Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center Opens Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Tonight, 9/25

The Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center 2012-2013 season contains both new hits and familiar Broadway favorites. The five-show season package includes the most beautiful love story ever told, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the spectacular new 25^th anniversary production of LES MISÉRABLES, the high-flying new musical CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and the feel-good musical with heart and soul, SISTER ACT. 

Subscribers will have flexibility selecting the fifth season show, with the option of choosing either the much-anticipated Houston return of the Tony^®, Grammy^® and Olivier Award winning Best Musical, JERSEY BOYS, or Broadway's biggest blockbuster WICKED. Or, get the most out of the season and see both JERSEY BOYS and WICKED for a spectacular six-show package.

"Our new season is the perfect mix of beloved Broadway classics, family favorites and the newest titles on the scene," Fran Macferran, president of the Hobby Center Foundation, said. "We are excited to celebrate our 10^th anniversary season by presenting a series with shows that truly celebrate the favorites Houston audiences have applauded and future classics audiences are sure to love." 

Shows in the 2012-2013 Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center series include:

 

NETworks presents

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

September 25 – 30, 2012

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the smash hit Broadway musical, is coming to Houston! The original creators of the Broadway production are together again for this new touring production. The play is directed by Rob Roth and choreographed by Matt West, with costume design by Ann Hould-Ward (Tony Award^® winner for her work on Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), lighting design by Natasha Katz, scenic design by Stanley A. Meyer, sound design by John Petrafesa Jr., music supervision by Micahel Kosarin, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by the late Howard Ashman and additional lyrics by Tim Rice. 

Seen by over 35 million people worldwide in 21 countries, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is a classic musical love story filled with unforgettable characters, lavish sets and costumes, and dazzling production numbers including "Be Our Guest" and the beloved title song. For more information, visit BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com.

LES MISÉRABLES

November 6 – 11, 2012 

Cameron Mackintosh presents a brand new 25^th anniversary production of Boublil & Schönberg's legendary musical, LES MISÉRABLES, with glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo.  This new production has been acclaimed by critics, fans and new audiences and is breaking box office records wherever it goes. 

The New York Times calls this LES MISÉRABLES "an unquestionably spectacular production from start to finish." The London Times hails the new show "a five star hit, astonishingly powerful."  The Star-Ledger says "a dynamically re-imagined hit.  This 'LES MISÉRABLES' has improved with age" andNY1-TV proclaims "this new production actually exceeds the original. The storytelling is clearer, the perspective grittier and the motivations more honest. Musical theatre fans can rejoice: 'Les Miz' is born again.

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, LES MISÉRABLES is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit.  The magnificent score of LES MISÉRABLES includes the classic songs "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master Of The House" and many more. For more information, visit LesMis.com. 

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Houston Premiere

February 5 – 10, 2013

Based on the hit DreamWorks film 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 – living the high life and winning the girl of his dreams. But when Frank's lies catch the attention of FBI agent Carl Hanratty, Carl chases Frank to the end...and finds something he never expected.

This delightfully entertaining musical has been created by a Tony Award^® winning "dream team," with a book by Terrence McNally (THE FULL MONTY, RAGTIME), a swinging score by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman (HAIRSPRAY), choreography by Jerry Mitchell (HAIRSPRAY, LEGALLY BLONDE) and direction by Jack O'Brien (HAIRSPRAY, THE FULL MONTY, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS). For more information, visit CatchMeTheMusical.com.

JERSEY BOYS

March 13 – 30, 2013

More than 70,000 theatergoers cheered when JERSEY BOYS made its sell-out premiere in Houston in January of 2008. Worldwide, more than 13 million people have seen JERSEY BOYS. And now, the show that delighted critics and audiences is "Working its Way Back" to Houston! 

JERSEY BOYS is the Tony^®, Grammy^® and Olivier Award winning Best Musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. This is the story of how four blue?collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide – all before they were 30! JERSEY BOYS features their hit songs "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Rag Doll," "Oh What a Night" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." "IT WILL RUN FOR CENTURIES!" proclaims TimeMagazine. For more information, visit JerseyBoysTour.com. 

SISTER ACT

Houston Premiere

May 28 – June 2, 2013

SISTER ACT is Broadway's acclaimed musical comedy based on the smash-hit film! When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a crime, the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look – a convent! Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. A sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, SISTER ACT is reason to REJOICE! WOR Radio says "You'll be dancing in the aisles all night!"

SISTER ACT features an uplifting new score by 8-time Academy Award^® winner Alan Menken (Little Shop OF HORRORS,THE LITTLE MERMAID, ENCHANTED) mixing the sounds of disco, soul, funk, R&B and Broadway. Direction is by 4-time Tony^® winner Jerry Zaks (LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, A FUNNY THING..., GUYS AND DOLLS). For more information, visit SisterActBroadway.com.

WICKED

July 10 – August 11, 2013

Every time it has played Houston, WICKED has broken box office records and sold out in record time. 

Winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy^® and three Tony Awards^®, WICKED is Houston's most 'popular' musical. 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).

For more information, visit WickedTheMusical.com.

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