The Palace Theater is celebrating love with a hybrid concert event Sunday for Valentine’s Day.
The historic theater will be presenting “Songs in the Key of Love — A Virtual Valentine to Hilo” for free, at-home viewing in addition to hosting a socially distanced live audience.
This will be the first time a live audience is allowed to view a show in person at the Palace since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We wanted to have an event to open the Palace before our spring season,” said Phillips Payson, executive director of the Palace Theater. “Coming off the success of ‘Home for the Hilodays,’ we were all confident that we could provide a safe environment for this fun, creative show.”
A limited number of tickets are available for $20 on the Palace’s website, and COVID-19 safety protocols will be strictly enforced, including temperature checks and hand sanitizing stations at the door.
Masks must be worn to attend the event, and only 20% of the theater’s capacity will be available for reserved seating.
“For people that aren’t ready to come out quite yet, we will also film the event live and stream it for free on the website,” Payson said. “Our hope is that people prepare a nice dinner or order in something for their special someone and join us for an evening of romantic music from this incredibly talented cast.”
“Songs in the Key of Love,” conceived by Charles Bankhead Haines and Larry Reitzer, will showcase some of Hilo’s premiere male vocalists singing their favorite love songs.
The show will feature a playlist of songs by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Lauryn Hill, The Bee Gees and Elton John.
Along with the many love-laden songs, the show also will feature hula dancing, juggling and a three-piece house band.
Anyone interested in purchasing in-person tickets can do so on hilopalace.com, or by calling 808-934-7010. The Palace will only be selling 100 of the 500-seat capacity to ensure the audience is comfortable and distanced.
The virtual show will be available for free beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday on the Palace’s website.
The Kahilu Theatre also will be hosting a virtual Valentine’s Day concert staring Jesse Snyder and the MUSE Band live on www.Kahilu.TV at 4 p.m. Sunday. There will be a live talk story with Snyder and the band following the performance.
Tickets, which are good for an entire household, are $9.99 and available at www.Kahilu.TV.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com
