FORT WORTH -- A Frenchman on the lam, a nun on the run and some foul-mouthed puppets will be among the entertainments presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth at Bass Hall and its affiliated venues in its 2012-13 season, which was announced Thursday night.
A half-dozen major Broadway shows will be staged, beginning with one of the most popular musicals in history. Les Miserables will erect its barricades Sept. 26-30.The Sharks and the Jets will mix it up in West Side Story on Jan. 15-20. Two hit musicals linked to the same city follow: Memphis (2010 winner of the Tony award for Best Musical) on Feb. 12-17, and Million Dollar Quartet, based on the chance meeting of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash at Sun Studios on March 5-10.Refusing to grow older will be Olympic-gymnast-turned-actress Cathy Rigby, who flies as the title character in Peter Pan on March 26-31 -- a role she played for the first time more than 20 years ago. And finally, Sister Act, the musical based on the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg film, will try to break its bad habits on June 18-23.Also announced in the evening dubbed "Turn Up the Dial!" were a pair of shows billed as Broadway specials. Stuffed and Unstrung (April 9) is a show from Henson Alternatives, a puppet troupe led by Brian Henson (oldest son of Muppet master Jim Henson) that aims its humor at adults rather than the Sesame Street crowd."Think Avenue Q," said PAFW President Dione Kennedy, who hosted the event with WFAA/Channel 8 personality Ron Corning. "This show is not for children."The Midtown Men, four singers from the hit show Jersey Boys, return to Bass Hall on Dec. 1 with an oldies show covering the greatest acts of the early 1960s.Other returning favorites include Beatles tribute band, 1964: The Tribute (Aug. 3-4), Tony Bennett (Sept. 10), Bill Engvall (Sept. 23), Robert Earl Keen, doing his usual close-to-New-Year's-Eve show (Dec. 29), and Dixie's Tupperware Party (April 30-May 5 at Van Cliburn Recital Hall)PAFW will also offer a series of smaller stage works in the cozy McDavid Studio, across the street from Bass Hall. Offerings include the Reduced Shakespeare Company's Ultimate Christmas Show (Abridged) on Nov. 28-Dec. 2, and Late Nite Catechism: Sister Rolls the Dice, on March 20-24.More information on the 2012-13 season: www.basshall.com.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
