Stoughton Opera House announces 2016-17 season

The lineup includes Robyn Hitchcock, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, and Nick Lowe.
 

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Recently we checked in on the financial state of the Stoughton Opera House, but what’s the outlook for actual shows there? The historic venue’s 2016-2017 lineup is now online, and it’s probably hitting your mailbox this week if you’ve attended shows there or made a donation before. The Opera House sometimes adds a few shows during the season, and following its Facebook page is probably the best way to keep up with those announcements.

A few big highlights jump out in the fall, namely singer-songwriter Nick Lowe in a solo-acoustic show on October 12 (I’ve seen him play acoustic before, mostly drawing on songs from his “New Best-Of” period, and it’s really charming), trumpet-vocal power couple Herb Alpert and Lani Hall on October 14, and brilliant psych-folk eccentric Robyn Hitchcock on November 18.

The Opera House has cultivated a lot of regular visitors over the years, and most of them are here. They include Michael Perry in a spoken program on November 10, country veteran Marty Stuart on March 18, 2017, Duluth folk institution Charlie Parr on March 24, 2017, and bluegrass innovator Del McCoury on April 8, 2017. Then there are acts outside the Americana realm who’ve become unlikely staples, especially, comedian Emo Philips, returning on April 1, 2017.

In other news, the Opera House announced on Facebook recently that longtime booker Christina Dollhausen will be leaving in August. Dollhausen is a big reason why the venue’s been able to attract a consistent slate of artists and a loyal audience over the past few years, so here’s hoping they can fill her shoes adequately.