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JUST ANNOUNCED: 16/17 #BWYPHL season is revealed & subscriptions are on sale NOW! Explore an incredible #Broadway season @ kimmelcenter.org
Press Contact:
Amanda Conte
(215) 790-5847
aconte@kimmelcenter.org
THE KIMMEL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
AND THE SHUBERT ORGANIZATION PRESENT
2016–17BROADWAY PHILADELPHIA SEASON SHOWCASES
10 BLOCKBUSTER PRODUCTIONS WITH A COMBINED 29 TONY AWARD® WINS
(Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 2016) – The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Organization announced today the 2016–17 Broadway Philadelphia season, featuring a sensational lineup of Tony Award® winning Broadway hits. The upcoming season features productions with a combined 29 Tony Awards® and 18 Drama Desk™ Awards. This season also introduces four brand-new national touring shows making their Philadelphia Premieres. Subscribers receive priority access to all shows and season ticket packages for the upcoming season are on sale now.
The 2016–17 season will bring the best and brightest of touring Broadway to Philadelphia, featuring beloved Broadway classic musicals and new, groundbreaking productions that have taken Broadway by storm, including the most recent Tony Award® winners for Best Play and Best Musical. The season opens with the first national tour of An American in Paris, for which the Kimmel Center is a producer as part of Five Cent Productions and Elephant Eye Productions.
Four shows will be making their Philadelphia Premieres, including: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, THE BODYGUARD, THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, and FUN HOME. Returning favorites include: THE KING AND I, CABARET, MAMMA MIA!, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, and WICKED.
Broadway Philadelphia is presented collaboratively by The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Organization, with productions at the Academy of Music, Forrest Theatre, and the Merriam Theater.
“We are thrilled to announce our sensational 2016–17 Broadway Philadelphia season!” said Anne Ewers, President & CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.“We are delighted to bring a season of such diverse and compelling programming, believing that each and every theatergoer will feel connected to these wonderful stories. We would be remiss to not thank our passionate subscribers who continue to support the arts and Broadway in Philadelphia.”
“We are delighted to team with The Kimmel Center to present another lineup of award-winning shows as part of Broadway Philadelphia,” said Philip J. Smith, Chairman of The Shubert Organization, Inc. “This season’s productions represent Broadway at its very best.”
Tickets
Broadway Philadelphia subscription packages are on sale now. Subscribers save up to 25% off single ticket prices and are offered a variety of exclusive privileges, including the first opportunity to select the best seats in the house and the option to renew their seats each year. Subscribers also enjoy a host of benefits, including free exchanges, priority ticket access, payment plan options, and more.
6-show packages are available now and include Tuesday through Sunday performances of An American in Paris, The Bodyguard, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The King and I, Cabaret, and Fun Home. Subscribers can also opt-in to include Hedwig and the Angry Inch in their subscription, or add-on any of the following shows: Mamma Mia!, Motown the Musical, or Wicked.
Subscription packages range from $147 to $629 and are available online at kimmelcenter.org/bwy1617 or by calling 215-893-1955. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling (215) 790-5883 or 866-276-2947. Visit online at kimmelcenter.com/groupsales or telecharge.com/groups.
Single tickets for individual productions will go on sale at a later date.
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2016–17 BROADWAY PHILADELPHIA SHOW OVERVIEWS
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
November 22 – 27, 2016 • Academy of Music
An American in Paris is the new Tony Award®-winning musical about an American soldier, a mysterious French girl, and an indomitable European city, each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of war. Acclaimed director/choreographer and 2015 Tony Award® winner Christopher Wheeldon brings the magic and romance of Paris into the perfect harmony with unforgettable songs from George and Ira Gershwin in the show that earned more awards than any other musical in the 2014-2015 season!
THE BODYGUARD
February 21 – 26, 2017 • Academy of Music
Based on the hit film by the same name, the award-winning musical will star Grammy® Award-nominee and R&B superstar Deborah Cox. Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A breathtakingly romantic thriller, The Bodyguard features a host of irresistible classics including “Queen of the Night,” “So Emotional,” “One Moment in Time,” “Saving All My Love,” “Run to You,” “I Have Nothing,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and one of the biggest selling songs of all time – “I Will Always Love You.”
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
February 28 – March 5, 2017 • Academy of Music
Hailed as “one of the most fully immersive works ever to wallop Broadway” by The New York Times, this "dazzling" (Associated Press) adaptation is the Tony Award®-winning new play by Simon Stephens, adapted from Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel and directed by Tony winner Marianne Elliott. Fifteen-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor’s dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever.
THE KING AND I
March 22 – April 2, 2017 • Academy of Music
One of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s finest works, The King and I boasts a score which features such beloved classics as “Getting To Know You,” “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “Shall We Dance” and “Something Wonderful.” Set in 1860’s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.
CABARET
April 4 – 9, 2017 • Academy of Music
Direct from Broadway, the acclaimed masterpiece returns to Philadelphia! As part of their 50th Anniversary Season, the critically acclaimed and award-winning Roundabout Theatre Company is proud to present Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) and Rob Marshall’s (Into the Woods and Chicago, the films) Tony Award®-winning production of Cabaret. Come hear some of the most memorable songs in theatre history, including “Cabaret,” “Willkommen” and “Maybe This Time.” Leave your troubles outside – life is beautiful at Cabaret, John Kander, Fred Ebb and Joe Masteroff’s Tony-winning musical about following your heart while the world loses its way.
FUN HOME
June 13 – 18, 2017 • Forrest Theatre
Every once in a while a Broadway musical comes along that surprises, moves and excites audiences in ways only a truly landmark musical can. The groundbreaking, life-affirming and exquisite new musical
Fun Home was the event of the Broadway season, receiving raves from critics and audiences alike, winning five 2015 Tony Awards® including “Best Musical” and making history along the way. Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir, Fun Home introduces us to Alison at three different ages as she explores and unravels the many mysteries of her childhood. A refreshingly honest musical aboutseeing your parents through grown-up eyes, “Fun Home is extraordinary, a rare beauty that pumps fresh air into Broadway.” (The New York Times)
SEASON ADD-ON SHOWS
MAMMA MIA!
December 27 – December 31, 2016 • Merriam Theater
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 14th, see the show that has the whole world coming back for more, because every time feels like the first time at Mamma Mia!
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
April 18 – 23, 2017 • Forrest Theatre
Brilliantly innovative, heartbreaking, and wickedly funny, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the landmark American musical by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask that is “groundbreaking and undoubtedly ahead of its time” (Entertainment Weekly). This genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation, with a pulsing score and electrifying performances, tells the story of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage.
Directed by Tony Award® winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) and winner of four 2014 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival, Hedwig and the Angry Inch played to record-breaking sell-out crowds on Broadway and promises to take Philadelphia by storm with what Time Magazine proclaims is “the most exciting rock score written for the theatre since, oh, ever!”
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL
May 30 – June 11, 2017 • Academy of Music
It began as one man's story… became everyone's music… and is now Broadway's musical. Motown the Musical is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more. Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. Featuring classic songs such as “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” experience the story behind the music in the record-breaking smash hit Motown the Musical!
WICKED
July 26 – August 27, 2017 • Academy of Music
Wicked, the Broadway sensation, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another girl, born with emerald-green skin—smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”
With a thrilling score that includes the hits “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” Wicked has been hailed by The New York Times as “the defining musical of the decade.” Time Magazine cheers, “if every musical had the brain, the heart, and the courage of Wicked, Broadway really would be a magical place.”
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Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, the Kimmel Center’s mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the University of the Arts’ Merriam Theater. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, along with American Airlines are the season sponsors of the Kimmel Center’s 2016 – 2017 season. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.
THE SHUBERT ORGANIZATION
Since its founding in 1900, The Shubert Organization has been in the forefront of the American theatre. Under the leadership of Philip J. Smith, Chairman, and Robert E. Wankel, President, the Shubert Organization owns and operates 17 historic Broadway theatres and six Off-Broadway venues as well as the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia.
Over the years, the company has produced and co-produced hundreds of Broadway plays and musicals, including Cats, Dreamgirls, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, City of Angels, Chess, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The Gin Game, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Amadeus, Lettice & Lovage, The Real Thing, Children of a Lesser God, Master Harold…and the Boys, Skylight, Amy’s View, Indiscretions, The Heidi Chronicles, A Few Good Men, Dirty Blonde, The Blue Room, Closer, The Judas Kiss, The Grapes of Wrath, A Behanding in Spokane, Three Days of Rain, A Steady Rain, God of Carnage, That Championship Season, Equus, Exit the King, Spamalot.
Productions in recent seasons include Lucky Guy, The Audience, The Elephant Man, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, School of Rock – The Musical, and King Charles III. The Shubert Organization is proud of its ongoing refurbishment program for its theatres, seeking to preserve the historic character while modernizing them to accommodate the needs of today’s audiences.
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PRODUCTION IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT:
www.kcpress.smugmug.com