Sunday, December 3, 2 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
Richard and Karen Carpenter's 1978 Christmas Portrait resides comfortably within Billboard's top-25 list of bestselling holiday albums, and on December 3, the unforgettable sounds of iconic pop duo the Carpenters will fill the Adler Theatre when tribute artist Lisa Rock headlines the seasonal celebration A Carpenters Christmas.
The author of nearly 20 nationally touring concerts and cabarets, Midwestern singer and playwright Rock premiered her celebratory show Close to You: The Music of the Carpenters in 2010, performing such timeless hits as “Superstar, “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” and “Yesterday Once More” accompanied by a six-piece band. Around the Town Chicago's Alan Bresloff raved of Rock, “When she hits the lower range of her marvelous voice, if you close your eyes, you can see Karen Carpenter's face.” And the stage concert's subsequent touring success led to the creation of the new A Carpenters Christmas, with Rock backed by an ensemble that includes nationally touring talents Eric Engelson on drums, Justin Boller on bass and guitar, and Ken McCullen on piano.
Though known primarily for their pop classics, the Carpenters had more than a dozen holiday hits on radio airwaves, with 1970's “Merry Christmas, Darling” topping the Billboard charts in 1970, 1971, and 1973. A Carpenters Christmas will consequently pay tribute to both the Carpenters and their vast seasonal repertoire, with the concert's festive numbers including “Sleigh Ride,” “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” “I'll Be Home for Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and a jazzy rendition of “Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.” According to the Northwest Herald, the performance was “an amazing Karen Carpenter tribute show” in which Rock sang “with such sincerity and clarity, and did justice to Carpenter’s lush, melodic hits.”
Tickets to the December 3 A Carpenters Christmas concert are $28-48, and are available by calling (800)745-3000 or visiting AdlerTheatre.com.
