Denver Center Attractions (DCA) today announced its 2009 subscription season. In a year that celebrates the 30th anniversary of Robert Garner joining his Garner Attractions with The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, DCA brings to Denver Tony honored hits and return engagements of Broadway’s best.
Read all about them after the jump.
Oprah Winfrey Presents THE COLOR PURPLE opens the season at The Buell Theatre January 7-18. This soul-stirring musical, based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the Oscar-nominated film by Steven Spielberg, 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 features a Grammy®-nominated score of jazz, gospel and blues. THE COLOR PURPLE, called “a bright odyssey of survival and triumph” by The New York Times, captures the hearts of young and old and unites audiences in a celebration of love. THE COLOR PURPLE is sponsored in Denver by HealthONE and Alto Restaurant.
In April, the enchanting world of the Chinese Tang Dynasty will be brought to life in TANG CONCUBINES, playing The Buell Theatre April 7-19. TANG CONCUBINES compares the treacherous power of one concubine with the immortal love and sacrifice of another. The show illuminates the glamour and impact of women in China’s Tang Dynasty and takes the audience to unprecedented heights of visual splendor through costumes, scenic design and compelling action. TANG CONCUBINES made history for Chinese shows in the international arena by winning two Canadian Dora Awards for musical theatre in 2006 in the categories of Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.
DCA subscribers will again join Denver Center Theatre Company (DCTC) subscribers for the touching pioneer musical QUILTERS, May 22 – July 12 in The Stage Theatre. Written by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek, QUILTERS is a Denver Center original, returning home in a shining new production in celebration of the DCTC’s 30th season. An international hit for more than 25 years following its 1982 world premiere at the DCTC, the rousing heritage musical was inspired by real-life stories of American pioneer women, written in diaries and letters as they braved the dangers and hardships of life on the frontier. Nominated for six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, QUILTERS is an inspiring tale of strength and courage. QUILTERS is sponsored by Aurora Loan Services
Academy Award®-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri’s remarkable one man show A BRONX TALE comes to The Ellie Caulkins Opera House June 9-21. Palminteri’s unforgettable performance recently earned high praise from audiences and critics in its successful run on Broadway. In A BRONX TALE, the celebrated play on which he based the legendary movie, Palminteri vividly depicts a young boy’s rough childhood in the 1960s-era Bronx and the unforgettable people he encountered. A classic coming-of-age story about reaching your true potential and trusting your heart, A BRONX TALE is directed by four-time Tony Award®-winner Jerry Zaks and was called “a vibrant, warmhearted saga” by the Associated Press.
In July, DCA will launch the national touring production of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY direct from its phenomenal award-winning run on Broadway. The 2008 Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize-winning Best Play will heat up The Ellie Caulkins Opera House July 24 – August 8. Written by Tracy Letts, this grand, gripping new play tells the story of the Westons, a large extended clan that comes together at their rural Oklahoma homestead when the alcoholic patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and astonishing secrets, the family must also contend with matriarch Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled woman at the center of this storm. Directed by Anna D. Shapiro, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is a rare theatrical event—a large-scale work filled with unforgettable characters, a powerful tale told with unflinching honesty and the unforgettable breakthrough of a major American playwright. The New York Times deemed AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY “flat-out, without qualification, the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years.”
The Tony-winning hits continue in December, when the 2007 Tony Award®-winner SPRING AWAKENING plays The Buell Theatre. Winner of eight Tony Awards® including Best Musical, SPRING AWAKENING is a groundbreaking fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll that has awakened Broadway like no other musical in recent memory. SPRING AWAKENING celebrates the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, a poignancy and a passion you will never forget. The show has rocked the Great White Way, causing the The New York Times to declare, "Broadway may never be the same again!"
Closing out the year, the new musical LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE will bring a heartwarming family tale to The Buell Theatre December 22 – January 3. For over 75 years, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books have enthralled children with the stories of pioneer America. Now the classic American story takes on a new frontier as the inspiring experiences of this pioneer family come to life in LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. Laura is almost grown up and her coming of age story is the centerpiece for this new musical. Melissa Gilbert, who starred as Laura in the beloved television series, plays the role of Ma, giving LITTLE HOUSE an added dimension as a new generation discovers the Ingalls family on the American stage. Director Francesca Zambello (Disney’s The Little Mermaid) leads an accomplished creative team, including lyricist Donna di Novelli, Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman (Emma) and Tony Award®-winning book writer Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee).
2009 season ticket packages start at just $202. To reserve your new subscription now, please call Denver Center Ticket Services: 303.893.4100 or 800.641.1222, or visit the ticket office located in the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex at Speer & Arapahoe. Subscription packages can also be reserved online at www.denvercenter.org/bwaysubs. Single tickets are not available at this time.
DCA subscribers will also receive priority notice to the following added shows in 2009: The eagerly-awaited return of WICKED, RENT with Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp reprising the roles that they made famous on Broadway, return engagements of CHICAGO, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and SPAMALOT, as well as the Denver premieres of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG and CIRQUE ELOIZE: NEBBIA. Details for these shows will be announced at a later date.
At the time of subscription, new and renewing series subscribers can purchase single tickets for THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, WICKED, and RENT ahead of the general public, ensuring their chance to get great seats for these popular shows. Subscribers will also receive priority notice to purchase tickets for other added attractions prior to the general public. Additional subscriber benefits include preferred seating, free ticket exchanges and various special offers throughout the season. Subscribers will also receive a complimentary, one-year subscription to Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine with their 2009 season ticket package.
New this year, DCA subscribers will have added flexibility with the new Ticket Trade program. Ticket Trade allows subscribers the opportunity to exchange tickets from one subscription show into another subscription show or selected added attraction. For full details and a list of which shows are eligible for trade please visit www.denvercenter.org/bwaysubs.
Also new for the 2009 season, DCA introduces the Designer Series, our most flexible subscription package which allows subscribers to choose which shows they’d like to see and when, even to added attractions like WICKED and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. The Designer Series is a package of ten ticket vouchers for use in any combination of shows and times throughout the season, and can be used for any show DCA presents including non-subscription added attractions. For details, please contact the DCPA box office or visit www.denvercenter.org/bwaysubs.
Denver Center Attractions’ 2009 season is generously sponsored by United Airlines. Media sponsorship is provided by The Denver Post, CBS 4, Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine. Denver Center Attractions is supported in part by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts presents and produces live theatre with Broadway touring shows, cabaret productions and a professional theatre company. The DCPA is the site of training schools for actors, a voice research laboratory and unique rental facilities. Denver Center Attractions is a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit and has launched many national touring premieres. Center Attractions also produces cabaret shows. The Tony Award®-winning Denver Center Theatre Company is the largest professional theatre company between Chicago and the West Coast. It produces traditional and contemporary drama and world premieres. For more information, please visit www.denvercenter.org.
