DPAC: Wicked, Phantom, Cirque, Spring Awakening, more on way in 2009-10

We've gotten a sneak peek at some of the shows coming in to the Durham Performing Arts Center in the fall of '09 and into spring and summer of 2010.

Some -- like the DPAC's snagging of "Wicked," a show that Raleigh's Broadway series had hoped to book -- had been talked about since the DPAC began marketing.

Others haven't previously been announced, and include a couple of shows making almost a month-long stand at the new performing arts center.

That number includes "Spring Awakening," the youngest show of the group; it won eight Tony Awards including best musical in 2007, and wrapped up its Broadway run in January.

Among the shows and dates:

• "Cirque Dreams Illumination" brings its mix of acrobatics and music to the DPAC for the start of its world tour in Durham. (Sept. 15-20, 2009)
• "Grease" will bring its newest production from Broadway to a national tour, featuring American Idol winner Taylor Hicks in the role of Teen Angel. (Oct. 6-11, 2009)
• "Phantom of the Opera" will come in for nearly a month, with the longest-running show in Broadway history setting to run throughout the holiday season. (Nov. 26-Dec. 20, 2009)
• "Mamma Mia!," the popular musical based on the songs of ABBA, arrives for a short winter run. (Jan. 26-31, 2010)
• "Spring Awakening" arrives on the heels of its initial Broadway run; the tale of teenagers coming of age in nineteenth-century Germany; based on an 1891 play, the frequently-censored work of drama has run off and on worldwide for a century before its Broadway turn. (March 2-7, 2010)
• "Wicked" follows and will run nearly a full month as well; the musical adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" should be expected to be one of the most popular shows in the DPAC's first couple of years of operation. (April 22-May 16, 2010)
• Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" follows to kick off summertime in the performing arts center. (June 8-13, 2010)

Comments

[John Allore]

Zowie! It's my 12-year-old daughter's dream lineup! When do tickets go on sale?

[DB]

DPAC seems to have really lived up to expectations. Restaurants and bars in the area are noticeably busier on performance nights and the quality of stuff coming in seems to be excellent. I have already been to three events there since it opened in December.