LOOK Musical Theatre Announces 2012 Summer Festival Season Performances at TPAC
March 26, 2012 – Tulsa, OK – LOOK Musical Theatre announces 2012 season of Broadway hits coming to Tulsa Performing Arts Center in June: GYPSY – A Musical Fable; the classic musical comedy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; and the hilarious Broadway hit AVENUE Q – The Musical. Shows run at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center as part of the SummerStage festival from June 15 through July 8. More information is available at www.looktheatre.org.
Single tickets will go on sale May 1 at the TPAC box office, and online at www.myticketoffice.com. Subscriptions will go on sale April 9 through the LOOK box office, located in the historic Harwelden Mansion (2210 S Main St, 74114). Prices will be released later this month. LOOK offers a 15% discount to seniors, teachers, Tulsa Young Professionals, and groups of 10 or more. Teachers and TYPro rates are available through the LOOK box office only. Students aged 21 and under may purchase tickets for $20 with a valid student ID.
The LOOK Festival season opens with GYPSY in the Williams Theatre on June 15, 17, 23, 24, 28, 29, and July 7 and 8. AVENUE Q will be held also in Williams Theatre on June 16, 17, 22, 30, and July 3. Lastly, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will run June 23, 27, 30, July 1, 5, and 6. Cabaret performances in the Norman Theatre will be held June 19 and 26. Matinee showings will be at 2pm and evening showings will be at 8pm. A complete listing of show dates and times will be available on April 2 at www.looktheatre.org/shows-and-events.
GYPSY is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents: Gypsy — A Musical Fable, based upon the memoirs of famous striptease artist, Gypsy Rose Lee. The show focuses on the mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with “the ultimate show business mother.” Many songs from GYPSY have became popular standards, including “Small World,” “Everything’s Coming up Roses,” “Some People,” “Let Me Entertain You,” and “Rose’s Turn.” GYPSY has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers, and is frequently considered one of the crowning achievements of the mid-20th century’s conventional musical theatre art form called the “book musical.”
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a classic musical comedy inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (251–183 BC), with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. The plot displays many classic elements of farce, including puns, cases of mistaken identity, and satirical comments on social class. The musical’s original 1962 Broadway run won several Tony® Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book. A Funny Thing… has enjoyed several Broadway and West End revivals and was made into a successful film starring the original lead of the musical, Zero Mostel. Some memorable songs include “Comedy Tonight”, “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” and the tongue-in-cheek “Lovely” about a young man and woman who don’t know much about love.
AVENUE Q is a musical with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, and book by Jeff Whitty; it is the winner of the Tony ® “Triple Crown” for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book. The story is told by puppets alongside human actors, addressing and satirizing the issues and anxieties associated with entering adulthood. Its characters lament that, despite being assured by shows like PBS’s Sesame Street that they were “special”, the real world doesn’t treat them as being any more special than anybody else. Originally conceived as a television series, the musical tells the tale of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. Songs include “It Sucks to be Me,” “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist,” “The Internet is for Porn,” and “I Wish I could Go Back to College,” and more. This show is for mature audiences only and contains full puppet nudity.
LOOK Musical Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and promote the musical theatre style genre, to the end that current and future audiences, performers, and production members gain an enhanced understanding of the role of musical theatre within a variety of cultural contexts. Each summer, the LOOK Festival is produced by over 90 employees, including student apprentices, professional performers, and technical staff members from all over the country. Orchestral forces are drawn from the Tulsa Symphony. LOOK is a member of the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa.
Visit us at www.looktheatre.org to learn more about the upcoming season. For media inquiries, please contact Rachel Robb directly at (918) 583-4267 ext. 11, or email marketing@lightoperaok.org.
