Van Wezel Announces 2012-2013 Season, Featuring LES MIZ, CHICAGO, et. al

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall announces its Legendary 2012-2013 Season, including some of the biggest and stars in entertainment. Sarasota premieres feature Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Queen Latifah, Celtic Woman and John Lithgow while returning favorites include Diana Krall, Glen Campbell, The Beach Boys, Paul Anka, Johnny Mathis, Dave Koz and Natalie Cole.

The Broadway Season is highlighted by the weeklong engagement of The New 25th Anniversary Production of LES MISERABLES, and features premieres of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and The Addams Family.

The Great American Orchestra Series includes The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. The Bravo Dance series offers edgy, new performances from Motionhouse and MOMIX , as well as performances from Parsons Dance and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance.

The Broadway Series

The 12-13 Broadway Series opens with the Sarasota premiere of Catch Me If You Can (Dec. 6 & 7). Based on the hit DreamWorks film that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and the incredible true story that inspired it, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is the high-flying, splashy new Broadway musical that tells the story of Frank W. Abagnale, Jr., a teenager who runs away from home in search of the glamorous life. With nothing more than his boyish charm, a big imagination and millions of dollars in forgEd Checks, Frank successfully poses as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer. Don’t miss this big-hearted musical adventure based on an astonishing real-life story of being young, in love…and in deep, deep trouble!

WEST SIDE STORY's  (Dec. 10 & 11) 50th Anniversary Tour brings back the show that changed the face of musical theatre forever, to mesmerize audiences once again. From the first note to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY soars as the greatest love story of all time and remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The Bernstein and Sondheim score features such classics as "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere."

TRACES (Feb. 6) is a thrilling modern brand of circus infused with the energy of street performance— incorporating everything from music, dance, and illustration, to skateboarding, basketball, and high-risk acrobatics. These incredible performers appear to be nothing more than a group of friends, just as easygoing as the guy next door, until they unleash ninety minutes of heart-stopping acrobatics and unbridled energy that leave audiences exhilarated. Traces is also a Dance Special.

Here to Stay- The Gershwin Experience (Feb. 10) is a multimedia concert event featuring Gershwin interpreter, Kevin Cole, Grammy Award-winning Soprano, Sylvia McNair, and tap dancing sensation, Ryan VanDenBoom, in performances of “Rhapsody in Blue,” “I Got Rhythm,” “Strike Up the Band,” “The Man I Love,” “‘S Wonderful,” and more.

Cathy Rigby is PETER PAN (Feb. 19 & 20). Catch the Tony Award nominee, Cathy Rigby, as she takes flight in an all new production of Peter Pan. Discover the magic of this two-time Emmy Award-winning production, all over again. The legend you thought you knew, is now the adventure you never dreamed possible!

For one week only, LES MISERABLES, the new 25th anniversary production (Mar. 5-10) of Boublil & Schönberg’s legendary musical, will grace the Van Wezel stage. With glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery, inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, it is being called, “an unquestionably spectacular production from start to finish,”(The New York Times), and “a five star hit, astonishingly powerful” (The London Times).

The new Tony-winning revival of HAIR (Apr. 2) is an electric celebration on stage! 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. The rockin’ musical score includes “Aquarius,” “Let the Sun Shine In,” "Good Morning, Starshine" and “Easy To Be Hard.” 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 one, the only CHCIAGO the Musical (Apr. 9 & 10) is headed back to Sarasota. Currently Broadway’s second longest running show, CHICAGO is a razzle-dazzle tale of sin and celebrity. The recipient of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy and thousands of standing ovations, CHICAGO is the sensation that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The Addams Family A Musical Comedy (Apr. 22) is a smash-hit that brings the darkly delirious world of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Wednesday, Pugsley and, of course, Lurch to spooky and spectacular life. Come meet the family in their Sarasota premiere.

The Broadway Series also offers seven fantastic Broadway Specials. They are: Midtown MenMidtown Men (Dec. 28), the special concert tour that reunites four stars from the Original Cast of Broadway's JERSEY BOYS—Tony-Award winner Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and Tony-Award nominee J. Robert Spencer star in this one-of-a-kind celebration of the music that defined the1960s! STOMP (Jan. 3) is the explosive, provocative, sophisticated, international percussion troupe that uses everything but conventional instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms (Also a Dance Special).

Monty Python’s SPAMALOT (Jan. 27), the funniest show on earth, is back to taunt Sarasota for a second time! Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT, the musical comedy sensation lovingly ripped off from the film classic Monty Python and The Holy Grail, now returns to spread laughter and cheer throughout the kingdom.

Horray for Hollywood Live on Stage (Feb. 16) celebrates the very best Hollywood films of all time! Enjoy film clips of your favorite movies from Singing in the Rain and The Glen Miller Story to Grease, Dirty Dancing, and Titanic with a cast of wonderful performers, making their Sarasota premiere, as they sing and dance through songs like “Staying Alive,” “All That Jazz,” and “Jailhouse Rock”!

In an empty theatre, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime. This is A CHORUS LINE (Feb. 25), winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the Pulitzer Prize for drama, and the longest-running American Broadway musical ever. Come meet the new generation of Broadway’s best!

Set sail with THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE  (Mar.13) as they celebrate the coming of age of Frederic—mistakenly apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday.

Experience the Beatles with RAIN (Apr. 26), the internationally-acclaimed Beatles concert, returns by popular demand! RAIN has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance that’s as infectious as it is transporting.

 

 

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