PPAC Announces HAMILTON, THE BAND'S VISIT, ANASTASIA, and More in 2018/19 Season

J.L. "Lynn" Singleton, President of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), is pleased to announce PPAC's 2018/2019 Broadway Season, featuring the Taco/White Family Foundation Broadway Series and the Encore Series. WPRI 12 is the proud media sponsor of PPAC's Broadway Season, Cox Media is the proud media sponsor of the 2018/2019 Encore Series, and ABC 6 and Coast 93.3 are the proud media sponsors of Family Night.

HAMILTON will play its premiere Providence engagement during the 2018/2019 Season and will anchor the Taco/White Family Foundation Broadway Series. Three National Tours will launch at PPAC as part of the Broadway Series: MISS SAIGON, CATS, and THE BAND'S VISIT. ANASTASIA, Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY,Andrew Lloyd Webber's new high-octane hit SCHOOL OF ROCK, andWAITRESS THE MUSICAL round out the Taco/White Family Foundation Broadway Series.

The Encore Series features audience favorites THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and JERSEY BOYS. Back by popular demand, THE BOOK OF MORMON returns to Providence for a limited engagement.

The Theatre will host one Broadway Special in the 2018/2019 Season:STOMP. Contemporary Specials will include MANNHEIM STEAMROLLERCHRISTMAS by Chip Davis and the 2018 HOLIDAY POPS TOUR: THE BOSTON POPS ESPLANADE ORCHESTRA WITH Keith Lockhart, with more to be announced.

The Providence Performing Arts Center will also celebrate an important milestone in its history during the 2018/2019 Broadway Season. On October 6, 2018, the Loews State Theatre Building will celebrate its 90th Anniversary. The Theatre is pleased to announce that they will be hosting a 90thAnniversary Celebration on Saturday, October 13, 2018. This event will beFREE and fun for all! Stay tuned for details.

"I am pleased to be announcing this EPIC 2018/2019 Broadway Season!" Singleton said, "Over the course of the current Season, many people have asked me the all-important question: 'How do I get my HAMILTON tickets?' The simple answer: become a subscriber! This is the best way to guarantee your tickets to see HAMILTON, and all of the superlative shows in our Season. Single tickets will not be available until further notice; be wary if you see single tickets available online."

Joseph W. Walsh, Esq., PPAC's Chairman of the Board of Directors, said, "PPAC is pleased to continue to be the Theatre of Choice for National Tour Launches. Since 2008, fifteen National Tours have opened at our historic and beautiful Theatre. That number will increase to eighteen National Tours during the 2018/2019 Season with MISS SAIGON, CATS, and THE BAND'S VISIT. The remaining five shows in our Taco/White Family Foundation BroadwaySeries will be playing at PPAC for the first time. It is our mission to bring the very Best of Broadway to the state of Rhode Island, so that audiences can experience the magic of Broadway, right here at home!"

John Hazen White, Jr., Executive Chairman of the Board - Taco Comfort Solutions said, "Taco has been a proud supporter of PPAC for the past decade. We are pleased to be continuing our title sponsorship of the Broadway Series, which features eight amazing productions!"

"Taco and the White Family Foundation are pleased to be able to continue our sponsorship of PPAC's wonderful Broadway Series," said Marjorie Houston, President of the White Family Foundation. "PPAC is a leading non-profit arts organization that consistently contributes to our vibrant community. We are fortunate to have this gem of a Theatre in our beautiful state."

"WPRI & Fox Providence are pleased to be PPAC's Broadway Season media sponsor. We appreciate everything that the Theatre provides to Providence and to the state of Rhode Island," said Patrick Wholey, Vice President and General Manager of WPRI & Fox Providence.

"The Providence Performing Arts Center is a cultural cornerstone in the state of Rhode Island! Cox Media is the proud media sponsor of the Encore Series. We are looking forward to an incredible season of excellent productions. Cox Media is very excited to celebrate the Loews Theatre Building's 90th Anniversary this Fall," said Mike Brostek, Vice President of Media Sales at Cox Media.

Taco/White Family Foundation Broadway Series
The 2018/2019 Taco/White Family Foundation Broadway Series opens with the National Tour Launch of MISS SAIGON, September 21 - 30, 2018. This "dynamite Broadway revival" (The New Yorker) tells the epic story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim. In a bar run by a notorious character called The Engineer, Kim meets an American G.I. - an encounter that will change all of their lives forever. MISS SAIGON is the legendary musical from the creators of Les Misérables, and features Broadway hits like "Last Night of the World," The Movie in My Mind," and "The Heat is On in Saigon."

Inspired by the beloved films, the "captivating, beautifully staged, and emotionally vital" (Hollywood Reporter) new musical ANASTASIA journeys to Providence, November 27 - December 2, 2018. This "monster hit" (The New York Times) transports you from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family. Family Night at ANASTASIA is Wednesday, November 28 at 7P. ABC 6 and Coast 93.3 are the proud media sponsors of Family Night.

CATS will launch its National Tour at PPAC January 22 - 27, 2019. This record-breaking musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber has captivated audiences with its breathtaking score, including one of the most treasured songs in musical theater, "Memory." Winner of 7 Tony Awards® including Best Musical,CATS tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. The revival of CATS features new sound design, direction and choreography for a new generation.

Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY comes to PPACFebruary 5 - 10, 2019. This "delectable concoction" (Entertainment Weekly) features songs from the original film, including "Pure Imagination," "The Candy Man," and "I've Got a Golden Ticket," alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of Hairspray. Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory...to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with color and confection beyond his wildest dreams.

A New York Times Critics' Pick, SCHOOL OF ROCK will turn the volume up at PPAC February 26 - March 3, 2019 with an "inspiring jolt of energy, joy, and mad skillz" (Entertainment Weekly). Based on the hit film, this hilarious new musical follows Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star turned substitute teacher who transforms a class of straight-A students into grade-A rockers. It features 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, all the original songs from the movie and musical theater's first-ever live kids' rock band playing their instruments live on stage. Vanity Fair raves, "FISTS OF ALL AGES SHALL BE PUMPING!"

WAITRESS THE MUSICAL, at PPAC May 28 - June 2, 2019, features a groundbreaking all-female creative team, with original music and lyrics by Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles, a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson, choreography Lorin Latarro, and direction by Tony® winner Diane Paulus. Inspired by Adrienne Shelly's beloved film, WAITRESS tells the story of Jenna. A waitress and expert pie maker, Jenna dreams of escaping her small town and loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town's new doctor may offer her a chance at a fresh start, but Jenna must summon the strength and courage to rebuild her own life.

THE BAND'S VISIT will launch its National Tour at PPAC in the Spring of 2019. Specific performance dates will be announced at a later date. This critically acclaimed new musical celebrates the deeply human way music, longing, and laughter can connect us all. Based on the 2007 Israeli film, the musical tells the story of an Egyptian Police Band who are sent to a remote village in the middle of the Israeli desert, after a mix-up at the border. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most surprising ways. The New York Times says THE BAND'S VISIT is "one of the most ravishing musicals ever!" and The Los Angeles Timesproclaims, "At a time when politics is dividing us not only from each other but also from ourselves, THE BAND'S VISIT, THE BEST MUSICAL OF 2017, offers balm for the breach in our souls."

HAMILTON, at PPAC July 23 - August 11, 2019, is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation's first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now. HAMILTON is appropriate for ages 10+. The show contains some strong language.

Encore Series

The 2018/2019 Encore Series opens with the triumphant return of Cameron Mackintosh's spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, March 21 - 31, 2019. Hailed by critics as "bigger and better than ever before," this production boasts many exciting special effects including the show's legendary chandelier, new scenic and lighting designs, new staging and choreography. The beloved story and thrilling score will be performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making thisPHANTOM one of the largest productions now on tour.

The New York Times calls it "the best musical of this century." The Washington Post says, "It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals." It's THE BOOK OF MORMON, the nine-time Tony Award®-winning Best Musical, returning to Providence April 23 - 28, 2019. This outrageous musical comedy follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word.Now with standing room only productions in London, on Broadway, and across North America, THE BOOK OF MORMON has truly become an international sensation. THE BOOK OF MORMON contains explicit language.

Providence will go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons when JERSEY BOYS returns May 10 - 12, 2019. They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard... and the radio just couldn't get enough of it. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story -- a story that has made them an international sensation all over again. This Tony Award-winning true-life musical phenomenon featuring the legendary top ten hits "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," and more.

Broadway Special
STOMP, the international percussion sensation, returns to Providence April 12 - 13, 2019. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments - matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps - to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. Year after year, audiences worldwide keep coming back for more of this pulse-pounding electrifying show. As the Boston Globe says, "If you haven't seen STOMP, GO! If you have seen it, take someone and share the pleasure!"

Contemporary Specials

MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS by Chip Davis will return to PPAC December 7, 2018. For over 30 years, MANNHEIM STEAMROLLERhas been one of America's favorite holiday traditions. Featuring dazzling multimedia effects, the program celebrates the group's recent 30th anniversary since their first Christmas album and also their 40th album release anniversary of Fresh Aire.

The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, with conductor Keith Lockhart, returns to the Theatre to perform their Holiday Pops concert on December 8, 2018. The Orchestra will be joined by the Metropolitan Chorale. Capturing the magic of the Holiday season and the winter charms of New England, the Boston Pops will perform their signature Sleigh Ride, as well as other holiday classics, and new arrangements of seasonal favorites.

2018/2019 Season Information

Subscribers receive first choice in seating, advance order options, and a host of other subscription benefits. Some restrictions/exclusions may apply to subscription benefits. For more information on subscription renewal, please contact the PPAC Box Office at (401) 421-ARTS (2787). To become a new subscriber, please contact Sharon Corcoran in Direct Response at (401) 574-3136 or a Box Office representative at (401) 421-ARTS (2787).

Current subscribers should watch the mail in the coming weeks for their renewal packages, and visit www.ppacri.org for our season brochure. The renewal deadline for current subscribers is Monday, May 21, 2018.

The PPAC Box Office is your ONLY OFFICIAL ticketing source for tickets to a PPAC show. The Theatre encourages patrons to "be safe; be smart" and avoid purchasing tickets from unauthorized secondary ticket providers. You may be at risk for buying counterfeit tickets. The only secure way to obtain tickets to a PPAC production is via the Box Office window, located at 220 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence; online at www.ppacri.org and by phone at (401) 421-ARTS (2787). Regular Box Office Hours are Mondaythrough Friday, 10A to 5P; Saturday, 10A to 2P and two hours prior to all curtain times on performance days.

For Centerstage Advertising for the 2018/2019 Season, please contact Sharon Corcoran in Direct Response at scorcoran@ppacri.org or (401) 574-3136. Direct Response Hours are Monday through Friday, 9A to 5P. You can also learn more about Centerstage Advertising at http://www.ppacri.org/about/marketing-sponsorship

Discounted admission is available for groups of 15 or more for most Broadway shows in PPAC's 2018/2019 Season. For complete information and to order, please contact Group Sales Representative Paul Hiatt atphiatt@ppacri.org or (401) 574-3162. Group Sales Hours are Mondaythrough Friday, 9A to 5P.

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