Open up your calendars, folks. The Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center has revealed the lineup for its new season, which features two more shows than last year.
"Each season we strive to provide a season of entertainment that everyone can enjoy," Fran Macferran, president of the Hobby Center Foundation, tells CultureMap. "We feel that the shows in our 2014-15 season offer great variety and a combination of new hits and classics."
When taking into account what shows are touring, and if and when a show has been presented in Houston before, curating the seasons feels a tad as assembling a puzzle, he adds.
Here's the lineup with accompanying videos so you can get a taste of what's coming to a theater near you:
Anything Goes (Oct. 14-19)
Aboard an ocean liner cruising from New York to London, Cole Porter's music sketches the romantic troubles of a clique of memorable characters who will do anything for love. This 2011 revival libretto, the fourth version since its premiere in 1934, earned three Tony Awards in 2011. You know the songs, right? "Anything Goes," "I Get a Kick out of You" and "You're the Top" are among the many catchy melodies.
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage (Nov. 18-23)
Admit it: How many times did you watch the end scene in which Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey marched onto the stage to bump and grind themselves into the heart of every American? The film Dirty Dancing seemed naughty at the time — very risque — although if there's anything to be learned from this "follow-your-heart" story is that nobody should put anyone in a corner. Go ahead, have the time of your life.
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Starring the Rockettes (Dec. 5-28).
Has it been eight years already? It's been that long since the show played at the Hobby Center, finally making a comeback, but not with the same old production. Five new numbers, new costumes, new technology and new sets and what promises to be a sparkling finale tell a story fitting for the holiday season.
The Book of Mormon (Jan. 20-Feb. 8, 2015)
If you didn't get a chance to experience this sacrilegious debauchery that will make you laugh until you wet your pants when it was in town in last year, the delightfully blasphemous show by the creators of South Park returns for another run. Nothing is off limits for funny guys Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone.
Once (March 10-15, 2015)
Dublin, Ireland. A street musician who's down on his luck is about to abandon his dreams. Guy meets Girl — for real, those are their names. Girl makes music with Guy and everything is alright with the world — but only for a little while. Once, based on the 2006 film, has received many decorations since its Off-Broadway debut in 2011.
Mamma Mia! (April 14-19, 2015)
Here we go again, how can you resist this? Though some critics thumb their nose at jukebox musicals, Mamma Mia! is in another league all together, particularly for those who lose control at even the slightest hint of songs by ABBA. It's a love story — what else is new. Expect audiences to get on their feet, sing along and groove to the infectious '70s beats.
Newsies The Musical! (May 19-24, 2015)
This newby on the scene, which premiered in 2011, has an important lesson fitting for a Disney musical: Anyone can be a hero when they stand up for what they believe. Influential New Yorkers aren't a match for a group of underdogs who have virtue on their side.
Motown The Musical (July 21-26, 2015)
Countless songs from the Motown Era comprise this jukebox musical that premiered on Broadway in April. Tunes by Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder trace music history, from the inception of Motown Records through the discovery of Dianna Ross and the Supremes and beyond.
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Six-show subscriptions start at $170 and may be purchased online or by calling 800-952-6560. The Book of Mormon and Mamma Mia! aren't part of the series package. Tickets for those two shows must be purchased separately.
Motown: The Musical on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with Supremes Sydney Morton as Florence Ballad, from left, Valisia LeKae as Diana Ross and Ariana DeBose as Mary Wilson.
