Palace Theatre showcasing local talent in 'No Place Like Home,' Shovel City Improv

I am truly amazed that Marion, Ohio, being a relatively small town, has an amazing population of talented people.

I first met Tanner Wink in 2006, when he was 6 years old and playing the youngest and smallest of the “Boy’s Band” in “The Music Man,” the Palace’s summer musical. Fast forward to 2022 and Tanner played the title role in that year’s summer musical, “The Will Rogers Follies.”

I have always known Tanner was a talented singer, but when he belted out “O Holy Night” at last December’s “Christmas at the Palace,” he truly blew me away. I told his mother and grandmother, “Well your little boy has grown up!”

I first met Madisen Schenk in 2013 when she was 9 or 10 and she dueted with her father, Brian, in that year’s “Christmas at the Palace” - coincidentally also singing “O Holy Night.” I paid special attention to their performance as Brian had been my mother’s hospice nurse before she passed away only a month prior. I remember thinking “Little girl; big voice.”

January entertainment: 'No Place Like Home,' Shovel City Improv

On Jan. 20, the May Pavilion will be graced with a show titled “No Place Like Home” starring Tanner and Madisen. It is sure to be a wonderful evening as the two songsters will celebrate their hometown in song.

On Jan. 27, the May Pavilion will again be graced with some home-grown talent when the Shovel City Improv group will put on a show. Even if you have seen them before, they are always trying out new material and there is a lot of audience participation, so it will be a guaranteed good time.

When I was a kid in the early ‘70s growing up on Hane Avenue, one of my favorite TV shows was “The Sonny and Cher Show.” I used to daydream that they were my parents and that they were just the coolest. I was so jealous of Chastity. Needless to say, I have always been a fan of the goddess of pop.

When I came across singer/actress Lisa McClowry on YouTube with a promotional video of her performing as Cher, I was blown away by how she had every nuance of Cher down pat - the voice, the mannerisms, the attitude. “The Beat Goes On” will be presented on the main stage on Saturday, Feb. 17.

Tickets for all Palace shows can be obtained at the Box Office, which is open every weekday, except Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at our website marionpalace.org, keeping in mind that there is a $5 per ticket service charge for online purchases.

Kirk Detweiler is the executive director of the Marion Palace Theatre.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Local talent and a Cher impersonator to perform at the Palace Theatre