Thu 2/21 @ 8PM
So you thought Bob Navis Jr. was just going to slink away after his high-profile departure from Near West Theatre after nearly 40 years? Nope — he’s back at the keyboard enjoying his retirement and acting as music director/pianist for “An Evening of Oscar-Winning Songs,” taking place at Nighttown.
Three topnotch vocalists will render the tunes from film history including such legendary favorites as “Moon River” from the 1061 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, “Gigi” from the 1958 film of the same name, “The Way You Look Tonight” from the 1936 Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers film Swing Time, “Swinging on a Star” from the 1944 Bing Crosby film Going My Way, and many many others.
They include Conor Bogart O’Brien, a local boy who studied at the Eastman School of Music before going on to a diverse career. He has performed with an a cappella ensemble, with orchestras and with his own band, on cruises and with Shaker Heights-bred pop pianist Jim Brickman. He’s also performed in numerous musicals including Altar Boyz, Miss Saigon and Forever Plaid.
Hell be joined by a pair of female vocalists, Floridian Samantha Kennett, who is currently a sophomore in the Kent State University musical theater program, and Lindsey Mitchell, who was seen in Young Frankenstein and Ruthless! at the Beck Center and has sung with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and The Musical Theatre Project.
The show’s host, Michael Estwanik, founder/president of American Songbook Today, will provide narrative context for the songs, talking about their background and history.
Tickets are $25.
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