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Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall announces 2007-2008 Broadway series

Apr 2, 2007


“BROADWAY’S HOLY GRAIL IS FOUND AT THE MANN HALL!”

“Broadway’s Holy Grail is found at the Mann Hall!” announced Scott Saxon, general manager of the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, during the Broadway series announcement on March 30.

The 2007-2008 Broadway series is highlighted by the Fort Myers premiere of Monty Python’s SPAMALOT. In addition, the series also includes Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS, RING OF FIRE, CIRQUE DREAMS Jungle Fantasy, THE WEDDING SINGER and BLAST!

Other special attractions for next season will feature Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp’s MOVIN’ OUT, RENT and STOMP.

Monty Python's SPAMALOT, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 2005, opens for a limited one-week engagement February 25-March 2, 2008. Lovingly "ripped-off" from the internationally famous comedy team's most popular motion picture, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," Monty Python's SPAMALOT is the winner of three 2005 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director [Mike Nichols], as well as the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for Best Musical.

The original cast recording of Monty Python’s SPAMALOT recently won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Ring in the New Year with Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS. As new and fresh as winter snowfall, WHITE CHRISTMAS is a shiny package just waiting to be unwrapped. Based on the holiday film classic, this musical gem follows the comedic adventures of army buddies Bob Wallace and Phil Davis whose romantic pursuit of a duo of singing sisters leads them to a Vermont inn for the holidays. When a snowless winter threatens to close the inn and defeat its owner--their former commanding officer--these veteran performers re-enlist! The result is a show-stopping Broadway revue, and one of the holidays’ most treasured stories. WHITE CHRISTMAS is brimming with Irving Berlin hits including “Happy Holidays,” “Sisters,” and “White Christmas.” January 1-6, 2008.

The music of the "Man in Black" ignites the stage in the new Broadway musical RING OF FIRE, featuring 38 signature songs from the legendary Johnny Cash. Stories of passion, redemption, humor and salvation set the stage ablaze in this musical celebration of the world's most famous rebel. Hits include: "Walk the Line,” "Hurt,” “Jackson,” “I’ve Been Everywhere,” "Folsom Prison Blues,” “A Boy Named Sue,” and the title track, "RING OF FIRE.” With smashing medleys and a hearty bounce in its guitar-driven step, this shindig will have you stompin’ your feet and shoutin’ for more! January 22-27, 2008.

In the ongoing tradition of spectacular touring productions, Neil Goldberg and Cirque Productions have once again reinvented the circus with European flair, imaginative theatrics and world-class acrobatics. CIRQUE DREAMS Jungle Fantasy is an all-new adventure that takes audiences soaring into a magical forest through the air and on stage. An international cast of graceful aerialists, spine bending contortionists, vine swinging characters, strong men and balancers bring this jungle dream to life in a lush, Broadway setting filled with wildly unpredictable designs, special effects, inventive choreography, puppeteering and dazzling costumes. CIRQUE DREAMS Jungle Fantasy is an exhilarating journey the entire family can experience together. One week only February 5-10, 2008.

A new romantic musical comedy based on the hit movie, THE WEDDING SINGER is “one big party!” [Newsday] It’s 1985 and rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart is New Jersey’s favorite wedding singer. He’s the life of the party – until his own fiancée leaves him at the altar. Shot through the heart, Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own. Enter Julia, a winsome waitress who wins his affection. Only trouble is Julia is about to be married to a Wall Street shark, and unless Robbie can pull off the performance of the decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever. With a brand new score that pays homage to the pop songs of the 1980’s, THE WEDDING SINGER takes us back to a time when hair was big, greed was good, collars were up, and a wedding singer just might be the coolest guy in the room. April 1-6, 2008.

BLAST!, winner of the 2001 Tony Award for “Best Special Theatrical Event” and the 2001 Emmy Award for “Best Choreography,” is comprised of 35 brass, percussion and visual performers brought together in a unique explosion of music and theatre. Born on athletic fields across the nation, BLAST! is a novel art form evolved from the showmanship of outdoor pageantry. According to Bruce McCabe of the Boston Globe: “Blast! is an exuberant 15-number show that doesn't falter while bridging the categories of classical, blues, jazz, rock 'n roll, and techno-pop music. Blast! stands, blows, pounds, marches, and whirls with panache. It sent a full house into repeated bursts of cheering and applause.” Experience the sensation of BLAST!
April 15-20, 2008.

Special Broadway attractions for the 2007-2008 season will feature encore presentations of Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp’s MOVIN’ OUT, RENT and STOMP.

Subscriptions for the 2007-2008 Broadway series--which range in price from $105 to $382--are available at the Mann Box Office or by calling 239-481-4849. Group sales are available by calling Tonya Thomas-Schrott at 239-489-3033 extension 3122.

The Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall is located on the campus of Edison College and is managed for the college by Professional Facilities Management.

Last Updated: April 2, 2007

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