Ordway to Present BROADWAY SONGBOOK: THE 70S SONGBOOK, 10/9-11

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will continue its popular Broadway Songbook series Oct. 9-11 with Broadway Songbook: The 70s Songbook. Tickets are $37 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in person at the Ordway ticket office.

The Broadway Songbook series offers an intimate, personal look at the stories behind the songs that created Broadway, exploring the history, meaning, and impact of Broadway on popular American culture through portraits and anecdotes of the writers and performers who created some of the most iconic shows of all time. Broadway Songbook: The 70s Songbook takes the audience through this transformative decade in the history of the Broadway musical with songs from artists whose music eventually became part of the Broadway cannon, including James Taylor, Carole King, Marvin Hamlisch and more.

"We're excited to continue the Broadway Songbook series by exploring the 1970s, the first decade after rock & roll fully permeated our musical experience and introspective, soul-baring music really took hold," said James A. Rocco, Ordway's vice president of programming and producing artistic director. "The decade exploded with diverse forms of pop music which grew out of society's cultural individualism. Songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Carole King and James Taylor wrote deeply personal songs with confessional themes that reflected the times, which, in turn, influenced Broadway to turn its attention away from plot-driven shows toward more emotionally-driven stories."

Broadway Songbook: The 70s Songbook is written by James A Rocco and Jeffrey P. Scott, with arrangements and musical direction by Raymond Berg. Rocco, a Broadway veteran, also acts as the show's host. The cast features Dieter Bierbrauer, Caroline Innerbichler, Kersten Rodau, Randy Schmeling and Erin Schwab.

Broadway Songbook: The 70s Songbook is part of the Ordway's 30th anniversary season. For tickets and more information, visit www.ordway.org.