CHATTER: Arena's SOPHISTICATED LADIES To Tour US?

According to a report from Variety, the critically-acclaimed production of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies may be remounted as a national tour due to the overwhelmingly positive reception it has received in its run at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. 

Sophisticated Ladies, which has extended its run twice past its original closing date and is the highest grossing production in Arena Stage's entire 60-year history, has proved to be both a critical and commercial success. However, the report in Variety speculates that the tour is not likely to happen due to copyright issues with the primary-rights holder, producer Manny Fox, who plans to mount his own production of the piece in the near future.

To read the full article in Variety, click here.

Big band sound transforms the Lincoln Theatre into a Duke Ellington jazz club as Arena Stage presents Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, choreographed by and starring Maurice Hines (Broadway's Sophisticated Ladies and Uptown... It's Hot!) with direction by Charles Randolph-Wright (Arena's Guys and Dolls and Blue). Sophisticated Ladies celebrates the life and music of Duke Ellington, a native of D.C. who began his career playing jazz clubs on U Street including the Lincoln Colonnade in the Lincoln Theatre, one of the first desegregated clubs in D.C. Kenneth Lee Roberson will provide additional choreography for this 15-person cast. Mercedes Ellington, granddaughter of Duke Ellington and an assistant choreographer for the original Broadway production, serves as artistic consultant to offer insight into the history of Ellington's life and music. Musical Director David Alan Bunn (Broadway's Rollin' on the T.O.B.A.) will lead an onstage orchestra of 13 musicians through this musical journey. Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies runs through June 27 at Arena Stage at the Lincoln Theatre.

Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies is a musical revue based on the music of Duke Ellington and was conceived by Donald McKayle (Broadway's and Arena's Raisin), with music, dance and vocal arrangements by Lloyd Mayers, additional vocal arrangements by Malcolm Dodd and original music direction by Mercer Ellington. It explores the legacy of local jazz hero Duke Ellington and follows his journey from the beginnings in D.C. through his time in New York City to his national and international stardom. The show travels through a history of song and dance with an "authentic, jazzy, brassy sound and dancing of high voltage and precision" (The New York Times). Big band music, from the roaring '20s through the swing era, serves as the show's soundtrack with hits like "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" and "Take the ‘A' Train" while dance styles range from Charleston to swing to virtuosic tap.

 

TICKETS: Tickets for Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies range from $25 to $74 plus applicable fees. Discount tickets are available for patrons purchasing tickets for multiple shows, students and groups. A limited number of $10 tickets for patrons ages 30 and under go on sale beginning each Monday for performances that week (All patrons must present valid ID). HOTTIX, a limited number of half-price, day-of-performance tickets, are available 90 to 30 minutes before curtain prior to every performance. Tickets may be purchased online at www.arenastage.org, by phone at (202) 488-3300 or at the Arena Stage Sales Office at 1800 S. Bell Street, Arlington, VA 22202.

For Sales Office/Subscriptions, call (202) 488-3300. TTY for deaf patrons: (202) 484-0247. Group Sales Hotline: (202) 488-4380. Info for patrons with disabilities: (202) 488-3300.

Performance times are as follows: Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

 

Maurice Hines returns to Arena Stage for the first time since his acclaimed starring role in Guys and Dolls, also directed by Randolph-Wright, as both choreographer and performer in a role originated by his late brother Gregory in the Broadway production. Hines, who replaced his brother in the Broadway production, will be joined by fellow Sophisticated Ladies Broadway veteran Wynonna Smyth (Broadway's Hot Feet). The cast also includes Arena Stage favorite Marva Hicks (Broadway's Caroline, or Change and Arena's Crowns), as well as Janine DiVita (Broadway's Grease), Karla Mosley (Off-Broadway's Expatriate), Sam Cahn (Broadway's Wicked), Sabra Lewis (Broadway's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Tony Mansker (Broadway's Mary Poppins), Keith LaMelle Thomas (Broadway's Ragtime), DeMoya Watson (New York's Radio City Christmas Spectacular), Hollie E. Wright (Broadway's Hot Feet) and Richard Riaz Yoder (Broadway's Irving Berlin's White Christmas).

John and Leo Manzari will round out the cast in their professional regional theater debuts. Hines found John, 17, and Leo, 15, at a master class in D.C. in October 2009 and urged them to attend an open audition for the show the following day. The teens, who attend The Field School in Northwest D.C., are both accomplished dancers on the regional and national scene. They've grown up on D.C.'s waterfront, next door to Arena Stage's permanent theater complex.

 

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