Sutton Foster Comes to Wheeling This Week

 The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (WSO) will welcome Broadway icon Sutton Foster to the Capitol Theatre for the Opening Night Concert and Celebration on Friday, September 29, at 7:30 pm. Two-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, Foster will perform selections from plays she has starred in as well as Broadway classics. Before the concert, the WSO will host a pre-concert Celebration event in the Capitol Theatre Ballroom. Starting at 6:00 pm, Celebration attendees can enjoy beer, wine, live music, and catering from Italian restaurant Pastaio, located in Wintersville. The WSO’s 2023-2024 Capitol Series is presented by WesBanco. The pre-concert Celebration event is sponsored by WVU Medicine.

“I cannot wait to welcome Sutton Foster to the stage for our Opening Night Concert,” says WSO Music Director John Devlin. “I am a true lover of all things Broadway, and having presented many stars of the stage in recent seasons such as Capathia Jenkins, Ryan Shaw, Sierra Boggess and Morgan James, I have been overjoyed with the response of our audiences. That is why I am thrilled to collaborate once again with perhaps Broadway’s brightest star in Sutton Foster. Wheeling will love her, and it feels like a perfect fit to continue to bring the country’s most talented artists to the Capitol for our opening night celebrations, as we did last year with Yo-Yo Ma.”

Over the past 20 years, Sutton Foster has solidified her role as one of the most sought-after Broadway actresses of her generation. She has been nominated for a Tony Award seven times, winning twice: first for the role of Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002 and then again for Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes in 2011. In addition, Foster originated roles in countless other Broadway productions, including The Drowsy Chaperone, Little Women, Shrek: The Musical, and Young Frankenstein. Most recently, Foster starred in the 2022 revival of The Music Man alongside Hugh Jackman. 

In addition to her stage credits, Foster has enjoyed a successful career in television. From 2015 to 2021, Foster starred with Hilary Duff in TV Land’s Younger. A frequent collaborator of writer/producer Amy Sherman-Palladino, Foster also played the leading role in Sherman-Palladino’s Bunheads and appeared in the popular shows Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. 

An evening of Broadway, the Opening Night Concert will feature Foster performing selections from shows in her past as well as Broadway classics. In addition to performing alongside Foster, the WSO will perform two orchestra-only selections that represent different ends of the Broadway spectrum: a medley from Guys and Dolls as well as music from Lin Manuel-Miranda’s Hamilton.

Furthermore, Foster will not be the only guest artist in attendance for Opening Night. Local dance group Turn It Out Dance Academy will perform with the WSO on the medley from Hamilton. Frequent collaborators of the WSO, this will mark Turn It Out’s third performance with the symphony, having previously collaborated for 2022’s American Roots and 2023’s Soundbites: A Night at the Italian Opera.

“The young artists from Turn It Out always do an outstanding job, and it is my great pleasure to announce we are collaborating with them once again,” says Devlin. “Under the guidance of director Mandy Doyle, the dancers from Turn It Out create a physical interpretation of the music the orchestra plays, and every time it is such a joy to experience.” 

To complete the evening, concertgoers are encouraged to add on the pre-concert Celebration event, presented by WVU Medicine. Beginning at 6:00 pm in the Capitol Theatre Ballroom, the Celebration will consist of beer, wine, live music, and heavy hors d’oeuvres catered by Pastaio in Wintersville. 

“We are so pleased to partner with the Wheeling Symphony to bring the Opening Night Celebration to life,” says Jessica Rine, Associate Vice President of Foundation and Community Relations at WVU Medicine. “The Wheeling Symphony is a cultural pillar in our community, and we could not be happier to kick off a celebration for what is sure to be an outstanding 2023-2024 season.”

“The Opening Night Celebration event really enhances the experience of the Opening Night Concert,” says WSO Executive Director Sonja Thoms. “After all, not only is it a monumental occasion to have a Broadway star like Sutton Foster perform alongside the WSO, but we also have a huge cause for celebration in kicking off our 2023-2024 season, Music at Play. The Opening Night Celebration will give music lovers and symphony fans a chance to revel in the excitement of the coming season, all while enjoying some truly delicious food together. Convening the community in a celebration around music is core to our organization’s mission.” 

Tickets for the Opening Night Celebration pre-concert event are $75 and can be purchased at the WSO website or by calling the WSO box office at 304-232-6191. Tickets for the Opening Night Concert featuring Sutton Foster can be purchased online, by calling the WSO box office, or visiting the box office at WesBanco Arena. 

 

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