Broadway

THE CENTER'S 2008-2009 BANK OF AMERICA BROADWAY SERIES
Welcome to the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s 2008-2009 Broadway Series.

		The Color Purple November 18–30, 2008 Segerstrom Hall "A soaring, epic tale. It made a joyful noise in my heart." -TIME MAGAZINE Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple, a soul-stirring musical based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the Oscar-nominated film by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who triumphs over tremendous odds to find joy in life, and her true inner beauty. Nominated for eleven Tony® Awards, The Color Purple is a landmark theatrical event. With a joyous GRAMMY®-nominated score featuring jazz, gospel and blues, The Color Purple is capturing the hearts of young and old, and uniting audiences in a celebration of love.

		Avenue Q March 31–April 12, 2009 Segerstrom Hall "Jaw-droppingly hilarious! Grade: A! One of the funniest shows you're ever likely to see." –ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY Avenue Q is Broadway's smash-hit 2004 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. A hilarious show full of heart and hummable tunes, Avenue Q is about trying to make it in NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account. Avenue Q features a cast of people and puppets who tell the story in a smart, risque and downright entertaining way. The New Yorker calls it "subversive and uproarious!" MATURE CONTENT. RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 13 AND UP. Avenue Q has not been authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop, which have no responsibility for its content. Warning: Mature Audiences.

		Grease April 28–May 10, 2009* Segerstrom Hall The one that you want is back! Grease is rockin' across the country in this new production direct from Broadway. Take a trip to a simpler time of poodle skirts, drive-ins, and T-birds. "Bad boy" Danny and "the girl next door" Sandy fall in love all over again to the tune of your favorite songs: "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightnin'" and "We Go Together" as well as additional songs from the hit movie: "Grease," "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and “You're the One That I Want." So throw your mittens around your kittens and Hand Jive the night away with the show that'll make you want to stand up and shout, "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop A-wop-bam-boom!" Grease! * Taylor Hicks will NOT appear in the Wednesday, April 29 performance.

		IAN FLEMING'S Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Based on the MGM/United Artists Motion Picture Music & Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman July 7–19, 2009 Segerstrom Hall "The best family entertainment on Broadway since The Lion King!" –WNBC-TV With music from the songwriters of Mary Poppins and book by Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond franchise, comes the Broadway sensation Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Come see the flying car that Edge Magazine Boston calls "a technical feat up there with the helicopter in Miss Saigon and the falling chandelier in The Phantom of the Opera". Dazzling sets, an irresistible story and the soaring sensation this is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a recipe for theatrical magic before your very eyes. The enthralling adventure of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the magical car that sails the seas and flies through the air, has been a family favorite since the original motion picture captivated the world's imagination in 1968. Chitty's eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts, and his children, Jemima and Jeremy, join the truly scrumptious Truly Scrumptious and kooky Grandpa Potts in outwitting the dastardly Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria in their attempt to steal the flying car for themselves.

		Topol in Fiddler on the Roof August 11-23, 2009 Segerstrom Hall "One of the most glowing creations in the history of musical theatre." –THE NEW YORK TIMES Topol, the original Tevye, performs the role that made him legendary in Fiddler On The Roof, the Tony® Award winning musical that has captured the hearts of people all over the world with its universal appeal. Never has any other musical so magically woven music, dance, poignancy and laughter into such an electrifying and unforgettable experience. Based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, Fiddler On The Roof has been lauded by critics again and again, and won the hearts of people all around the world. Filled with a rousing, heartwarming score, which includes "Tradition," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," "If I Were A Rich Man" and "Sunrise, Sunset," Fiddler On The Roof is a timeless classic. Relive a glorious tradition with Fiddler On The Roof.



		Legally Blonde The Musical September 8-20, 2009 Segerstrom Hall "AN ELLE OF A SHOW" –TIME MAGAZINE The hilarious MGM film is Broadway's new smash hit musical, and now Legally Blonde The Musical is coming to you. Legally Blonde follows sorority star Elle Woods, an underestimated blonde who doesn't take "no" for an answer. When her boyfriend dumps her for someone more "serious," Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style. After turning Broadway and MTV hot pink, this "Feel-Good Song and Dance Juggernaut" (New York Magazine) is "The Best New Musical Around!" (WOR)

THE CENTER'S 2008-2009 CURTAIN CALL SERIES
Combine the Curtain Call with your Broadway Series for a complete season of Broadway’s biggest hits.

		CATS December 16-21, 2008 Segerstrom Hall There's no better way to introduce your family to the wonders of live theater than with the magic, the mystery, the memory of Cats. What began as a musical about cats after Andrew Lloyd Webber picked up a book of poems in an airport bookshop has become one of the longest running shows in Broadway's history. Winner of seven Tony® Awards including Best Musical, Cats features 20 of Andrew Lloyd Webber's timeless melodies, including the hit song, "Memory."

		Stomp January 6-11, 2009 Segerstrom Hall "As hot as ever! Stomp has a beat that just won’t quit!" –SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Back with new surprises, Stomp is explosive, provocative, sophisticated, sexy, utterly unique and appeals to audiences of all ages. The international percussion sensation has garnered an armful of awards and rave reviews, and has appeared on numerous national television shows. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans. As USA Today says, “Stomp finds beautiful noises in the strangest places.” Stomp. See what all the noise is about.

		The Rat Pack - Live at the Sands April 14-19, 2009 Segerstrom Hall The Rat Pack – Live At The Sands is the hottest and coolest party in town. Following four unprecedented years on London's West End, this acclaimed production vividly recreates a legendary evening at the Sands Hotel with the most famous performers of our time: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin. It's Las Vegas, the Sands Hotel, the big band is swingin', and those gorgeous Burelli Sisters are singin', and of course the three wisecracking hip-cats bring their inimitable magic to the finest music ever recorded: "I've Got You Under My Skin;" "That’s Amore;" "Mr. Bojangles;" "The Lady Is A Tramp." You won’t find anything like it anywhere else. It’s the Rat Pack – and it's live! Ring-a-ding-ding!