Glen Campbell Opens New Season At Scheidegger

Country music legend Glen Campbell will perform to a full house Friday night in the Bezemes Family Theater at the

The concert is the opening act in a busy 2011-12 season for the Lindenwood University-owned arts center located at 2300 W. Clay St. in St. Charles. Season tickets and individual tickets for the main stage shows are now available.

Campbell, a major player in the country music scene for nearly 50 years, was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In response he has embarked on The Goodbye Tour, giving him a final opportunity to perform for his fans.

And Campbell still has many fans, as ticket sales will attest.

"This is our first sellout since the year we opened," said Chad Snider, director of marketing and box office manager for the Scheidegger Center. "The Mark Twain show (with Hal Holbrook) sold out the first year."

Campbell is best known for a string of hits in the 1960s and '70s such as By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Galveston, Wichita Lineman and Rhinestone Cowboy. Like many musicians of that era, he hosted his own variety show—The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour—which ran for four seasons on CBS. He also dabbled in film, with his best-known role as that of Le Boeuf in the original True Grit.

"I'm really excited to see it," Snider said. "It's nice to have a sellout audience."

The second show of the season will focus on another entertainment legend, as performed by a different entertainment legend. Famous impressionist Rich Little will perform a one-man show about popular actor Jimmy Stewart. Jimmy Stewart: A Humorous Look At His Life will take the stage on Sept. 24.

"That show is doing really well," Snider said. "A lot of Jimmy Stewart fans are really excited about it."

In October, the focus will be on movement. Gypsy Fire will feature flamenco dancers and musicians from the Compania Flamenco Jose Porcel on Oct. 7. The National Acrobats of the People's Republic of China will perform on Oct. 15.

Another one-man show takes the stage in November. Ed Asner, best known for his portrayal of gruff newsman Lou Grant, will take on the role of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Opening Nov. 12, FDR will examine the former president's years in the White House, from the Depression through World War II.

"Get your tickets early for this one, because they're going pretty fast," Snider said.

December means holiday shows, and Schiedegger has a couple lined up. Just an Old Fashioned Christmas starring the Lennon Sisters will take place Dec. 17 while Lindenwood's annual production of A Christmas Carol will take the stage Dec. 1-3.

"This adaptation was written by the director and will feature never-before-seen material," Snider said. "A lot of children from the community will be in it as well."

The new year will kick off with a performance of Cinderella by the Moscow Festival Ballet Jan. 27.

"We always have a ballet in January," Snider said. "We go back and forth between the Moscow Festival Ballet and the Russian National Ballet."

February is music month, with performances by the Glenn Miller Orchestra Feb. 10 and the Tschaikowski St. Petersburg State Orchestra Feb. 29. The main stage season wraps up with performances by The Lettermen April 7 and Debbie Reynolds May 12.

"I'm really looking forward to Debbie Reynolds," Snider said. "I watch her on Will and Grace all the time. I'm excited to meet her in person."

In addition to main stage shows, the center will also be the setting for many of Lindenwood University's theater productions, music and dance concerts, fashion shows and some participants in its speaker series.

For tickets and more information visit www.lindenwood.edu/center.