Shane Hudson

Hair, playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through Sunday, is a wonderfully trippy tribute to the heyday of the hippie movement. Of course, to call Hair a tribute might diminish the power of this musical's position in the pantheon of the American musicals.

Blue Man Group, now playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through Sunday, is a high-intensity, full- immersion theatrical spectacle. Part performance art, part concert, Blue Man Group totally rocked downtown Durham for 90 solid minutes of laugh-out-loud commentary on modern life and modern art. Blue Man Group might not be for the faint of heart. There's no real story, the music is loud and thumping, and there's a good deal of audience participation. Don't let the plastic ponchos up front scare you off though. Blue Man Group is a guaranteed good time from hysterical start to dance party finish.

In The Heights, now playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through February 27, may very well be one of the most charming, deliriously feel-good musicals ever written. The story is universal. A community must come together to find the true meaning of family or be torn apart. The music is fresh and dynamic, while reflecting the rhythms of past generations. The fascinating choreography is an eclectic mix of modern, hip-hop, and salsa. In The Heights is so full of love and joy that even the hardest hearts will melt by the final number. This is a musical masterpiece that must be seen!

WOW, what a season! The Durham Performing Arts Center just announced its 2011-2012 SunTrust Broadway Series live from New York City! Do not wait. Get your tickets while you can. The 2011-2012 season is spectacular - filled with great music, Tony Award winning shows and high-kicking showgirls! There's something for everyone this season at DPAC. Direct from New York, next year's season combines the best of the new touring productions and some of your classic favorites to create another exciting Broadway lineup at DPAC. Plus WICKED makes a triumphant return to the Triangle!

Disney's The Lion King, playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through January 30, is theatrical storytelling at its most spectacular. Take a familiar father/son story that borrows heavily from Shakespeare, the Greeks, and the Bible. Add incredible, near unimaginable, artistry - puppets, masks, glorious costumes and scenery. Mix in a heavy dose of humor and catchy, familiar music. Throw in a mix of African traditions and some Asian influences and you have one of the finest and most collaborative pieces of popular theatre that has ever graced the stage.

Young Frankenstein, playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through December 12, is wickedly funny and incredibly bawdy. It's almost exactly what you'd expect from a musical based on a Mel Brooks movie - almost.

Betty Buckley, Broadway diva, television star, and Tony Award-winning actress put on a spectacular concert last week at The Carolina Theatre in Durham. Buckley's voice was in top-notch form and she commanded the stage with confidence and ease.

Billy Elliot, which opened last night at the Durham Performing Arts Center, is an absolute must-see production.

Billy Elliot The Musical has officially taken over Durham, NC. The lobbies on all three floors of the Durham Performing Arts Center are littered with electric cables, costumes, props and even a specially installed dance floor for rehearsals. The President's Club has been transformed into a school room for the 21 children appearing in the musical who, when they aren't rehearsing, are being instructed by three tutors. The magnificent theatre itself is strewn with papers, lighting gels, and electric and sound equipment. There is a palpable sense of creation in the air as Billy Elliot prepares to open in Durham at the end of the month.

Tuesday night, hundreds of children were enchanted by the touring production of Beauty and the Beast, now playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through Sunday, June 13. As I wandered through the lobby before the show and during intermission, I often had to carefully sidestep a tiny Belle in requisite yellow ball gown and tiara. What was most remarkable though was how enchanted the adults were, myself included.

Dozens of boys and girls auditioned this weekend for the chance to be part of the Second National Tour of Billy Elliot which launches at the Durham Performing Arts Center this fall. The auditions took place at the Carolina Dance Center in Raleigh with boys auditioning for the role of Billy on Saturday and girls auditioning for ensemble roles on Sunday.

The Color Purple made a triumphant return to the Durham Performing Arts Center this week. The musical, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the Steven Spielberg film of the same name, is a massively popular, Tony-Award winning epic.

North Carolina Theatre and Broadway Series South are seeking energetic and talented performers to audition for High School Musical 2 in February 2009. If you sing, dance and look like you go to East High School then this show?s for you!

Goodbye gray skies, hello blue HAPPY DAYS A New Musical is coming to the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, April 14-19. Tickets are on sale now!

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, the most fantasmagorical Broadway musical in the history of everything, flies into Raleigh?s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts beginning March 31 for 8 performances only!

A two-part repertory production of Charles Dickens' epic 'The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby' will headline PlayMakers Repertory Company's 34th season, announced Thursday (March 5) by producing artistic director Joseph Haj. Also during its 2009-2010 mainstage season, PlayMakers will present Arthur Miller's wartime drama 'All My Sons,' the comedy classic 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde and the regional premiere of 'Opus' by Michael Hollinger.

North Carolina Theatre and Progress Energy are thrilled to present Miss Saigon, the classic love story of our time based on Puccini?s opera, Madame Butterfly. The show will run Saturday, March 21st through Sunday, March 29th in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

Justin Long, Hollywood actor, will join the cast of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet for five benefit performances as Romeo, at Theatre In The Park. Justin will be joined on stage by Hollywood actress and Raleigh, NC native, Evan Rachel Wood as his Juliet.

Tony Award-winning Broadway star Patti LuPone (the original Evita) takes us on a high-spirited tour of songs and roles that she 'could have played, should have played, did play and will play,' with selections from Hair, Bye Bye Birdie, Funny Girl, West Side Story, Peter Pan, Evita, Anything Goes and more!