Saturday, August 4, 7:30 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
Described by Broadway World as “a very unique and original concept devised by a very creative imagination,” YouTube sensation Miranda Sings – the fictional creation of actor/comedian Colleen Balinger – strides upon the Adler Theatre stage in the August 4 touring presentation Miranda Sings Live ... No Offense, a blend of gut-busting comedy and intentionally terrible singing that Real Detroit Weekly called “delightfully hilarious” and that the Irish Independent praised for its “endearing sweetness.”
Ever since 2008, Ballinger has recorded videos of her comically talentless Miranda Sings on her YouTube channel. In these videos, the eccentric, narcissistic, yet sweet-natured character sings and dances badly, gives inept “tutorials,” recounts her daily activities, discusses current events that she often misunderstands, and rants about her critics, oftentimes reading examples of her hate mail and responding to them with her catchphrase “Haters Back Off!" Ballinger created the character as a satire of bad but arrogant singers who believe that posting their videos on YouTube will lead to them breaking into show business, and the Miranda Sings YouTube channel has had more than 1.7 billion views and nine million subscribers, with Miranda herself boasting six million Instagram followers.
Since 2009, in addition to her Internet videos, Ballinger has regularly presented live comedy acts in character as Miranda, performing at theatres throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Her touring show features Miranda's signature off-key singing of pop hits and show tunes intersperced with bits of the character's personal history, and Miranda Sings Live incorporates audience interaction including voice lessons and song duets. Ballinger's creation guest-starred with Jerry Seinfeld on a recent episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and in 2015, she released the New York Times number-one best-seller Self-Help. Miranda was also listed as the seventh-most-popular YouTube personality by the Daily American in 2015 and made Forbes magazine's 2017 list of top entertainment influencers, and her most popular YouTube video – a parody cover of Taylor Swift's “Shake It Off” – received more than 55 million views.
Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. Miranda Sings Live ... No Offense performance on August 4 are $39.50-83, and available by calling (800)745-3000 or visiting AdlerTheatre.com.
