(This article first appeared in the November print edition of the Hendersonian.)
Nearly every generation has a “boy band” it’s fallen in love with.
Maybe for pop music fans of an earlier era it was The Osmonds or The Jackson 5.
Later, groups like New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, NSYNC, New Direction, Hanson and BTS had their posters plastered on the walls of teen bedrooms and their faces decorating school notebooks.
All of these, and more, will be in the spotlight when Henderson Area Arts Alliance brings “The Boy Band Project” to Preston Arts Center at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.
HAAA Executive Director Kensington Paige describes it as a “fine line” between a concert and an affectionate spoof of the Boy Band style.
“It’s a love letter to all of the Boy Bands,” she said, noting that she was quite taken with the act when she saw it at a booking conference last year at, first, a short showcase and then a longer one.
The Boy Band Project has the impact of transporting an audience member back to a time when this genre dominated pop culture.
One reviewer says it like this: “… at its purest jumping-off place, the Boy Band Project is a cover band. But the truth is that they’re something more. The gentlemen have created a kind of a play, a skit, if you will, in which they are making a joke. They are making a joke about the genre, about the fans, about themselves and about the boys they are spoofing. But they make the joke. And the audience is in on the joke.”
Paige said the show is a lot more than the theater it provides, though.
“I’m a millennial mom, and this is the music I grew up on,” she said. “The vocals are incredible.”
She said the vocalists in the show are fresh from a Broadway and even opera background.
“The gentlemen are very talented,” she added. “It’s one of those shows where you can let your hair down and have a really good time.”
Some of the Broadway shows the cast members have been in on include “Wicked,” “Hairspray,” “Mamma Mia,” “The Book of Mormon,” “Altar Boyz” and “Rock of Ages.”
The show has headlined local residencies in several cities and has been featured on several well-known cruise lines.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are available at haaa.org. They are $45 and $25 for students. Tickets for a group of 8 or more are $40.50.
Here are the upcoming shows in HAAA’s performing arts season following The Boy Band Project, all of which take place at Preston Arts Center on the campus of Henderson Community College:
• Blue Suede Christmas, featuring the music of Elvis, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18.
• The Louisville Orchestra with a special guest TBA, 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13. This is a free show. Tickets must be requested from the box office.
• Artrageous, 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11.
• Country entertainer Deana Carter, 7 p.m. Saturday, April 24.
For more information about the Henderson Area Arts Alliance and its events, visit haaa.org.
