'Jukebox' Set to Stun: PMJ Returns, Courtesy of MIAC

Photo by Nick Warren

With a host of talented singers and a creative mastermind in Scott Bradlee, Postmodern Jukebox will give its signature vintage twist to contemporary hits at Mercyhurst's Mary Du2019Angelo Performing Arts Center on January 29.

Tuesday, Jan. 29

Think about your favorite current pop song. What is it, Cardi B? A little Bieber? Are you saying "Thank u, next?" Now take that current pop song…but make it Jessica Rabbit.

What'd you come up with?

Okay, so Postmodern Jukebox, pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee's brainchild-cum-worldwide-sensation, is a lot more nuanced, but the group of spectacularly talented singers and musicians certainly has a penchant for taking famous, and perhaps unexpected, songs — like The Final Countdown by Europe, for example — and making them jazzy, swingy, lounge-y and yeah, more than a little seductive at times.

You don't just have to picture the pin curls and red lips, the sequins and that Roaring '20s glamour as you listen on your drive to work. Thanks to the Mercyhurst Institute for Arts and Culture, PMJ is coming back to Erie's Mary D'Angelo stage for their second engagement, and if the buzz on social media is any indication, this show is going to sell out just like the last one.

It's not difficult to see why. Apart from the novelty of having popular songs reimagined, reinterpreted or deconstructed, the music is just plain good, thoughtfully arranged, and delivered by talented artists who appear to love what they're doing. Then there's the fact that, unlike many shows out there, this one will appeal to a wide variety of ages, from your eight-year-old cousin to the great aunt who just turned 80, and everyone in between.

So hurry up and get those tickets, and while you're at it, you could hit up Pointe Foure for some sweet vintage looks, because Scott Bradlee insists that it makes the evening even more fun. Who is going to argue with Scott Bradlee?

Plus, do you really want to miss an excuse to break out that feather boa in the closet? — Cara Suppa

7:30 p.m. // 501 E. 38th // $20 and up (see website for ticketing information) // miac.mercyhurst.edu