Three New Shows – One Amazing Theatre!
Three New Shows – One Amazing Theatre!
The 5th Avenue Theatre Adds 3 Special Events to the 2013/14 Roster:
Gigi in Concert; The Best of Lily Tomlin; Ballroom with a Twist
Tickets On Sale January 31, 2014!
(January 23, 2014 – SEATTLE, WA) The 5th Avenue Theatre is pleased to announce the addition of three special events to its 2013/14 season: a romantic musical concert, a comedic (and show business) legend, and the kind of sensational ballroom dance you only see on TV.
Lerner and Loewe’s Tony Award-winning musical, Gigi, will be presented in concert May 16-18, 2014. The musical, which has been announced for a Broadway opening in 2015, will be performed in a glamorous concert setting, complete with a revised book.
“We are so thrilled to present this musical confection on our stage,” said 5th Avenue’s Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong. “Based on the magnificent 1958 Academy Award-winning film, this rarely-produced musical boasts some of the most heavenly melodies in the musical theater cannon, and in a concert setting, these treasured songs will truly shine.”
Next, Lily Tomlin will return to The 5th Avenue stage for two performances only, presenting an array of her greatest hits June 6-7, 2014. The show business legend played to packed houses in a limited engagement at The 5th in 2011. The 5th is delighted to have her back.
Finally, dance enthusiasts and reality television fans can celebrate the arrival of Ballroom with a Twist, coming to The 5th July 25-27, 2014. Inspired by and featuring stars from hit TV shows Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, and So You Think You Can Dance, Ballroom with a Twist will have audiences dancing in the aisles.
Tickets for these three special events will go on sale to the general public January 31, 2014. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.5thavenue.org, by phone at 206-625-1900, or at the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle.
About Gigi in Concert (May 16-18, 2014)
Thank heaven! Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s beloved musical Gigi will take the stage at The 5th as it has never been seen before, in a concert setting featuring an array of Seattle talent, with a newly re-envisioned book by Heidi Thomas, and direction by Eric Schaeffer.
Set in the magical world of La Belle Époque in turn-of-the-century Paris, Gigi is a romantic comedy about a young woman groomed in the custom of her family to be a companion to a wealthy playboy, until the two unexpectedly realize this is in fact true love.
From the creators of My Fair Lady, Gigi is a true delight, featuring beloved songs including “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” “The Night They Invented Champagne,” “I Remember It Well,” “Say a Prayer for Me Tonight,” and of course, “Gigi.”
Young Gigi’s story is a modern classic, written originally as a 1944 novella by the French feminist Colette. It was adapted into a stage play in 1951 that starred a then-unknown Audrey Hepburn as Gigi.
A cinematic hit in 1958, Gigi, with French ingénue Leslie Caron in the titular role, was the toast of Hollywood, winning a record-breaking nine Academy Awards. The movie, which was the last of the classic MGM musicals, was then made into the Tony Award winning Broadway musical in 1973.
Acclaimed British playwright and screenwriter Heidi Thomas is best known for the BBC series Cranford, Upstairs Downstairs, and Call the Midwife. Director Eric Schaeffer staged the recent Follies and Million Dollar Quartet on Broadway.
A fully-staged production of Gigi directed by Mr. Schaeffer, with choreography by Josh Bergasse, will debut at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in early 2015, prior to a Broadway opening.
About Lily Tomlin (June 6-7, 2014)
Get ready for an unforgettable night of fun and sidesplitting laughter. Lily Tomlin, the writer/comedienne/actress/show business legend will return to The 5th for two performances only. “Lily Tomlin just may be the eighth wonder of the world!” raves USA Today.
This unique comic artist takes her audience on what the Washington Post calls a “wise and howlingly funny” trip with more than a dozen of her timeless characters – from Ernestine the Phone Lady and Mrs. Beasley to Edith Ann – in a show that celebrates her decades-long career in film, TV and theater. “Tomlin is amazing” says The New York Times. The New Yorker calls her “as always, a revelation.”
“With astounding skill and energy, Tomlin zaps through the channels like a human remote control. Using a fantastic range of voices, gestures and movements, she conjures up the cast of characters with all the apparent ease of a magician pulling a whole menagerie of animals from a single hat,” says the New York Daily News. She has “made the one-person show the daring, irreverent art form it is today,” adds Newsweek.
Tomlin’s long list of awards includes a Grammy; 2 Tonys; 6 Emmys; an Oscar nomination; 2 Peabodys; and the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Don't miss this exceptional show — a warm and uniquely affecting experience packed with comical insights and wildly witty observations about the human condition — performed by one of the world's consummate talents.
About Ballroom with a Twist (July 25-27, 2014)
So you can’t get your fill of Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, and So You Think You Can Dance?
The talented performers from these reality TV shows take to the stage in Ballroom with a Twist. Watching the dancers on television is one thing, but getting up close to the fringe, sequins, and booming sounds of the rumba bass is a whole other thrill. This show brings a frenzy of sizzling dances performed by professional international dancers spanning the hot moves of samba, waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, and jive.
As if the jaw-dropping dancers aren’t enough, several of your favorite American Idol finalists will also be joining the bill with their powerhouse voices. Ballroom with a Twist is the who’s who of the dance and singing world, joinging together for an evening of grace, athleticism, and passion. The show is choreographed by Dancing with the Stars’ Emmy-nominated Louis van Amstel, whose passion and expertise bring a new level of excitement and flash to this family-friendly evening.
Stars from each show will be announced closer to performance dates.
About The 5th Avenue Theatre
The 5th Avenue Theatre is one of the nation's premier incubators for new musical theater. Since 2002, the celebrated company has produced 15 new musicals. To date, eight (including the 2012 hit First Date) have moved on to Broadway premieres, earning a combined 14 Tony Awards, including two for Best Musical (Hairspray and Memphis). A ninth, Disney’s Aladdin, has been announced for a Broadway debut in February of 2014. The 5th Avenue Theatre is also known for its world class, critically acclaimed productions of musicals chosen from both the contemporary canon and the Golden Age of Broadway.
Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, this exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernadine C. Griffin and Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry, The 5th Avenue Theatre attracts an annual attendance of more than 287,000 and ranks among the nation’s largest and most respected musical theater companies.
In addition to its main stage productions, The 5th Avenue Theatre is also committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its extensive educational outreach programs which include: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theater, the Rising Star Project, Show Talks with Albert Evans, Curtain Up!, the Student Matinee Program, and Spotlight Nights.
For more information about The 5th Avenue Theatre, its season and its programs, please visit http://www.5thavenue.org.
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FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:
Gigi in Concert:
Music and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe
New book by Heidi Holmes
Directed by Eric Schaeffer
WHEN: May 16-18, 2014
8:00 PM, Friday, May 16, 2014
2:00 PM & 8:00, PM Saturday, May 17, 2014
1:30 PM, Sunday, May 18, 2014
Tickets start at $33.75
Lily Tomlin
WHEN: June 6-7, 2014
8:00 PM, Friday, June 6, 2014
8:00 PM, Saturday, June 7, 2014
Tickets start at $34.00
Ballroom with a Twist
Directed and choreographed by Louis van Amstel
WHEN: July 25-27, 2014
8:00 PM, Friday, July 25, 2014
2:00 PM & 8:00 PM, Saturday, July 26, 2014
1:30 PM Sunday, July 27, 2014
Tickets start at $29.75
WHERE: The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue, Seattle)
TO PURCHASE: ON-SALE JANUARY 31, 2014
· For single tickets and information, please visit http://www.5thavenue.org or call the Box Office at (206) 625-1900. Tickets may also be purchased at (888) 5TH-4TIX.
· Groups of 10 or more save on ticket prices and service fees. To find out more, call 888-625-1418.
· 15% discount on 3-show packages. Only available by phone (206-625-1900), or in person at the Box Office (1308 5th Avenue, Downtown Seattle).
Special thanks to The 5th Avenue Theatre 2013/14 season co-sponsors ArtsFund, U.S. Bank, and Safeco Insurance, official airline Delta Air Lines, and media sponsor The Seattle Times.
