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THEATRE UNDER THE STARS
UNVEILS
THE 2015 - 2016 SEASON:
TUTS Underground Reveals 2015/16 Season:
“Bonnie & Clyde,” “Striking 12,”
“Sweet Potato Queens” and “Heathers The
Musical”
2015 (HOUSTON) –
Murderous bank-robbing lovers, holiday grump meets
Little Match Girl, tiaras the size of Texas and the ultimate teenage
popularity contest (hair scrunchies included) - TUTS Underground’s 2015/16
season delivers new theatrical productions never seen before in Houston!
TUTS Underground, Theatre Under The Stars’ (TUTS) alternative and
contemporary series, is thrilled to announce the new season running in
Zilkha Hall at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.
“I am excited to announce the innovative musicals that we have lined up for
the third season of TUTS Underground- A Theatre Revolution,” says TUTS’
Artistic Director, Bruce Lumpkin. “This year, we continue to uphold and
expand our original mission—to bring revolutionary, edgy, and affordable
musicals to Houston. We want to enrich the local artistic community by
continuing to produce relevant musical theatre, incubating new works and
staging unique, pioneering shows which will set the scene for musical
theatre of the future. I invite Houston to join the revolution.”
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Bonnie & Clyde
October 1 - 11, 2015
At the height of the Great Depression, Bonnie
Parker and Clyde Barrow went from two small-town nobodies in West Texas to
America's most renowned folk heroes and the Texas law enforcement's worst
nightmares. Fearless, shameless, and alluring, the Tony-nominated
Bonnie& Clydeis the electrifying story of love, adventure and crime
that captured the attention of an entire country. The legendary Frank
Wildhorn (Jekyll And Hyde, Civil War, Dracula), who wrote this
thrilling musical, will be actively engaged during the rehearsal period of
this TUTS Underground production.
When Bonnie and Clyde meet, their
mutual cravings for excitement and fame immediately set them on a mission to
chase their dreams. Their bold and reckless behavior turns the young lovers'
thrilling adventure into a downward spiral, putting themselves and their
loved ones in trouble with the law. Forced to stay on the run, the lovers
resort to robbery and murder to survive. As the infamous duo's fame grows
bigger, their inevitable end draws nearer.
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Striking 12
December 17 - 23, 2015
On New Year's Eve, an over-worked and under-inspired single guy who's had
enough of holiday cheer makes a resolution: to stay home and go to bed
early. On another New Year's Eve, a continent away—and more than a century
earlier—Hans Christian Andersen's Little Match Girl tries unsuccessfully to
sell her matches in the snow.
The two stories are brought together
when a young woman selling special "full-spectrum holiday light bulbs" to
combat Seasonal Affective Disorder shows up at the grumpy man's door. Though
the man (who probably could use the bulbs) seems to enjoy the young woman's
company, he sends her away. It's not until he reads "The Little Match Girl"
that he is finally pulled out of his funk.
All of this unfolds
through a tuneful pop/rock/jazz score that retains the vibrant style of its
original performers: the celebrated band, GrooveLily. Through simple,
unpretentious theater created through the voices and instruments of the
performers, Striking 12 reminds us that "the world looks like new...
on the first day of the year."
Striking 12 is a perfect alternative to standard holiday fare
while still being family-friendly.
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Sweet Potato Queens
March 17 - 20, 2016
Sweet Potato Queens (SPQ) is loosely based on the
life-story of #1 New York Times best-selling author and SPQ founder, Jill
Conner Browne, and the organization’s philosophy which was born out of
her need for some excitement and a new direction.
The Sweet Potato Queens
® is a women's organization based in
Jackson, Mississippi,
that has 6,200 chapters in 37 countries. It involves a belief in a
sisterhood that promotes self-esteem and positive thinking, appealing to
mostly middle-aged middle-class women. Each local chapter assumes its own
theme and designs its own costumes. Some chapters even participate in
parades and fundraisers in their local community—the Saint Patrick’s Day
parade being the biggest event.
After its recent successful
staged reading here at TUTS Underground, Sweet Potato Queens
will be fully staged and produced for the world premiere next March.
The musical is being
developed in partnership with Grammy® award winning singer/songwriter
Melissa Manchester (music), Oscar® nominee, multiple #1 songwriter and
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Sharon Vaughn (lyrics)
and Rupert Holmes (book). Holmes is the first person in
theatrical history to solely win Tony® Awards for Best Book and Best Music
and Lyrics, and Best Musical for The Mystery of Edwin Drood. For his
play Say Goodnight, Gracie, he earned a 2004 National Broadway
Theater Award and a Best Play Tony® nomination. He most recently was
represented on Broadway by Curtains, winning several awards and 8
Tony® nominations.
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Heathers The Musical
April 28 – May 1, 2016
Based on the classic 1989
film, Westerberg High is ruled by a shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing
junta: Heather, Heather and Heather... the hottest and cruelest girls in all
of Ohio. But misfit Veronica Sawyer rejects their evil regime for a new
boyfriend, the dark and sexy stranger J.D., who plans to put the Heathers in
their place - six feet under. Relive your high school years, friends and
foes, in this rollercoaster ride of a musical!
“Heathers has sass,
sex, songs and laughs! Lots of laughs!” Perez Hilton
Brought to you by the
award-winning creative team of Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness,
“Desperate Housewives”), Laurence O’Keefe (Bat Boy, Legally Blonde)
and Andy Fickman (Reefer Madness, She’s the Man).
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How To Subscribe
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Online at
TUTSUnderground.com
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Phone at (713) 558-TUTS
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In person at the TUTS’ Box Office (800 Bagby St. – Downtown
Houston).
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Discounted group subscriptions of 10 or more are available at (713)
558-8888.
Season support for TUTS Underground is funded in part by the Albert and
Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation. For all shows, air
transportation is provided by United Airlines, the official airline
of TUTS.
TUTS Underground offers a contemporary musical theatre experience featuring
local talent in Zilkha Hall at The Hobby Center, one of Houston’s most
intimate performance venues located in the heart of downtown.
For more information about TUTS and their community initiatives, visit
TUTS.com.
Theatre Under The Stars
800 Bagby Street
Houston,
TX, 77002
The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts