Slow Burn Theatre Company and The Broward Center For The Performing Arts Announced 2018-19 Season

Broadway musicals based on hit films, cult classics and the return of one of the most beloved comic strip characters of all time are highlights of the 2018-19 Season show lineup announced by the Carbonell Award-winning Slow Burn Theatre Company and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

The artistic collaboration of seven musicals directed and choreographed by Slow Burn Theatre's acclaimed artistic director Patrick Fitzwater features a four-production Slow Burn Theatre season as well as a summer musical and two productions that the company will stage for the Broward Center.

The Slow Burn Theatre season in the Amaturo Theater begins with Freaky Friday, driven by its upbeat pop and rock score (Oct. 18-Nov.4); followed by the award-winning, audience favorite Legally Blond (Dec. 13-Dec. 30); and Jekyll and Hyde, the classic tale of good and evil from two of Broadway's best known names (Jan. 31-Feb. 17); and culminates in 9-5, the comic tale of female empowerment set to music by country music icon Dolly Parton (March 28-April 14). The four musicals are presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

As a partner in the arts, Slow Burn Theatre is collaborating with the Broward Center to stage the disco- and diva-fueled musical Priscilla Queen of the Dessert in the Amaturo Theatre, which will be offered as an option to add to Slow Burn Theatre subscriptions (June 13-30). The production is presented though special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

The coming arts season will once again feature two musicals in the Abdo New River Room's intimate cabaret theatre which will also be presented at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Winner of the 2014 Tony Award® for Best Musical Revival, Hedwig and the Angry Inch delivers what Rolling Stone Magazine called "the best rock musical ever" and the crowd-pleasing You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown reminds audiences what "Happiness Is." You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown is presented by arrangement with Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch will be performed at the Broward Center Nov. 8 Nov. 25 before moving to Aventura Nov. 29-Dec. 2. You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown launches at the Broward Center Feb. 28-March 10 before traveling to the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center March 14-17.

Subscribers will have the first opportunity to purchase season tickets that are on sale now. New subscriptions will become available March 9. Mini-subscription packages of any three shows from among the seven musicals will go on sale May 21. Slow Burn Theatre full season subscriptions offer a 20 percent savings on tickets than when purchased to individual shows and mini-subscriptions to the full slate of shows offer a 10 percent savings. Tickets to individual productions and those at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center go on sale June 7.

Hailed by The Washington Post as "a polished, peppy, modern fairy tale," Freaky Friday opens the season with this classic story of a mother and daughter who magically swap bodies for 24 chaotic hours. Based on the novel by Mary Rodgers and the Disney films, the story has been given a contemporary spin with a hilarious new book and pop score by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winners Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey.

Another fun transformation follows with the musical adaptation of adored movie Legally Blond. Determined to get her ex-boyfriend back, Elle Woods charms her way into Harvard Law School and, along the way, tackles stereotypes and scandal as she pursues her dreams in this action packed musical that explodes with memorable songs and dynamic dances.

Legendary Broadway writer and lyricist Leslie Bricusse and composer Frank Wildhorn have created a Jekyll and Hyde for our times with their evocative tale of one man with divided desires and the two women who love him. A devoted man of science, the kind and passionate Dr. Henry Jekyll is driven to find a breakthrough that can solve some of humankind's most challenging medical dilemmas. Testing his experimental treatments on himself, he accidentally unleashes his inner demons and transforms into the degenerate Mr. Hyde.

The four-show season culminates with the Broadway musical 9-5, based on the 20th Century Fox Picture with music by Dolly Parton and book and lyrics by Patricia Resnick. Pushed to the boiling point, three female coworkers concoct a plan to get even with their sexist, egotistical, lying boss Mr. Hart. Violet, Judy and Doralee live out their wildest fantasy giving their workplace a dream makeover and taking control of the company that had always kept them down. This musical contains adult subject matter and language.

Based on the smash-hit movie, summer heats up in June with Priscilla Queen of the Desert and its heartwarming, uplifting adventure of a glamorous Sydney-based performing trio that agrees to take its show to the middle of the Australian outback on a battered old bus nicknamed Priscilla. Searching for love and friendship, the three men end up finding more than they ever dreamed in this wildly fresh and funny musical that features a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and a hit parade of dance floor favorites including "It's Raining Men," "I Will Survive," "Hot Stuff," "Boogie Wonderland," "Go West," "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and "I Love The Nightlife."

A cult classic that recently had a smash Broadway revival, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation that delivers a hilarious, harrowing and essentially uplifting story for anyone who has ever felt different. It's told through of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage: Hanschel, a "slip of a girly-boy" from communist East Berlin, becomes the "internationally ignored song stylist" known as Hedwig after a botched sex change operation. With a little help from her band and her back-up singer Yitzhak, Hedwig examines her quest for her other half, for love and, ultimately, for her identity. This musical is intended for mature audiences.

Based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown has seen two Broadway productions and charmed generations. Bossy Lucy is hopelessly in love with piano prodigy Schroeder who doesn't give her the time of day, perfectionist Sally is still mocking blanket-toting Linus, Snoopy is in the doghouse and the "blockhead" Charlie Brown is in the middle of it all.

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.

For more information visit BrowardCenter.org, like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BrowardCenter, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BrowardCenter, subscribe to our channel at Youtube.com/user/BrowardCenter and join the conversation with #BrowardCenter.

The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center is located at 3385 N.E. 188 Street in Aventura. Join the conversation on Twitter at #AventuraCenter, and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/aventuracenter and Instagram at aventuracenter.

The Broward Center 2017-2018 season is presented by the Broward Performing Arts Foundation. AutoNation, Bank of America, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, MasterCard, Paramount Refreshment Solutions and Sun Sentinel are proud sponsors of the Broward Center.

One of America's premier performing arts venues, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts presents more than 700 performances each year to more than 700,000 patrons, showcasing a wide range of exciting cultural programming and events. Guest experiences at the Broward Center include the all-inclusive Club Level, spectacular riverfront views for special events in the Huizenga Pavilion, waterfront dining at Marti's New River Bistro and innovative classes and workshops for all ages at the Rose Miniaci Arts Education Center. With one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the United States, the Broward Center serves more than 150,000 students annually. The Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Inc. receives and maintains funds to sustain, develop and secure the future of the Broward Center. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. For more information, visit BrowardCenter.org.

The Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment Consortium is a cultural partnership between the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, Florida Grand Opera, Fort Lauderdale History Center and the Historic Stranahan House Museum. It is supported by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Programs are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

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