Wharton Center released a short list of upcoming 2014-15 performances. The entire season will be announced the last week of April when Wharton Center subscribers will receive the season brochure and order form.
The opening show of the MSU Federal Credit Union Broadway at Wharton Center Season is the winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards including Best Musical.
“Once,” premiering on Oct. 14, features an ensemble of actors and musicians who play their own instruments onstage. The musical tells a tale of a Dublin street musician who is about to give up on his dream when a young woman takes interest in his love songs. As the chemistry between them grows, his music soars to powerful new heights.
The well-known musical, “Annie,” returns on Dec. 16 as a brand-new incarnation of the iconic original.
“Kinky Boots,” winner of six Tony Awards including Best Musical, premiers May 26, 2015. It tells the story of a struggling shoe factory owner who works to turn his business around with help from an unlikely person. Together, the two become an unstoppable team and find they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible.
The internationally acclaimed Dance Theatre of Harlem performs Nov. 12 celebrating over 45 years of creating vivid forms of expression and bringing a contemporary flair to the ballet repertoire.
Professionals from “Dancing with the Stars,” “So You Think You Can Dance” and international dance champions compete against each other on Nov. 15. “Dancing Pros: Live” will be hosted by actor Alan Thicke. Singers from “The Voice” and “American Idol” accompany performances while celebrity judges like Edyta Sliwinska of “Dancing with the Stars” help the audience select the winners.
On Nov. 16, “A Celebration of Harold Pinter” will bring to life the poems and prose of literary genius, Harold Pinter, the director, actor, political activist and Nobel Prize winner.
The Hot Sardines, appearing on Feb. 8, 2015, have a unique musical recipe of hot jazz and sultry standards from the ‘20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s with rich New Orleans sounds, a dash of ‘40s Paris flavor and vibrant musical surprises.
The reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman, will perform on April 25, 2015. His awards include a Kennedy Center Honor, the Medal of Liberty, a National Medal of the Arts, four Emmy Awards, 15 Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The entire 2014-2015 season will be highlighted in the season brochure which arrives in homes beginning April 25. Individual tickets to most shows will go on sale at a date to be announced in early fall.