Celebrating the amazing world of the performing arts, The Whiting’s new season has some of the biggest and brightest names yet! From Broadway musicals, comedy, classical theater, dance and popular performers to jazz, blues, world music and family fun, The Whiting’s 2009-10 season is full of exciting shows for audience members of all ages! We welcome you to experience LIVE entertainment like never before and to, Get in the Spotlight
THE MIKADO: OPERA A LA CARTESat, Feb 13, 2010 at 8pm
$18 / $28 / $38 / $46
Earning recognition as the foremost Gilbert and Sullivan touring repertory company in the country, Opera a la Carte brings to life the hysterically funny operetta The Mikado or The Town of Titipu, performed with a full orchestra. The story focuses around The Mikado’s son who flees to avoid an unwanted marriage, only to fall in love with an engaged woman. The hapless lovers face social restrictions, legal inconsistencies, judicial inequities and government stupidities, making it an absolute tragic tale if it weren’t so hysterically funny! The Mikado has been translated into numerous languages and remains one of the most frequently played musical theatre pieces in history.
DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 3pm & 8pm
Sun, Feb 28, 2010 at 2pm
$23 / $37 / $57 / $67
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY EVER TOLD COMES TO LIFE!
TALE AS OLD AS TIME, TRUE AS IT CAN BE. Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the smash hit Broadway musical, is coming to Flint! Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, this eye-popping spectacle has won the hearts of over 35 million people worldwide. This classic musical love story is filled with unforgettable characters, lavish sets and costumes, and dazzling production numbers including “Be Our Guest” and the beloved title song. Experience the romance and enchantment of Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!
HAIRSPRAY
Thu, Mar 4, 2010 at 8pm
$31 / $47 / $59 / $69
It's 1962, and pleasantly plump Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire - to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star, but she must use her newfound power to vanquish the reigning Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin and integrate a TV network - all without denting her 'do!
Don't miss HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s musical-comedy phenomenon that inspired a major motion picture and won eight 2003 Tony© Awards, including BEST MUSICAL.
AN EVENING WITH KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD
Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 8pm
$18 / $28 / $38 / $46
Multi-platinum recording artist, Kenny Wayne Shepherd has pounded out a string of #1 mainstream rock singles that include “Blue On Black,” “Slow Ride,” “Somewhere, Somehow, Someday” and “In 2 Deep.” Having received four Grammy nominations, two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville H. Gibson Awards, the Blues Foundation’s Keeping The Blues Alive Award and a Blues Music Award among many other accolades, Kenny Wayne Shepherd has lived more than half of his life in the spotlight.
HAL HOLBROOK IN MARK TWAIN TONIGHT
Sat, Apr 10, 2010 at 8pm
$17 / $27 / $38 / $45
Oscar-nominee Hal Holbrook returns in his acclaimed Tony Award-winning one-man show which celebrates the humor, satirical wit, and timeless observations of Mark Twain. For nearly 50 years, Holbrook has enthralled audiences around the world with Twain's unique take on politics, culture and the world! Holbrook edits and changes his show to fit the times. He has more than 16 hours of Twain's material in his repertoire and makes each performance a unique and memorable experience. A must-see treasure of American theatre!
AVENUE Q
Sun, Apr 25, 2010 at 2 & 7pm
$24 / $39 / $53 / $65
AVENUE Q is Broadway's smash-hit 2004 Tony Award® winner for BEST MUSICAL, BEST SCORE and BEST BOOK. A hilarious show full of heart and hummable tunes, AVENUE Q is about trying to make it in NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account. Called "one of the funniest shows you're ever likely to see" by Entertainment Weekly, AVENUE Q features a cast of people and puppets who tell the story in a smart, risque’ and downright entertaining way.
Mature Audiences Only
Warning: Full Puppet Nudity
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES
From the Novel by Sue Monk Kidd
Performed by Denise Wilbanks
Adapted and Directed by Wynn Handman
Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 7pm
Sat, May 1, 2010 at 8pm
All seats $30
Imagine seeing one of your favorite books brought to life. The Whiting, in collaboration with The American Place Theatre in New York City, presents professionally staged verbatim theatrical adaptations of significant American literary works. In this New York Times bestseller set during the Civil Rights Movement, a young girl's search for the truth about her mother leads her to three beekeeping sisters and the discovery of the real meaning of family. This presentation of THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES is a production of The American Place Theatre’s Literature to Life Arts Education Program, led by Artistic Director Wynn Handman. Educational outreach programs will take place during residency.
MIDWEST DANCE SUMMER INTENSIVE SHOWCASE Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 2 & 6:30pm
All Seats $20
Midwest Dance Summer Intensive Showcase is the culmination of four weeks of intense work and dedication of 100 of the most talented young dancers from the U.S and beyond. See these professional dancers of tomorrow bring classic ballet to life as Artistic Director John Magnus directs a performance to remember.
PAST PERFORMANCES
THE COUNTRY RAT PACK
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 8pm
$18 / $32 / $43 / $53
The Country Rat Pack features three red-hot country stars and nearly all their major hits in a fascinating unplugged acoustic set!
ASHER ROTH
With Special Guests
Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 8pm
Doors open at 6pm
General Admission
$10 w/Student ID
(Limit 2 per student)
$20 General Public
Having just completed his highly anticipated summer tour with Kid Cudi, Asher Roth is headlining his own show in numerous college towns across the nation. In 2009 Asher released his commercial debut single, "I Love College," a party rap novelty hit that went all the way to number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the heels of this mainstream breakthrough hit and the follow-up single, "Lark on My Go Kart," Roth released his full-length solo album debut, Asleep in the Bread Aisle (2009).
Official Asher Roth Website
Part of The Whiting’s College Concert Series
ANNIE
Sunday, Dec 13, 2009 at 2 & 7pm
$19 / $39 / $53 / $59
Leapin’ lizards! The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie is back, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including "It's the Hard-Knock Life," "Easy Street," "N.Y.C." and the ever-optimistic "Tomorrow,” Annie is a delightful theatrical experience for the entire family.
FSO HOLIDAY POPS
Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 7pm
Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 3pm
$10 / $15 / $20 / $29
Children 14 and under, half price
Celebrate the holiday by sharing this warm and joyful musical event with your family. Ring in the season with your favorite carols performed by the Flint Symphony Orchestra and conductor Enrique Diemecke, the Flint Festival Chorus and other community ensembles.
MOSCOW FESTIVAL BALLET - SLEEPING BEAUTY Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 7pm $17 / $23 / $29 / $39
Based on the well-known fairytale by Charles Perrault, watch in amazement as Artistic Director Sergei Radchenko brings the enchanting fairy tale Sleeping Beauty to life. You’ll be swept away as Princess Aurora, who had an evil spell placed upon her at her christening by an evil fairy, is awakened by the kiss of a handsome prince. Through classical dancing, ensemble pageantry and courtly splendor, the 50-member company will weave this story through the realm of imagination and into the hearts of everyone.
SINBAD
Sat, Jan 30, 2010 at 8pm
$12 / $19 / $29 / $39
Ranked by Comedy Central as one of the top standup comedians of all time, Sinbad has been known to cause comedic hysteria everywhere he goes by poking fun at audience members’ painful trials and the embarrassing tribulations of day-by-day life. Internationally known for his starring appearances in hit movies like “Jingle All the Way,” playing opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger; “Houseguest” co-starring with the late Phil Hartman and let's not forget his film debut “Necessary Roughness,” where he admits he did none of his own stunts! He has starred in the television sitcom “A Different World” as well as his own series, “The Sinbad Show.”
CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION
Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 7pm
Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 7pm
$23 / $35 / $45 / $53
From the creators of the groundbreaking BROADWAY HIT Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy comes an all new journey of nighttime dreamers whose imaginations are ignited within a landscape of towering buildings and infinite possibilities. Created and Directed by Neil Goldberg, Cirque Dreams Illumination has been hailed as “Dazzling!...a reason to stand up and cheer” by the New York Daily News. Audiences of all ages will marvel and experience a journey of city dwellers who reinvent everyday objects, balance beyond belief, delicately dangle from wires, leap tall buildings and redefine the risks of flight in an array of astounding occurrences that transform the ordinary into extraordinary.
