Shakespeare in Jazz, performed by pianist Daniel Kelly and vocalist Frederick Johnson, entertained approximately 500 middle and high school students Tuesday morning at the Alhambra Theatre.
They repeated the program for a free midday show to a smaller audience, as Vansauwa’s Tacos and Vegan Eats served lunch from the sidewalk between the theater and the Christian County Courthouse.
The program featured remixed lines from Shakespeare plays, including Macbeth and Hamlet, complemented by jazz tunes. Johnson coaxed the audience to sing along. He and Kelley also interspersed Shakespeare lessons between tunes.
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(Photo by Jennifer P. Brown)
Kelly and Johnson have performed Shakespeare in Jazz at numerous shows around the country. After leaving Hopkinsville, they were scheduled for a show Wednesday at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, followed by several performances next month in California.
The Pennyroyal Arts Council, which manages the Alhambra, organized the local show through smARTS, an acronym for Students Meeting the Arts.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
