Tennessee Performing Arts Center Announces 2011-2012 Broadway Series

Variety is what distinguishes the mix of styles and stories in the 2011-12 series of HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC. A unique mix of familiar titles, family favorites, and non-traditional shows with proven appeal to Broadway fans and the general public can be found in the six-show season featuring Blast!, Memphis, The Addams Family, South Pacific, Mary Poppins and Rain, and the two season specials, Wicked and Spamalot.

The shows TPAC is presenting next season which currently are playing on Broadway are Mary Poppins, Memphis, Wicked, The Addams Family, and Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles. Spamalot and South Pacific are recent New York hits and top winners of the Tony Awards. Blast!, another Tony winner, is launching a national tour for the first time in years.

Marking the eighth year of HCA/TriStar sponsorship, the upcoming season ticket series of HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC is:

Blast!, September 27-October 2, 2011; featuring top talent in a Tony and Emmy Award-winning show inspired by the showmanship of the marching band and drum and bugle corps--athletic, energetic and all American;

Memphis, November 15-20, 2011; Memphis is Broadway's current Tony Award winning Best Musical, featuring a tale of fame and forbidden love, inspired by actual events.
The Addams Family, January 3-8, 2012; featuring the devilishly delightful clan created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams facing a frightening dilemma when Wednesday introduces her "normal" boyfriend to her parents Morticia and Gomez;
South Pacific, February 7-12, 2012; based on the 2008 Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center production in a creative staging of the sweeping story on an island during World War II, where happiness of two couples is threatened by the realities of war and their own prejudices;

Mary Poppins, March 20-25, 2012; musical theater's most recent mega-hit, with spectacular staging from co-producers Disney Theatrical and Cameron Mackintosh, masters of magic, special effects and crowd-pleasing song and dance and;
Rain, May 1-6, 2012; featuring accomplished musicians performing the full range of The Beatles' songs, backed by projections on giant screens, including historic television footage, creating the energy and excitement of an unforgettable concert.

"Across the board, we're proud of the production values and high entertainment value of every single show in our series," said Kathleen O'Brien, President and Chief Executive Officer. "As a whole, the series honors different traditions in American music, from Broadway and Billboard charts to the marching band, from Rodgers and Hammerstein to the Disney musical."
"Audiences will enjoy each show for different reasons. I think our season ticket holders will love the variety. If you see all of the Broadway shows we're presenting in 2011-12, you'll take a journey through time and visit places around the world. You'll feel the impact of diverse styles, storylines, and settings. And most importantly, you will be transported and entertained," said O'Brien.

In addition to the shows in the season ticket series, HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC will include two specials... the return of Wicked and Spamalot, which both set box office records for TPAC when the tours stopped in Nashville for the first time.

Wicked, October 19-November 6, 2011; winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, Wicked is Broadway's biggest blockbuster, a cultural phenomenon, and was just named "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times.

Spamalot, January 27 & 28, 2012; winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical, Monty Python's Spamalot, is the musical comedy sensation lovingly ripped off from the film classic "Monty Python and The Holy Grail"
"We jumped at the chance to bring Wicked and Spamalot back as specials this season," said O'Brien. "When Wicked was here just two years ago the mega-hit, and our biggest box office success, mesmerized our audiences with its spectacular look, Stephen Schwartz music, and the fascinating story about the journey of characters re-imagined in Gregory Maguire's novel.

"Spamalot also set sales and attendance records, with its one-week run at TPAC in 2008," she said. "Adapted from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Python fans started laughing before the lines were even delivered. This parody of the King Arthur legend and spoof of Broadway is the ultimate in pure, unapologetic entertainment. It's a two-hour escape from your daily worries and cares."

Season tickets for the six-show season are now on sale. The cost of the six-show package for the HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC series ranges from $390 to $145, depending on seat location and day of performance. For the second year in a row, pricing for the six-show package has decreased. This year, those who subscribe to all six shows may receive a savings of up to 32% over purchasing tickets to each show individually. Single tickets for the individual shows will be on sale to the general public approximately six to eight weeks prior to opening at TPAC.

Single tickets for the individual shows will be on sale to the general public approximately six to eight weeks prior to opening at TPAC.

Current season ticket holders have been mailed information on how to renew their season tickets for 2011-2012. TPAC Subscriber Services also is accepting new orders, processed on a "first come-first served" basis after seating assignments are made for renewing season ticket holders. They receive a number of benefits including advance access to great seats, ticket exchange privileges and customer service on a dedicated phone line.

For more information on the HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC series, visit www.tpac.org/broadway, where season subscriptions may be purchased on-line; call TPAC Subscriber Services at 615/782-6560 (or 1-800/410-4216, outside of the Nashville calling area) or visit the TPAC Box Office at 505 Deaderick Street or inside The Mall at Green Hills at the Concierge Desk, 2126 Abbott Martin Road.

For information on seating for groups of 20 or more, call the TPAC Group Sales Office at 615/782-4060.
This series is supported by The HCA Foundation on behalf of HCA and the TriStar Family of Hospitals. Institutional sponsors for TPAC include American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Dasani and NovaCopy. Nissan is a Sustaining Partner for TPAC.

Here's a rundown of the six-show series and specials with descriptions provided by the producers of each tour:

BLAST!

September 27 - October 2, 2011

Blast!, winner of the 2001 Tony Award® for "Best Special Theatrical Event" and the 2001 Emmy Award for "Best Choreography," is comprised of 35 brass, percussion and visual performers brought together in a unique explosion of music and theatre. Born on athletic fields across the nation, Blast! is a novel art form evolved from the showmanship of outdoor pageantry. According to Bruce McCabe of the Boston Globe, "Blast! is an exuberant 15-number show that doesn't falter while bridging the categories of classical, blues, jazz, rock n roll, and techno-pop music. Blast! stands, blows, pounds, marches, and whirls with panache. It sent a full house into repeated bursts of cheering and applause."

MEMPHIS

November 15-20, 2011

Turn up that dial... From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes a hot new Broadway musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, Memphis is about a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break. Come along on their incredible journey to the ends of the airwaves -- filled with laughter, soaring emotion and roof-raising rock 'n' roll. Winner of four 2010 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, Memphis, which played pre-Broadway at the La Jolla Playhouse, features a Tony®-winning book by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) and a Tony®-winning original score with music by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan. Directing is Tony nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu), and choreography is by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys). Get ready to experience Broadway's most exciting new destination~ what AP calls "The very essence of what a Broadway musical should be."
THE ADDAMS FAMILY

January 3-8, 2012

The weird and wonderful family comes to devilishly delightful life in The Addams Family. This magnificently macabre new musical comedy is created by Jersey Boys authors Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, Drama Desk-winning composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys) and Olivier Award-winning director/designers Phelim McDermott & Julian Crouch (Shockheaded Peter) with creative consultation by four-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Zaks. This is definitely not the same old song and dance. It's every parent's nightmare. Your little girl has suddenly become a young woman, and what's worse, has fallen deliriously in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Yes, Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has a "normal" boyfriend, and for parents Gomez and Morticia, this shocking development will turn the Addams house downside up. It's a family portrait that's completely off the wall.

SOUTH PACIFIC

February 7-12, 2012

"A FLAWLESS PRODUCTION!" - The New York Times

"THE BEST REVIVAL OF RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN IN A GENERATION!" - The Washington Post

"Simply Wonderful! Beguiling Theatrical Magic!" hails the New York Post

This breathtaking new production of South Pacific is based on the 2008 Tony Award® winning Lincoln Center Theater production, directed by Bartlett Sher. Set on a tropical island during World War II, the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of war and by their own prejudices. The beloved score's songs include "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "This Nearly Was Mine" and "There is Nothin' Like a Dame." USA Today cheers, "Gorgeous! South Pacific doesn't just float; it soars!" Based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan.

MARY POPPINS

March 20-25, 2012

Mary Poppins is bringing its own brand of Broadway magic to theaters across the country, which has Variety raving, "This is the rare touring production that over-delivers on every level!" Featuring the irresistible story and unforgettable songs from one of the most popular Disney films of all time, plus brand-new breathtaking dance numbers and spectacular stagecraft, Mary Poppins is everything you could ever want in a hit Broadway show! So get swept up in the fun of this high-flying musical the New York Post gives 4 out of 4 stars and calls "a perfect piece of musical theater."

RAIN

May 1-6, 2012

DIRECT FROM BROADWAY! RAIN RETURNS!

Rain, the internationally-acclaimed Beatles concert, returns by popular demand! As "the next best thing to seeing The Beatles!" (Associated Press), Rain performs the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, including the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience. Together longer than The Beatles, 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. From the early hits to later classics (I Want To Hold Your Hand, Hard Day's Night, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Let It Be, Come Together, Hey Jude and more), this adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends!

 

2011-2012 Season of HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC Specials

Description provided by the producers of each tour:

WICKED

October 19 - November 6, 2011

Back by "Popular" demand. Entertainment Weekly calls Wicked "the best musical of the decade." Winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, Wicked is Broadway's biggest blockbuster, a cultural phenomenon and was just named "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times. Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for "the most complete and completely satisfying new musical in a long time" (USA Today).

MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT

January 27 & 28, 2012

THE SECOND COMING OF BROADWAY'S #1 SMASH MUSICAL COMEDY!

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. Spamalot tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail. But before they can find their grail, they're taking a little side-trip to the fair city of Nashville.

Over three decades, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center has welcomed more than 11 million audience members and served more than 1.5 million students and educators since 1983 with performances at TPAC, resources for teachers, classroom residencies, and enrichment programs for adults. Founded in 1980, TPAC serves several hundred thousand audience members each year with the annual series of HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC, a variety of special engagements, and the productions of the three resident artistic companies-Nashville Ballet,

Nashville Opera, and Tennessee Repertory Theatre. For more information, visit www.tpac.org