Tonight, July 18, 2011, is Billy Elliot Night at our Castro Theatre!
Sean Penn (you see him?) probably won’t be there at the Castro, but it’s not impossible since he’s been popping up all over town lately:
Click to expand
And then you’ll have until August 21, 2011 to catch the SHN play version of Billy at our Orpheum Theatre.
Hurray!
No matter where you fit in as a fan of the Theatre, you’re going to love Billy Elliot, now playing at SHN’s Orpheum Theatre through September 17th, 2011.
And the glowing reviews are in already, from Albert Goodwyn, for one:
“This inspirational musical celebrates a dream come true. SHN’s traveling production is seamlessly orchestrated and performed with a high level of polish. The musicians in the pit, led by Maestro Jon Rose on piano, found every nuance and compositional gesture of Elton John’s music.”
O.K. then.
Michael Brosilow
And the Twitterers, well they liked it too:
“Wow! Bravo to @shnsf & Billy Elliot cast! I left the theatre wanting to go dancing!!”
You’re going to love Billy Elliot.
(And if you go to the box office at 8th and Market, you really can tickets for just $35, no fees, no nothing.)
All right, see you there!
It’s the best show of the current season at SHN and it’s almost here. See?
New York Times, Variety, New York Post, USA Today, Opening Night in Canada is a Hit!, Billy Elliot nothing less than a triumph, All hail King Billy
Now, the time to get your tickets is right now and the place to get them is right here, or at the box office at 8th and Market (but sadly, it’s closed ’til June 19th, 2011 – check the days and hours here).
Oh yes, check the parental advisory:
“PARENTAL ADVISORY - Billy Elliot is most appropriate for children 8 years of age or older. It contains strong language and some scenes of confrontation between policemen and miners.”
Fair ‘nough.
In closing, OMG, Billy Elliot is almost here!
“BROADWAY’S “BEST MUSICAL OF THE DECADE” -Time Magazine
BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL is a joyous celebration of one young boy’s journey to make his dreams come true. Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls BILLY ELLIOT “THE MOST INSPIRING SHOW I’VE SEEN IN YEARS.”
Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising passion that inspires his family and his whole community. A big musical with an even bigger heart, BILLY ELLIOT will enchant the dreamer in all of us.
For more information on the show, click here.”
You know all about Avenue Q, right? I didn’t tell you about it last week owing to its sold-out popularitiness. And now it’s leaving after just a short run.
Anyway, it’s:
“…an ‘autobiographical and biographical’ coming-of-age parable, addressing and satirizing the issues and anxieties associated with entering adulthood. Its characters lament that as children, they were assured by their parents, and by children’s television programs such as PBS‘s Sesame Street, that they were “special” and “could do anything”; but as adults, they have discovered to their surprise and dismay that in the real world their options are not unlimited, and they are no more ‘special’ than anyone else“
All right, here’s the review from Row R:
“Don’t let the Bad Idea Bears fool you, Avenue Q is way more fun than a Long Island Iced Tea. The cast is exuberantly musical and peevishly delightful. Puppets, porn & purpose — oh my!’”
And everybody else likes it too.
You will simply looooove these puppets. Find out just how much at SHN‘s Orpheum Theatre until February 27, 2011:
Kerri Brackin, Nicky, Rod, Brent Michael DiRoma - Photo by John Daughtry
All the deets:
WHO: AVENUE Q is the smash-hit Broadway musical about real life in New York City, as told by a cast of people and puppets through a hilariously irreverent, Tony-winning book and score. This Tony Award-winning show, returns to San Francisco as a special addition to the 2010-2011 Best of Broadway series.
WHAT : AVENUE Q tells the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who moves to NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account. The only apartment he can afford is way out on Avenue Q, where everyone’s looking for the same things he is: a decent job, a stable relationship, and a “purpose.” Eventually, Princeton learns to embrace the ups and downs of city life and realizes that “the real world” isn’t so bad, after all!
WHEN: February 15 through February 27, 2011
WHERE: ORPHEUM THEATRE (1192 Market Street)
TICKETS: Tickets for AVENUE Q will range in price from $30 to $99 and go on sale Friday, December 3 at 10 AM through shnsf.com, by calling SHN Audience Services at 888 SHN 1799 (888 746 1799) or by visiting the Orpheum Theatre Box Office (1192 Market at 8th Street, Mon – Sat, Noon – 6 pm). Groups of 15 or more may order now by calling SHN Group Sales at 888 SHN 1799.
To learn more about AVENUE Q and other SHN shows, please visit www.shnsf.com
To experience what goes on backstage at SHN shows, go to http://shnsf.com/podcast/index.asp and listen to Backstage, the SHN podcast series, to hear interviews with members of the creative teams or actors for all SHN productions.
Follow SHN on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/shnbroadwayinsf
www.twitter.com/shnsf
You know all about Avenue Q, right? It’s:
“…an ‘autobiographical and biographical’ coming-of-age parable, addressing and satirizing the issues and anxieties associated with entering adulthood. Its characters lament that as children, they were assured by their parents, and by children’s television programs such as PBS‘s Sesame Street, that they were “special” and “could do anything”; but as adults, they have discovered to their surprise and dismay that in the real world their options are not unlimited, and they are no more ‘special’ than anyone else“
You will simply looooove these puppets. Find out just how much at SHN‘s Orpheum Theatre from today until February 27, 2011:
Kerri Brackin, Nicky, Rod, Brent Michael DiRoma - Photo by John Daughtry
All the deets:
WHO: AVENUE Q is the smash-hit Broadway musical about real life in New York City, as told by a cast of people and puppets through a hilariously irreverent, Tony-winning book and score. This Tony Award-winning show, returns to San Francisco as a special addition to the 2010-2011 Best of Broadway series.
WHAT : AVENUE Q tells the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who moves to NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account. The only apartment he can afford is way out on Avenue Q, where everyone’s looking for the same things he is: a decent job, a stable relationship, and a “purpose.” Eventually, Princeton learns to embrace the ups and downs of city life and realizes that “the real world” isn’t so bad, after all!
WHEN: February 15 through February 27, 2011
WHERE: ORPHEUM THEATRE (1192 Market Street)
TICKETS: Tickets for AVENUE Q will range in price from $30 to $99 and go on sale Friday, December 3 at 10 AM through shnsf.com, by calling SHN Audience Services at 888 SHN 1799 (888 746 1799) or by visiting the Orpheum Theatre Box Office (1192 Market at 8th Street, Mon – Sat, Noon – 6 pm). Groups of 15 or more may order now by calling SHN Group Sales at 888 SHN 1799.
To learn more about AVENUE Q and other SHN shows, please visit www.shnsf.com
To experience what goes on backstage at SHN shows, go to http://shnsf.com/podcast/index.asp and listen to Backstage, the SHN podcast series, to hear interviews with members of the creative teams or actors for all SHN productions.
Follow SHN on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/shnbroadwayinsf
www.twitter.com/shnsf
[UPDATE: And here's The Review from Chronicle Theatre Critic Robert Hurwitt.]
Smash Broadway success next to normal started its run at SHN’s Curran Theatre yesterday.
From Orchestra Row M:
Next to Normal is intense … so is Alice Ripley’s performance. How does this chanteuse mash up singing with crying? The same confusing way you’ll endure at times uncomfortable emotional voyeurism of a family’s breakdown and rebirth. You might also want to seek therapy after the show … and that’s a good thing.
And the Twitter:
“Amazing night of theater: “Next to Normal” from @shnsf in SF. Intense, emotional, sometimes difficult, but the score, lyrics, & cast are WOW.”
This is the straightest-from-Broadway straight from Broadway show we’ve had in a long time, right?
Check out the deets, below.
It’s the role of a lifetime for star Alice Ripley, of course.
Bonus: The San Francisco affiliate of the non-profit National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is co-sponsoring NAMI Awareness Night on February 11th. See about that after the jump.
“The musical opened on Broadway in April 2009. It was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three, Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. The previous musical to win the Pulitzer was Rent, in 1996, which was also directed by Michael Greif. In awarding the prize to Kitt and Yorkey, the Pulitzer Board called the show “a powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals.”
I don’t know nada about next to normal excepting that it’s been very well received and it’s starting a run at SHN’s Curran Theatre on Wednesday, January 25, 2011. Check out the deets, below.
“The musical opened on Broadway in April 2009. It was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three, Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. The previous musical to win the Pulitzer was Rent, in 1996, which was also directed by Michael Greif. In awarding the prize to Kitt and Yorkey, the Pulitzer Board called the show “a powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals.”
You know all about Avenue Q, right? It’s:
“…an ‘autobiographical and biographical’ coming-of-age parable, addressing and satirizing the issues and anxieties associated with entering adulthood. Its characters lament that as children, they were assured by their parents, and by children’s television programs such as PBS‘s Sesame Street, that they were “special” and “could do anything”; but as adults, they have discovered to their surprise and dismay that in the real world their options are not unlimited, and they are no more ‘special’ than anyone else“
You just might love these puppets. Find out at SHN‘s Orpheum Theatre in February 2011 – tickets go on sale December 3rd.
Kerri Brackin, Nicky, Rod, Brent Michael DiRoma - Photo by John Daughtry
All the deets:
WHO: AVENUE Q is the smash-hit Broadway musical about real life in New York City, as told by a cast of people and puppets through a hilariously irreverent, Tony-winning book and score. This Tony Award-winning show, returns to San Francisco as a special addition to the 2010-2011 Best of Broadway series.
WHAT : AVENUE Q tells the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who moves to NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account. The only apartment he can afford is way out on Avenue Q, where everyone’s looking for the same things he is: a decent job, a stable relationship, and a “purpose.” Eventually, Princeton learns to embrace the ups and downs of city life and realizes that “the real world” isn’t so bad, after all!
WHEN: February 15 through February 27, 2011
WHERE: ORPHEUM THEATRE (1192 Market Street)
TICKETS: Tickets for AVENUE Q will range in price from $30 to $99 and go on sale Friday, December 3 at 10 AM through shnsf.com, by calling SHN Audience Services at 888 SHN 1799 (888 746 1799) or by visiting the Orpheum Theatre Box Office (1192 Market at 8th Street, Mon – Sat, Noon – 6 pm). Groups of 15 or more may order now by calling SHN Group Sales at 888 SHN 1799.
To learn more about AVENUE Q and other SHN shows, please visit www.shnsf.com
To experience what goes on backstage at SHN shows, go to http://shnsf.com/podcast/index.asp and listen to Backstage, the SHN podcast series, to hear interviews with members of the creative teams or actors for all SHN productions.
Follow SHN on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/shnbroadwayinsf
www.twitter.com/shnsf
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast kicked off last night down at the Golden Gate Theatre. Here’s a review and here’s your Opening Night Report:
“The show is a charming one to take a child to see and there were lots of children in the audience.”
Indeed. There we’re lots of girls all dressed up in the audience.
Anyway, this tale as old as time certainly is a high-caliber production. Get your ticks here.
Mike will be there in the lobby selling roses (at a discount if you also get the large program and/or musical CD):
All right, see you there.
Nathaniel Hackmann y Compania. Photo: Joan Marcus
Justin Glaser and Liz Shivener -Photo: Joan Marcus
All the deets, after the jump
Well it’s not too early to start thinking about the new theatre season that SHN is bringing to San Francisco. Here it is:
SHN ANNOUNCES 2010-2011 BEST OF BROADWAY SEASON
The newly illuminated fairytale musical based on the popular animated film
SHREK THE MUSICAL,
The emotional powerhouse and ground-breaking Pulitzer Prize-winning new musical
NEXT TO NORMAL,
A rock anthem love story celebrating the 1980′s
ROCK OF AGES,
The wildly popular and unique performance of the
BLUE MAN GROUP,
And the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Blockbuster
BILLY ELLIOT
It’ll be the 1980′s all over again when Rock of Ages hits town:
SAN FRANCISCO…SHN is thrilled to announce the 2010-2011 Best of Broadway Season, under the direction of Carole Shorenstein Hays and Robert Nederlander presented at San Francisco’s Orpheum, Curran and Golden Gate Theatres. SHN, the pre-eminent theatrical entertainment company in San Francisco, offers the ultimate Broadway experience to all Bay Area audiences.
“What a full cast of characters we have for our audiences next season,” enthused Carole Shorenstein Hays as she announced the 2010-2011 Best of Broadway season. “The shows are diverse in style but share inspiring themes. Each show features characters who reach deep inside to find an inner truth and strength. SHN strives to bring uplifting theatrical experiences to our Bay Area theater family and we believe this will be especially true for the 2010-2011 Season.”
Renewing subscribers can renew now through their My SHN Account online at shnsf.com or by calling 888 SHN (746) 1799. Renewal packages and invoices are currently being mailed.
New subscriptions are available now online and at 888 SHN (746) 1799, and range in price from $155-$555.
2010-2011 SHN Best of Broadway Subscription Series Currently Available Online at shnsf.com
All the deets after the jump.
