NEXT TO NORMAL, THE LION KING, IN THE HEIGHTS & More Announced for PPAC's New Season

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.

DISNEY'S THE LION KING returns to Providence February 1 - 20, 2011. Audiences will marvel at the breathtaking spectacle of animals brought to life by award-winning director Julie Taymor and will thrill to the pulsating rhythms of the African Pridelands and an unforgettable score featuring Elton John and Tim Rice's Oscar®-winning song "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and "Circle of Life." Newsweek calls this Tony® Award-winning musical "a landmark event in entertainment."

NEXT TO NORMAL, playing at PPAC March 22 - 27, 2011, is an emotional powerhouse of a musical with a thrilling contemporary score about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards®, NEXT TO NORMAL is the most talked about new show on Broadway, having recently been chosen as "one of the year's ten best" by major critics around the country. The New York Times calls NEXT TO NORMAL "a brave, breathtaking musical. It is much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical."

PPAC's 2010/2011 Broadway Series concludes with WEST SIDE STORY, an INSKIP LEXUS Touring Selection, performing April 25 to May 1, 2011. More than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. Now it's back on Broadway mesmerizing audiences once again. From the first note to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY soars as the greatest love story of all time. Directed by its two-time Tony® Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents, WEST SIDE STORY remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The new Broadway cast album of WEST SIDE STORY recently won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway's finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere." John Lahr of The New Yorker says, "So exciting IT MAKES YOU ACHE WITH PLEASURE."

The TACO/The White Family Foundation Contemporary Classics Series launches with Blue Man Group, March 4 - 6, 2011. The Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine comedy, music, and technology to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The New York Times says, "One of the most delightful performance pieces ever staged" and E! Entertainment News exclaims, "Blue Man Group is what every live performance aspires to be."

MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT will return to taunt Providence a second time April 15 - 17, 2011. Winner of the 2005 Tony Award® for Best Musical, MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT is the musical comedy sensation lovingly ripped off from the film classic Monty Python and The Holy Grail. MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail.

MAMMA MIA! returns to PPAC as a Broadway Special, December 28, 2010 to January 2, 2011. MAMMA MIA! is the ultimate feel-good show that has audiences coming back again and again to relive the thrill. This smash-hit musical combines ABBA's greatest hits, including "Dancing Queen," "S.O.S.," "Super Trouper," "Take A Chance on Me" and "The Winner Takes It All," with an enchanting tale of love, laughter, and friendship.

Channel 12 is the proud media sponsor of the 2010/2011 Broadway Series and Cox Communications is the proud media sponsor of the 2010/2011 TACO/The White Family Foundation Contemporary Classics Series.

New subscribers can reserve a subscription with just a $99 deposit now. Subscribers receive first choice in seating, advance order options, and a host of other subscription benefits. For more information on how to subscribe to the 2010/2011 Broadway Series and the 2010/2011 TACO/The White Family Foundation Contemporary Classics Series, please contact the PPAC Box Office at (401) 421-ARTS (2787). Regular Box Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 10A to 5P; Saturday 10A to 2P and through curtain time(s) on show days. Patrons may also speak to Sharon Corcoran at (401) 574-3136.

For more information, visit http://www.ppacri.org/