WEST SIDE STORY & CHICAGO et al. Inlcuded in Van Wezel Performing Arts '12-'13 Season

 

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall's 2012-2013 Broadway Season includes nine Broadway shows, and seven Broadway "Specials."

The 2012-2013 Broadway Series is: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (Sarasota Premiere, December 6 & 7), the 50th Anniversary Broadway tour of WEST SIDE STORY (December 10 & 11), TRACES (Sarasota Premiere, February 6), HERE TO STAY: THE GERSHWIN CONCERT EXPERIENCE (Sarasota Premiere, February 10), Cathy Rigby is PETER PAN (February 19 & 20), LES MISÉRABLES (March 5-March 10), HAIR (April 2), CHICAGO THE MUSICAL (April 9 & 10) and The Addams Family, A New Musical Comedy (Sarasota Premiere April 22).
The Broadway Season Specials are THE Midtown Men (Sarasota Premiere, December 28), STOMP (January 3), SPAMALOT (January 27), HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD Live on Stage (Sarasota Premiere, February 16), A CHORUS LINE (February 25), PIRATES OF PENZANCE (March 13), and RAIN A Tribute to the Beatles (April 26). The Broadway Series is sponsored by Wilde Lexus of Sarasota and ABC 7.

2012-2013 Broadway Series

Based on the DreamWorks film that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and the true story that inspired it, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is the 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. Frank successfully poses as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer - living the high life and winning the girl of his dreams.
(Sarasota Premiere, December 6 & 7, 2012)

The Bernstein and Sondheim score of WEST SIDE STORY features such classics of the American musical theatre as "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere."
(December 10 & 11, 2012)

TRACES combines acrobatics with urban energy. This modern brand of circus is infused with the energy of street performance. The artists of TRACES employ every trick in the book-from music, dance, and illustration to skateboarding, basketball, and high-risk acrobatics.
(Sarasota Premiere, February 6, 2013)

Championed by the Gershwin Estate, THE GERSHWIN CONCERT EXPERIENCE: HERE TO STAY is the multimedia concert event that provides insight into the Gershwin duo, and offers rare audio and video footage of the Gershwins. Family photos, rare video clips, and elegant, state-of-the-art visuals provide an experience and an offering of the Gershwin brothers' best. This special event features Kevin Cole, the leading Gershwin interpreter, Grammy award-winning soprano Sylvia McNair, and tap dancer Ryan VanDenBoom. Performances include classic Gershwin favorites like "Rhapsody in Blue," "I Got Rhythm," "Strike Up the Band," "The Man I Love," "'S Wonderful," and many more.
(Sarasota Premiere, February 10, 2013)

Tony Award nominee Cathy Rigby takes flight in an all new production of PETER PAN!
(February 19 & 20, 2013)

Cameron Mackintosh presents a brand new 25th anniversary production of Boublil & Schönberg's  musical, LES MISÉRABLES, withnew staging and  reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo.
(March 5-March 10, 2013)

Winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, The Public Theater's new production of HAIR is about a group of young Americans searching for peace and love in a turbulent time. HAIR features songs, including "Aquarius," "Let the Sun Shine In," "Good Morning, Starshine" and "Easy To Be Hard."
*For Mature Audiences. While many find this show suitable for young adults (13 and older), parental discretion is advised. There is a dimly lit 20-second scene with nudity that is non-sexual in nature.
(April 2, 2013)

CHICAGO the Musical is tale of sin and celebrity and is the recipient of six Tony® Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy.
(April 9 & 10)

The Addams Family is a musical comedy that brings the dark world of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Wednesday, Pugsley and, of course, Lurch to life. This new musical comedy is created by Jersey Boys authors Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, Drama Desk-winning composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys) and Olivier Award-winning director/designers Phelim McDermott & Julian Crouch (Shockheaded Peter) with production supervision by four-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Zaks.
(Sarasota Premiere April 22, 2013)

2012-2013 Broadway Specials

THE Midtown Men is the special concert tour that reunites four stars from the Original Cast of Broadway's JERSEY BOYS. Tony-Award winner Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and Tony-Award nominee J. Robert Spencer, star in this one-of-a-kind concert experience celebrating the music that defined the 1960s. During their time in the musical JERSEY BOYS, these four artists shared the stage for over a thousand performances.  Now these four Broadway Stars are taking their own sound and chemistry on the road, singing the hits of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Jackson Five, The Mamas and The Papas, the Four Seasons and more.
(Sarasota Premiere, December 28, 2012)

STOMP includesa an eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with rhythms.
(January 3, 2013)

Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical, MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT is the new musical comedy ripped off from the film classic Monty Python and The Holy Grail. Based on the Tony Award winning direction of Mike Nichols, with a book by Eric Idle and music and lyrics by the Grammy Award-winning team of Mr. Idle and John Du Prez, SPAMALOT tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail.
(January 27, 2013)

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD takes the audience on a journey through the most popular musicals of the last 50 years. Featuring a cast of 14 singers and dancers, a six-piece band, and over 300 costume changes, HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD sings and dances its way through over 30 songs including "Staying Alive," "All That Jazz," "Dancing Queen," "Jailhouse Rock," and many more.
(Sarasota Premiere, February 16, 2013)

In an empty theatre, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime. It's what they've worked for - with every drop of sweat, every hour of training, every day of their lives. It's the one opportunity to do what they've always dreamed -- to have the chance to dance. This is A CHORUS LINE, winner of nine Tony Awards®, including "Best Musical" and the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this singular sensation is the longest-running American Broadway musical ever.
(February 25, 2013)

The PIRATES OF PENZANCE set sail with a classic comedy. On the coast of Cornwall, a band of pirates celebrates the coming of age of Frederic, who was mistakenly apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday. Now, Frederic has vowed to devote his life to the extermination of piracy…until a ludicrous leap year snag threatens to keep him apprenticed to the pirates for life.
At least they're employed!
(March 13, 2013)

Direct from Broadway, RAIN Returns. RAIN, the internationally-acclaimed Beatles concert, returns by popular demand! RAIN performs the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, including  songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience.
(April 26, 2013)

This season the Van Wezel is offering 4  subscription packages for as low as $350 for all 9 shows! Broadway I features Catch Me If You Can, West Side Story, TRACES, The Gershwin Experience, and Les Misérables; Broadway II includes Peter Pan, Les Misérables, HAIR, Chicago the Musical, and The Addams Family; Broadway III is for those who wish to subscribe to all 9 fabulous Broadway shows. Subscribe to Broadway I or Broadway II and get up to a 15% discount. Subscribe to Broadway III and get up to a 20% discount. If you would like to CREATE YOUR OWN then we have a package for you as well. Mix and match four or more of any of the Broadway shows and/or Broadway Specials and get up to a 10% discount. Subscribers get up to a 10% discount on any Broadway Special. Enjoy great perks as a subscriber-- choice seats, discounted tickets, exchange privileges for shows with multiple performances, discounts at the bar, special offers, and our easy-payment plan. (Discounts are not available for Golden Circle or Smart Seats.)

There are three ways to subscribe: by mail to Van Wezel Box Office, 777 N. Tamiami, Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236; visiting the Box Office Monday-Friday 10 AM-6 PM, Saturday 10 AM-4 PM, and open later on show days; and by calling 941-953-3368, Toll Free at 1-800-826-9303. After April 23 the Box Office hours will be: Monday-Friday 10 AM-3 PM; Closed on Saturday and Sunday. Subscriptions are NOT currently available online. The Broadway Series is sponsored by Wilde Lexus of Sarasota and ABC 7.

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