Wharton Center has everything from "Mary" to "Jersey"

2010-11 Broadway season also includes "Shrek the Musical," "9 to 5"

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It’sfresh, and yet it’s also familiar — that’s what you might think when you seethe Wharton Center’s Broadway line-up for 2010-11.

Threeof the shows were inspired by classic books and/or hugely popular films. One isbuilt around a famous singing group of the 1960s and 1970s. And the two specialevents added to the mix are proven crowdpleasers.

Theseason begins Nov. 3 when “Mary Poppins” touches down on the Wharton stage. Aco-production of Disney and megawatt producer Cameron Mackintosh, “Poppins” combinesthe familiar songs from the Oscar-winning 1964 film (including “A Spoonful ofSugar” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”) with new music and severalstory elements taken from the original P.L. Travers books about a nanny whouses imagination, innovative and a touch of magic to solve the problems of aBritish family. “Mary Poppins”

The1980 film “9 to 5” was not a musical, although its upbeat theme song did turninto a #1 hit for Dolly Parton. More than 25 years later, Parton composed thescore for the stage adaptation of the comedy about three long-suffering officeworkers who seize an opportunity to get revenge on their sexist, scheming boss.The show retains the late-1970s setting of the movie — back in the days whenfax machines and electric typewriters were still considered cutting-edgetechnology — and earned 15 Drama Desk nominations last year. “9 to 5” punchesin on Dec. 15.

TheWharton Center goes green (so to speak) Feb. 8 when “Shrek the Musical” bringsthe Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation megahit to life. Set in the land of FarFar Away, “Shrek” follows the adventures of an outcast ogre recruited to rescuea captive princess and deliver her to the slimy clutches of the status-seekingLord Farquaad.

Thehit-studded career of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is recalled in “JerseyBoys,” opening Sept. 28, 2011. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the groupregularly topped the charts with such songs as “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,”“Let’s Hang On,” “Who Loves You” and “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)”; Vallialso enjoyed a healthy solo career, with such Top 10 successes as “My EyesAdored You,” “Swearin’ to God” and “Grease.” The show — which won the Tony asbest musical in 2006 — is currently in the midst of its fifth year on Broadway,and has enjoyed highly successful engagements in Chicago, Las Vegas, Torontoand London’s West End.

Apair of special events is also part of the new season. A refreshed version ofthe popular percussion extravaganza “Stomp” stomps in Jan. 21, and the touringversion of the 1920s sex-scandal musical “Chicago” arrives April 8, 2011.

Alsoon the Wharton schedule is a double dose of Shakespeare, courtesy of The ActingCompany. Founded in 1972 as an offshoot of Juilliard’s drama program, the grouphas spawned such celebrated names as William Hurt, Kevin Kline, ChristopherReeve, Patti LuPone and Jeffrey Wright. The Acting Company presents “Romeo andJuliet” Feb. 10 and “The Comedy of Errors” Feb. 11 at the Pasant Theatre.

Fora slightly different spin on Shakespeare, there’s The Improvised ShakespeareCompany, the Chicago-based comedy troupe that creates Bard-style melodramas andfarces with the help of a few suggestions from the audience. They’ll visit thePasant April 2, 2011.

Click here for the Complete Wharton 2010-2011 listings

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