VIRGINIA LEGENDS LIVE!
Ella: The Life & Music of Ella Fitzgerald
The Virginia Legends Walk at 13th Street and Atlantic Avenue is the site for a regular visit from the First Lady of Jazz. Ella is an homage to the Virginia-born jazz impresario who crossed all kinds of personal and social barriers to become one of the most beloved singers of all time. This mini-concert is fully produced with set, lights, sound, a small combo of musicians, and a singer who looks and sounds so much like Ella that she has people lining up after the show to get her autograph! You’ll hear hits like I’m In The Mood For Love, A Tisket – A Tasket, Blues Skies, and more. This half-hour tribute show is performed three times nightly and features the stories and songs from Ella’s career that have made her a household name and a true Virginia Legend.
2022 Schedule:
13th Street Gazebo Stage
Ella: The Life & Music of Ella Fitzgerald
Thursday-Sunday
8:00m and 9:00pm
July 4-August 25
1619
In the early dawn of August 20, 1619, a wounded ship limped through the mist into the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Its mission was dark and shrouded in political espionage. It was an English ship flying under a Dutch flag and carrying a letter of marque from the Protestant Dutch Prince Maurice – a license to legally pirate Spanish or Portuguese ships. The pirate was English Captain John Collin Jope and the ship was The White Lion.
As The White Lion’s hull cut silently through the morning water, they passed, unceremoniously, by Cape Henry, the site where Christopher Newport had led his Virginia Company crew ashore for the “First Landing”. And now, just 12 years later, another “First Landing” was about to take place; one marked with pain and triumph. And one that would forever change the face of this still-infant nation.
1619 tells the compelling story of the native Africans who first set foot on American soil. It is a story of lives and cultures interrupted – and destinies grafted together. Told through riveting live performance, dramatic video, and a powerful musical score, 1619 is a story that 400 years later must be told.
2022 Schedule:
26th Street Connector
1619: When Destinies Collide
Friday-Sunday
8:30pm and 9:30pm
July 8-August 28
Aviators and Afterburners: A Naval Airpower Legacy
AVIATORS AND AFTERBURNERS is a 30-minute theatrical performance honoring naval aviation and chronicles how Hampton Roads played a part in its history. On May 8, 1911, the United States Navy ordered its first airplanes and US Naval Aviation was born. Over the course of the past century, Naval Aviation roared forward on the backs of the finest aircraft, aviators, and flight crews in the world. Now, over 100 years after its founding, the spirit and essence of United States Naval Aviation is celebrated in this 30-minute theatrical show.
2022 Schedule:
Aviators & Afterburners
Thursday and Saturday
8:30pm and 9:30pm
June 30-August 21
Wreck of the Dictator
The Statue of the Norwegian Lady at 25th Street and the Oceanfront has long been a site of local renown, but few know the real story behind the landmark. The Wreck of the Dictator is a dramatic re-telling of the story that held Hampton Roads captive in 1891 and, ultimately, inspired the statue. The heart-stopping story of the Norwegian ship “Dictator” and her gallant crew is breathtakingly produced with full lighting, sound, and special effects at the very sight where the wreck took place. Truth is truly more gripping than fiction!
2022 Schedule:
25th Street Military Aviation Park
The Wreck of the Dictator
Tuesday-Sunday
8:00pm and 9:00pm
July 5-August 25
Valor: Story of the U.S. Navy SEALs
Valor is a 25 minute theatrical show which honors the history and recounts some of the most compelling missions of the US Navy SEALS in our nation’s history. Valor is led by a dynamic storyteller who details the SEALS’ history using photos and projected media.
2022 Schedule:
Valor: The US Navy Seals
Friday and Sunday
8:30pm and 9:30pm
June 30-August 21
