Bugs Bunny on Broadway

Last updated
Bugs Bunny on Broadway
(Bugs Bunny at the Symphony)
Bugs Bunny on Broadway.jpg
Music Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn
Book George Daugherty
Basis Looney Tunes
Productions1990 San Diego
1990 Broadway
1990 United States Tour
1992 International tour
1996 Sydney
2009 San Francisco
2010 United States tour
2010 Australian tour
2010 International tour

Bugs Bunny on Broadway (also titled Bugs Bunny at the Symphony and Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II) is a concert musical featuring Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd. The production was conceived by George Daugherty, incorporating scores by Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn.

Contents

The musical, and its 2010 sequel Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, combines classic Warner Bros. Looney Tunes projected on a large screen accompanied by a live orchestra performing the original score. This production team has been touring the world continuously since 1990 and has played to a total international audience of almost 2 million people.

History

Bugs Bunny premiered in 1990 at the Civic Theatre in San Diego, California. [1] A limited Broadway run of the show played at the George Gershwin Theatre from October 4, 1990, to October 23, 1990, with all performances sold-out in ticket sales. Voice characterizations were by Arthur Q. Bryan and Mel Blanc, with The Warner Brothers Symphony Orchestra. Animation direction was by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson and Robert Clampett. [2]

In 1996, a production played in Sydney, Australia. [3] The original concert toured from 1990 until 2010, appearing with virtually every major American symphony orchestra, and with major symphonic ensembles in Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. [4]

Among its major achievements were a sold-out week in Moscow's Kremlin Palace, a performance for the British royal family at London's Royal Festival Hall (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), fifteen separate performances at The Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and a benefit concert with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra on July 17, 2009. [5]

A revised version, Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, was created by Daugherty and David Ka Lik Wong. It began a United States national tour in July 2010, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, followed by an East Coast premiere with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap. An Australian touring production had opened in May 2010 at the Sydney Opera House prior to touring to additional Australian cities, including Adelaide and Perth. [1]

A new international tour premiered in October 2010 with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Dublin, Ireland at the Grand Canal Theatre, followed by Asian premieres in 2011 in Taiwan, and with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [6]

Musical numbers

Bugs Bunny on Broadway

Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II

Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony: 30th Anniversary Edition

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony: 35th Anniversary Edition

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony: 40th Anniversary Edition

Soundtrack Recordings

Date ReleasedVenueOrchestraConductorNotes
January 29, 1991
Warner Bros. Symphony Orchestra
Original Broadway Recording
July 13, 2010
Live Recording

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Bernstein</span> American conductor and composer (1918–1990)

Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American-born conductor to receive international acclaim. Bernstein was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history" according to music critic Donal Henahan. Bernstein's honors and accolades include seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and 16 Grammy Awards as well as an Academy Award nomination. He received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1981.

<i>Company</i> (musical) 1970 musical comedy

Company is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The original 1970 production was nominated for a record-setting 14 Tony Awards, winning six. Company was among the first book musicals to deal with contemporary dating, marriage, and divorce, and is a notable example of a concept musical lacking a linear plot. In a series of vignettes, Company follows bachelor Bobby interacting with his married friends, who throw a party for his 35th birthday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl W. Stalling</span> American composer (1891–1972)

Carl William Stalling was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Bowl</span> Amphitheater in Los Angeles, California

The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by Rolling Stone magazine in 2018. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Tilson Thomas</span> American conductor, pianist and composer (born 1944)

Michael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy based in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony, and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Raines</span> American actor (born 1949)

Ron Raines is an American actor. He is known for the role of Alan Spaulding on the television soap opera Guiding Light. Raines also performs in musical theatre and in concert with symphony orchestras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milt Franklyn</span> American composer (1897–1962)

Milton J. Franklyn was an American musical composer and arranger who worked on the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoons, working alongside and later succeeding Carl Stalling.

<i>Long-Haired Hare</i> 1949 American animated Looney Tunes comedy

Long-Haired Hare is a 1949 American animated short film directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. It was produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures as part of the Looney Tunes series, and was the 60th short to feature Bugs Bunny. In addition to including the homophones "hair" and "hare", the title is also a pun on "longhairs", a characterization of classical music lovers. Nicolai Shutorov provides the singing voice of Giovanni Jones.

Marin Joy Mazzie was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre.

George Daugherty is an American conductor, director, producer, and writer.

Laurence Crawford "Larry" O'Keefe is an American composer and lyricist for Broadway musicals, film and television. He won the 2001 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Musical as composer for Bat Boy: The Musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Danieley</span> American actor

Jason D. Danieley is an American actor, singer, concert performer and recording artist. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was married to fellow performer Marin Mazzie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Alan Miller</span> Musical artist

David Alan Miller is a multi-Grammy Award-winning American symphony orchestra conductor, and since 1992, music director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Miller served as assistant and associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1987–92 and music director of the New York Youth Symphony from 1982-88. He is currently also Artistic Advisor to The Little Orchestra Society in New York City.

Mark Grey is an American classical music composer, sound designer and sound engineer.

Paul Gemignani is an American musical director with a career on Broadway and West End theatre spanning over forty years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts</span>

The Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts is a theater located in Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was named after gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who was born in New Orleans. The theater reopened in January 2009, after being closed since the landfall of Hurricane Katrina.

Samuel Krachmalnick was an American conductor and music educator. He first came to prominence as a conductor on Broadway during the 1950s, notably earning a Tony Award nomination for his work as the music director of the original production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide. He went on to work as a busy conductor of operas and symphony orchestras internationally during the 1960s and 1970s. He was particularly active in New York City, where he held conducting posts with the American Ballet Theatre, the Harkness Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera, and the New York City Opera. His later career was primarily devoted to teaching on the music faculties of the University of Washington and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Rob Fisher is an American music director, conductor, arranger and pianist. He was the founding music director and conductor of the New York City Center Encores! series from 1994 to 2005. He is the leader of the Coffee Club Orchestra, which was the house band for Garrison Keillor’s radio broadcasts from 1989 to 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Clements (director)</span> Theatre director and actor (Born 1963)

Tony Clements is an American theatre director and actor from New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Ellis (composer)</span> Australian composer, conductor (born 1964)

George Ellis is an Australian conductor, composer and orchestrator. He presents concerts for international events with a broad range of styles from classical to pop/rock and jazz as well as presenting orchestral concerts for young audiences. He also lectures in conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and is a regular presenter of Sonic Journey for ABC Radio Sydney’s program with Simon Marnie.

References

  1. 1 2 Culture Monster (February 14, 2010). "'Bugs Bunny on Broadway' gets classic makeover". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  2. "Bugs Bunny on Broadway", ibdb.com, accessed October 12, 2010.
  3. "WaterTower Music to Release New 'Bugs Bunny at the Symphony' CD, Recorded Live at the Sydney Opera House". PRNews Wire (Press release). Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  4. imgartists.com Archived May 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Hetrick, Adam (May 20, 2009). "Peters, Jones and Wainwright to Appear with San Francisco Symphony". Playbill . Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  6. "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony" Archived May 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , imgartists.com