Sunday, January 13, 2013

Straz Center bringing Broadway smashes 'Book of Mormon,' 'Once' and more Tony winners to Tampa


Musical theater enthusiasts, especially fans of smart, American prophet-skewering hilarity, have been stoked about "The Book of Mormon" coming to Tampa since July.

That's when the Straz Center announced that the show would be part of its roster for 2013-2014.

Turns out, the nine-time Tony Award-winning Best Musical phenomenon about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints kicks off the new Best of Broadway Tampa Bay season in November.

The season also includes the Tony Award-winning Best Musical "Once," the Tony Award-winning revival of The Gershwins' "Porgy and Bess," the new stage version of "Ghost," the revival of "Evita," and "We Will Rock You," which is propelled by the hits of Queen.

Judith Lisi, longtime president and CEO of the Straz Center, noted the slew of Tony Award winners taking the stage.

"With all of the great Broadway seasons we've had over the years, this could be the best one yet," Lisi said.

"Our 2013-14 Broadway season has the two most recent Tony Award-winning Best Musicals, the current Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Musical and so much more. Tampa Bay audiences will be treated to a season that is both compelling and entertaining and spotlights the very best of musical theater."

All shows will be performed in the Carol Morsani Hall, the largest on the west coast of Florida with more than 2,600 seats.

"The Book of Mormon" (Nov. 12-24): Featuring book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, the religious satire that won all those Tonys including Best Musical in 2011 has been lauded as one of the funniest Broadway shows of all time. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of the landmark, envelope-pushing animated series "South Park" while Lopez is cocreator of the long-running hit musical comedy "Avenue Q."

Read more.

—"Book of Mormon" publicity photo

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