Give your regards to Broadway—at the Jack

By The Daily Progress Staff

Published: April 28, 2008

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway. Starting this fall, the Jack will be brightening up, too - with a little razzle dazzle, a memory all alone in the moonlight, a great hairdo, a superstar and an innocent man
Starting in October, the John Paul Jones Arena will be bringing national tours of top Broadway shows to Charlottesville through a partnership with Roberts Group Entertainment.
The Broadway in Charlottesville series includes the following shows:
l “Chicago,’’ Oct. 6
l “Cats,’’ Jan.27, 2009
l “Hairspray, Feb. 10, 2009
l “Jesus Christ Superstar,’’ March 10, 2009
l “Movin’ Out,’’ May 7, 2009
Season tickets will go on sale 10 a.m. Monday and will range from $254 to $196. Parking discounts are available with the purchase of season tickets.
Fans can avoid service fees by buying their tickets directly from the arena’s box office.
If any single tickets are available for individual shows, they will go on sale four weeks before each show.
“Chicago,’’ based on the 1926 play by the same name, became a feature film in 2002 that won six Academy Awards. It tells the tale of Roxie Hart, a nightclub dancer who finds a bloody path to fame.
“Cats’’ by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’’ by T.S. Eliot, is among the longest-running shows in Broadway history. Lloyd Webber was inspired to write the musical after picking up a book of poems in an airport. The show won seven Tony Awards, including best musical. The song “Memory’’ became a worldwide hit.
Based on John Waters’ film, “Hairspray’’ became a hit musical - and then a film again in its musical version. Set in 1962, it tells the story of teen Tracy Turnblad and her dream to dance on “The Corny Collins Show.’’ Along the way, she wins the love of a local heartthrob and integrates a television network.
“Jesus Christ Superstar’’ was the first famous show from the writing team of Tim Rice and Lloyd Webber. The 1971 show contains many songs that became well known, including “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.’’ Ted Neeley stars in his farewell tour.
The music of Billy Joel, who performed previously at the arena, fills “Movin’ Out,’’ the show the Grammy Award winner created with choreographer Twyla Tharp. The musical shares 24 of Joel’s songs as it tells the stories of five lifelong friends over the course of two decades.
Get tickets at the arena’s box office, online at http://www.johnpauljonesarena.com and by phone at (888) JPJ-TIXS.