Fri 3/22 @ 8 PM
In the 1930s, audiences flocked to movie theaters to escape the devastation of the Depression and bask in the impossibly romantic, impossibly glamorous world of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, whose every absurd relationship twist was embodied in song and dance. Not only was their grace and chemistry sublime, but they danced to and sang some of the greatest 20th-century pop tunes — Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Ira & George Gershwin.
So “When Fred Met Ginger,” the Cleveland Pops Orchestra’s program at Severance Hall tonight, will be crammed with memorable music. Broadway performers Joan Hess and Kirby Ward join the orchestra to provide the tuxedo’d and gowned singing and dancing. For gown aficionados, the original gold gown Ginger Rogers wore in the 1949 film The Barkleys of Broadway, in which she and Astaire reunited one final time after a decade, will be on display.
And if the concert gives you itchy feet, there’ll be free dance lessons in the Smith Lobby following the concert. Those with two left feet can watch.
Tickets are $28-$58. Go here to order.