Kravis Center to kick off 2024 with packed lineup of live performances

The new year is here and with it comes a full slate of live performances on the schedule at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.

January's lineup includes a hit Broadway adaptation of a beloved novel, a best-selling author known for one of HBO's top-ranked shows of all-time, award-winning instrumentalists and vocalists and a veteran "Saturday Night Live" performer and comedian.

Some of the highlights include:

The month kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 1 with the "Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert" in Dreyfoos Hall, featuring European singers and dancers along with a full orchestra accompanying them, performing the music of Johann Strauss and his contemporaries. Tickets start at $35.

"To Kill A Mockingbird," the stage adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, runs from Jan. 2-7 with shows at 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The play includes a book written by Aaron Sorkin, and it's been called the most successful American play in Broadway history by "60 Minutes." Tickets start at $39.

The next installment of the Palm Beach Improv's partnership with the Kravis Center features comedian Jessica Kirson, with shows at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Jan. 5-6. Known for her comedic characters, Kirson received "Best Female Comic" from the MAC association in New York City and the Nightlife Award for "Best Stand-up Comedian." Tickets start at $32.50.

At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8, cellist Yo-Yo Ma will perform and discuss his life, music and methods with Jeffrey Brown of "PBS NewsHour." Tickets start at $45.

The Jacksonville Symphony, with music director Courtney Lewis and pianist Conrad Tao, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9. The program will be a celebration of the 100th anniversary of "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin, and will include Rachmaninoff's "Fourth Piano Concerto." Tickets start at $35.

Matt Fraser, known as "America's Top Psychic Medium," will be at the Kravis at 8 p.m. Jan. 11. Tickets start at $39.50.

Legendary vocalist Johnny Mathis will perform at 8 p.m. Jan. 13. He'll sing some of the greatest hits from his seven-decade career. Tickets start at $39.

"The Life and Music of George Michael" is at 8 p.m. Jan. 18, with some of the star's greatest hits, including "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go," "Freedom" and "Father Figure." Tickets start at $25.

Four performers who portrayed the Phantom in the "The Phantom of the Opera" — Brent Barrett, John Cudia, Franc D'Ambrosio and Ciarán Sheehan — are "The Four Phantoms in Concert," with Broadway hits at 8 p.m. Jan. 19. Tickets start at $29.

Kevin Nealon, known for his nine years on "Saturday Night Live" and performances in "Weeds" and "Glenn Martin DDS," brings his stand-up comedy as part of the Kravis' partnership with Palm Beach Improv, with shows at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Jan. 19-20. Tickets start at $37.50.

New York City Ballet principal dancer Megan Fairchild will be at the Kravis in conversation with photographer and dancer Steven Caras at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 22, as she discusses her book "The Ballerina Mindset: How to Protect Your Mental Health While Striving for Excellence." Tickets are $125.

The best-selling novelist behind "Sex and the City," brings her one-woman show "Candace Bushnell — True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City" to the Kravis from Jan. 26-28, with appearances at 8 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. In this show, she discusses her experiences including fashion and New York City. Tickets start at $50.

The Cleveland Orchestra helps to round out the month, with a performance at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29 featuring music director Franz Welser-Möst and Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider on violin. The program will include Bruch’s "Violin Concerto" and Prokofiev’s "Fifth Symphony." Tickets start at $40.

For more information and a full calendar of events, go to kravis.org.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Kravis Center to kick off 2024 with packed lineup of live performances