MATILDA, CHICAGO, and More Lead Pittsburgh CLO's 2016 Summer Season

Pittsburgh CLO is proud to announce the 2016 Summer Season, featuring the Pittsburgh premiere of MATILDA THE MUSICAL, direct from Broadway! MATILDA THE MUSICAL is the winner of 50 international awards including four Tony Awards and a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards including Best Musical. Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Dodgers, the first national tour of MATILDA THE MUSICAL will open Pittsburgh CLO's 2016 Summer Season. Pittsburgh CLO served as one of the Broadway co-producers of this incredible production, guaranteeing Pittsburgh audiences the chance to be among the first to enjoy MATILDA THE MUSICAL.

Each show selected for the 2016 Summer Season was among the top ten vote-getters in Pittsburgh CLO's Annual Audience Survey. The #1 choice was CHICAGO, which Pittsburgh CLO will welcome to the Benedum Center June 17-26. CHICAGO now has the distinction of being the longest-running American musical in Broadway history with no signs of ever slowing down! With a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, CHICAGO is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording. This is Pittsburgh CLO's first time bringing this Broadway hit to the Benedum Center stage.

Speaking of "hits," home-run sensation DAMN YANKEES will slide into Pittsburgh CLO's Summer Season for the first time in 40 years July 5-10. Based on the novel The Year The Yankees Lost The Pennant by Douglass Wallop, this Broadway mega-hit is the winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical! The iconic score by Adler and Ross and a devilish book by George Abbot have made this sporty musical comedy a true American classic.

Pittsburgh CLO welcomes the big, bright, beautiful world of SHREK THE MUSICAL to the CLO stage for the first time July 15-24. Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, SHREK THE MUSICAL is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure featuring all new songs from Jeanine Tesori and a sidesplitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire. SHREK brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage and proves there's more to the story than meets the ears.

The Summer Season premieres keep coming with the epic four-time Tony Award-winner Elton John's AIDA July 26-31. An unscheduled detour along the Nile leads to a dangerous meeting and a secret romance, changing the course of history. Inspired by the same tale of forbidden love which inspired Verdi's opera, this sleek, modern musical was the first Disney production especially created for adult Broadway audiences, rather than being based on a pre-existing family film.

Closing our 70th season is the beloved American musical treasure, SOUTH PACIFIC. This 10-time Tony Award-winning masterpiece took Broadway by storm in 1949, running for nearly 2,000 performances. Not only is the show based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, but it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in its own right in 1950. Subsequent revivals of SOUTH PACIFIC have garnered an additional seven Tony Awards including Best Revival in 2008. Pittsburgh CLO will produce SOUTH PACIFIC for the first time in fifteen years August 5-14.

"Pittsburgh CLO commemorates 70 years next year, and we look forward to celebrating our mission of bringing Broadway's hottest new productions home to Pittsburgh as well as producing dynamic and exciting productions of musical theater classics for our valued audience. From MATILDA THE MUSICAL, currently running on Broadway, to our #1 choice in this year's audience survey, CHICAGO, and four incredible productions in between, this season is a shining example of our commitment to musical theater's past, present and future," reports Executive Producer Van Kaplan. "As always, Pittsburgh CLO Season Ticket Holders will save substantially over single ticket prices and receive exclusive benefits that come with every Season Ticket purchase.

2016 Summer Season

The 2016 Summer Season opens June 7 at the Benedum Center and will include the following:

MATILDA THE MUSICAL
June 7-12
Benedum Center

Winner of 50 international awards, including four Tony Awards, MATILDA THE MUSICAL is the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

Based on the beloved novel by Roald Dahl, MATILDA continues to thrill sold-out audiences of all ages on Broadway and in London's West End.

CHICAGO
June 17-26
Benedum Center

A true New York City institution, CHICAGO has everything that makes Broadway great: a universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz; one show-stopping-song after another; and the most astonishing dancing you've ever seen. No wonder CHICAGO has been honored with 6 Tony Awards, 2 Olivier Awards, a Grammy and thousands of standing ovations. It's also no surprise that CHICAGO has wowed audiences all around the world, from Mexico City to Moscow, from Sao Paulo to South Africa. Whether you're looking for your first Broadway musical, whether you've seen the Academy Award-winning film and want to experience the show live on stage or whether you've seen it before and want to recapture the magic, CHICAGO always delivers.

DAMN YANKEES
July 5-10

Batter up! Just in time for the thick of baseball season comes the muscular musical about baseball super-fan Joe Boyd. Joe is transformed into a star slugger after he makes a deal with the devil and his sexy associate, Lola, for a chance to lead his home team to victory in the pennant race against the New York Yankees. This eleven-time Tony Award-winner, including Best Musical, puts America's favorite pastime center stage as Joe swings for the fences before realizing the true worth of the life he's left behind. Will he succeed in his race for glory, return home to the life he loves or be lost for all eternity? The winning score by Adler and Ross and a devilish book by George Abbot feature songs "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets," "(You Gotta Have) Heart" and many more home-run hits!

SHREK THE MUSICAL
July 15-24

"Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek..." And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude, and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand...and his name is Shrek.

Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, SHREK THE MUSICAL is the Tony Award-winner which brings all the beloved characters you know to life on stage, and shows there's more to the story than meets the ears. Featuring instant classics: "Big, Bright, Beautiful World," "I'm a Believer" and more, it's sure to delight audiences of all ages!

Elton John's AIDA
July 26-31

Two strangers peruse a museum exhibit and are suddenly transported to Ancient Egypt where they meet as Aida, an enslaved Nubian princess, and Radames, an Egyptian soldier betrothed to the Pharaoh's daughter. Radames and Aida's forbidden love becomes a shining example of true devotion that ultimately transcends the cultural differences between their warring nations, heralding a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity. As their epic story draws to a close, our pair of strangers resume their visit to the museum where they find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other. The unforgettable Grammy Award-winning score by Elton John and Tim Rice features soaring ballads including Billboard hit "Written in the Stars."

SOUTH PACIFIC
August 5-14

Love transcends the harsh realities of war and prejudice in this sweeping Pulitzer Prize-winning tale centered around two unlikely love affairs. Set on a tropical island during World War II, this timeless Rodgers and Hammerstein classic features some of the most beautiful music ever composed woven into an inspiring story cherished the world over. The beloved score's songs include "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," and "There is Nothin' Like a Dame" amidst big, Broadway performances and a chorus of American sailors and Navy nurses ready to take you to Bali Ha'i.

Renewing Season Ticket Buyers can renew their packages online at pittsburghCLO.org. Renewals can also be placed by mail, by fax at 412-281-1150 or by calling the Pittsburgh CLO Hotline at 412-281-2822.

The Pittsburgh CLO Hotline is also open for anyone who would like to become a new Season Ticket Buyer. New orders are filled on a date-received basis. New Season Ticket Buyers should place their orders early to secure the best seats.

Pittsburgh CLO's 2016 Season is also the perfect outing for any social group. Groups of 10 or more should call the Group Sales Hotline at 412-325-1582 to learn more about special discounts, exciting events and priority seating.

Pittsburgh CLO gratefully acknowledges the generosity of PNC for its sponsorship of the PNC Spotlight Series and our Season Sponsors: the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and WTAE-TV.

For more information please visit pittsburghCLO.org.

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