Cynthia Erivo – Ridgefield Playhouse | September 16 | 7:30 pm

Cynthia Erivo rose to fame with her star-making performance as Celie in the hit Broadway revival of The Color Purple, earning Tony, Grammy and Emmy Awards all in the same year! Backed by a 5-piece band, Erivo will sing Broadway and pop songs from shows and artists including The Color Purple, The Wiz, Annie Lennox, Etta James, The Beatles, Aerosmith, Aretha Franklin, Ariana Grande and more! A new name to many at the time of her debut in The Color Purple, the Nigerian-British actor and singer quickly caught the attention of Broadway fans, critics and celebrities alike. Oprah Winfrey, Anna Wintour, and Diane Von Furstenburg are just a few of those who sing Erivo’s praises, with Oprah calling Erivo’s performance as Celie “transcendent.” Erivo performed alongside John Legend at the 2017 Grammy Awards and performed at The 39th annual Kennedy Center Honors for an audience including President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Tickets: $86

About the Ridgefield Playhouse

As the cultural hub to this area, the mission of The Ridgefield Playhouse is to present all aspects of the performing arts to Ridgefield and the surrounding communities, with varied artistic offerings and price points, so that everyone can experience the arts, regardless of their income level.

Designed in 1938, the auditorium in “the old high school” (now the Richard E. Venus Municipal Center) was at one time the center of Ridgefield’s cultural life. In its heyday, before being abandoned in 1972, it was home to school performances as well as community events and town meetings. During World War II, residents had the privilege of twice hearing the legendary Arturo Toscanini conduct here.

In its new life, The Ridgefield Playhouse has been designed to embrace its former role and more. The interior preserves the hall’s excellent acoustics that make it an ideal venue for musical performance and live theater.
At the same time, retractable draperies cover the walls enabling the “deadening” effect needed to show movies. Thanks to a generous legacy from Patricia Schuster, founder of the Ridgefield Studio of Classical Ballet, the stage was built to have the resilience necessary for dance performances. Parts of the old stage rigging have been preserved and supplemented to enable use of the stage’s large fly space. Stage lights and a state-of-the-art sound system have been installed.

Echoing the importance of the town of Ridgefield in the theater’s life is a hand-painted mural covering the lobby walls with familiar scenes of historic Ridgefield. The mural, a gift from a Ridgefield couple, was created by a local artist. Other murals enliven the interior of the performance area as well as the entryway to The Playhouse; all were gifts of Playhouse supporters.

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Ridgefield Playhouse | 80 East Ridge Ridgefield, CT 06877