you have a ticket. Just go to www.symplyfargone.com for reserved seats and more information.

“The opportunity to expand our operations into a second venue translates to even more entertainment options in downtown Worcester,” said Glen Gardner, one of the owners of Symply Fargone Productions. “We have had to pass on many great opportunities over the past year because of date conflicts and venue size. This new room will give us the opportunity to greatly expand the number of shows we produce and in most cases continue our tradition of ticket prices lower than the market average.”

Plans for extensive renovations at the new Club Symply Fargone at Viva Bene include eliminating columns and walls to offer unobstructed views. There will be state-of-the-art digital sound, and a permanent stage will be constructed. This new addition will allow variable seating capacity. The renovations are scheduled to be complete by Labor Day.

Symply Fargone Productions is also in negotiations with venues in other markets that are interested in the high-quality level of entertainment the company has been able to assemble for the Worcester market. “Being able to leverage some of these acts across several venues will enable us to keep costs down and attract even more impressive talent to our base in Worcester,” Gardner said.

Upcoming shows at Mechanics Hall:

  • The Jon Pousette-Dart Band, September 5, 8PM
  • Melanie, September 25, 7:30PM
  • Gary Wright, October 16, 8PM
  • Enter the Haggis, October 31, 8PM
  • Rockin’ the Holidays with Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals and the Worcester State University Chorale, December 19, 8PM

Upcoming show at Club Symply Fargone:

  • Magic Dick of the J. Geils Band and guitar virtuoso Shun Ng, September 13, 8:30PM