Four Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals -- including the State College debuts of "The Producers," "Hairspray" and Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida" -- are among the major attractions in the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State 2006-2007 subscription series of professional touring music, theater and dance. Those shows plus "Cats" form the Bright Lights series, one of seven subscription packages, are on sale now.
Each of the seven series -- Bright Lights, Body Language, Master Works, Intimate Excursions, Cool Heat, Forever Young and Wide-eyed Wonders -- includes presentations available as a package for a 10 percent discount. Five non-series presentations also are part of the season, which runs from October through April at Eisenhower and Schwab auditoriums on the University Park campus.
To purchase series packages or to request a brochure with order form, call (814) 863-0255 or (800) ARTS-TIX, or visit the box offices at Eisenhower Auditorium, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and Penn State Tickets Downtown, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For details about the upcoming season of 29 presentations or to download a printable brochure and order form, visit http://www.cpa.psu.edu online.
The Body Language dance series features tap dance wizard Savion Glover in "Classical Savion," as well as the iconic modern Paul Taylor Dance Company and Australia's Sydney Dance Company in "Grand," a work in which an on-stage piano provides the music and the inspiration.
Master Works, a series for classical music lovers, presents the Penn State debut of American virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell, who will conduct and perform as soloist with London's Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Russia's Kirov Orchestra, led by conductor Valery Gergiev, returns with piano soloist Alexander Toradze. The King's Singers, six a cappella-singing Englishmen, round out the series.
The Intimate Excursions chamber music series begins with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson (piano) Trio performing works by Mozart, Brahms and Schoenberg. The St. Lawrence String Quartet, joined by soprano Heidi Grant Murphy and pianist Kevin Murphy, perform the world premiere of "Songs from the Diaspora," a Roberto Sierra composition co-commissioned by the Center for the Performing Arts. Austria's Salzburg Chamber Soloists, an ensemble of 18 world-class string musicians, performs works by Mozart and Janacek. Cello soloist Katharina Gross joins in on Aulis Salinen's "Nocturnal Dances of Don Juan Quixote." The series closes with the Ysaye (E-sigh-E) Quartet of Paris performing works by Haydn, Schumann and Bartok.
The Cool Heat jazz series welcomes pianist Ramsey Lewis performing with his trio and Penn State's Essence of Joy gospel choir. Violinist Regina Carter, backed by her swinging septet, and vocalist Carla Cook perform standards in "I'll Be Seeing You." The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, fronted by trumpeter and artistic director Irvin Mayfield, performs "Then and Now," a program praising the musical contributions of the city where jazz took root. Singer Ann Hampton Callaway, who delivers lush interpretations of jazz standards and romantic ballads, takes center stage with drummer Sherrie Maricle and her all-female DIVA Jazz Orchestra.
Forever Young, a series for families, includes Bayanihan (by-a-NEE-un) Philippine National Dance Company, a troupe of 45 dancers and singers that has entertained audiences in more than 50 countries on five continents. The Vienna Choir Boys perform seasonal classics and secular music in December. Circus, theater, dance, music and moisture meld with innovation, imagination and panache in "Rain," the newest show by Montreal's Cirque Eloize.
Wide-eyed Wonders, a series especially for children, features Omaha Theater Company in "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," an adaptation of a popular book by Laura Joffe. Cynthia Rylant's best-selling series of children's books about a lonesome boy and his behemoth dog serves as inspiration for "Henry and Mudge," TheatreworksUSA's newest musical. Singer-songwriter Red Grammer, aided by his trusty guitar, performs songs to build character by in "BeBop Your Best!"
Patrons who purchase a series subscription have the privilege of ordering tickets to individual events -- the 24 presentations that make up the seven series plus five stand-alone presentations -- before they go on sale to the general public.
The five nonseries presentations include The Actors' Gang, a theater company co-founded and directed by Academy Award-winner Tim Robbins, in a stage adaptation of "1984." Sitarist Anoushka Shankar, backed by an East-meets-West ensemble of 10 musicians, takes India's traditional sounds in captivating new directions. South Africa's Soweto Gospel Choir makes its Eisenhower debut in an inspirational hand-clapping, foot-stomping a cappella concert of traditional and contemporary spiritual music. Also, Celtic band The Chieftains brings Grammy-winning Irish music and Hal Holbrook delivers his ever-evolving and funny portrayal of an American original in "Mark Twain Tonight!"