2011-12 Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series Section

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Blumenthal Performing Arts

A special message from the Blumenthal Performing Arts president Dear Charlotte Broadway fans: We are thrilled that seven of Broadway’s hottest new shows will be on our stages next season as part of the Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series. You’ll see the most recent Tony Award® winners: MEMPHIS, the 2010 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical, and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, the 2010 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical Revival.

The sensational JERSEY BOYS “is making its way back to you” after breaking the Belk Theater box office record in 2010, while the music of more legendary stars drives MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, a show about the night Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins jammed together.

Because of your continued support, Charlotte is now a Top 10 city for touring Broadway shows, making it possible for us to get the best and newest titles, such as the current Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY; Twyla Tharp’s homage to Sinatra, COME FLY AWAY; and THE ADDAMS FAMILY. Then there’s BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL, a brand new show on its way to New York that combines some of Broadway’s most talented creative people to tell a story about the highly competitive world of cheerleading.

The Broadway Extras include ROCK OF AGES, a love story set to a soundtrack of arena-rockers and hair bands; SPAMALOT, a musical adaptation of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”; STOMP, a Charlotte favorite last here in 2008; and Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, a beloved family favorite.

We hope you read through this section and consider becoming a subscriber after you learn more about this diverse array of entertainment. As we planned for this season, we wanted to recognize that many theater fans might still be recovering from the recession. With that in mind, we lowered the subscription cost for 90 percent of our packages.

Whether you become a subscriber or buy tickets for a few select shows, we hope you enjoy the best of Broadway without leaving Charlotte!

2011-12 Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series THE ADDAMS FAMILY

JERSEY BOYS

Oct. 11-16 Ovens Auditorium . . . . . . . Pages 5X, 6X

Feb. 22-March 11, 2012 Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center . . . Page 4X, 7X

WEST SIDE STORY

BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL

Nov. 1-6 Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center . . . Pages 6X, 9X

April 10-15, 2012 Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center . . Pages 5X, 7X

COME FLY AWAY

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Nov. 22-Dec. 11 Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts . . . . . . . Pages 4X, 6X

May 1-6, 2012 Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center . . . Pages 7X, 9X

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

MEMPHIS Jan. 3-8, 2012 Ovens Auditorium . . . . . . . Pages 6X, 9X

May 29-June 3, 2012 Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center . . Pages 5X, 7X

For video of each show, visit BlumenthalArts.org/Broadway.

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BEST

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CHRISTOPHER WARREN-GREEN music director

Sincerely, Tom Gabbard President

Thu May 19 7 pm & Fri May 20 8 pm BELK THEATER Blumenthal Performing Arts Center

George Daugherty, conducting

blumenthal performing arts

This brand new edition of Looney Tunes and live orchestra adds classics like Tweet and Lovely and A Scent of a Matterhorn, old favorites like What’s Opera, Doc? and The Rabbit of Seville for a dynamic melding of Warner Bros. cartoons on the big screen with their exhilarating original scores played live!

Section published by P.O. Box 32188, Charlotte, NC 28232.

Editor Designer

Mark Wallace Tracie Stafford Editorial material in this section was provided by Blumenthal Performing Arts and is the responsibility of the Special Sections Department, 704-358-5796. It did not involve the news staff of The Observer.

Advertising Sales Tom Neeley, 704-358-5345

charlottesymphony.org | 704.972.2000

Copyright 2011 by The Charlotte Observer. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without written permission.

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STUDENT TICKETS HALF PRICE!

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704-335-1010 • BlumenthalArts.org/broadway

Subscribers enjoy benefits all season

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rom access to the very best seats to discounts on many shows, it pays to be a subscriber to the Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series.

Current subscriber Michael Silverman said: “Having moved from a large city with close proximity to NYC and Broadway, I wanted to find an avenue in Charlotte for my theater passion.

After seeing a few productions from Blumenthal Performing Arts, I found that Charlotte attracts high-caliber performers and touring companies. I have seen some of the same shows on Broadway and find the productions here are of equal talent. During the past six years I have thoroughly enjoyed my subscription and plan to continue for years to come!”

Gary Knight, a season subscriber for two years, said: “The reason I became a season subscriber was, first, for the lineup of shows. Many of the shows I was not able to see on Broadway, so this was a great way to 1see 5/11/2011 them (with)10:59 the AM ObsQtrPage:Layout

convenience of selecting the time that fit for me. I enjoy the acting and musical talent of the performers.

“Another reason is to always make sure I had a seat for the popular shows that sell out quickly,” Knight said.

Mary Coon, a subscriber since 2001, said the season tickets offer a break from the routine. “(It’s) an excuse to have a nice dinner out and a chance to spend an evening enjoying good company and great theater,” said Coon, who originally subscribed because a friend, who is a longtime Broadway fan, suggested that they might enjoy seeing Broadway-quality shows together. “Over the years, we’ve enjoyed the performances, especially the musicals,” she said.

2011 – 2012 SEASON

Want to subscribe?

For 2011-12 Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series subscriptions, visit BlumenthalArts.Org/Broadway Page 1 or call 704-335-1010.

NEW UPDATED AND EXPANDED END SECTION Experience the updated and expanded exhibition Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers!

With the addition of new gallery space and technology, plus exciting interactives, we’ve captured Charlotte’s recent WHIRLWIND OF GROWTH and are asking you the question: WHAT’S NEXT?

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Do you wanna rock?

Do you wanna roll?

Blue

L

ove rock music? You won’t want to miss two shows on the 2011-12 Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series and one Broadway Extra. MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET and JERSEY BOYS will set your toes tapping and fingers snapping while ROCK OF AGES revisits the hair bands and arena rockers of the ’80s.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET takes you back to the night that music icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins jammed at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tenn.

Producer Sam Phillips, who instigated the get-together, wisely hit the record button. The musical explores their relationships and the rise to fame (and the pitfalls) while rocking along to songs such as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Who Do You Love?” and “Folsom Prison Blues.”

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Around that same time in the late ’50s, four guys were getting together in New Jersey to put their own stamp on rock ‘n’ roll. JERSEY BOYS – which tells the story of The Four Seasons, Hall of Famers and one of pop music’s original boy bands – returns after breaking Belk Theater box office records in 2010. Set against another memorable song list – “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Oh What a Night,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” – JERSEY BOYS won the 2006 Tony Award® for Best Musical and the 2006 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show.

ROCK OF AGES, a Broadway Extra, pays homage to a later chapter of rock history: the late ’80s. It’s a show for those who banged their heads every time Twisted Sister and Poison came on the radio or who held up a Zippo during an REO Speedwagon, Styx or Whitesnake concert.

Edible Art

The original Broadway cast of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET performs.

Dine at Blue before or after a show and receive 10% discount on all food purchases with show of ticket.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Live Music Complimentary Valet Parking Connected to Belk Theater by indoor crosswalk Corner of 5th & College St. T) 704.927.2583 www.bluecharlotte.com 4X

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Performing in JERSEY BOYS are, front from left, Quinn VanAntwerp, Joseph Leo Bwarie, Matt Bailey and Steve Gouveia, along with the company of JERSEY BOYS. Photo by Joan Marcus

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704-335-1010 • BlumenthalArts.org/broadway

Bring the family to meet THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Cheer on BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL

W

ant to get a head start on Halloween and see a musical that makes your family seem really

normal?

Don’t miss THE ADDAMS FAMILY, which opens the 2011-12 Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series on Oct. 11. The

musical is based on Charles Addams’ cartoons for the New Yorker. Audiences may also remember the characters from the hit TV show, which was later made into two movies.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY plays through Oct. 16 at Ovens Auditorium.

Photo by Greg Mooney

Performers act out a competitive moment in the 2011 Alliance Theatre production of BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL.

B

RING IT ON: THE MUSICAL is the explosive new musical comedy that raises the stakes on over-thetop high school rivalries. Set against the world of competitive cheerleading, this powerhouse new show hilariously proves that winning isn’t everything when it means losing something ­­– or someone – you really care about.

BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL has brought together some of the freshest and funniest creative minds on Broadway, including Tony Award®winning writer Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q ); Tony Award®-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (In The Heights); Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and lyricist Amanda Green (High Fidelity); Tony Award®-winning orchestrator Alex Lacamoire (Wicked); and Tony Award®-winning director/ choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler

(In The Heights).

This entirely original musical comedy combines an exciting new sound, gravity-defying choreography and a thrilling story to create a total theatrical event worth cheering for. Game on!

The tour of BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL launches Oct. 30 in Los Angeles.

Photo by Joan Marcus

The original Broadway cast of THE ADDAMS FAMILY put a fresh spin on a pop culture favorite.

Photo by Greg Mooney

Actors perform during the song “Friday Night” in the 2011 Alliance Theatre production of BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL.

Hamilton to star in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

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tage and screen star George Hamilton will head the cast of the national tour of the Tony Award®-winning Broadway revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, which will play May 29 through June 3, 2012 at Belk Theater as part of the 2011-12 Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series.

Hamilton will play Georges, the owner of a glitzy nightclub in lovely Saint-Tropez.

The tanned Hollywood legend, known for roles in “Love at First Bite,” “Zorro, the Gay Blade” and “Godfather III,” made his Broadway debut in “Chicago.”

Hamilton

704-335-1010 • BlumenthalArts.org/broadway

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Fall in love, Broadway style

Romance and musical theater go hand in hand! It’s the perfect marriage. The shows in the 2011-12 Duke Energy Broadway Light Series represent something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue (as in Ol’ Blue Eyes).

Something old

It’s a chance to revisit a classic American musical or see it for the very first time.

A matchless work by Broadway legends: choreography by Jerome Robbins, book by Arthur Laurents and score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

Something new The 2010 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical is a tale of forbidden love and fame, which was inspired by actual events.

Something blue This story of four couples falling in and out of love is choreographed by the legendary Twyla Tharp and set to the unforgettable music of Frank Sinatra.

It will make you laugh, cry and dance in your seat as you root for the characters to overcome the world and themselves.

Most romantic number

Songs that have crossed into the mainstream: “I Feel Pretty,” “America,” “Tonight” and “Somewhere.”

“One Hand, One Heart.”

The score was written

by David Bryan, a Grammy® Awardwinning keyboard player and founding member of Bon Jovi.

Three good reasons: 1. Sinatra.

2. Tharp.

3. World-class dancers.

Something borrowed It’s the classic story of Belle, a woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a prince trapped in a spell. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end.

Noteworthy

Why you shouldn’t miss it

It’s truly a show that appeals to all ages and features Academy Award® winning songs from the movie.

This is Tharp’s second Broadway hit with a music legend.

“Movin’ Out” featured the songs of Billy Joel.

The original creators of the Broadway production are together again for this new touring production.

You’ll Love

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2011-12 6 benefits if you subscribe Broadway Lights

1. Guaranteed seats for Broadway’s 4. Buy before the public.

Purchase additional single tickets to any of the biggest hits.

With limited engagements in Charlotte, the soldout sign is bound to go up quickly for many of these hits, but as a subscriber, your seats are guaranteed.

2. The best seats at the best price.

Subscribers are seated before anyone else and save on tickets for many titles with discounts up to 20 percent. You can enjoy seven great shows for as little as $126.

3. Create your perfect season with Swap a Show!

Wish you could trade one show on the season for something else? Maybe one of the Broadway Extras? Or additional seats at JERSEY BOYS? With the Swap benefit, trade tickets to one show for tickets to anything else on the Blumenthal’s schedule.

Swap any time after receiving your tickets until one week prior to the event date. If the event you are swapping into is more expensive, you must pay the difference; if it’s less, we will refund the difference.

season shows or Broadway Extras now or at any time before sales open to the public. This same Subscriber Priority also applies to all Blumenthalsponsored special attractions.

5. Exchange for free.

Switch your normal subscription performance to another day or time for free.

Pay your subscription over three monthly installments. Your credit card will be charged monthly, beginning with the month you order.

Also, lock down parking now.

Buy parking for the whole season with your subscription. This amount can be included in your extended payments.

Over 35 wines by the glass - Daily Dinner, Lunch & Drink Specials

Seven-show package Price 1

Price 2

Price 3

Price 4

Tuesday / Wednesday

$476.35

$343.70

$259.70

$126

Thursday / Saturday matinee / Sunday matinee and evening

$507.85

$413.35

$318.85

$140

Friday / Saturday evening

$555.25

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$144

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Friday / Saturday evening

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Eight-show package

6. Easy pay plan.

CELEBRATE BEFORE OR AFTER THE SHOW...

Series pricing

For 2011-12 Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series subscriptions, visit BlumenthalArts.Org/Broadway or call 704-335-1010.

CAROLINA VOICES SPRING CONCERTS! A PICCOLO SPOLETO PREVIEW Friday, May 20 at 7:30pm St. John’s Baptist Church

Carolina Voices’ Festival Singers, VOX and the Charlotte Symphony’s Oratorio Singers of Charlotte Chamber Singers present select pieces from their upcoming Piccolo Spoleto performances in Charleston!

A MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND CONCERT Saturday, May 28 at 7:30pm | Myers Park Baptist Church It’s a star-spangled evening of patriotic music presented by Carolina Voices’ choirs, Myers Park Baptist Church Chancel Choir and the Charlotte Civic Orchestra! A portion of the proceeds from the concert will benefit Urban Ministry Center.

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more information visit:

www.carolinavoices.org

TICKETS START AT JUST $15!

For tickets call: 704.374.1564 or 704.372.1000 Order online: www.carolinatix.org 704-335-1010 • BlumenthalArts.org/broadway

Connect with fans

through Blumenthal Affinity Clubs

W

ant to meet others who share your interest in performing arts? Check out the Blumenthal’s Affinity Clubs.

No dues or work are required – it’s just a chance to have fun and meet others who like the arts.

Our Affinity Clubs offer regular pre- and post-show parties, special “informances,” which give insider information about the

shows, and sometimes the chance to meet the artists. It’s free for members. Season subscribers may be interested in choosing a night that corresponds with the group of their choice.

• CLUB BLUME: For young adults in there 20s and 30s.

Events are often on Wednesdays.

• CHARLOTTE LIVE: For students. Three groups exist:

Facebook.com/NCBPAC

Middle School, High School and College.

• OUT ON THE TOWN: For the LGBT community. Events are often on Thursdays.

• TEACHERS LOUNGE: For educators.

@BlumenthalArts

YouTube.com/NCBPAC

For more information, visit online at BlumenthalArts.org/Clubs.

BlumenthalArts.org

Watch the Tony Awards with fellow fans

T

oast the best of Broadway during Blumenthal Performing Arts’ seventh annual Tony Awards® Party on Sunday, June 12, with the Charlotte area’s biggest theater fans.

Watch the live broadcast of the 65th annual Tony Awards® on a 10-by-14-foot screen in McGlohon Theatre at Spirit Square.

Blumenthal Vice President of Programming Douglas Young will serve as the emcee for the evening.

Admission is free. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the broadcast begins at 8 p.m. Those attending will get sneak previews of the 2011-12 Duke Energy Broadway

Lights Series and a chance to win prizes, such as tickets and show merchandise.

Complimentary food will be served, and a cash bar will be available.

30 per person 3 course dinner Before the Show!

Get special group benefits

lumenthal Performing Arts group sales staff offers concierge-level service to make your visit to the theater extraordinary and memorable. All you need are 10 to 20 (minimums vary) students, co-workers, classmates, friends or any other group to receive benefits such as: Discounted tickets: Discounts

and group minimums vary by show.

Priority seating: Groups will have the opportunity to be seated prior to the general on-sale.

Flexible payment: Unsure of how many people are coming and seating preferences? Place an order with a small deposit, and Group Sales will hold your seats until

you know! (Policy may vary by show.)

Special opportunities: Some shows and artists offer an opportunity for meet-and-greets, Q&As with the cast and study guides.

For offers and more benefits, go online to BlumenthalArts.org/ Groups, e-mail groupsales@ncbpac.org or call 704-379-1380.

704-335-1010 • BlumenthalArts.org/broadway

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AQUAVINA

STEAKS AND SEAFOOD 435 South Tryon, Uptown Charlotte (Overlooking The Green, across from Knight Theatre & Charlotte Convention Center)

Reservations Preferred

704-377-9911 / www.aquavina.com Complimentary Covered Parking

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Photo by Jessica Jarvis

Guests enjoy the Tony Awards Party last year in the McGlohon Theatre.

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June 14-19 • Belk TheaTer aT BluMenThal perforMing arTs cenTer

the tony and pulitzer prize-winning musical ®

July 12-17 • knighT TheaTer at levine center for the arts 704.372.1000 • BlumenthalArts.org • Group Sales: 704.379.1380

Blumenthal Performing arts