Tommy Tune Coming to Smothers Theatre in January

In Taps, Tunes and Tall Tales, Broadway's tallest tapper Tommy Tune takes to Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre stage in Malibu, dancing, singing and tale-telling through 50 years of big time showmanship on Saturday, January 17 at 8 p.m.

Tickets, priced starting at $27 for the public and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or online at http://arts.pepperdine.edu/. More information: http://www.tommytune.com/

Known as one of the most prolific director/choreographers of the twentieth century, Tommy Tune has enchanted audiences over the past 50 years with his charisma, vision, and innovation. Backed up by the multi-talented Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Tommy Tune's Taps, Tunes and Tall Tales takes the audience on an autobiographical stroll, from his arrival in New York City as a fresh-faced kid from Texas, through his most popular roles on stage and screen, to his ascension as one of Broadway's most accomplished director-choreographers. It's a unique and masterful evening that leaves audiences standing, cheering, and dancing in the aisles.

A native Texan, Tune began his career as a dancer in the Broadway shows Baker Street, A Joyful Noise, and How Now Dow Jones. He soon stepped out of the chorus and into a principal role in the Broadway musical Seesaw, which won him his first Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His first Broadway directing and choreography credits were for the original production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

He has been honored with nine Tony Awards recognizing him as an outstanding performer, choreographer, and director: Best Actor in a Musical for My One and Only, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Seesaw, Best Choreography for A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine, My One and Only, Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies, and Best Direction of a Musical for Nine, Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies.

In addition, Tune has been awarded eight Drama Desk Awards, three Astaire Awards and the Society of Directors and Choreographers' George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement. Film credits include Hello, Dolly; The Boyfriend; and Mimi Bluette... fiore del mio giardino. In 1999, he made his Las Vegas debut as the star of EFX at the MGM Grand Hotel.

Tune is the recipient of The National Medal of Arts, the highest honor for artistic achievement given by the President of the United States, and he has been honored with his own star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2009, Tune was designated as a Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, and this year Tune marks his 50th year in show business with his latest work, Steps In Time, A Broadway Biography in Song and Dance. In his spare time, Tune enjoys painting in his Manhattan Tower studio. For the first time in years, Tune will also appear in a New York musical shortly after his performance at Pepperdine, joining the cast of City Center's Encores! production of Lady, Be Good for a seven performance run in February.

This performance is sponsored by Ellen and Doug Weitman.

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University provides high-quality activities for over 50,000 people from 664 zip codes annually through performances, rehearsals, museum exhibitions, and master classes. Located on Pepperdine's breathtaking Malibu campus overlooking the Pacific, the center serves as a hub for the arts, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Facilities include the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, the "black box" Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.

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