The Rat Pack Is Back For The Holidays at Rialto Square Theatre

The Rat Pack Is Back For The Holidays returns to Rialto Square Theatre

The Rat Pack is Back will return to the Rialto Square Theatre stage with their critically acclaimed Rat Pack is Back For The Holidays show on Saturday, December 16 at 8 PM. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 14 at 10 AM.

When Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. get together the magic begins. There are no card tricks or rabbits pulled from a hat, but lot’s of cheer (straight from the bar), plenty of laughs, and their biggest hit songs including all your holiday favorites, backed by a live swinging big band orchestra.

Don’t miss Chris Jason as Frank Sinatra, Drew Anthony as Dean Martin and Kenny Jones as Sammy Davis Jr. and their special Santa’s Helper stunning guest, as they take you back to that glorious era and excitement of the 1960’s Sands Hotel & Casino’s Copa Room in Las Vegas with their wonderful holiday celebration of music and merry like no other.

Remember “What started in Vegas, All started with the Rat Pack”

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Travis Tritt Returns To Rialto Square Theatre

Travis Tritt will be at Rialto Square Theatre

It was just announced that Travis Tritt will perform at Rialto Square Theatre on Thursday, August 10 at 7:30 PM. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 31 at 10 AM.

Thirty years after Travis Tritt launched his music career, the Southern rock-influenced artist continues to sell-out shows and stay true and relevant to country music fans across the globe. Continuously performing shows and withholding a heavy appearance schedule, Tritt is proving to be unstoppable.

The highly abbreviated Tritt timeline started when the young Marietta, Georgia native incorporated his lifelong influences of Southern rock, blues and gospel into his country during a honky-tonk apprenticeship that led him to Warner Bros. in 1989. Over the course of a decade, Travis released seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label. His 1990 debut Country Club and its succession of hits put him in the vanguard of the genre’s early ’90s boom, dubbing him as one of “The Class of ‘89,” which included country music superstars Garth Brooks, Clint Black and Alan Jackson; all whom dominated the charts in the early ‘90s.

“Country Club,” “Help Me Hold On,” “I’m Gonna Be Somebody,” and “Drift Off to Dream” peaked at numbers two and three on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts; all which led for Tritt to win Top New Male Artist award from Billboard and the CMA Horizon Award (now known as the Best New Artist Award). Additionally, in 1991, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) marked Tritt’s debut album Country Club as certified platinum, then in 1992, the world-famous Grand Ole Opry extended an invitation for Tritt to become a member.

Two years after his debut, Travis’ sophomore album, It’s All About to Change, was released. Literally speaking, this album changed everything when the album shipped three million copies and all four of its singles reached the top five on the country music charts. Along with his first album, this release became triple-platinum certified by the RIAA.

At the same time, his conspicuous lack of a cowboy hat and musical assertiveness set him apart. The next series of albums, seven of which are certified platinum or higher, scored him more hit singles and led him to amass more than 30 million in career album sales, two Grammys, three CMA Awards and a devoted fan base that has filled venues coast-to-coast.
He’s been a force in sports appearances, having performed at the 1996 Olympics, two Super Bowls, a World Series Game, the opening of the Georgia Dome, the final Braves game at Atlanta-Fulton Country Stadium and, in 2013, the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

In 2012, Tritt formed his own label, Post Oak Recordings and shortly after released his album, The Calm After… In 2016, Tritt released a new project, a special live 2-disc CD and DVD, titled A Man and His Guitar – Live From The Franklin Theatre. The release shot and recorded at the historic Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tenn., spotlights Tritt’s distinctively soulful voice and his exceptional guitar prowess in an intimate theater setting.

In late 2014 and throughout 2015, Tritt’s compilation album, Very Best of Travis Tritt, that was originally released in 2007, saw a sales resurgence as it topped the SoundScan Top 200 Catalog Country Albums chart for over 60 consecutive weeks with 15 weeks spent at No. 1 and 35+ weeks notched in a Top 5 position, while earning RIAA certified gold status by selling over 500,000 copies. The 20-track album features some of Tritt’s biggest hits, including “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive,” “Here’s A Quarter,” and “Anymore.”

In 2018, Tritt appeared on the music showcase series, Real Country, alongside Grammy Award-winning artist, Shania Twain and ACM Award-winning singer-songwriter, Jake Owen who hand-selected emerging solo artists, duos and groups to perform in showcases that spotlight the rich traditions, songs and themes of specific country genres. The show aired on USA Network.

In 2021, Tritt released a new album with award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, The Highwomen, Sturgill Simpson) through Big Noise Music Group. The album marked Tritt’s first original album release in over thirteen years.

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Just Announced: Justin Willman at Rialto Square Theatre

Magician Justin Willman will be at Rialto Square Theatre

Magician Justin Willman will be at Rialto Square Theatre on Saturday, September 23 at 7:00 PM. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 31 at 10 AM.

Justin Willman wants to melt your brain while making you laugh. He’s best known as the star and creator of the hit Netflix series Magic For Humans. But you may recognize him from one of his many television appearances (The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Ellen, Conan…). Or maybe you know his work as a host (Baking Impossible; Cupcake Wars; Win, Lose or Draw…). Or maybe he’s the child magician you hired in suburban St. Louis in the ‘90s. If you don’t know Justin, he’s a magician and comedian who’s mastered the art of turning cynics into believers (or at least getting them to laugh). His live show is simultaneously mind-blowing and hilarious, and will likely keep you up at night wondering how the heck any of it was possible.

Justin is also a proud father, a loving husband, and has zero experience as a licensed boat mechanic (that’s a different Justin Willman).

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Just Announced: Wayne Netwon will be at Rialto Square Theatre

Wayne Newton will be at Rialto Square Theatre

Legendary musician Wayne Newton will be taking the Rialto Square Theatre stage on Thursday, December 14 at 7:30 PM. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 31 at 10 AM.

Recognized and revered around the world, entertainment superstar Wayne Newton is known for his iconic signature song, “Danke Schoen” in addition to countless other top hit singles including, “Daddy, Don’t You Walk So Fast,” “Red Roses for a Blue Lady,” “At This Moment,” “The Letter,” “Summer Wind” and “Years.”

Newton has recorded and released, to date, an astounding 165 albums in his career. In a volatile, unforgiving industry where careers and successes can appear and disappear like vapors, Wayne Newton resides atop the “Mount Rushmore of Entertainers” etched in music history.

Wayne Newton, who made his historic and triumphal return to the landmark Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, has performed live in front of more than 40 million people during a record-setting run of 25,000-plus shows in Las Vegas, alone.

This remarkably gifted artist, who can perform 13 different musical instruments on stage, has done so throughout his career without ever being able to read a single note of music. Wayne’s rare and unique abilities only further epitomizes the wealth of talent, glamour and unquenchable energy that is–Las Vegas.

In addition to his live prowess on stage, Newton has long since established himself as an accomplished and sought after actor–both on television and the silver screen–having appeared in such memorable movies as “Vegas Vacation” and the classic James Bond thriller, “License to Kill.”

Born in rural Virginia, Wayne knew early on, at age four, that he was born to entertain. He had his first radio show at the age of six years old and then at the ripe old age of nine, he landed his first television show in Phoenix, Arizona–where his family had moved due to Wayne’s childhood asthma affliction. Not to be detoured, the now 15-year-old professional entertainer soon found himself performing six shows a night/six nights a week on stage at the Fremont Hotel in Las Vegas. Young Wayne Newton was not legally old enough to be a customer at the casino/resort, but the now “seasoned” performer was certainly talented enough to be entertaining nightly in the city known as the epicenter of the entertainment world.

Blessed with an exceptional work ethic as well as the energy and heart to give 100% to each and every performance, Newton also displayed an innate gift and ability to “connect” with his audience each and every night–adeptly tailoring and crafting each show to the needs and moods of each individual audience. Wayne knew and loved his audiences and they responded in kind each night throughout the years.

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65th Annual ATOS Convention Stars, Stripes & Pipes at the Rialto Square Theatre

The 65th Annual ATOS Convention, CATOE presents Star, Stripes & Pipes, will bring organists Dave Wickerham and Simon Gledhill to Rialto Square Theatre. Dave Wickerham will perform on Monday, July 3 at 8 PM and Simon Gledhill will perform on Thursday, July 6 at 8 PM. Tickets are available for purchase now.

Dave Wickerham is a native of California and started playing the electronic organ at age 4. Moving to Arizona in 1976, he became the associate organist at the three locations of Organ Stop Pizza restaurants there, while continuing his classical organ studies at the University of Arizona. With his family, Dave moved to the Chicago area, then to Wisconsin and a brief stint in Las Vegas, where he fulfilled jobs as both a theatre organist and a church musician. His fourth CD, “Sounds of Music,” recorded on the Sanfilippo organ, sold out. Dave has also toured in Australia and New Zealand, and currently lives in Michigan, from where he concertizes extensively in the United States.

After starting his musical education on classical piano and organ, Simon Gledhill fell in love with theatre organ after hearing the famous Wurlitzer at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool. He was the ATOS Organist of the year in 1997, inducted into the Society’s Hall of Fame in 2015, and has also toured worldwide.

Simon, who is from the United Kingdom, premiered the newly revised Barton Grand here at the Rialto 30 years ago which was the last time ATOS held its annual convention here in Chicagoland. We are thrilled to have Simon back to perform on the Barton Grande for us. His concert will be the closing event to a week long celebration by theatre organ fans from all over the world.

Learn More About Dave Wickerham (July 3) | Learn More About Simon Gledhill (July 6)
Buy Tickets For Dave Wickerham (July 3) | Buy Tickets For Simon Gledhill (July 6)

Kevin James adds second show at Rialto Square Theatre

Kevin James adds second show at Rialto Square Theatre

Due to overwhelming demand, Comedian Kevin James added a second show at Rialto Square Theatre on Tuesday, September 26 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now

Kevin James began his career as a stand-up on the Long Island comedy scene. After being discovered at the 1996 Montreal Comedy Festival, he signed a network development deal to create his own sitcom.

The King of Queens, which premiered in 1998, ran for nine seasons on CBS with James starring and executive producing, and it garnered him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The show concluded its run in 2007 but continues to air daily in syndication across the country and around the world. James also starred in, and executive produced The Crew, a sitcom set in the world of NASCAR and is currently developing a single camera comedy (both for Netflix).

James brought his stand-up act to TV with Sweat the Small Stuff, a one-hour special for Comedy Central. Kevin James and Ray Romano executive produced and starred in the HBO Sports Special Making the Cut: The Road to Pebble Beach; a documentary about the Pebble Beach Pro Am Golf Tournament that was nominated for a Sports Emmy. His second comedy special Never Don’t Give Up premiered on Netflix to critical acclaim.

James was the producer, co-writer, and star of the hit comedies Paul Blart: Mall Cop 1 & 2, Zookeeper, and Here Comes The Boom. James made his feature film debut in Columbia Pictures’ Hitch starring opposite Will Smith, and starred alongside Adam Sandler in Pixels, Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and Hubie Halloween. He starred in the feature True Memoirs of an International Assassin for Netflix, the independent action thriller Becky, and starred in and produced Home Team for Netflix.

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