Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center is going big for its 2013-14 season, which officials announced on Sunday. A melange of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue (naughty, too) will hit the stage with six musicals that together have earned 25 Tony Awards.
Read on for the selections, each with accompanying video to whet your appetite for tuneful entertainment.
The Book of Mormon (Sept. 3-15)
The creators of the anything-goes television animated series South Park, where nothing is sacred and no one is safe from ridicule (even Jesus), had prior success with satirical, full-length musicals like the film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police. Though we know that the text of The Book of Mormon is tamer than the lyrics of "Uncle F**ka" and "Kyle's Mom's a B**ch," there's a dash of obscene language that will satisfy fans of Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone.
What happens when pagans from Africa and cute Mormons from Utah appear on the same stage? Goofiness.
Peter and the Starcatcher (Oct. 15-20)
Before there was Peter Pan, the flying, orphan boy in green tights who would never grow up, there was a neglected 13-year-old boy who sought to create his own adventure. In Peter and the Starcatcher, the hero's story unfolds. Peter learns about starcatchers, a group of folks who protect starstuff (the pixie dust that allows things to take flight), meets Wendy and flies for the first time.
The musical has won five Tony awards. Could it be the appearance of a flying cat?
Chicago (Nov. 12-17)
So what if Society for the Performing Arts brought Chicago, starring John O'Hurley, back in 2011? The story of murder, fame, sex, infidelity, fishnet stockings, trials by jury and "All That Jazz" set in the roaring '20s, like a good friend, never gets old.
What matters is who will be cast as Roxy Hart, Velma Kelly and Billy Flynn?
Ghost (Feb. 18-23, 2014)
The 1990 film captured the hearts of many, particularly in the scene where "Unchained Melody" signaled the romantic vignette when Whoopi Goldberg channeling Patrick Swayze lays a wet one on Demi Moore. Can Sam and Molly be united forever on stage? Through song?
Traditionalists will say nay, though the troupe of heavyweights who premiered the work in 2011, including Glen Ballard, who worked with Alanis Morissette on Jagged Little Pill, and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, say yay.
Either way, will there be wet, sloppy clay? Will kids these days start saying "ditto" again?
American Idiot (March 21-23, 2014)
Turning Green Day's seventh album into a jukebox musical follows along what the rock band sought to create when it released American Idiot in 2004. The "rock opera" concept mused the band's guitarist, Billie Joe Armstrong, to collaborate with director Michael Mayer to expand the story into this one-act musical. The tale centers on three characters — Johnny, aka Jesus of Suburbia, Will and Tunny — who must weigh their options. Will they choose the comforts of suburban life or pursue their city dreams?
War Horse (May 27-June 1, 2014)
When Albert's beloved horse, Joey, is auctioned off, the young protagonist gallivants through the trenches of World War I England and France in search of his four-legged friend. The emotional drama is teeming with songs that circle back to their reunion right before tragedy claims their lives. The production features life-sized puppets crafted by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa.
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Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center season tickets (starting at $154) are on sale now and can be purchased online or by calling 800-952-6560. Individual tickets are typically available six to eight weeks prior to each scheduled performance.
A scene from Chicago on Broadway at the Ambassador Theatre.
