Andrew Willmon

of the museum, Andrew Willmon of the Broadway Theatre

Andrew WillmonExecutive Director256-551-2264

Take a train , hop a plane or charter a boat , says BTL spokesman Andrew Willmon , but don't miss this season filled with fantasy , nostalgia , tragedy and a seedy little Kit Kat Club..

Performances of the Tony Award-winning Titanic -- The Musical are scheduled for Feb. 22-24 at the Von Braun Center Concert Hall.
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The musical is a depiction of the century's most legendary tale of romance , adventure , greed and ambition , told live on the stage , Willmon explained.It's a joyous , breathtaking and often heartbreaking Broadway musical..

The upcoming BellSouth Broadway Series opens with the long-awaited arrival of Disney's magnificent and colorful stage production of Beauty and the Beast ( Oct..24-28 ) , based on the studio's highly acclaimed animated feature from 1991.

This classic story takes on a whole new life on stage , Willmon remarked.The show-stopping 'Be Our Guest' is even more spectacular on stage than it was on film..

The Broadway series continues Jan. 11-13 with the biographical musical Buddy -- The Buddy Holly Story..The nostalgic production traces the brief , brilliant life of the '50s singer and songwriter -- the recording artist who gave the world Peggy Sue , That'll Be the Day and Rave On before his death in a 1959 plane crash.

For two short years , Holly's records broke all the records -- for two short years he was the king , Willmon noted.He was one of the most important and influential performers of popular music.Since his death , his music has covered and played by everyone from bar bands to the Beatles..

Following the eagerly anticipated Titanic , the series concludes April 5-7 with the revolutionary latter-day reinvention of the Broadway classic Cabaret..

It will be the divinely decadent theatrical event of the season , Willmon promises.
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Kander and Ebb are two of the most successful and prolific collaborators in the American theater , Willmon noted.

" 'Rent' is considered by many the most exuberant and original American musical to come along in a decade," said Andrew Willmon, executive director of the Broadway Theatre League in Huntsville.

The production celebrates a community of struggling artists trying to balance their dreams and hopes with the tough realities of life.

A place to stay

The story begins as Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, and his roommate, Roger, a rock guitarist and songwriter, express frustrations about personal problems and financial woes that include how to pay the rent for their New York City apartment.

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"It truly is a rock musical, with it's main appeal to people 16 on up to their 50s," Willmon said."It has a widely appealing message to many people.The show, to me, is about surviving life and leaving your mark on it."

The musical won several awards, including the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, four Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.

The most honored musical since "A Chorus Line" in 1976, "Rent' is only the fifth musical to ever win both the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award, Willmon said.

"Two months after premiering off-Broadway, it transferred to Broadway and continues to play to play to standing room only audiences," Willmon said.

BTL has worked four years to bring "Rent" to Huntsville, he said.

"As far as BTL is concerned, this is the most important musical presentation this year for us, simply because of the wide accolades it's received and the strong, important message that it brings," Willmon said.

How to go

What: "Rent"

When: 8 p.m. on Feb. 7, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Feb 8; and 2 an d 7 p.m. Feb. 9

Andrew Willmon of Broadway Theatre League gave me these hints for next season: "No one dies!

"Now that it's been seen by over 8,250,000 audience members," says Andrew Willmon, executive director of the Broadway Theatre League, "it is time to introduce 'Cats' to a new generation."
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" 'Memory' has been recorded by over 150 artists, from Barbra Streisand to Johnny Mathis to Liberace," Willmon noted.

"In spite of what's going on with the war, the show will go on," noted Andrew Willmon, executive director of the Broadway Theater League."As long as the company can get here, that's the policy.We'll go right on with the performance."

The groundbreaking "Rent" began its Broadway run by entering the annals of show-business history. "It's the most honored musical since 'A Chorus Line' in 1976," said Andrew Willmon, director of the Broadway Theater League." 'Rent' is only the fifth musical to ever win both the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award."

The professional touring-company production of "Rent" - built around the show's spiritual theme, "Measure your life in love" -- will be presented for five performances next week at the Von Braun Center Concert Hall.

But Broadway Theater League Director Andrew Willmon isn't sure.He'll fly on business, Willmon said last week."But for enjoyment or pleasure, I will not fly.Not right now."

Willmon was on a flight out of New York City in January when security guards rushed onto the plane at the gate to escort a woman carrying a large box off the craft.

"You could feel the tension," even after the plane took off, Willmon said."Most people were just sitting there, closing their eyes, or looking around them."

That's the kind of Sept. 11 surprise that jumps up at us.They can happen anywhere.Willmon experienced another one just a few weeks ago as he watched audiences respond to the play "Titanic."

The show, which won a Tony Award as Broadway's best musical in 1997, was one of the few productions not to receive a standing ovation from a normally enthusiastic opening night crowd here.

Booked a year ago, the play took "a more historical, factual" approach to the story than the popular movie a few years ago.But in the aftermath of Sept. 11, Willmon said, "I thought it would not be well-received . . . I was not surprised."

Willmon is planning "more familiar" shows for the coming year."People want to see things that are more family-oriented, things that they know," he said.

Family.

If "flying" is one word heard repeatedly over the last six months, "family" is another.