There's only one way to describe the West Michigan theatre scene — wicked cool.
That's right. The Broadway smash-hit musical, Wicked, will make its area debut at Miller Auditorium in the 2010-2011 season.
"This is huge for [West Michigan]," said Miller's Assistant Director of Marketing Bethany Gauthier. "Everyone knows Wicked."
Other Broadway hits - Legally Blonde the Musical, Blue Man Group and Monty Python's Spamalot - will tour at the Kalamazoo venue during the upcoming season as part of the Broadway in West Michigan series. The Color Purple and Spring Awakening, a very raw 19th century coming-of-age story chronicling the lives of German students, also are included in the lineup.
"[Wicked, Blue Man Group, Legally Blonde, and Spring Awakening] have never toured in West Michigan," Gauthier said. "This is a first for us."
In its first year of partnership with the Wharton Center (Michigan State University's Wharton Center for Performing Arts), Broadway Grand Rapids is boasting about its upcoming Blockbuster season with fan favorites like Shrek, In the Heights and Chicago the Musical.
"The new season is a reflection of our new partnership," said Director of Marketing and Public Relations Nicole Gram. "Our goal was to get extremely high-quality shows for this season and we did just that. And it's only going to get better."
Legally Blond the Musical will also make a tour stop with Broadway Grand Rapids, along with Grease and South Pacific. In addition to the musicals, special performances by STOMP, the New Shanghai Circus and The Aluminum Show are scheduled for the season.
"These shows reach out to people who may love the Blue Man Group theatrical experience," Gram said.
While Broadway will be busy touring in West Michigan, local Grand Rapics Civic Theatre is guaranteeing a "stellar lineup" for the upcoming season. The average theatre-goer attends one or two select shows per season, but this year is different, according to Marketing Director Jennifer Prater.
"This year I'm hearing, ‘Wow, I want to see every single one of those,'" she said.
Celebrating its 85th anniversary, Civic Theatre has scheduled an assortment of theatre classics - Our Town and Hello Dolly! - to family friendly picks — Blues Clues Live!, Peter Pan and Charlotte's Web.
"More than ever we wanted our lineup to be family-oriented so everyone can come and either participate or watch," Prater said.
Grand Rapids Ballet Company, Michigan's only professional ballet company, has a diverse dance lineup for its upcoming season. Kicking off with guest artists, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, the company follows up with numerous family picks throughout the year - The Nutcracker, Peter Pan and Every Princess Ballerina Needs a Superhero Dancer and The Boy Who Wouldn't Do His Homework & Mother Goose Suite, which includes a collaborative performance with Grand Valley State University's Opera Theatre.
But this season isn't all about kids. Adults will enjoy the peace-lovin', flower-power rock performance Woodstock and American Classics, featuring American composers Gershwin's American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue and Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel.
Bringing some international flair to the season, Stravinsky Celebration featuring The Rite of Spring and The Firebird, is a visually stunning ballet based on the classic Russian folk tale that tells the story of a prince, a magical firebird, and the princesses they rescue from an evil ogre. In the one-night benefit, Celebrating Kim, renowned musicians and dancers will honor pianist and GRBC collaborator Kimberly Schmidt who passed away in 2007. All proceeds from the performance will benefit the Kimberly Schmidt Fund.
For more information about 2010-2011 performances and tickets, visit:
Miller Auditorium
Broadway Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
Grand Rapids Ballet Company
