The Bushnell Announces its 2007-2008 season -- all shows go on sale August 20 at 10 a.m.
The Bushnell announces its 2007-2008 jam-packed season!
From Broadway and Comedy to Concerts and Travel Films
The Bushnell has something for the whole family
Tickets for all shows – including Disney's High School Musical –
go on sale Monday, August 20 at 10 a.m.
August 1, 2007, HARTFORD, CT – The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts is pleased to announce its line-up for the 2007-2008 season featuring the best of Broadway, comedy, family, music, dance and lectures, including the highly anticipated Connecticut premiere of Disney's new touring stage version of High School Musical.
Tickets for previously announced shows -- Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind, Wicked, Deepak Chopra, Musiq Soulchild, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Dan Zanes Pajama Party, The Gulf Coast – Travel Film, Arthur LIVE! Presents Arthur Tricks the Tooth Fairy, An Evening with David Crosby & Graham Nash, A Year with Frog and Toad, Beehive: The 60's Musical and 2007-2008 Broadway Series subscription packages -- are on sale now.
Single tickets to all other shows, listed below, will go on sale Monday, August 20, 2007
at 10 a.m.
Tickets can be purchased in-person at The Bushnell Box Office, located at 166 Capitol Avenue in Hartford, by calling The Bushnell Box Office at 860-987-5900 or online at www.bushnell.org. Group leaders may order tickets by calling 860-987-5959 or by emailing groups@bushnell.org.
THE HARTFORD FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP BROADWAY SERIES
The Producers
January 15 – 20, 2008
Mortensen Hall
Everything you've heard is true! "Mel Brooks has put the comedy back into musical comedy. The Producers is the funniest, most fearlessly irreverent thing ever seen on stage!" (USA Today) And now you can experience the biggest Tony Award winner in Broadway history when it comes to Hartford. Direction and choreography by five-time Tony Award-winner Susan Stroman (Crazy for You, Contact, The Music Man). The New York Times raves "The Producers is a blissful spectacle that will leave you delirious!'
Tickets: Tues./Wed./Thurs./Sun. eve: $67.00, $47.00, $37.00, $22.00.
Fri. & Sat. eve., Sat. & Sun. mat: $70.00, $50.00, $40.00, $25.00
The Drowsy Chaperone
February 19 – 24, 2008
Mortensen Hall
Get ready to be transported to a magical, wonderful world!
A world where the critics are in awe, the audiences are in heaven and the neighborhood is buzzing with excitement. Welcome to The Drowsey Chaperone, the new musical comedy that is swooping into town with tons of laughs and the most 2006 Tony Awards of any musical on Broadway! It all begins when a die-hard musical fan plays his favorite cast album, a 1928 smash hit called "The Drowsy Chaperone," and the show magically bursts to life. We are instantly immersed in the glamorous, hilarious tale of a celebrity bride and her uproarious wedding day, complete with thrills and surprises that take both the cast (literally) and the audience (metaphorically) soaring into the rafters.
Tickets: Tues./Wed./Thurs./Sun. eve: $69.00, $49.00, $36.00, $22.00.
Fri. & Sat. eve., Sat. & Sun. mat: $72.00, $52.00, $39.00, $25.00
Twelve Angry Men starring Richard Thomas
March 25 – 30, 2008
Mortensen Hall
Twelve Jurors. Twelve walks of life. And only two ways to rule: guilty or not guilty.
What seems like an open-and-shut murder case becomes a twisted puzzle of prejudice and intrigue. Twelve jurors in a murder trial are corralled in a room for the duration of their deliberation. As prejudices are tested and evidence weighed, the entire jury is forced to look past the show of the courtroom to unearth the shocking truth. Faced with playing the hangmen, these dozen men must first face themselves. Starring Richard Thomas and directed by Scott Ellis, the National Tour of Twelve Angry Men is produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, one of the country's leading not-for-profit theaters.
Tickets: Tues./Wed./Thurs./Sun eve: $60.00, $41.00, $35.00, $22.00.
Fri. & Sat. eve., Sat. & Sun. mat: $63.00, $44.00, $38.00, $25.00
The Music Man – A 50th Anniversary Tribute
April 22 – 27, 2008
Mortensen Hall
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Music Man with this high-energy Bushnell-produced concert-style staging of one of America's best loved musicals. Soaring voices and a live, on-stage orchestra deliver all The Music Man classics including "Seventy Six Trombones;" "Wells Fargo Wagon;" "Till There Was You;" and "Gary, Indiana." Thoroughly entertaining, this engaging rendition will breathe new life into the time-honored story of the original production. Perfect family entertainment.
Tickets: Tues./Wed./Thurs./Sun. eve: $53.00, $30.00, $25.00, $22.00.
Fri. & Sat. eve., Sat. & Sun. mat: $61.00, $38.00, $35.00, $25.00
Jesus Christ Superstar
May 6 – 11, 2008
Mortensen Hall
Jesus Christ Superstar, the first masterpiece from the legendary writing team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, exploded onto the scene in 1971 changing the world of musical theater forever. With a score of amazing songs – "I Don't Know How To Love Him", "Hosanna", "Everything's Alright," What's the Buzz", "Superstar", and "Heaven on Their Mind", this original groundbreaking production, starring Ted Neeley in the title role and Living Colour's Corey Glover as Judas, is as relevant and timeless as ever.
Tickets: Tues./Wed./Thurs./Sun. eve: $61.00, $38.00, $33.00, $22.00.
Fri. & Sat. eve., Sat. & Sun. mat: $63.00, $44.00, $38.00, $25.00
The Wedding Singer
June 17- 22, 2008
Mortensen Hall
A new romantic musical comedy based on the hit movie.
The Wedding Singer is "one big party!" (Newsday)
It's 1985 and rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart is New Jersey 's favorite wedding singer. He's the life of the party – until his own fiancée leaves him at the altar. Shot through the heart, Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own.
Enter Julia, a winsome waitress who wins his affection. Only trouble is Julia is about to be married to a Wall Street shark, and unless Robbie can pull off the performance of the decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever. With a brand new score that pays homage to the pop songs of the 1980's, The Wedding Singer, takes us back to a time when hair was big, greed was good, collars were up, and a wedding singer just might be the coolest guy in the room.
Tickets: Tues./Wed./Thurs./Sun eve: $61.00, $38.00, $33.00, $22.00.
Fri & Sat. eve., Sat & Sun. mat: $63.00, $44.00, $38.00, $25.00
EDWARDS, ANGELL, PALMER & DODGE OFF-BROADWAY SERIES
Almost Heaven
January 29 & 30, 2008
Belding Theater
Almost Heaven - The Songs of John Denver is a feel-good musical tribute to a folk artist who touched the nation. From "Rocky Mountain High" to "Leaving on a Jet Plane," Almost Heaven entertains as it enlightens us into the life of a beloved performer. With a small but high-voltage cast, live musicians, a multi-media-based set, and thrilling vocal arrangements of your favorite songs – Almost Heaven is a Hit Parade of American favorites.
Tickets: $40.00, $35.00, $25.00
Great American Trailer Park Musical
February 26 & 27, 2008
Belding Theater
The Great American Trailer Park Musical is a hilarious musical about life at Florida's most exclusive trailer park, Armadillo Acres. There's a storm brewin', and it ain't any old hurricane, as a stripper on the run named Pippi wreaks havoc on the life of agoraphobic Jeannie, her toll-booth collector husband and the nosy neighbors of this tight-knit mobile home community. With an outrageous and electrifying score, The Great American Trailer Park Musical may deal with spray cheese, Dr. Phil, road kill, hysterical pregnancy, agoraphobia, an electric chair, strippers and more, but it's the colorful characters and lasting friendships that are the heart of this side-splitting musical.
Tickets: $40.00, $35.00, $25.00
ROBINSON & COLE FAMILY SERIES
The Nutcracker
Saturdays, December 8 & 15, 2007
Sundays, December 9 & 16, 2007
Belding Theater
Enjoy yourself this yuletide season as you travel with young Clara to the enchanted Land of Sweets. Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts/Nutmeg Ballet brings Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker back to The Bushnell, delighting audiences young and old. This holiday favorite brings to life toy soldiers and dueling mice, princesses and sugarplums – a delicious treat for the child in all
of us.
Tickets: $48.50, $36.50
Family Fun Day featuring SteveSongs
April 19, 2008
Belding Theater
Steve Roslonek of SteveSongs is one of a small number of young, energetic artists writing and performing truly thoughtful, educational, and contagiously fun songs for kids. In six short years, Steve has already released five critically acclaimed CDs and has played over 2000 shows all over the country. Winner of numerous national awards, including two Parents' Choice Gold Awards, Steve is more than excited to share his music, stories and games with anyone who will listen. The Boston Globe said his show is "not just a musical journey but an entertaining, interactive and educational one."
Tickets: $10.00 in advance, $12.00 at the door
BANK OF AMERICA SHOWCASE SERIES
Simply Ballroom
March 2, 2008
Mortensen Hall
Fresh from its sold-out run across the United Kingdom, Simply Ballroom, a sensational ballroom dance experience, is now making its North American debut. Starring Debbie Reynolds, two American Idol singers and a host of world-class dance champions, this lavish production is full of glitz, glamour and breathtaking performances.
Tickets: $58.00, $50.00, $40.00, $22.00
SPECIAL EVENTS
Disney's High School Musical
October 9-14, 2007
Mortensen Hall
It burst onto the cultural landscape first as a smash hit Disney Channel Original Movie and the soundtrack climbed to the top of the Billboard charts. Now, get ready for "the start of something new!" Disney Theatrical Productions, the producers of THE LION KING and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, have created an exciting stage version of the phenomenal Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. It's the irresistible story of two teenagers Troy Bolton, super-popular captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella Montez, super-smart transfer student and a genius in science class who try to navigate the tricky currents of peer pressure to follow their dream and score the leads in the big school show. The production, which features a cast of talented theatrical performers, will include all of the favorite characters and songs from the movie, plus two new songs written especially for the stage. All this combines to make HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL a top-drawer Disney production, and a must-see for every fan of the movie and theater-goer alike. So "getcha head in the game!" And get ready for the Connecticut stage debut of Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. Live on stage!
Tickets: Tues./Wed./Thurs./Sun eve: $65.00, $60.00, $41.00, $18.00.
Fri & Sat. eve., Sat & Sun. mat: $70.00, $65.00, $43.00, $25.00
Hot Chocolate Soul sponsored by Lincoln Financial Group Foundation
September 14, 2007; October 12, 2007; January 11, 2008, February 8, 2008; March 14, 2008; April 11, 2008; May 9, 2008; June 13, 2008
Autorino Great Hall
Hot Chocolate Soul is a musical production showcasing R&B music, comedy and poetry backed by a live band. This event highlights the area's rising stars and entertainers, displaying improvisation at its finest. Artists are enhanced by The Karl Browne and Smooth Improvisation Band. June Archer, along with special guests and hosts, make this event one not to be missed. HCS offers an inviting atmosphere for those interested in having fun and supporting emerging artists as well as those with a passion for the arts and entertainment.
Tickets: $24.00
Julia Sweeney
November 10, 2007
Belding Theater
Julia Sweeney is best known for her roles on Saturday Night Live, especially as the androgynous character "Pat." She is also well-known for her critically acclaimed 1996 one-woman monologue, God Said, Ha! in which she addressed her experience of surviving cancer. A film version of the show was released in 1998. More recently, she has consulted on the shows Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives, has appeared as a guest star in several TV shows and has written and performed two other monologues, In the Family Way and Letting Go of God, the latter explaining her conversion to atheism.
Tickets: $34.00
Great Joy: A Gospel Christmas with The Broadway Inspirational Voices
December 17, 2007
Mortensen Hall
"Healing, forgiveness, strength, love, patience – and hope." Michael McElroy, director/composer of Broadway Inspirational Voices, says these are the powerful virtues that listeners can glean from gospel music. He should know. This Broadway favorite (Rent, The Wild Party, Blue) and Tony Award® nominee (Big River) was raised in the Baptist church founded by his grandfather in Cleveland. "All the musicians in the church were my (biological) family. We played all the instruments and directed the choir." A versatile actor, singer and musician, Michael has held fast to his roots by recruiting some of the best voices on Broadway to sing in his renowned choir, The Broadway Inspirational Voices.
Everyone in The Broadway Inspirational Voices volunteers his or her time and talent to sing for Michael, and in return they get an opportunity to express themselves in a way that performing in their own respective shows might not offer. After all, McElroy says, "The demands on our lives sometimes drain us. Gospel music touches us on the deepest levels and fills us up again. Not many genres of music can affect people in that way."
Tickets: $42.00, $37.00, $32.00, $25.00, $20.00
African Footprint
January 25 & 26, 2008
Mortensen Hall
Hailed by critics around the globe, African Footprint is an explosive stampede of song and dance that springs from the culture, tradition and history of South Africa! Combining dance and song in an incredible 90-minute spectacle, it melds the hypnotic heartbeat of the African Drum, with the soulful saxophone and the haunting pennywhistle. It's a perfect blend of Afro-and Euro-centric music and dance. Think of it as the Riverdance of Africa.
Tickets: $50.00, $43.00, $37.00, $32.00, $25.00
Blast
March 7 & 8, 2008
Mortensen Hall
Born on athletic fields across the nation, steeped in the tradition of military and outdoor pageantry, drum corps, bands, and color guards have a long history in America. Often rehearsing twelve hours a day through heat, cold, dust and rain, they create thrilling performances where athleticism, musical talent, kaleidoscopic movement, and showmanship merge into an art form that is both competitive and entertaining.
Rising from fertile Midwestern fields, one drum corps, Star of Indiana, consistently set ever-higher standards of excellence. From its inception in 1984, Star of Indiana achieved successes no corps in history had ever accomplished in such a short time.
With its place in drum corps legend secure, Star moved beyond its earlier triumphs to bring the power, passion and precision of outdoor pageantry to the stage in a musical performance that's called BLAST!
Tickets: $47.50, $42.50, $37.50, $32.50, $25.00
An Evening with Martin Short sponsored by Wachovia
March 21, 2008
Mortensen Hall
Martin Short will be performing a combination of skits and monologue, bringing back to life some of our favorite characters. Short skyrocketed to fame after one season of standout performances on "Saturday Night Live." Since then, he's achieved one success after another in movies, television and on Broadway showcasing his many talents in comedy, music and as a writer.
Among Short's recurring characters: talk show host Jiminy Glick, aged songwriter Irving Cohen, spurious entertainer Jackie Rogers Jr., current-events commentator Troy Soren,
industrialist and art patron Bradley P. Allen, defensive attorney Nathan Thurm, and oddball man-child Ed Grimley.
Tickets: $47.50, $37.50, $27.50
Capitol Steps sponsored by Sovereign Bank
June 14, 2008
Belding Theater
In 1981, The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom ("Don't quit your day job!"), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience. Since they began, the Capitol Steps have recorded 27 albums, including their latest, Springtime for Liberals . They've been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS, and can be heard 4 times a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their "Politics Takes a Holiday" radio specials.
Tickets: $37.50, $32.50
HA! HA! HARTFORD! SERIES sponsored by United Technologies Corporation
Friday, November 23, 2007
Friday, February 15, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Belding Theater
Tune up your laugh muscles, Ha! Ha! Hartford! is back for another great season of side-splitting comedy. The ever-popular 96.5 TIC-FM's Damon Scott returns for the fifth season to host The Bushnell's homegrown comedy series. Comedians to be announced. Check www.bushnell.org for updates.
May contain adult subject matter.
Tickets: $22.00, $15.00
LITERATURE TO LIFE sponsored by SBM Charitable Fund
Black Boy, a memoir by Richard Wright
October 15, 2007
Autorino Great Hall
The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeanette Walls
November 12, 2007
Autorino Great Hall
Growing Up a Slave derived from slave narratives transcribed by the Federal Writers' Project in the 1930s
March 31, 2008
Autorino Great Hall
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl a memoir by Harriet A. Jacobs
May 5, 2008
Autorino Great Hall
The Things They Carried, fiction based on fact by Tim O'Brien
June 23, 2008
Autorino Great Hall
Imagine seeing one of your favorite books brought to life! This program presents professionally staged verbatim theatrical adaptations of significant American literary works. Performances include comments by a local scholar and pre- and post-show discussions.
Tickets: $20.00 for subscribers, $25.00 for single tickets
WILLIAM H. MORTENSEN TRAVEL SERIES
Sailing Down to Rio on the Queen Mary 2
November 11, 2007
Belding Theater
At 150,000 tons, the Queen Mary 2 is the longest, tallest, widest, biggest ocean liner of the world. To commemorate her launch in 2004, the Queen Mary 2 went on a voyage to Rio de Janeiro for the largest party on earth, Carnaval. Doug Jones will take us on the voyage that duplicates a legendary journey of the S.S. Normandie in 1939. The historic journey remains among the most remembered voyages of the 20th century. The new Cunarder, Queen Mary 2, repeats the experience.
Tickets: $7.50
On the Road to Mandalay
February 17, 2008
Belding Theater
Mayanmar, formerly Burma, remains one of the most mysterious and undiscovered destinations in the world. Buddy Hatton returns to take us through a land of breathtaking beauty and charm, yet only recently emerging into the modern world. Burma has a rich and glorious heritage spanning more than 2000 years. Spectacular monuments and ancient cities attest to the vibrant culture.
Tickets: $7.50
South African Safari
April 20, 2008
Belding Theater
The series closes with a South African Safari presented by award-winning Canadian wildlife cinematographer John Wilson. Go wild and explore the world in one country! From desert to jungles, and everything in between, South Africa's bio-diversity is truly amazing for a nation its size. Not surprisingly, nine out of ten overseas tourists go to experience the country's incredible wildlife and spectacular scenery.
Tickets: $7.50
Ticket Information
- Individual tickets for all of the above performances go on sale to the public on Monday, August 20, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets may be purchased by visiting The Bushnell Box Office, located at 166 Capitol Avenue in Hartford, or by calling 860-987-5900. Tickets will also be available online at www.bushnell.org.
- Subscriptions to The Hartford Financial Services Group Broadway Series are available now. The 2007-2008 series includes Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind, The Producers, The Drowsy Chaperone, Twelve Angry Men starring Richard Thomas, The Music Man – A 50th Anniversary Tribute; Jesus Christ Superstar and The Wedding Singer.
- For information on group sales, please call 860-987-5959 or email groups@bushnell.org.
About The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
The Bushnell is Connecticut's premier performing arts center, hosting more than 450 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events. In November 2001, The Bushnell completed a $45 million expansion project that added a second, 908-seat theater to the existing historic structure. The new, state-of-the-art performance hall allows for expanded arts, entertainment and community offerings. The Bushnell's nationally-recognized arts-in-education program, PARTNERS (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools), is a cross-community educational effort serving 32 schools in 14 districts throughout the Greater Hartford area. The Bushnell originally opened in January 1930 and is a non-profit organization. For more information, call The Bushnell at (860) 987-6000, The Bushnell Box Office at (860) 987-5900 or visit our website at www.bushnell.org.