The Orange County Performing Arts Center has announced their 2010-2011 Broadway and Curtain Call Series as well a a special bonus event. The Broadway Series includes Lincoln Center Theater's South Pacific, The Public Theater's Tony Award-winning production of Hair, a new show from Cirque du Soleil, the return of Broadway's blockbuster Wicked, the Orange County debut of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's enchanting Mary Poppins and the compelling new Broadway revival of Leonard Bernstein's powerful West Side Story.
The Curtain Call Series brings Disney's Beauty and the Beast; the Center premieres of Rock of Ages, an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and many more; plus Dolly Parton's hilarious 9 to 5: The Musical. And as a Bonus Event, the Center welcomes back Mamma Mia!, the global sensation featuring the music of ABBA.
Center President Terry Dwyer said, "The Center has a great Broadway Season lined up for 2010 - 2011, with 10 shows that encompass much-loved classics, eagerly-awaited revivals and several of the newest shows and productions that have lately taken Broadway and the musical theater world by storm. It's the kind of season that our audience has come to expect from the Center, one that showcases the richness and variety of the musical theater tradition."
2010-2011 Season
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
October 12 - 24, 2010
A stunning reinvention produced by Lincoln Center Theater, South Pacific swept the 2008 Tony Awards®, winning seven honors including Best Musical Revival. 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!"
Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Curtain Call Series)
November 16 - 21, 2010
Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the smash hit Broadway musical, comes to the Center in an all-new production from the original Broadway creative team! Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, this eye-popping spectacle has won the hearts of over 35 million people worldwide. This classic musical love story is filled with unforgettable characters, lavish sets and costumes, and dazzling production numbers including "Be Our Guest" and the beloved title song. Experience the romance and enchantment of Disney's Beauty and the Beast !
Cirque du Soleil
December 7 - 26, 2010
Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to almost 100 million spectators around the globe. Its name is synonymous with innovation and exhilaration in high-quality entertainment. Now, Cirque du Soleil is bringing its unique brand of theatricality and spectacle to the Center in a not-to-be missed production.
Hair
January 25 - February 6, 2011
The Public Theater's new Tony-winning production of Hair is the most electric celebration on Broadway! This exuberant musical about a group of young Americans searching for peace and love in a turbulent time has struck a resonant chord with audiences young and old. Hair features an extraordinary cast and dozens of unforgettable songs, including "Aquarius," "Let the Sun Shine In," "Good Morning, Starshine" and "Easy To Be Hard." Its relevance is undeniable. Its energy is unbridled. Its truth is unwavering. It's Hair, and IT'S TIME.
Rock of Ages (Curtain Call Series)
March 1 - 6, 2011
There's only one Broadway show this season with the heart of a musical comedy and the attitude of a sold-out, arena-rock spectacle -- Rock of Ages. Don't miss this hilariously good time about a small town girl and a big city dreamer who meet in LA and learn the Sunset Strip's greatest lesson: Don't Stop Believin'! You'll want to sing out loud to some of the most powerful songs ever written by music legends Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Foreigner, Pat Benatar and more. Get ready to raise your voice and lift your lighter -- Rock of Ages comes home to Southern California.
Wicked
March 9 - April 3, 2011
Entertainment Weekly calls Wicked "the best musical of the decade," and when it first played the Center in 2006, it broke box office records and sold out in record time. Winner of 26 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards®, Wicked is Broadway's biggest blockbuster, a cultural phenomenon and was just named "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times.
Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One -- born with emerald green skin -- is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for "the most complete and completely satisfying new musical in a long time" ( USA Today ).
9 to 5: The Musical (Curtain Call Series)
May 10 - 15, 2011
9 to 5: The Musical is a hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. This new musical comedy is based on the hit movie and features DOLLY PARTON's original hit title song along with her new Tony Award®- and Grammy- nominated score. The book is by PATRICIA RESNICK, co-writer of the original screenplay. 9 to 5: The Musical tells the story of three unlikely friends who conspire to take control of their company and learn there's nothing they can't do -- even in a man's world. Outrageous, thought-provoking and even a little romantic, 9 to 5: The Musical is about teaming up and taking care of business... it's about getting credit and getting even… and it's coming to the Center!
Mamma Mia! (Bonus Event)
June 21 - 26, 2011
Mamma Mia! is the ultimate feel-good show that has audiences coming back again and again to relive the thrill. Now it's your turn to have the time of your life at this smash-hit musical that 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. Whether it's your first visit or your fourteenth, see the show that has the whole world coming back for more, because every time feels like the first time at Mamma Mia!
Mary Poppins
July 14 - 31, 2011
Beginning in July 2011, the world's most famous nanny will arrive at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Combining the best of the original stories by P.L. Travers and the beloved Walt Disney film, the Tony® Award-winning Mary Poppins is everything you'd hope for in a Broadway musical -- and more. Produced by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, the show includes such wonderful songs as "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Let's Go Fly a Kite" and, of course, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." The NY Daily News hails Mary Poppins as "a roof-raising, toe-tapping, high-flying extravaganza!" Let your imagination take flight at this perfectly magical musical!
West Side Story
September 6 - 18, 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."
Season tickets to the Broadway and Curtain Call Series as well as the Bonus Event can be purchased online at OCPAC.org. Tickets for the Bonus Event are available at this time only with the purchase of a season ticket package. Single tickets will go on sale approximately six weeks prior to the engagements. Tickets and additional information may also be obtained by contacting the Center's Box Office at 714.556.2787 or visiting 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 92626.