Lied's March lineup includes musicals, improv, Irish Tenors

Courtesy photo

Chicago-based comedy troupe The Second City will perform March 3 at the Lied Center.

The adult-themed puppet musical “Avenue Q” and a sketch and improv comedy show by The Second City kick off a busy month at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

Tickets are on sale here, by phone at 402-472-4747 or at the Lied Center box office, 301 N. 12th St. University of Nebraska-Lincoln students can purchase tickets at a 50 percent discount with a valid NCard.

All shows are on the Lied’s main stage unless otherwise noted.

March’s shows:

“Avenue Q,” March 2 and 3, 7:30 p.m.; March 4, 2 p.m.; March 7-10, 7:30 p.m.; March 11, 2 p.m.; March 14-16, 7:30 p.m., Carson Theater – Presented in partnership with the Nebraska Repertory Theatre, this musical tells the story of a recent college grad named Princeton, who arrives in the city with big dreams and a tiny bank account. On Avenue Q, Princeton meets an assortment of characters who are destined to be his new friends. Together, they struggle to find jobs, dates and their purpose in life.
“The Best of Second City,” March 3, 7:30 p.m. – One of the world’s top sketch and improv comedy troupes returns to the Lied Center. Second City performers who have gone on to superstar status include John Belushi, Bill Murray, Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert.
“The Mountaintop,” March 6, 7:30 p.m. – Playwright Katori Hall imagines what may have happened the night before civil rights leader Martin Luther King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. L.A. Theatre Works presents a new production of the work to mark the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination.
“Kinky Boots,” March 9, 7:30 p.m.; March 10, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; March 11, 1:30 and 7 p.m. – Featuring songs by pop icon Cyndi Lauper, this musical revolves around the unlikely friendship of Charlie, a shoe factory owner struggling to save his family business, and Lola, an entertainer with an exciting idea. “Kinky Boots” won six Tony Awards, including best musical, best score and best choreography.
Wu Man and the Huayin Shadow Puppet Band, March 14, 7:30 p.m. – Wu Man, pipa virtuoso and a principal member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, joins the Huayin Shadow Puppet Band for an evening of Chinese music brought to life with shadow puppetry. Amid the sounds of lutes, gongs, percussion and fiddles, the band sings and plays tunes depicting life in China.

The Irish Tenors, March 16, 7:30 p.m. – Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan and Finbar Wright have been touring together as The Irish Tenors since 1998, with sold-out shows at such venues as Radio City Music Hall, Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. The trio will perform with a live orchestra for their Lied Center debut, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
“Let It Be,” March 20, 7:30 p.m. – Audience members can relive the past, from The Beatles’ performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” to “Abbey Road,” with hits such as “Hard Day’s Night,” “Hey Jude” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” in this musical showcase.
“Losing the Ring in the River,” March 22-24, 7:30 p.m.; March 25, 2 p.m., Carson Theater – When Liz’s grandfather leaves his old pickup truck to her in his will, she and her mother, Emma, pay a visit to Grandma Clara’s farm to collect the strange bequest. Over pie, coffee and tomato canning, three generations of Nebraska women struggle with the dark secrets of their family history in this production by Lincoln’s Angels Theatre Company.
“Amazing Grace,” March 23, 7:30 p.m.; March 24, 2 p.m. – John Newton, a willful and musically talented young Englishman, comes of age as Britain sits atop an international slave empire. He finds himself torn between following in the footsteps of his father – a slave trader – and embracing the more compassionate views of his childhood sweetheart in this new Broadway musical.
Olga Kern, piano, March 27, 7:30 p.m. – Russian-American pianist Olga Kern jump-started her career when she earned a gold medal at the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the first woman to do so in more than 30 years. Kern’s return to the Lied features works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, George Gershwin, Alexander Scriabin and Mily Balakirev.