Igniting the arts: Jamie Farr in ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ highlights ABAC series

TIFTON — “M*A*S*H” star Jamie Farr will be in Tifton after Thanksgiving for the critically-acclaimed play “Tuesdays with Morrie,” a highlight of the ABAC Presents! 2017-18 series.

Farr, 83, who portrayed Cpl. Maxwell Klinger on the top-rated series set during the Korean War for 11 years and then two more seasons on the sequel “After MASH,” will portray Morrie in the play, which will have a 7 p.m. curtain on Nov. 30 at Howard Auditorium on the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College campus.

The story is an autobiography of Mitch Albom, a career-driven journalist, and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor. Many years after graduation, Albom reunites with Schwartz and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life.

In addition to the Farr appearance, the ABAC arts series will feature symphonies, jazz and dramatic performances in an eight-event series that has a one-word theme — “Ignite.”

“We selected this theme because that is what great performing arts events do … ignite the imaginations and emotions of all who are a part of them,” ABAC Arts Connection Director Wayne Jones said.

The season launches at 3 p.m. Sept. 24 with the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra performing at the Tift County High School Performing Arts Center. The symphony will feature violinist Corinne Stillwell performing Alexander Glazunov’s haunting violin concerto.

That will be followed at 7 p.m. on Oct. 19 with the Neeman Piano Duo performing in Howard Auditorium. The husband-and-wife duo will perform a four-hands concert – two pianists playing on the same piano. They have been recognized throughout the United States, Asia and Australia for their wide-ranging repertoire encompassing classical masterpieces and duets by the composers of today and arrangements of popular tunes and Broadway hits.

“Tuesdays with Morrie” will be followed at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 with the musical comedy act, Three Redneck Tenors, who will perform in Howard Auditorium. The Three Redneck Tenors, finalists on “America’s Got Talent,” have been entertaining since 2006, taking audiences on a musical journey of songs including gospel, country, Broadway, classical and pop.

The Olney Theatre’s National Players will perform F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 in Howard Auditorium. Set in the fast-paced Jazz Age of New York and based on Fitzgerald’s Great American Novel, “The Great Gatsby” guides viewers through a world where love, opportunity, deception and tragedy are always just around the corner.

The California Guitar Trio will make its fourth visit to Tifton two weeks later. The group, which has performed since 1991, plays music that crosses genres and has long been a popular draw in the Tifton area. That performance is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 15 in Howard Auditorium.

On March 15, ticket-holders to the performing arts series can join ABAC Fine Arts faculty member Andy Lagrimas (piano) and Jared Starr (violin) for “An Evening at the Cinema” at 7 p.m. in Howard Auditorium. Lagrimas and Starr will perform musical masterpieces of the silver screen for a violin-piano duo by film composer John Williams, including pieces from “Schindler’s List,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Sabrina.” The duo will also perform classical masterpieces, such as Claude Debussy’s “Violin Sonata.”

Saxophonist Tim Green will showcase his talents in Howard Auditorium at 7 p.m. on April 19. Forging a deeply personal sound from a broad swath of the jazz landscape, Green has emerged as a powerful new voice. Called “a player to watch” by JazzTimes, Green seized the attention of the jazz community with his second-place finish in the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. He released his 2012 album, “Songs from This Season,” on his own True Melody Music label. He also will serve as the guest clinician during the ABAC Jazz Festival during the day and will perform with the ABAC Jazz Ensemble in his concert.

The ABAC Jazz Ensemble’s award-winning performances have taken the group to some of the world’s greatest stages, including the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Amsterdam. The ensemble is directed by Dr. Thomas Heflin.

Tickets for the full series are $80 for adults and $25 for students under 18. Individual ticket costs vary based on the performance. Tickets can be purchased online at www.purplepass.com/abac or by phone at (229) 391-4895.

The ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. Series sponsors for this year’s lineup include Bell Plantation and Tift Regional Health System.