JERSEY BOYS, WEST SIDE STORY, HAIR, SHREK & More Set for Straz Center's 2010-'11 Season

It will be a dream season in 2010-2011 at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing
Arts (formerly the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center). Filled with Tony® Award-winners, audience  favorites, stunning classics and amazing spectacle, the Straz Center's 2010-2011 Bank of America Best  of Broadway Tampa Bay season is full of fun, passion and excitement.

Shows scheduled on the Broadway series include Billy Elliot, the 2009 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical;  Hair, the 2009 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical Revival; the Tony Award-winning revival of West Side  Story; the holiday spectacle of Irving Berlin's White Christmas and the family favorites Shrek the Musical  and Disney's Beauty and the Beast. The series also will include 9 to 5: The Musical, the Apollo Theater  revival of Dreamgirls, a production of Forbidden Broadway, produced by the Straz Center, and the eagerly anticipated return of Jersey Boys.

"Our Broadway season is once again filled with the top-notch shows that our devoted audiences have  come to expect and enjoy," said Judith Lisi, president and CEO of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the  Performing Arts. "This entertaining and rewarding series has something for everyone. We're particularly  thrilled to be the first venue in Florida to host the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot with music by Elton John."

The series is presented in the Straz Center's acoustically perfect Carol Morsani Hall, the largest on the  west coast of Florida, with more than 2,600 seats. Forbidden Broadway will run in the intimate 280-seat  cabaret-style Jaeb Theater.

The 2010-2011 Bank of America Best of Broadway Tampa Bay season features:

9 to 5: The Musical
Oct. 26-31, 2010
9 to 5: The Musical is a hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. This new musical  comedy, direct from Broadway, is based on the hit movie and features Dolly Parton's original hit title  song along with her new Tony Award- and Grammy®-nominated score. The book is by Patricia Resnick (co-writer of the original screenplay). 9 to 5: The Musical tells the story of three unlikely friends who conspire to take control of their company and learn there's nothing they can't do - even in a  man's world. Outrageous, thought-provoking and even a little romantic, 9 to 5: The Musical is about  teaming up and taking care of business ... it's about getting credit and getting even.

Forbidden Broadway
Oct. 26, 2010-Feb. 27, 2011
Forbidden Broadway is a cabaret revue sharply spoofing show tunes, characters and plots of
contemporary and current Broadway musicals. Created and written by Gerard Alessandrini and directed  by Alessandrini and long-time collaborator Phillip George, the original version of the revue opened on  Jan. 15, 1982, at Palsson's Supper Club in New York City and ran for 2,332 performances. It has been  rewritten several times to include parodies of newer shows and has taken on many different incarnations including Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab, Forbidden Hollywood and Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit. Forbidden Broadway has mocked popular shows like The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and Les Misérables and notable Broadway personalities including Carol Channing, Kristin Chenoweth, Elton John, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Mary Martin, Idina Menzel, Ethel Merman, Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Forbidden Broadway will play in the Straz Center's Jaeb Theater.

Dreamgirls
Nov. 16 - 21, 2010
Catch the dream! Direct from Harlem's world famous Apollo Theater in New York City, a sensational new stage production of Dreamgirls comes to the Straz Center. Full of onstage joy and backstage drama, Dreamgirls tells the story of an up-and-coming, 1960s singing girl group, and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune. With music by Academy® Award nominee Henry Krieger and book and lyrics by Tony and Grammy Award-winner Tom Eyen, Dreamgirls features the unforgettable hits "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," "One Night Only" and "Listen." Broadway director and choreographer Robert Longbottom (Bye Bye Birdie Broadway revival) and co-choreographer Shane Sparks (television's So You Think You Can Dance), along with some of Broadway's top designers, re-envision this Tony- and Academy Award-winning musical so it sparkles like never before!

Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Nov. 30-Dec. 5, 2010
Get ready to discover a delightful new show that's as fresh and rare as newly fallen snow! The classic holiday tradition White Christmas comes to the stage at last, as a brand new Irving Berlin musical direct from Broadway. Brimming with such Berlin hits as "Blue Skies," "How Deep Is the Ocean?" and, of course, the unforgettable title song, Irving Berlin's White Christmas tells the story of two showbiz buddies putting on a show in a magical Vermont inn and finding their perfect mates in the bargain. Full of dancing, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written, Irving Berlin's White Christmas promises to be a merry and bright theatrical experience for the whole family!

NETworks presents
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Jan. 18-23, 2011
"Tale as old as time, true as it can be." Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the smash hit Broadway musical, is coming back to Tampa. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, this eye- popping spectacle has won the hearts of more than 35 million people worldwide. This classic musical love story is filled with unforgettable characters, lavish sets and costumes, and dazzling production numbers including "Be Our Guest" and the beloved title song. Experience the romance and enchantment of Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the Straz Center! Disney's Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

West Side Story
March 1-6, 2011
More than 50 years ago one musical changed theater forever. Now it's back on Broadway mesmerizing audiences once again. From the first note of Leonard Bernstein's score to the final breath, West Side Story soars as the greatest love story of all time. Directed by Tony Award-winner Arthur Laurents, West Side Story remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever, transferring Romeo and Juliet to the streets of New York. "So exciting it makes you ache with pleasure." - John Lahr, The New Yorker

Jersey Boys
March 23-April 17, 2011
Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, makes its triumphant return to Tampa.
Directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys won four 2006 Tony Awards
including Best Musical and continues to set new weekly box office records at the August Wilson
Theatre, where it has remained among the five top-grossing shows in New York since it opened.
Jersey Boys is written by Academy® Award winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Jersey Boys is not
recommended for all ages. The show contains smoke, gun shots, strobe lights, drug references, sexual situations and profane "authentic Jersey language."

Shrek the Musical
May 3-8, 2011
Based on the popular Dreamworks film, Shrek the Musical tells the story of a swamp-dwelling ogre who goes on a life-changing adventure to reclaim the deed to his land. Joined by a wise-cracking donkey, this 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. You'll be a believer after seeing this fun-filled fantasy. Songs include "Make a Move" and "Big Bright Beautiful World."

Hair
May 24-29, 2011
Winner! Best Musical Revival 2009 Tony Award! The Public Theater's new Tony-winning production
of Hair is the most electric celebration on Broadway! This exuberant musical about a group of young Americans searching for peace and love in a turbulent time has struck a resonant chord with audiences young and old. Hair features an extraordinary cast and dozens of unforgettable songs, including "Aquarius," "Let the Sun Shine In," "Good Morning, Starshine" and "Easy To Be Hard." Its relevance is undeniable. Its energy is unbridled. Its truth is unwavering. It's Hair, and it's time. "If this explosive production doesn't stir something in you, it may be time to check your pulse." (Variety) Intended for mature audiences: While many find this show suitable for young adults (13 and older), parental discretion is advised. There is a dimly lit 20-second scene with nudity that is non-sexual in nature.

The 2010-2011 Bank of America Best of Broadway Tampa Bay series is presented by the David A.
Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts. Those interested in purchasing season tickets should call the Straz Center Ticket Office at 813.229.STAR (7827) or outside the Tampa Bay area at 800.955.1045 or visit www.strazcenter.org for more information. Prices begin at just $196.88 for the full 10-show season package in the Cloud Club. Current season ticket holders will receive renewal information the first week of March and those renewals will be handled before new subscriptions are processed. Straz Center members are given first priority for new season tickets. Group tickets and individual show tickets will go on sale at later dates to be announced.

 

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