Flagpole Radio Cafe Is Back for a Sixth Season

The Flagpole Radio Cafe is back for its sixth season Saturday, and it's kicking off with special guest harpist Deborah Henson-Conant returning to the festivities, alongside the music of Jim Allyn and the radio comedy of the Flagpole Shakespeare Radio Comedy Theatre.

And since its last season, the show has gained a higher profile. It was featured in the PBS special A Concert for Healing, organized by Peter Yarrow.

"If you've seen it before, it should look pretty familiar," says co-creator Martin Blanco, who founded the variety show six years ago with help from the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission. "But we strive to bring new material -- a song you haven't heard before, or some fresh comedy."

If you haven't seen it before, says Blanco, just know it's a "a blend of music and comedy from local professionals" held in Newtown's historic Edmond Town Hall.

"And with every show, we get to bring in a different voice, a different color from the palette of musical expression," he says.

Henson-Conant is a versatile harpist, Blanco says, who has toured with the Boston Pops, opened for Ray Charles and played alongside Bobbie McFerrin and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. And this isn't her first time on stage for the theatre.

"“Since my last show with The Flagpole Radio Cafe, I joined a rock band and toured the world with legendary guitarist Steve Vai -- thus fulfilling one of my life's big bucket list goals," she says. "Coming back to the Flagpole feels like coming back home."

The show begins at 7:00 p.m. at Edmond Town Hall. For tickets, e-mail info@flagpoleproductions.org.