Every sunny season, the Bristol Riverside Theatre’s William Penn Bank Summer Music Fest invites Philadelphians to indulge in interactive music events, and the summer of 2024 will be no different.
Kicking off this week (June 26 to 30), the concert series of contemporary favorites and tribute artists will feature different headliners, with this first set being ‘Bachelors of Broadway: Gentlemen of the Theatre.’ The performance will feature a trio of performers belting out songs from modern and classic musicals like ‘Wicked’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Jersey Boys’, ’42nd Street’, ‘Miss Saigon’, ‘The Greatest Showman’, ‘Dear Evan Hansen’, ‘Les Misérables’, and many more, with tickets running $40 to $60.
The series will then continue on throughout the summer with the ‘Dancing Dream: ABBA Tribute Band’ (July 17-21), ‘The 50’s Dance Party’ (July 24-28), ‘So Good! The Neil Diamond Experience’ (Aug. 7 to 11,) and back by popular demand, ‘Forever Motown: So Good for the Soul’ will close it all out (Aug. 14 to 18.)
The series takes place inside Benjamin Franklin Middle School’s newly renovated state-of-the-art 504-seat theatre, centrally located near Philadelphia. The space (6403 Mill Creek Road, Levittown) is wheelchair accessible, and features concessions available for purchase, free on-site parking, and assisted listening devices.
“William Penn Bank has done it again,” said Co-Producing Director Ken Kaissar, producer of this year’s series, in a statement. “It’s the fourth straight year that William Penn Bank is making great tunes and great vibes possible in Lower Bucks County. And we’re so happy to be out in the community at Ben Franklin Middle School while our theatre is renovated. This year, we’re bringing the music to the community.”
This summer’s upcoming performances will range in what they offer. ‘Dancing Dream’ will take on some of ABBA’s most memorable hits performances, including ‘Mamma Mia,’ ‘Dancing Queen,’ ‘Take a Chance,’ and ‘Fernando,’ while the ’50s Dance Party’ is the official live and authentic re-creation of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper’s final tour—plus the only show endorsed by the Holly, Valens, and Richardson estates.
And with the latter, as a release notes, each live concert performance includes over two hours of “unbridled and high-voltage entertainment” featuring all the hit songs of the 50’s era like ‘That’ll Be the Day’, ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘Oh, Boy’, ‘Rave on’, ‘La Bamba’, ‘Chantilly Lace’, and more.
‘So Good!’ on the other hand will be in full swing in August, where Robert Neary will take on the tunes of Neil Diamond, with the night’s repertoire including ‘Cherry Cherry,’ ‘I Am, I Said’, ‘I’m a Believer’, ‘Solitary Man’, ‘Holly Holy’, ‘Coming to America’, ‘Sweet Caroline”’, and a finale that promises to be a surprise.
And finishing everything off, ‘Forever Motown’ gets the greatest groups of the genre together, including The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Stevie Wonder and more.
All concerts are on sale now at the BRT box office and online. For more information, visit brtstage.org
