SOUTH PACIFIC, GREASE!, 'LITTLE HOUSE' Among TUTS 2009/2010 Season Offerings

Theatre Under The Stars' (TUTS) President and CEO John C. Breckenridge announces TUTS' 2009-2010 Season: The One That You Want! September 2009 to May 2010 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. "The quality and beauty of this lineup is something TUTS is very excited about," said Breckenridge. "This is the type of season that exemplifies the soul of TUTS. The incomparable energy of Grease, beauty of South Pacific, the over-the-top production quality of Miss Saigon, and the quintessential nostalgia of The Sound of Music are all at the heart of why theatre is so emotionally impactful." In its 2009-2010 Season, TUTS combines powerful Broadway classics with innovative new creations and revivals.

New and renewing subscriptions to the Theatre Under The Stars 2009-2010 Season are available online at TUTS.com, by phone at (713) 558-TUTS, outside the Houston area at (888) 558-3882, or in person at the Theatre Under The Stars Box Office (800 Bagby at Walker). For a full season brochure, call Theatre Under The Stars at (713) 558-2600. Discounted group subscriptions of 15 or more are also available by calling (713) 558-8888.

September 8-20, 2009

GREASE
A Blast From The Past
Take a trip to the exuberant and trouble-free time of poodle skirts, drive-ins, and T-birds. Bad boy, Danny, and the goodie- two-shoes, Sandy, fall in love to the tune of your favorite songs: "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightnin'" and "We Go Together" as well as songs from the hit movie: "Grease," "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "You're the One That I Want." For the first week only, this tour features guest star and "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel, the role he recently played on Broadway. Get down, whoop it up, and cut loose with your family and friends!

September 29 - October 11, 2009

"MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS"
TUTS Premiere
Nothing can make you feel better than a true classic like this. Among our "most wanted" last season, this MGM-style family traditional returns to our line-up for the fall. Hop the trolley back to the turn-of-the-century for family fun and musical merriment. An invitation to your near-and-dears to "meet me" at TUTS will let you all enjoy such classics as "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door," and the beloved classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

December 8-20, 2009

"THE SOUND OF MUSIC"
Timeless Family Classic
Winner of five Oscars, including Best Picture, this show is one of only four which also won Broadway's Best Musical Tony Award. Cherished songs including "Edelweiss," "The Sound of Music," "Lonely Goatherd," "Do Re Mi," and "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," shape an uplifting and top-selling score which has thrived for nearly five decades. This holiday season, share this prized musical experience with someoNe You love. Your "heart will be blessed"...and you'll "sing once more!"

February 9-21, 2010

"MISS SAIGON"
International Sensation
Full of love, loss and lust, this is a show our subscribers have requested again and again. Following up the blockbuster hit of last season's Les Miserablàs, TUTS brings you a stunning dramatic spectacle from the same amazing composers. In the chaos of the Vietnam War, young lovers are separated. They spend years searching for one another, and despite heartbreak, find hope for their love-child's future. A modernized version of war-time romance Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon is newly relevant, making the characters' choices and sacrifices intense, controversial, and emotionally powerful. With soaring songs like "The Last Night of the World" and roaring production numbers that show a different kind of "American Dream," Theatre Under The Stars is thrilled to bring you this epic and daring pop opera.

March 9-21, 2010

"South Pacific"
Masterfully Reimagined
This winner of seven 2008 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival plays to sold out audiences at Lincoln Center Theater on Broadway over the last two years. Now, Theatre Under The Stars is proud to welcome this astounding reinvention of the Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein's prize-winning musical. Set on a tropical island during World War II, this opulent and stunningly beautiful production tells the romantic story of two couples-- US Navy nurse Nellie Forbush & French plantation owner Emile de Becque, and Navy Airman Joe Cable & a young native girl Liat -- and how their happiness is endangered by the realities of war and their own prejudices. Based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize winning book Tales of the South Pacific, this show features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan and directed by 2008 Tony Award®-winner Bartlett Sher. The beloved score's songs include "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "This Nearly Was Mine" and "There is Nothin' Like a Dame." This is the must-see for musical theatre lovers.

April 28- May 9, 2010

"LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE"
Houston Premiere
Little House on the Prairie has remained one of the most popular and beloved celebrations of early Americana since the appearance of Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular classic book series 70 years ago. Now the inspirational stories take on a brand new frontier in an uplifting musical. Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura for 10 years in the much loved television series, continues her legacy by starring as Ma. Families will continue to fall in love with these life affirming stories about the Ingalls' struggles and triumphs through the pioneering spirit and core values on which this country was founded. The show is directed by Francesca Zambello (Disney's The Little Mermaid), the music is composed by Academy Award® winner, Rachel Portman, and the book written by Rachel Sheinkin (Tony Award® for Spelling Bee) with lyrics by Donna di Novelli.

For all of Theatre Under The Stars' 2009-2010 shows, air transportation is provided by Continental Airlines, the official airline of Theatre Under The Stars. Additional support is provided by St. Luke's Episcopal Health System, the Official Healthcare Partner of Theatre Under The Stars. Media sponsors include ABC-13 and Houston Chronicle. Season support is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Theater District Association and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Founded in 1968, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston's acclaimed non-profit musical theatre company and is currently under the direction of President and CEO John C. Breckenridge. TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public in 1968 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and is the only Houston arts organization that has performed there free to the public every year since the building opened. Since its founding by Frank M. Young, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres such as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, as well as International tours including Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Juliet Prowse in Mame, Robert Goulet in Man of La Mancha, the Tony Award-winning revival of Carousel and the Deaf West Theatre production of Big River. As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre provides instruction and stage experience for more than 1,700 students annually through both The Academy and The Studio, which allow students to flourish in a year-round schedule of classes. Housed in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, TUTS also annually presents the Tommy Tune Awards, honoring the best and brightest in Houston's High School Musical theatre programs.

Photo by Joan Marcus

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