season tix

i have loved going to theatrical productions since i was young child. the first show i ever remember attending was a high school production of wizard of oz and there i fell in love with the arts. i was probably six and as i watched the wicked witch fly down the aisle on a bicycle, i thought the whole thing was purely magical.

well this year i decided the line up was so good at the civic center, i just couldn't pass up season tickets. a season full of shows that i've heard such rave reviews. and of course i had to get the add-on of wicked, the music is just so fantastic.

now i just have to wait for the fall.

WILLIS BROADWAY SERIES 5-SHOW PACKAGE
	LA CAGE AUX FOLLES Oct. 11-16, 2011 LA CAGE tells the story of Georges, the owner of a glitzy nightclub in lovely Saint-Tropez, and his partner Albin, who moonlights as the glamorous chanteuse Zaza. When Georges' son brings his fiancée's conservative parents home to meet the flashy pair, the bonds of family are put to the test as the feather boas fly! LA CAGE is a tuneful and touching tale of one family's struggle to stay together... stay fabulous... and above all else, stay true to themselves! With a glorious score of hummable melodies and a dynamite cast featuring the "notorious and dangerous Cagelles," LA CAGE is an indisputable musical comedy classic... and this extraordinary new version shows you why!
	WEST SIDE STORY Feb. 7-12, 2012 The show that redefined Broadway for an entire generation is returns to the stage in a brand-new production. WEST SIDE STORY soars as the greatest love story of all time. The Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway’s finest and features such classics as “Tonight,” “America,” “Something’s Coming,” “I Feel Pretty,” and of course, “Somewhere.” Directed by David Saint, using Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’Broadway direction, West Side Story remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. You haven’t seen Broadway until you’ve seen WEST SIDE STORY!
	BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL Feb. 28- March 4, 2012 BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL is the explosive new musical comedy that raises the stakes on over-the-top high school rivalries. Set against the world of competitive cheerleading, this powerhouse new show hilariously proves that winning isn’t everything when it means losing something - or someone - you really care about. BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL has brought together some of the freshest and funniest creative minds on Broadway, including Tony Award-winning writer Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q); Tony Award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (In The Heights); Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and lyricist Amanda Green (High Fidelity); Tony Award-winning orchestrator Alex Lacamoire (Wicked); and Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (In The Heights). This entirely original musical comedy combines an exciting new sound, gravity-defying choreography, and a thrilling story to create a total theatrical event worth cheering for.
	MEMPHIS April 24-29, 2012 TURN UP THAT DIAL... From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes a hot new Broadway musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, MEMPHIS is about a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break. Come along on their incredible journey to the ends of the airwaves -- filled with laughter, soaring emotion and roof-raising rock 'n' roll. Winner of four 2010 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, MEMPHIS , which played pre-Broadway at the La Jolla Playhouse, features a Tony®-winning book by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) and a Tony®-winning original score with music by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan. Directing is Tony® nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu), and choreography is by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys). Get ready to experience Broadway’s most exciting new destination~ what AP calls “The very essence of what a Broadway musical should be.”
	BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL June 6-17, 2012 BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL is the joyous celebration of one boy's journey to make his dreams come true. 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. Based on the international smash-hit film, BILLY ELLIOT is brought to life by a phenomenal cast of 45 and the Tony Award®-winning creative team -- director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling and writer Lee Hall -- along with music legend Elton John, who has written what the New York Post calls "HIS BEST SCORE YET!"
WILLIS BROADWAY SERIES OPTIONAL ADD-ONs
	WICKED Nov. 9-Dec. 4, 2011 Back by “Popular” demand. Entertainment Weekly calls WICKED "the best musical of the decade,” and when it first played the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines in 2009, it broke box office records and sold out in record time. Winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, WICKED is Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, a cultural phenomenon and was just named “the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times. Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for "the most complete and completely satisfying new musical in a long time" (USA Today).