RBTL ANNOUNCES THE 2018-2019 M&T BANK
BROADWAY SEASON LINEUP AT RBTL’S AUDITORIUM THEATRE
The 2018-2019 M&T Bank Broadway Season at RBTL’s Auditorium Theatre, presented by the Rochester Broadway Theatre League (RBTL) and Albert Nocciolino, was announced on Wednesday, March 14th. During the ’17-’18 Season, audiences have been entertained by SCHOOL OF ROCK, Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, FUN HOME, A CHRISTMAS STORY and ON YOUR FEET! – plus AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and RENT are still to come!
As was revealed at RBTL’s annual announcement event last year, HAMILTON will anchor the 2018-2019 M&T Bank Broadway Season! HAMILTON will make its Rochester debut at RBTL’s Auditorium Theatre April 23-May 12, 2019. HAMILTON is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now.
Along with HAMILTON, five more award-winning shows will come to Rochester to make up the ’18-’19 Season:
A BRONX TALE will kick off the Season and launch its National Tour at RBTL’s Auditorium Theatre, October 16-21, 2018 making Rochester audiences the first to see the production outside of New York City! Broadway’s hit crowd-pleaser takes you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s- where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he’d love to be. Bursting with high-energy dance numbers and original doo-wop tunes from Alan Menken, the songwriter of Beauty and the Beast, A BRONX TALE is an unforgettable story of loyalty and family. Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro and Tony® winner Jerry Zaks direct this streetwise musical- based on Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri’s story- that The New York Times hails as “A Critics’ Pick! The kind of tale that makes you laugh and cry.”
The second show of the ’18-’19 season is FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, playing December 11-16, 2018. Tony®-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific, The King and I and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play Oslo, bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. The original production won ten Tony Awards, including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. You’ll be there when the sun rises on this new production, with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family. “An entirely fresh, funny, and gorgeous new production. A REASON FOR CELEBRATION!” – New York Magazine. Featuring the Broadway classics “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “To Life,” FIDDLER ON THE ROOF will introduce a new generation to this uplifting celebration that raises its cup to joy! To love! To life!
Next, CHICAGO will play RBTL’s Auditorium Theatre February 5-10, 2019. “‘Chicago’ still GLITTERS HYPNOTICALLY." - Ben Brantley, The New York Times. There’s never been a better time to experience CHICAGO, Broadway’s razzle-dazzle smash. This triumphant hit musical is the recipient of six Tony Awards®, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy®, thousands of standing ovations and now the #1 longest-running American Musical in Broadway history. CHICAGO has everything that makes Broadway great: a universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz; one show-stopping song after another; and the most astonishing dancing you've ever seen. It’s no surprise that CHICAGO has wowed audiences from Mexico City to Moscow, from Sao Paulo to South Africa. And now it’s coming to your town! Whether you're looking for your first Broadway musical, whether you've seen the Academy Award®-winning film and want to experience the show live on stage or whether you've seen it before and want to recapture the magic, CHICAGO always delivers!
MISS SAIGON, the fourth show of the season, takes the stage March 5-10, 2019. “A DYNAMITE BROADWAY REVIVAL.” - The New Yorker. Experience the acclaimed new production of the legendary musical Miss Saigon, from the creators of Les Misérables. In the last days of the Vietnam War, 17-year-old Kim is forced to work in a bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For 3 years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he's fathered a son. This new production features stunning spectacle and a sensational cast of 42 performing the soaring score featuring Broadway hits including “The Heat is On in Saigon,” “The Movie in My Mind,” and “Last Night of the World.”
The sixth and final show of the ’18-’19 Season is WAITRESS, playing June 4-9, 2019. "THE WOMEN OF WAITRESS ARE CHANGING BROADWAY!" (Time Magazine). Brought to life by a groundbreaking all-female creative team, this irresistible new hit features original music and lyrics by 6-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles ("Brave," "Love Song"), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam), choreography by Lorin Latarro (Les Dangereuse Liasons, Waiting for Godot) and direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Hair, Pippin, Finding Neverland). "It's an empowering musical of the highest order!" raves the Chicago Tribune. Inspired by Adrienne Shelly's beloved film, WAITRESS tells the story of Jenna - a waitress and expert pie maker, Jenna dreams of a way out of her small town and loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town's new doctor may offer her a chance at a fresh start, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes for happiness. But Jenna must summon the strength and courage to rebuild her own life. "WAITRESS is a little slice of heaven!" says Entertainment Weekly and "a monumental contribution to Broadway!" according to Marie Claire. Don't miss this uplifting musical celebrating friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.
In addition to the M&T Bank Broadway Season lineup, several Season Specials will also be presented by RBTL and Albert Nocciolino. Shows will be added throughout the Season, but at this time an engagement of LES MISÉRABLES, playing November 20-24, 2018 has been announced. Cameron Mackintosh presents the new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables, direct from an acclaimed two-and-a-half-year return to Broadway. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an unforgettable story of heartbreak, passion, and the resilience of the human spirit. Featuring the beloved songs “I Dreamed A Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars," “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. With its glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, this breathtaking new production has left both audiences and critics awestruck. “Les Miz is born again!” (NY1).
RBTL and Albert Nocciolino are thrilled to be bringing another sensational season of touring Broadway to Rochester! 6-show Season Ticket Packages are available now to renewing Subscribers. New Subscriptions will be available later this spring and tickets for individual shows will go on sale at a later date. For additional information please call 585.222.5000 or visit www.rbtl.org.
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