J.L. "Lynn" Singleton, President of the Providence Performing Arts Center, is pleased to announce PPAC's 33rd Anniversary Broadway season. The 2010/2011 Broadway Series will kick off with the SPECTACULAR Rhode Island Premiere of the RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR® STARRING The Rockettes®, and will follow with the return of DISNEY'S THE LION KING, the groundbreaking NEXT TO NORMAL, and the highly-regarded Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC. The INSKIP LEXUS Touring Selections of the 2010/2011 Broadway Series are the inspiring IN THE HEIGHTS and the enthralling new production of WEST SIDE STORY.
There will be a special pre-season kick-off event on Tuesday, March 30 at 10:30A at PPAC. To access event details, visit www.ppacri.org
PPAC is also pleased to welcome TACO/The White Family Foundation as the new sponsor of the Contemporary Classics Series for 2010/2011. The Series features the Providence Premiere of Blue Man Group and the return of MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT; a third show will be announced at a later date for this Series.
By popular demand, PPAC has also added a special return engagement of MAMMA MIA!
Singleton said, "Our 33rd Broadway season features an outstanding offering of top-notch, Tony® Award-winning shows for Rhode Island. We are very pleased to be hosting the Rhode Island Premiere of the RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR® for an unprecedented 34 performances in November and the return of DISNEY'S THE LION KING for 24 performances next February. New subscribers can reserve now with just a $99 deposit!"
John Hazen White, Jr., President and CEO of TACO, Inc., said, "The White Family Foundation and all of TACO's employees are pleased to help support the 2010/2011 Contemporary Classic Series. By so doing, it is our hope that we are contributing to the enhancement of both the cultural and economic life of our capital city."
The 2010/2011 Broadway Series kicks off with the RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR® STARRING The Rockettes®, from November 12 - 28, 2010. Audiences of all ages will enjoy the flawless precision of The Rockettes in numbers such as the legendary "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," "Christmas In New York," and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and children will be delighted as Santa takes them on a magical ride to his workshop at the North Pole. The finale of the production is the breathtaking "The Living Nativity," which has been performed as part of the production every year since 1933. The New York Times says, "BRILLIANT! It lifts the spirit and spreads warmth, joy and good will!" Both thrillingly grand and genuinely moving, the RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR® creates family memories that last a lifetime!
Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC will perform at PPAC December 7 - 12, 2010. A stunning reinvention produced by Lincoln Center Theater, SOUTH PACIFIC swept the 2008 Tony Awards®, winning seven honors including Best Musical Revival and Best Director for Bartlett Sher. The breathtaking new production features a cast of 34 and a full orchestra of 26 members - the largest orchestra of any touring Broadway production. Set on a tropical island during World War II, the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of war and by their own prejudices. The beloved score's songs include "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "This Nearly Was Mine" and "There is Nothin' Like a Dame." USA Today cheers, "Gorgeous! SOUTH PACIFIC doesn't just float; it soars!"
IN THE HEIGHTS, an INSKIP LEXUS Touring Selection, will make its Rhode Island debut January 11 - 16, 2011. IN THE HEIGHTS is the winner of four 2008 Tony Awards® and the 2008 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show Album. IN THE HEIGHTS tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood - a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can decide which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.
