ALADDIN, CHICAGO, DREAMGIRLS et al. Set for Muny 2012 Season (original) (raw)

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The Muny announced its line-up for the 94th season in Forest Park, the first for new Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. The summer 2012 season introduces 4½ musicals new to the Muny stage and includes several re-imagined classics.

The 2012 Season is:

The Muny production of Disney's ALADDIN
CHICAGO
DREAMGIRLS
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR® DREAMCOAT
THE KING AND I
PIRATES! (or, Gilbert & Sullivan Plunder'd)
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE

Final show order and performance dates and times will be announced in late October.

"I'm excited by my first Muny season," commented Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. "Stylistically and musically there's something for everyone. Each of these shows is terrifically entertaining."

"I'm also thrilled to include 4½ Muny production premieres," he continued. "Disney's Aladdin, Chicago, Dreamgirls and Thoroughly Modern Millie have never been produced by The Muny. And Pirates! is a marvelous new spin on the Gilbert and Sullivan original, The Pirates of Penzance, which The Muny has produced twice before. I'm counting that as half a premiere."

"I am really looking forward to this season," commented President and CEO Denny Reagan. "I've been at The Muny for a long time, and never have I felt such a strong surge of new energy. We are committed to maintaining the wonderful Muny experience our audiences expect, and there are going to be some exciting changes this summer!"

New season tickets will be available beginning Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the Muny Box Office in Forest Park. Single tickets will go on sale Saturday, June 2, 2012. For more ticket information, call (314) 361-1900 or visit www.muny.org.

Additional information on the 2012 Season can be found at www.muny.org.

For more about the shows, looks below.

The Muny premiere of Disney's ALADDIN
Following upon the fantastic success of the Muny production of Disney's The Little Mermaid, The Muny presents its premiere of Disney's Aladdin. The Muny production will be only the third production of this new stage musical adapted from the beloved animated feature to be produced anywhere in the world. Disney's Aladdin features the favorite movie characters and all of the beloved songs from the film's Oscar®-winning score, plus never-before heard Menken/Ashman songs restored from early drafts of the film. Variety hailed this new full-length stage version of Aladdin as "fresh, funny and very entertaining."

The Muny production premiere of CHICAGO
The number one pick on the Muny survey for years, the 2012 production of Chicago will bring merry murderesses Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly to the grand Muny stage. This Tony®- and Oscar®- winning international smash hit tells a jazzy, hilarious tale of how murder can feed celebrity. Kander and Ebb's brilliant score is electrified by extraordinary choreography. (Although the Broadway production of Chicago appeared at The Muny in 1977, this is the first time The Muny has produced this show.)

The Muny premiere of DREAMGIRLS ®
Winner of six Tony awards and two Oscars®, Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen's Dreamgirls follows the story of an all-girl singing trio from Chicago called the Dreams. Based on the show biz stories of the 1960s R&B acts like the Supremes and James Brown, Dreamgirls portrays the heartbreak and challenges of breaking new ground, both musically and socially, and how family and friendships triumph and last through all the trials. Dreamgirls features the blockbuster songs "One Night Only," "Dreamgirls" and the landmark "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going."

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR® DREAMCOAT
Last produced at The Muny in 2007, Joseph... is a generational favorite of many musical colors. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice originally wrote a children's oratorio that has, in time, expanded into a beloved classic. Children of all ages know the Old Testament story of Jacob, his twelve sons, and the amazing adventures of the youngest, Joseph. This production will be the first at The Muny to use the orchestrations and changes that were developed for the highly successful West End Production in London.

THE KING AND I
Last seen at The Muny in 2006, this captivating and timeless East-meets-West musical treasure has been enchanting Muny audiences since the first Muny production in 1955. Cultures collide as Anna struggles to find her place in the exotic Siamese world of beauty and grand tradition, ruled by a King whom she must learn to serve and understand. This Rodgers and Hammerstein classic includes "Something Wonderful," "Shall We Dance?" and "Getting to Know You."

The Muny premiere of PIRATES! (or, Gilbert & Sullivan Plunder'd)
Swashbuckling pirates! A curse! Caribbean comedy! The Muny premiere of Pirates! (or, Gilbert & Sullivan Plunder'd) is a new version of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. The spirit and songs of the original have been revamped within a rousing and riotous Caribbean setting that supplies greater adventure, bigger laughs and non-stop entertainment. Pirates!... was co-created by Gordon Greenberg, St. Louis native John McDaniel, and Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), who also wrote the new book and lyrics. The Muny will be presenting the fourth U.S. production of this exciting show.

The Muny premiere of THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
Winner of six Tony® Awards, including Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie is the tale of a small- town girl arriving in New York City to lead a new, thoroughly modern lifestyle. A big, fun-filled show done in true Muny fashion, ...Millie is filled with energetic dance numbers, fabulous flappers, and the spectacle of 1920s New York. Music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Dick Scanlan.