CROSS THAT RIVER
Berglund Performing Arts Theatre
Ticket Prices: $81 and $41
Parking: $5.00
SEATING CHART BUY TICKETS PARKING PASS
See the moving musical production “Cross That River”- the story of an important moment in American history, where Black cowboys helped settle the West! Coming to Berglund Center February 18!
The unsettled West of the 1860s provides a new life and new dreams for Blue, a run-away slave, who escapes from slavery to Texas to become one of America’s first Black Cowboys. This compelling tale of freedom integrates fiction with historical fact, and each song presents a different page in this complicated chapter of American History. The story of Blue begins in Louisiana, and with every song of this highly infectious score, the audience is moved further along on Blue’s harrowing journey across the Sabine River to freedom in the Wild West. Each song tells a unique story, at times joyful, sometimes tragic, but mostly a poignant chronicle of enduring perseverance.
Award-winning musician, Allan Harris, wrote Cross That River to tell the untold story of the Black West and empower Americans with an inspiring story of hope and freedom. Tony Bennett has called Harris “my favorite singer.” He’s performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, at Carnegie Hall, the Algonquin’s Oak Room, and the Winter and Summer Olympics. He’s performed with musical legends Vince Gill and Stevie Wonder.
Memories of his early career playing guitar and singing with country rock bands inspired Allan to create his 2006 song-cycle Cross That River, a stunning portrait of the African American West. Cross That River recently finished a five-week run in New York City to critical acclaim.
Featured Events
BERGLUND CENTER COLISEUM
Tickets: $14-26 (Adult), $12-24 (Kids 2-12)
Parking: $10 or Free Shuttle
Doors Open - 6:00 PM, Game Start Time 7:05
Represent the Roanoke Valley on 540 Night! Roanoke faces the Fayetteville Marksmen in a night all about the 540. Sponsored by Haley Toyota of Roanoke. Puck drops at 7:05 P.M. We'll see ya there!
Berglund Performing Arts Theatre
SHOWTIME: 7:00 PM
Suggested 16 +
*Yondr Fan Advisory
This event will be a phone-free experience. Use of cellphones, smart watches, smart accessories, cameras, or recording devices will not be permitted in the performance space.
Upon arrival at the venue, all phones, smart watches, and accessories will be secured in Yondr pouches that will be opened at the end of the event. Guests maintain possession of their belongings at all times and can access their phones throughout the event at designated Phone Use Areas in the venue. All phones will be re-secured in Yondr pouches before returning to the event space.
Anyone seen using a non-permitted device during the performance will be escorted out of the venue. Guests are encouraged to bring a credit card for purchases inside the venue. We appreciate your cooperation in creating a phone-free viewing experience.
Crowned by Vulture as “stand-up comedy’s most prolific storyteller,” Ali Siddiq has built a dedicated massive fanbase clamoring to attend his live shows and watch his masterful independently produced and released specials. He premiered his four-part stand-up series The Domino Effect 1-4 in 2022-2024 which has amassed over 47 million views. The storytelling saga cemented Ali’s reputation as a master craftsman of narrative comedy. Each chapter became a cultural event, landing Ali among the top-viewed comedians on YouTube year after year.
Also during that time, Ali released the special Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover (2023) which has amassed 6 million views. In 2025 alone he released 3 more hour standup specials, My Two Sons (12M+ views), Rugged (7M+ views) and Mondays (3M+ views). Deadline included Ali in their list of “Comics Who Won 2025” and My Two Sons earned Siddiq a 2026 NAACP Nomination for “Outstanding Variety Series or Special.” He will be releasing 3 more new hour specials in 2026 that have already been filmed. An emerging comedy mogul, Ali also executive-produces and distributes multiple specials for other comedians including Malik S. and Ryan Davis, with a 2nd special from Marcus D. Wiley coming up on February 1.
From Houston, TX, Ali developed his unmistakable voice in one of the most unlikely places — behind the walls of incarceration, where storytelling was survival, currency, and community. Comedy Central would later sent him back inside a Texas jail to film It’s Bigger Than These Bars (4M+ views). Today, that same voice has made him one of the most watched, respected, and consistently viral comedians in the world.
For more information - www.AliSiddiq.com