Broadway LA Takes SHREK, HAIR et al. to Pantages; 2010-2011 Season Announced

Broadway/L.A. announces the lineup for its 2010-2011 Season, a 7-Show package that includes WEST SIDE STORY, HAIR, ROCK OF AGES, BURN THE FLOOR and SHREK THE MUSICAL - all of which are recent Broadway hits making Southern California premieres at the Pantages Theatre. A sixth musical to be announced will play the Pantages in March. Rounding out the season is the West Coast Premiere of TRACES, featuring the acclaimed company 7 Fingers (Les 7 doigts de la main), in a fusion of musical, drama and circus that will play just around the corner from the Pantages at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre.

While not part of the traditional 7-Show Package, Broadway/L.A. Season Ticket Holders will be given first opportunity to purchase the best available seats for three additional events at the Pantages Theatre in 2010-2011: the Farewell Engagement of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, SPRING AWAKENING and RAIN - A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES will all revisit Southern California during the season.

Season Ticket Holders enjoy a host of benefits not available to the general public, primarily the ability to access the best seats in the house, often at savings of 10% off single ticket prices. They also get a slew of other benefits like lost ticket insurance and any-time-any-reason exchange. Season Ticket Holders have 24/7 account access through a custom website that provides the ability to check performance dates and seating locations, update account information, secure additional priority seats, and make payments online with a few simple clicks.

Season Tickets will go on sale to the general public at a later date. First access will be given to those who are signed up to receive email "e-lerts" from Broadway/L.A. To register, please visit www.BroadwayLA.org. Following an exclusive online-only ordering time frame, Season Tickets will be available for order by phone toll-free at 866-755-BWAY (2929) or by mail order. To encourage the public to take advantage of our faster and easier online ordering option, those ordering Season Tickets online will also enjoy savings of up to $14 for each person in their season package.

In addition to the full 7-Show Season Ticket Package, Broadway/L.A. offers a smaller package that covers the first five season events of the year (WEST SIDE STORY, HAIR, TRACES, ROCK OF AGES and the TBA show). Season Packages start as low as $153 for a 5-Show Plan, or $237.50 for a 7-Show Plan.

Once again this season, Broadway/L.A. is proud to offer the discriminating theatre patron the ultimate theatrical package, offering VIP service, prestige, privileges and convenience. A limited number of positions are available in The President's Club®, which provides members four priority seats to our eight-show season -- priority seat access to all Nederlander theatres worldwide, the ability to purchase extra "house seats" to all Broadway/L.A. shows, free parking for all season productions, access to theatre VIP Suite for members, and invitations to any opening night parties during the season. To find out more about becoming a member, please visit www.BroadwayLA.org/PrezClub, or call Jeff Loeb at 323-468-1732.

While tickets for individual productions will not go on sale to the public until later dates (to be announced), those who wish to purchase 10 or more tickets to any single performance are welcome to reserve priority seats now by calling Nederlander Group Sales West toll-free at 866-755-3075 or by visiting www.nedgroups.com.

Broadway/L.A. is the Los Angeles theatrical division of The Nederlander Organization, owner of the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The Nederlander Organization also owns or operates nine theatres on Broadway, three theatres on the West End in London, and operates Broadway Seasons in several other U.S. cities.

Details of the Broadway/L.A. 2010-2011 7-Show Season are as follows:

WEST SIDE STORY
Pantages Theatre
November 30 - December 19, 2010

Last season, WEST SIDE STORY returned to Broadway and became a huge hit, proving as powerful and poignant to modern audiences as it was when it forever changed theater a more than fifty years ago. From the first note to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY powerfully envelops audiences in one of the greatest love stories of all time.

Directed by its two-time Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents, WEST SIDE STORY features the original Jerome Robbins choreography restaged by Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life).

The new WEST SIDE STORY opened at Broadway's legendary Palace Theatre last March, receiving the kind of critical acclaim that tells New Yorkers there's a new must-see theatrical event in town. Soon, audiences from near and far were flocking to the show, which resulted in box office records that would propel the lavish $14 million production to recoup its investment after running just 30 weeks.

WEST SIDE STORY was written by three theatrical luminaries: two-time Tony Award winner Arthur Laurents (book), and multiple Tony and Grammy Award winners Leonard Bernstein (music) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), marking the latter's Broadway debut.

The score is widely recognized as one of Broadway's finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere." The new Broadway cast album of WEST SIDE STORY recently won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical
Pantages Theatre
January 5 - 23, 2011

An electric celebration which paved the way for some of the greatest musicals of our time, HAIR is a force of undeniable, unwavering and unbridled passion.

With a score including such enduring musical numbers as "Let the Sun Shine In," Aquarius," "Hair" and "Good Morning Starshine," HAIR depicts the birth of a cultural movement in the 60's and 70's that changed America forever.

The musical follows a group of hopeful, free-spirited young people who advocate a lifestyle of pacifism and free-love in a society riddled with intolerance and brutality during the Vietnam War. As they explore sexual identity, challenge racism, experiment with drugs and burn draft cards, the show resonates with an irresistible message of hope more than 40 years after it first opened on Broadway.

HAIR won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival and is currently playing on Broadway where it also received the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical. The HAIR cast recording was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Directed by Diane Paulus and choreographed by Karole Armitage, HAIR features a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot.

TRACES
Ricardo Montalban Theatre
January 11 - February 20, 2011

7 Fingers (Les 7 doigts de la main) is an acclaimed French Canadian company of performers who have pioneered a whole new brand of circus. Their show, TRACES, became the runaway hit of the 2007 Edinburgh Festival, and now it is coming to Los Angeles for the very first time.

Combining awe-inspiring circus training with infectious urban energy, seven performers dazzle audiences with their gravity-defying displays of skill. Members of the troupe balance casually on each other's heads, tumble through hoops, and leap spectacularly up giant poles without using their hands.

But TRACES is more than just a display of acrobatic brilliance. Snippets of the performers' real lives are revealed through film clips, narration and music. We are gradually drawn into their story, and by the final, dramatic climax of the show, the audience is on the edge of their seats, willing the performers to pull off what might have seemed impossible before the show began.

Set to a soundtrack ranging from rock ‘n roll to blues to hip hop, TRACES is a thrill-a-minute show that has left audiences begging for more.

ROCK OF AGES
Pantages Theatre
February 15 - 27, 2011

Just over 5 years from the time the show was born in a bar less than half a mile away on Hollywood Boulevard, ROCK OF AGES will open at Pantages Theatre. This ½ mile journey 5 years in the making is a lifetime of difference for the show, which has since become one of the biggest cult phenomena of Broadway's new century.

Written by Chris D'Arienzo, directed by Kristin Hanggi and choreographed by Kelly Devine, ROCK OF AGES transports audiences back to the Sunset Strip, circa 1987, where a small town girl meets a big city rocker in L.A.'s most famous rock club. There, they fall in love to the greatest songs of the 80s in an awesomely outrageous story about dreaming big, playing loud, and partying on!

New Line Cinema recently won the screen rights for Rock of Ages. Librettist D'Arienzo will not only pen the screenplay but will direct the feature film as well.

The musical is an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits from such rockers as Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia and Whitesnake.

The production has scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Tony nominee Gregory Gale, lighting design by Jason Lyons, sound design by Walter Trarbach and projection design by Zachary Borovay. Music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations were penned by Ethan Popp with original arrangements by David Gibbs.

TO BE ANNOUNCED
Pantages Theatre
March 9 - 20, 2011

BURN THE FLOOR
Pantages Theatre
April 26 - May 8, 2011

Years before Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance turned ballroom dancing into must-see TV, one sizzling show was setting stages ablaze around the globe. BURN THE FLOOR, the electrifying Latin and Ballroom dance spectacular that has thrilled audiences in over 30 countries, brings the fire and passion of live ballroom performance to the Broadway stage.

Directed and choreographed by Jason Gilkison, former World Champion Latin and Ballroom dancer, and guest choreographer on the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance, BURN THE FLOOR brings the talents of 20 award-winning international dancers from around the globe

BURN THE FLOOR is a breathtaking blend of Latin and Ballroom dance first conceived as a special performance at Sir Elton John's 50th birthday celebration in 1997. Two years later, the show made its world premiere in the U.K. and quickly took the globe by storm.

From Harlem's hot nights at The Savoy, where dances such as the Lindy, Foxtrot and Charleston were born, to the Latin Quarter where the Cha-Cha, Rumba and Salsa steamed up the stage, BURN THE FLOOR takes audiences on a journey through the passionate drama of dance. The elegance of the Viennese Waltz, the exuberance of the Jive, the intensity of the Paso Doble - audiences will experience them all, as well as the Tango, Samba, Mambo, Quickstep, and Swing. BURN THE FLOOR is ballroom, reinvented.

SHREK THE MUSICAL
Pantages Theatre
July 12 - August 7, 2011

SHREK THE MUSICAL, based on the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks film that started it all, brings the hilarious story of everyone's favorite ogre to life the stage.

In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre - not a handsome prince - shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Throw in a donkey who won't shut up, a bad guy with a SHORT temper, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand... and his name is Shrek.

SHREK THE MUSICAL tells the story of this swamp-dwelling ogre who goes on a life-changing adventure to reclaim the deed to his land. Joined by a wise-cracking donkey, the unlikely hero fights a fearsome dragon, rescues a feisty princess and learns that real friendship and true love aren't only found in fairy tales.

Featuring a terrific score of 19 all-new songs, big laughs, great dancing and breathtaking scenery, SHREK THE MUSICAL is part romance, part twisted fairy tale and all irreverent fun for everyone!

Optional Season Event #1
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Pantages Theatre
September 23 - October 17, 2010

As previously announced by producers Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Theatre Company, Inc., the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, known as the Music Box Company, will play its final performance right here in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre.

The musical has been represented on the road since the First National began performances in Los Angeles in May 1989. Since that time, there have been three U.S. national touring productions. The First National Tour (Christine Company) played Los Angeles and San Francisco for a combined total run of almost 10 years, grossing $305,192,485 with 3,902 performances and 6.6 million patrons. The Second National Tour (Raoul Company) played major markets during an eight and a half year run, grossed $393,608,819 with 3,364 performances and 7.5 million patrons. The Third National Tour (Music Box Company) is the only production still currently touring the U.S. and has played over 7,000 performances and recently celebrated its 17th anniversary in December 2009.

With some of the most lavish sets, costumes and special effects ever to have been created for the stage, Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA directed by Harold Prince traces the tragic love story of a beautiful opera singer and a young composer shamed by his physical appearance into a shadowy existence beneath the majestic Paris Opera House. Adapted from Gaston Leroux's classic novel of mystery and suspense, this award-winning musical has woven its magical spell over standing room audiences in more than 100 cities worldwide and is now the longest running show in Broadway history.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and is directed by Harold Prince. Lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has production design by the late Maria Bjornson, lighting by Andrew Bridge and sound design by Mick Potter with original sound by Martin Levan. Musical staging and choreography is by Gillian Lynne. Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Optional Season Event #2
SPRING AWAKENING
Pantages Theatre
February 1 - 6, 2011

Hailed as the "Best Musical of the Year" by the NY Drama Critics Circle, the Drama Desk, the Outer Critics Circle and the Tony Awards, SPRING AWAKENING has emerged as one of the most talked about new musicals of Broadway's last decade. The show swept the 2007 Tony Awards, winning eight out of its eleven nominations, including Best Musical, Best Director (Michael Mayer), Best Book (Steven Sater), Best Choreography (Bill T. Jones), Best Orchestrations (Duncan Sheik), Best Lighting Design (Kevin Adams), Best Featured Actor (John Gallagher Jr.).

Based on the infamous 1891 Frank Wedekind play, SPRING AWAKENING features an electrifying score by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics Steven Sater, direction by Michael Mayer and choreography by the award-winning Bill T. Jones. Set against the backdrop of a repressive and provincial late 19th century Germany, this groundbreaking musical tells the timeless story of teenage self-discovery and budding sexuality as seen through the eyes of three teenagers. Haunting and provocative, SPRING AWAKENING celebrates an unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with power, poignancy and passion.

SPRING AWAKENING features set design by Christine Jones, costume design by Tony Award-winner Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Tony Award-winner Kevin Adams, and sound design by Brian Ronan.

Optional Season Event #3
RAIN - A Tribute To The Beatles
Pantages Theatre
April 12 - 17, 2011

A year ago, the award-winning concert event RAIN - A Tribute To The Beatles had its Pantages Theatre debut, and word of mouth spread so fast that nearly every ticket was snapped up within days. Next year, the show will return for eight performances only, giving local audiences another chance to experience what it was like when four British lads took the U.S. by storm and changed the sound of popular music forever.

From The Ed Sullivan Show to Abbey Road, RAIN covers the Fab Four from the earliest beginnings through the psychedelic late 60s and their long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days. All the music and vocals are performed totally live, and audiences sing along to such Beatlemaniac favorites as "Let It Be," "Hey Jude," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Come Together," "Can't Buy Me Love," and so many more.

The four band members look and sound just like The Beatles, so much so, that audiences lose themselves in the experiencing, giving themselves over to a kind of heightened reality that involves not only music, but a multi-media, multi-dimensional experience that includes historical video footage and hilarious television commercials from the 1960s, as well as live close-ups that transport audience members into an even more intimate encounter.

For more information visit www.broadwayla.org.

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