The Arvada Center is not just bucking the recession. It’s kick-stepping it to the curb. And offering subscribers a discount.
While most theater companies are struggling to tread water, the Arvada Center will follow a record-shattering year with four more lavish Broadway musicals, including the first-ever metro stagings of “Miss Saigon” and “Nine.”
In 2008, the Arvada Center enjoyed a 52 percent increase in ticket revenue over ’07 (to $2.9 million), a 34 percent spike in attendance (to 78,000), both record highs, and a 30 percent increase in subscriptions (to 7,069).
That after the Arvada Center made a calculated shift in programming to focus primarily on popular musical favorites, and audiences responded in kind. The highlight was an extended run of “Les Miserables” that drew 22,939 and grossed just shy of $1 million, making it the greatest commercial success in the Center’s 33-year history. It also won five Denver Post Ovation Awards, including best musical.
All that marred the year was a devastating ankle injury suffered by “Les Mis” star Randal Keith . . . and he’s coming back to star in “Nine.”
Keith broke seven bones slipping on condensed water from a fog machine just 10 days after “Les Miserables” opened in September. He’ll return next April to play Guido Contini, the film director and aging Casanova brought to life on Broadway by Antonio Banderas in the stage adaptation of Federico Fellini’s dreamlike film “8½.”
Though Keith is still unable to perform six months after his injury, “I would work there again in a second,” he said of the Arvada Center from his home in Las Vegas. “I am really excited about coming back.”
The closest in spectacle to “Les Miserables” will be “Miss Saigon,” which has never been attempted by a Denver company, artistic director Rod Lansberry said, because of the difficulty in casting so many Asian actors here. He has the luxury of taking his search to New York.
“I’m not looking to remount the Broadway version,” Lansberry said. “Even if people have seen it, it will not be the same production here.”
The new slate includes the Elvis-scored “All Shook Up” and, “for one year only,” Lansberry promises, the return of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” — once an annual Christmas tradition that ended in 2001.
“It’s still the most requested show I get,” he said.
The season will include two plays — the backstage opera comedy “The Second Tosca,” by former Denverite Tom Rowan, and the classic “A Man for all Seasons,” both in the smaller studio theater.
“I just think it’s a really good slate,” said Lansberry, who admits he feels added pressure after the success of ’08. “There was a feeling of how do we top that?”
But, executive director Gene Sobczak added, “We also recognize there are economic issues out there for our audiences.” So the Arvada Center is waiving ticket-handling fees for all subscribers, a savings of up to $30 each.
“I believe we are the first performing arts organization in the metro area to do that,” Sobczak said.
Acclaimed area directors Anthony Powell (“A Man for All Seasons”) and Christy Montour-Larson (“The Second Tosca”) will be making their Arvada Center debuts.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
Audio podcast: Running Lines with Rod Lansberry and Randal Keith
This week, artistic director Rod Lansberry and “Nine” star Randal Keith discuss the newly announced Arvada Center slate with Denver Post theater critic John Moore. Run time: 9 minutes. To listen,
Arvada Center’s 2009-10 season
(descriptions provided by the Arvada Center):
“Miss Saigon”
Sept. 15-Oct. 11, 2009
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; lyrics by Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr.
Directed by Rod A. Lansberry
Another spectacular production by the creators of “Les Misérables.” This pop opera, winner of the xx Tony Award for best musical, is the 10th longest running Broadway musical and tells a wartime love story of an American G.I. and a Vietnamese bar girl during the fall of Saigon and their heartwrenching reunion. (mature subject matter)
“The Second Tosca”
Oct. 20-Nov. 22, 2009
By Tom Rowan
Directed by Christy Montour-Larson
This is the first staged outside of New York. “The Second Tosca” is a smart, sexy comedy following the backstage antics at an opera house. Author Tom Rowan, an ex-Denverite, has cleverly crafted a cast of sympathetic characters promoting their own agendas while an aging diva is clinging to her last chance for greatness and a rising diva is waiting in the wings for her chance in the spotlight. A witty story about love, ambition and rivalry. Presented in the Black Box Theater. (mature subject matter)
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
Nov. 24-Dec. 27, 2009
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics by Tim Rice
Directed by Stephen Bourneuf
“Joseph ” returns to the Arvada Center for a limited, one-time only production for the holidays. Promises to delight returning audiences and awe first-timers with the joyful and “colorful” retelling of the Biblical life of Joseph. Filled with high-spirited songs and energetic choreography, this next generation of “Joseph ” is suitable for all generations.
“A Man for all Seasons”
Feb. 2-March 7, 2010
By Robert Bolt
Directed by Anthony Powell
Classic drama about one man’s struggle to stand by his beliefs, remain loyal to his king and the price he pays for his convictions. Based on the true story of Sir Thomas More, the 16th century Chancellor of England. This engaging commentary on the treacherous interplay of church and state during the reign of King Henry VIII presents an inescapable ethics lesson. Presented in the Black Box Theater.
“Nine”
April 20-May 16, 2010
Book by Arthur Kopit; music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
Directed by Rod A. Lansberry
Randal Keith, who starred as Valjean in the Arvada Center’s “Les Misérables” fame, returns in this regional premiere. Winner of five Tony Awards, it’s inspired by the Fellini film “8½.” “Nine,” the musical, serves up the comic plight of Guido Contini, a famous Hollywood film director and aging Casanova. Guido engages in hilarious and bizarre musical interchanges with his producer, his wife, his mistress and the actress he needs to woo for his next film. Exquisite music and extravagant scenes. (mature subject matter)
“All Shook Up”
July 13-Aug. 8, 2010
By Joe Dipietro
Sing along to “Don’t be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Love Me Tender” as a square little town becomes “all shook up” when a motorcycle-riding roustabout rolls into town with a song in his heart and an eye for the ladies. All it takes is a little rock ‘n’ roll for the town to question its intolerance. The score includes more than 25 of Elvis Presley’s greatest hits. From the author of the off-Broadway hit musical “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” Suitable for all ages.
Subscription packages start at $150. Current subscribers may renew starting Friday. New subscribtions go on sale in mid-April; single tickets go on sale Aug. 10.
Info: 720-898-7200 or .
