The Irvine Barclay Theatre Announces 2012 Season

The new season at the Irvine Barclay Theatre includes many varied performances.

Now Through December 24, 2011, THE NUTCRACKER, presented by Festival Ballet Theatre. Tickets: $40 adults; $37 seniors; $35 children/students. (949) 854-4646 x1

Celebrate the season with visions of the Sugar Plum Fairy, her dashing prince, and our heroine Clara, while a cast of over one hundred takes you back in time to mystical lands of old world charm. Family-friendly and affordable, this professional production of The Nutcracker features internationally acclaimed guest artists from American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Festival Ballet Theatre’s professional company dancers, and exceptional budding young talent from across the Southland.

December 28, 2011 – January 1, 2012: STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets: $38 - $55; $100 Gold Seats, (949) 854-4646 x1

Be forewarned! They may look like cuddly little muppets wonderfully crafted by the Henson Workshop, but they have a wicked sense of humor. No two performances are alike. Host Patrick Bristow and six superb comedian/puppeteers improvise on suggestions from the audience to create a one-of-a-kind show that can be enjoyed two different way: watch the action onstage, or view the live puppet feed projected on screens overhead. It's double the fun. Each show also features recreations of a couple of Jim Henson classics that first aired on the Ed Sullivan Show and launched the Henson phenomenon.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 7:15 p.m.: National Theatre Live: COLLABORATORS. Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre in Association with Arts Orange County. Tickets: $20, $15 for students with ID and seniors 55+

Inspired by historical fact, the play centers on an imaginary encounter between Joseph Stalin and the playwright Mikhail Bulgakov. This blistering new play depicts a lethal game of cat and mouse through which the appalling compromises and humiliations inflicted on any artist by those with power are held up to scrutiny. The stage performance of Collaborators is recorded in front of a live audience at The National Theatre in London and will be presented at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in high definition.

Thursday, January 26, 2012, 8:00 p.m.: La La La Human Steps Presents the U.S. premiere of THE NEW WORK, Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets: $32-$45, $100 Gold Seats

If it is possible to set a stage on fire with lightening-fast spins and unbelievably quick partnering, then Montreal-based La La La Human Steps is the company to do it. Edouard Lock’s latest major work (called “The New Work”) is inspired by two classic love stories, Dido and Aeneas, and Orfeo and Eurydice, but completely re-envisioned with Lock’s powerful and hyper-dynamic choreography and movement. It has been a decade since the company’s last appearance at the Barclay.

Friday, January 27, 2012, 7:30 p.m.: JazzReach: Big Drum/Small World, presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets: $17, buy 4 or more for $12 each.

Jazz is an American art form that continues to spread across the globe and send back new and exciting music. The Metta Quintet explores this facet of jazz by performing works by eight renowned composers from eight different countries. The concert incorporates an imaginative use of video so that audiences get to learn about each of the composers and the musical sensibilities of their homelands. The Metta Quintet is comprised of some of today’s brightest emerging jazz stars. Whether you’re a jazz aficionado, or a complete newbie, this concert is a great way to learn more, and enjoy more, about jazz. Patrons are invited to stay after the concert and meet the artists in a post-show Q&A.

Sunday, January 29, 2012, 3:00 p.m.: Mozart Classical Orchestra: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOZART, presented by Mozart Classical Orchestra. Tickets: $45, $52, $29 for students with ID

Come celebrate Mozart’s birthday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre and enjoy the Mozart Classical Orchestra’s performance of the opera Lucio Silla, Symphony No. 34 in C, and pianist Daniel Shapiro’s performance of Concerto for Piano in A major.

Since its inaugural season in 1985, the Mozart Classical Orchestra has garnered the highest public praise for its performance standards, for the quality of its guest soloists, and for the intelligence in which its programs are chosen. Under the leadership of its Founding Music Director, Ami Porat, the Mozart Classical Orchestra continues to perform a unique combination of rarely-heard works and mainstays of the orchestral repertoire.

Saturday, February 04, 2012, 8:00 p.m.: WILLIE K, presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets: $28 - $38, $100 Gold Seats

Be a part of the Hawai’ian Music Series with Willie K’s adventurous performance. It is an interactive roller coaster ride of music that can wow even the most seasoned concertgoers. With a repertoire as diverse as his home state of Hawai’i, Willie’s performances offer a delightful range of musical styles for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. From Hawai'ian to Blues, Opera to Rock, and so much more, his mixture of music and comedy earned him the reputation as Hawaii’s most versatile artist and one of it's best entertainers. His jaw-dropping musical virtuosity brings audiences to their feet over and over again.

Wednesday, February 08, 2012, 8:00 p.m.: Legendary trumpeter, Hugh Masekela in concert, presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets: $38 - $45, $100 Gold Seats

South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela has covered the globe and played with just about every top star you can think of (Paul Simon, Herb Alpert, Bob Marley and Fela Kuti to name a few) - writing several international hits and selling millions of cds in the process. His single "Grazing in the Grass" topped the Rolling Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash" in the US charts and brought him a Grammy. Masekela's hit "Bring Him Back Home" became the anthem for Nelson Mandela's world tour following his release from prison. His recent albums have all gone platinum. "The man with the horn" is a living legend, a genius musician and great performer who is even getting better with age.

Saturday, February 11, 2012, 8:00 p.m.: Brentano String Quartet, Presented by The Philharmonic Society of Orange County. Tickets: $35 - $45

Named for Antonie Brentano, who many scholars consider to be Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” the Brentano String Quartet performs a highly virtuosic program featuring one of the last pieces Beethoven ever wrote—the [misnumbered] Thirteenth String Quartet in its original form, with the Große Fuge as the final movement.

BUSONI: String Quartet No. 2
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130
BEETHOVEN: Große Fuge, Op. 133

Saturday, February 18, 2012, 8:00 p.m.: Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata: The Hills Are Alive, presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets: $28 - $38

The Sound of Music is one of the most-beloved musicals of all time…but you’ve never heard it quite like this. In a season of musical mashups, the band members of BRO have updated some of their favorite things about these songs, with the full blessings of the von Trapp family and the Rogers & Hammerstein organization.

Taking a smart approach to the music and characters, each song is in a different style. The harmony of the Jackson 5’s “ABC” transforms into the family singers learning to sing “Do-Re-Mi.” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain," a testament to female empowerment, gets a Mary Blige old school treatment. Not to give it all away, but you’ll also hear some bluegrass, jazz, klezmer, and some great all-out rock ‘n roll.

BRO is fairly new, but Barclay audiences may recognize some of the band members from the East Village Opera Company that was a big hit during its two previous appearances here. “I like what they’re doing. I think they’re terrific musicians,” says Johannes von Trapp, 72, the youngest of the von Trapp siblings depicted in the film. “They took songs that have been played so often they’ve become clichéd, and did some exciting stuff with them.”

Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 8:00 p.m.

Max Raabe & the Palast Orchester: ONE CANNOT KISS ALONE, presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets: $33 - $45, $100 Gold Seats

Back by popular demand! You can be sure of an evening of high-style, droll wit, and fabulous music when Max Raabe and his big band return to the Barclay. This urbane group from Berlin is renowned for recreating the musical glory of the Weimar-era, pop songs of the 20s and 30s, and exquisitely crafted modern love songs. These are songs you’ve heard many times, and songs you will want to hear again and again. Max’s winsome demeanor and playful banter have charmed audiences from Carnegie Hall to L.A. He sings with his tongue firmly in-cheek... but in high musical style.

Thursday, February 23, 2012, 8:00 p.m.: Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, presented by The Philharmonic Society of Orange County. Tickets: $35 - $45

Immediately following the success of last season’s collaboration with the Miami String Quartet for Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Septet, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio performs a spectacular new commissioned work born of another project with the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer—this time a Double Bass Quintet (à la Trout)—along with two renowned artists: violist and Guarneri String Quartet founding member Michael Tree and principal bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Harold Robinson.

ZWILICH: new commissioned work (TBA)
SCHUBERT: Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 “Trout Quintet”

Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 7:15 p.m.: National Theatre Live - TRAVELLING LIGHT, presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre in Association with Arts Orange County. Tickets: $20, $15 for students with ID and seniors 55+.

In a remote village in Eastern Europe, around 1900, the young Motl Mendl is entranced by the flickering silent images on his father’s cinematograph. Bankrolled by Jacob, the ebullient local timber merchant, and inspired by Anna, the girl sent to help him make Moving Pictures of their village, he stumbles on a revolutionary way of story-telling. Forty years later, Motl – now a famed American film director – looks back on his early life and confronts the cost of fulfilling his dreams.

Following Vincent in Brixton and The Reporter, Nicholas Wright’s new play Travelling Light is a funny and fascinating tribute to the Eastern European immigrants who became major players in Hollywood’s golden age. The award-winning Antony Sher – whose previous work with The National Theatre includes Primo and Stanley – returns to play Jacob.

The stage performance of Travelling Light is recorded in front of a live audience at The National Theatre in London and will be presented at Irvine Barclay Theatre in high definition.

The Barclay
(949) 854-4646
www.thebarclay.org
4242 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA 92612
Since opening its doors in 1990, Irvine Barclay Theatre has emerged as one of California's most imaginative performing arts showcases. A unique collaborative venture among the City of Irvine, the University of California, Irvine, and the private sector, the theatre has a reputation for wide-ranging programming in the fields of contemporary dance, music, and theater arts. Performances take place in the 756-seat Cheng Hall, renowned for its intimate atmosphere and superb acoustics.
Irvine Barclay Theatre is an independent non-profit organization established twenty years ago as an innovative public-private partnership with the vision of creating a unique performing arts venue. The private sector, the City of Irvine and the University of California, Irvine - combined funding and land to achieve a long-standing mutual goal. The partners created Irvine Barclay Theatre to showcase top quality artists, to provide a superior facility for local and regional arts groups, and to enhance UCI's educational mission, particularly the programs generated by its School of the Arts. The theatre building is named for Mr. Richard Barclay, an area philanthropist, who provided the leading gift for the theatre's construction. The theatre auditorium is named for Dr. George and Arlene Cheng, also area philanthropists. Among artists, it is a venue of choice when performing in southern California.

 

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