Arizona Broadway Theatre's Season 11 Lineup to Feature WEST SIDE STORY, ROMEO AND JULIET, CAROUSEL, and More

Arizona Broadway Theatre (ABT) recently announced its Season 11 lineup to a packed house of invited donors and season subscribers. The eight full-scale productions will appear on the ABT Mainstage for the 2015-2016 season October 2015 through September 2016.

The season will kick off October 16, 2015 with Broadway landmark West Side Story. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is transported to modern-day New York City as it tells the heart-wrenching story of two young lovers caught between prejudice and warring street gangs in the early 1960s. Originally directed and choreographed by the legendary Jerome Robbins, the Broadway production ran for an impressive 732 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Choreography. The dark sophistication of this critically acclaimed Bernstein and Sondheim score leaves you mesmerized with popular songs like "Maria," "America" and "I Feel Pretty."

For the holidays, everyone's favorite curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge will return to the ABT stage as the theatre brings A Christmas Carol to life starting November 27, 2015! Money-hungry Scrooge bah-humbugs at the joys of Christmas, and, in turn, must face his selfish ways when three ghostly visitors lead him through his Past, Present and Future. This lavish and thrilling Broadway adaptation of Charles Dickens' most well known story breathes fantastic new life into the classic tale of Christmas tidings and heartwarming generosity. Bring the whole family and join Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley and Bob Cratchit as they sing Alan Menken and Lynn Ahren's beloved favorites like "A Jolly Good Time," "Christmas Together" and "Happy Christmas."

The New Year will bring a rarely produced Rodgers and Hammerstein's favorite to the stage as ABT opens the beautiful Carousel on January 15, 2016. This Tony Award-winning masterpiece is centered on the carefree carnival barker Billy Bigelow and his new, naïve wife Julie Jordan. When Billy learns Julie is pregnant, he is driven to provide for his new family and is coerced into being an accomplice to robbery! Caught in the act, he faces the reality of prison and takes his own life. Fifteen years later, Billy is allowed to return to earth for one short day to witness the lives of the daughter he never knew and the wife he left behind. Billy uses his time to instill hope and dignity within the two women. A dramatic testimony to the power of love, Carousel features well-known songs "If I loved You," "June is Bustin' Out All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone."

The most-popular production in ABT's history Fiddler on the Roof will return on February 26, 2016! The beloved story follows Tevye the milkman on his touching journey to protect his daughters and his way of life in an ever-changing world. The show's humor, warmth and honesty cut across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion leaving audiences crying tears of laughter, joy and sadness! The brainchild of Broadway legends, including Jerome Robbins and Harold Prince, the show has become a musical theatre staple around the globe and received nine Tony Awards! With iconic songs such as "Sunrise, Sunset," "If I Were A Rich Man" and "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," Fiddler on the Roof is the perfect mix of humor, heart and family.

Next up, ABT will bring a musical theatre comedy favorite to the stage with The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, opening April 15, 2016. It's the late 1970s and the happy-go-lucky town of Gilbert, Texas has just been put on the map when a crusading television reporter aims his camera at a favorite local "destination" - The Chicken Ranch. Frequented by governors, senators, mayors and even victorious college football teams for more than a century, the town is now faced with recounting the good times as they struggle with the demise of their best pleasure palace. Made famous by Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas is a charming, lively and genial show that will leave you laughing for days with songs like "Girl, You're A Woman," "Twenty Four Hours of Lovin'," and "No Lies."

Unable to announce the title of the sixth show of Season 11 due to licensing restrictions, ABT promises the show, opening May 27, 2016, is a "rock show for the ages." The show title will officially be announced on March 1, 2015.

The most famous ogre of all-time arrives on the ABT stage July 15, 2016 in the hilarious spectacle Shrek: The Musical. Based on the Oscar-winning smash hit film, the musical follows the world's beloved unlikely hero and his wisecracking best friend Donkey on a journey of a lifetime to rescue a feisty, headstrong princess. Throw in a short tempered bad guy, a cookie with attitude and more than a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and Shrek must learn to see the true hero within to succeed. The sidesplitting tale brings all of your favorite characters from the film to life with all new songs from Jeanine Tesori like "Big Bright Beautiful World," "This Is Our Story" and, of course, brings back the classic "I'm A Believer."

It is Miss America meets Kinky Boots as ABT brings pageantry to Peoria with the season's closing show, the screamingly funny Pageant. Starting August 26, 2016, six contestants will compete for the prestigious title of Miss Glamouresse, and you pick the winner so no performance is ever the same! Here's the twist, the contestants vying for the title are men! They'll don swimsuits and gowns and compete in some of the most hilarious talent competitions ever on a pageant stage.

The deadline for all season subscription renewals is March 13, 2015, and new eight-show subscribers are welcome to reserve their seats now. Patrons purchasing lower subscription levels can call the ABT box office at 623.776.8400 for purchase dates. For more information on ABT and the upcoming season, visit azbroadway.org.About Arizona Broadway Theatre

Arizona Broadway Theatre (ABT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional performing arts organization located in Peoria, Ariz. The theatre produces eight Mainstage productions each season, up to 12 special events annually and enriches youth statewide through its Theatre for Young Audiences and Academy for Young Performers programs. In its short time in the Valley, ABT has been recognized as the "Best Playhouse of the Valley" (2010) and "Best Dinner Theatre of the Valley" (2014) by PHOENIX Magazine and was the winner of WESTMARC's "2011 Best of the West" Award. Additionally, ABT has grown to be the highest-attended, live year-round theatre venue in the Valley of the Sun. ABT showcases actors and designers from New York City, the greater Phoenix area and around the country in its state-of-the-art productions. For more information, call the box office at 623.776.8400 or visit azbroadway.org.

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