Henderson Symphony to celebrate 100 years of the Little Tramp with Chaplin performance
For the fourth time, the Henderson Symphony Orchestra plans to bring the music of a Charlie Chaplin film to life.
The orchestra is slated to play the live score while showing “The Circus” at 8 p.m. June 7 at the Henderson Pavilion, 200 S. Green Valley Parkway.
Tickets cost $10.
Taras Krysa, the conductor for the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, said “The Circus” is the story of the tramp who got involved with a big production of the circus, which became a big hit.
Along the way, Chaplin’s character falls in love with the ringmaster’s daughter.
“Chaplin is brilliant in this movie,” Krysa said.
Before showing “The Circus,” there will be a showing of a shorter Chaplin film, “Kid Auto Races at Venice.”
Krysa added that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the short film, in which Chaplin introduced the Little Tramp — the lovable yet goofy character for which the actor is best known.
This year is Chaplin’s 125th birthday, Krysa said.
Nicole Johnson, a spokeswoman with the city of Henderson, said the first orchestra-backed Chaplin film had great feedback.
“Due to its popularity with residents, it has grown into an annual event,” she said.
Since launching with “City Lights,” the orchestra has featured “The Gold Rush” and “Modern Times.”
Krysa said it wasn’t surprising that audiences loved this event.
“Chaplin is a revolutionary in the movie business,” he said. “He was a great actor, director, dancer, choreographer and composer. He was just great at everything.”
He added that Chaplin films are something people can watch over and over again.
“It’s like a piece of music,” he said. “The more you listen to it, the more you get out of it. At least that is my philosophy.”
Chaplin’s influence, Krysa added, can be traced to other filmmakers and choreographers.
“He had a powerful influence on our culture today,” he said.
Since it was added to the city of Henderson entertainment offerings, this concept of backing silent films has been featured around Las Vegas.
“It’s my understanding that we were the first in Southern Nevada to present the live orchestral screening of a Chaplin film,” Johnson said. “We are thrilled to be a trailblazer in events such as this.”
This isn’t the only time residents can see the Henderson Symphony Orchestra.
The city also taps the talents of the orchestra at parades and events such as WinterFest and Fourth of July.
The city plans to continue partnering with the orchestra for its concert series, but Krysa doesn’t know the future of Chaplin films.
He said the orchestra has done all the movies that are available for showing.
“I hope people enjoyed it while it lasted,” he said. “It is coming to an end.”
He said there are other potential smaller works it could debut.
Krysa is still looking at ideas for what next year’s event could hold.
“We could bring back what we’ve done before,” he said. “We can do the same thing over and over, but change is good.”
For more information, visit hsorch.org or hendersonlive.com.
Contact Henderson View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 702-387-5201.
