Ordway Theater Announces 2009 Season

In 1980, Saint Paul resident Sally Ordway Irvine challenged her community to help her create a performing arts venue in which her dream of offering "everything from opera to the Russian circus" could be realized. She set an example by making the first donation to a fund that eventually built Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.

The $46 million center opened to the public on January 1, 1985, Sally had contributed $7.5 million-and her family had matched that amount. Certainly, Sally's vision is alive today in Ordway Center's dizzying schedule of theater, dance, music, family events, and educational programs. Ordway Center is also the proud sponsor of the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists which opened its doors in September 2005.

Ordway Center contains the 1,900 seat Main Hall, the intimate 306 seat McKnight Theatre; two large rehearsal halls, and magnificent lobbies on each floor, including the second floor Marzitelli Foyer, a spacious, two story lobby encircled by a glass facade.

FEBRUARY

February 6, 2009 - 7:30 p.m.

Lula Washington Dance Theatre

Award winning choreographer Lula Washington brings her provoking mix of bright choreography, imaginative costumes and captivating theatricality with Lula Washington Dance Theatre. This dynamic, fresh, L.A.-based modern dance company combines high-energy performance with Jazz, Hip-hop and African movements.

Performance and Ticket Information
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Main Hall
Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m.
Box Office: 651- 224-4222
ordway.org

FEBRUARY

February 7, 2009 - 8 p.m.

Vusi Mahlasela

Vusi Mahlasela's voice is one of the finest to emerge from Africa. An accomplished guitarist, percussionist, composer, bandleader and performer, Vusi now enjoys an ever-growing worldwide following. Among his most ardent supporters is Dave Matthews, who has long aimed to make Vusi's music known in the U.S. Mahlasela sings in six different South African languages, including English.

Performance and Ticket Information
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Main Hall
Feb. 7, 8 p.m.
Box Office: 651- 224-4222
ordway.org

FEBRUARY

February 15, 2009 - 4 p.m.

VocalEssence WITNESS

Celebrating the 90th anniversary of his birth, the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a concert dedicated to music inspired by his life and vision. Influenced by Dr. King, jazz legend Dr. Billy Taylor will perform his composition Peaceful Warrior, written for chorus, orchestra and jazz trio. Join us for this inspirational tribute to one of the greatest leaders of all time.

Performance and Ticket Information
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Main Hall
Feb. 15, 4 p.m.

Box Office: 651- 224-4222

ordway.org

MARCH

March 10, 2009 - 7:30 p.m.

Jake Shimabukuro

Recognized as one of the world's leading ukulele players, Jake Shimabukuro defies the notion that the ukulele is only capable of traditional Hawaiian music. Shimabukuro crosses genres as he amazes audiences with his revolutionary techniques and fast fingers through jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco, and rock.

Performance and Ticket Information
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Main Hall
Mar. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Box Office: 651- 224-4222
ordway.org

MARCH

March 17 - 29, 2009 - performance times vary

Oprah Winfrey presents The Color Purple

From Alice Walker's classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel comes a soul-stirring new musical. The Color Purple is an inspiring and unforgettable story of a woman who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world. With a moving book and a score featuring gospel, jazz, ragtime, and blues, The Color Purple is ultimately a celebration of life.

Performance and Ticket Information

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Main Hall
Mar. 17 - 29, performance times vary
Box Office: 651- 224-4222
ordway.org

MARCH

March 17 - May 17, 2009 - performance times vary

Grey Gardens

Grey Gardens brings to life the delightfully eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Once among the brightest names in the pre-Camelot social register, these two women became East Hampton's most notorious recluses, living in a dilapidated twenty-eight-room mansion. Set in two eras - 1941 when the estate was in its prime, and 1973 when it was reduced to squalor - the musical tells the alternately hilarious and heartbreaking story of the two indomitable women, Edith Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter "Little" Edie. MATURE THEMES. ADULT LANGUAGE.

Performance and Ticket Information
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
McKnight Theatre
Mar. 17 - May 17, performance times vary
Box Office: 651- 224-4222
ordway.org

APRIL

April 29 - May 10, 2009 - performance times vary

Legally Blonde: The Musical

The hilarious MGM film is Broadway's new smash hit musical, and now Legally Blonde: the Musical is coming to you. Sorority star Elle Woods doesn't take "no" for an answer. So when her boyfriend dumps her for someone more "serious," Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style. After turning Broadway and MTV hot pink, this "Feel-Good Song and Dance Juggernaut" (New York Magazine) is coming to Saint Paul!

Performance and Ticket Information
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Main Hall
Apr. 29 - May 10, performance times vary
Box Office: 651- 224-4222
ordway.org

MAY

May 30 - 31, 2009, performance times vary
Flint Hills International Children's Festival
Check out ordway.org/festival in the next few months for more information!

JUNE

June 16 - 28, 2009 - performance times vary

Singin' in the Rain

In 1952, Singin' in the Rain burst upon the scene and became one of the most celebrated movie musicals of all time. The musical stage production embraces the best of the beloved songs and characters and adds a remarkable dimension that delights theater lovers. This show overflows with romance and unforgettable dancing, and YES, it is going to rain!

Performance and Ticket Information
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Main Hall
Jun. 16 - 28, performance times vary
Box Office: 651- 224-4222
ordway.org

JULY

June 26 - July 12, 2009 - performance times vary

Mu Performing Arts presents Flower Drum Song

In Tony Award®-winner David Henry Hwang's new adaptation of the Rogers and Hammerstein classic, Mei-Li flees communist China and finds herself in San Francisco's Chinatown. Wang, who is struggling to keep the Chinese opera tradition alive despite his son's determination to turn the old opera house into a swingin' Western-style nightclub, befriends this naïve young refugee. The unique blending of American razz-ma-tazz and stylized Chinese opera traditions creates a beautiful theatrical tapestry in this lovely new version of an American classic.

Performance and Ticket Information
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
McKnight Theatre
Jun. 26 - Jul. 12, performance times vary
Box Office: 651- 224-4222
ordway.org