Marshall Artist Series Tickets On Sale Now

As per this press release, tickets are now on sale for the Marshall Artists Series season:

The Marshall Artists Series is thrilled to announce the start of its 2008-2009 season of events!

In its 72nd year, Marshall Artists Series has outdone itself with the most hilarious, heart wrenching, beautiful, and all around entertaining events in its history! Since 1936, the Artists Series has been a gateway to the world of cultural entertainment in the Tri-State and at Marshall University, and this year is no different. “We are thrilled to continue our tradition of bringing great arts and entertainment to Marshall University, Huntington and the surrounding communities,” says Penny Watkins, Executive Director for the Marshall Artists Series. “The Marshall Artists Series’ 72nd season guarantees to both stretch one’s intellectual soul and flip to the other extreme with pure entertainment!”

The fall season kicks off with one of the most recognized faces in contemporary comedy. CSX Transportation, Guaranty Bank, and Engines Inc. of OH & WV welcome Jim Gaffigan to the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 1. Making Huntington a stop on “The Sexy Tour,” Gaffigan will have audiences rolling in the aisles with his witty observations, one-of-a-kind characters, and his regular guy with an edge persona. "He's a real find,” says the Wall Street Journal. A frequent guest on popular talk shows such as CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman and NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Gaffigan’s comedy will appeal to a variety of audiences; without stretching the use of “four-letter words,” he makes everyday subjects wildly funny. Don’t miss your chance to see a comic genius in person! Jim Gaffigan, “The Sexy Tour” is also sponsored by WKEE, WTCR, Herald Dispatch, and WSAZ. Tickets are $47.50 & $35.

Two-time Emmy award-winning actress Sally Struthers joins the cast of the hit musical comedy Nunsense for its national 25th anniversary tour! Presented by St. Mary’s Medical Center, Nunsense hits the stage at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 22. This zany musical comedy features the antics of the Little Sisters of Hoboken as they discover that their beloved cook, Sister Julia, has accidentally poisoned 52 of their fellow sisters! In order to do their sisterly duty and arrange proper burials for so many of their order, the imaginative survivors put on a variety show to raise money for the burials. Meet the wacky former circus performer, Reverend Mother Regina, Sister Mary Hubert, a streetwise nun named Sister Robert Anne, the ballerina novice Sister Mary Leo, and the spacey Sister Mary Amnesia, who lost her memory after a freak crucifix accident. These unique “children of God” will enchant the audience with their star turns, tap and ballet performances, an interactive quiz for the audience, and endless comic surprises. This musical phenomenon will leave the audience begging for more! Nunsense is sponsored by WKEE, B-97, WTCR, and the Herald Dispatch. Adult tickets are $55, $50, & $45. Youth tickets (17 & under) are $27.50, $25, & $22.50.

Get ready for a unique film experience as Marshall Artists Series presents an evening of silent film at 7 p.m. October 30 at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center. The Keith-Albee’s mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ will come to life at the hands of Scott Foppiano, 2007 A.T.O.S. Theatre Organist of the Year as he accompanies the classic silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This well-known film classic, starring the man of mystery himself, Lon Chaney, tells the story of the timeless novel by Victor Hugo. The tortured and misunderstood hunchback, Quasimodo dwells within the sanctuary of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Ridiculed and shunned by the world outside, he devotes his life to passionately ringing the cathedral’s famous bells as an expression of his feelings. Experience this rarely seen silent film on the big screen with the power of the organ’s orchestral accompaniment to set the mood for Halloween. The presentation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is sponsored by WVHU, B-97, and the Herald Dispatch. Tickets are $10.

Celebrate good times… come on and dance, dance, dance! Sit back and relax or put your dancing shoes on and get ready to boogie the night away as Beford Ford & Airgas welcome Kool & The Gang to the Big Sandy Superstore Arena, Friday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m for a dance party extravaganza with multiple stages and performers! A musical staple of the 1970s and 1980s, Kool & the Gang will bring their hits Celebration, Cherish, Ladies Night, Get Down On It and many more, along with other special guests to local audiences. In a concert experience like no other, the performance will feature multiple stages with music and dancing from Myrtle Beach’s premier Shag band, Jim Quick and Coastline Premium Soul, while DC’s hip-hop dancers, Cultureshock will get the dance party started and teach you some new dance moves! This one-of-a-kind dance party will give you the chance to get your groove on! Kool & the Gang - Dance Party Extravaganza is also sponsored by BB&T, Center for African-American Students’ Programs at Marshall University, Dr. Jeff & Mrs. Brooke Leaberry, Dr. Phil Zambos, Gino’s, Hooter’s, MU Medical Center, Wachovia Securities, WV Lottery, WKEE, B-97, and Herald Dispatch. Tickets are $57.50

Charles Dickens’ larger than life characters take the stage as Chesapeake Energy presents the beloved Broadway musical Oliver! at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center. Based on the immortal novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, this family musical follows the story of the orphaned Oliver Twist as he joins his fate and fortune with the Artful Dodger, the head of the local children’s criminal underground, Fagin, the brutal and frightening Bill Sykes, and the kind but misguided Nancy. This Tony-Award winning score includes recognizable songs such as Food, Glorious Food, I’d Do Anything, Where is Love, and As Long as He Needs Me. Audiences will be enchanted by this heartwarming family musical. Oliver! is also sponsored by WKEE, WBVB, and Herald Dispatch. Adult tickets are $55, $50, & $45. Youth tickets (17 & under) are $27.50, $25, & $22.50.

Follow the yellow brick road all the way to the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 9 as Chase Bank and Cabell Huntington Hospital present the spectacular Broadway musical, The Wizard of Oz. Get ready for tornados, flying monkeys, witches both good and evil, Dorothy, Toto, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, Scarecrow and all their unforgettable friends as Oz comes to life! A celebration of the iconic 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz, this lavish production is packed with memorable musical numbers, breathtaking special effects, and dazzling choreography that will blow you away! Travel with Dorothy “over the rainbow” to the stunning and unimaginable world of OZ and come face to face with all its incredible inhabitants. Don’t miss this opportunity to see one of the greatest family musicals of all time! The Wizard of Oz is also sponsored by Touma Foundation, WKEE, WTCR, WSAZ, and Herald Dispatch. Adult tickets are $55, $50, & $45. Youth tickets (17 & under) are $27.50, $25, & $22.50.

Chapman Printing, Marshall University Department of Music, American Babbitt Bearing, The Law Offices of Doug Reynolds, First Sentry Bank, and Prichard Electric Company Inc. are delighted to welcome Brazilian jazz music legend Sergio Mendes to the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009. The Grammy-award winning band leader and composer will help celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Marshall University’s Winter Jazz Festival, dedicated this season to J.D. Folsom, founder of the Marshall Jazz Ensemble and its annual winter festival. Known for his ear for infectious rhythms and irresistible melodies, Mendes provides his audiences with a kaleidoscope view of jazz, pop, and Brazilian favorites. Sit back and enjoy selections from his new album, “Encanto” as well as others from his Brazilian songbook. Sergio Mendes is also sponsored by WKEE, WSAZ, and Herald Dispatch. Adult tickets are $60 & $45. Youth tickets (17 & under) are $30 & $22.50.

Be prepared for the excitement of Sweeney Todd as the Broadway musical thriller Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street plies his trade on the stage of the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, 8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. “Musically thrilling, dramatically inventive and visually striking,” raves the Toronto Star. Get ready to squirm, laugh, scream, and cry as this truly unique Tony-Award winning musical by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim surprises Huntington audiences. The musical that inspired the blockbuster directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd tells the macabre story of the unfortunate Benjamin Barker as he transforms into the diabolical, murderous barber, Sweeney Todd. After being punished for a crime he didn’t commit and losing his wife and child to the insidious clutches of the corrupt Judge Turpin, Todd swears vengeance and employs the wicked Mrs. Lovett in his scheme to slice through London’s “upper crust.” Highlighted by lush melodies, audacious humor and hair-raising excitement, Sweeney Todd is sure to drive audiences wild. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is sponsored by Brickstreet Insurance, Kendall York Dentistry, WKEE, WTCR, and WSAZ. Adult tickets are $55, $50, & $45. Youth tickets (17 & under) are $27.50, $25, & $22.50.

Farrell, Farrell & Farrell presents four-time Tony-Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh in her award-winning performance in William Gibson’s play, Golda’s Balcony at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, 8 p.m., Saturday, March 7, 2009. The one-woman tour-de-force is a portrait of the indomitable Golda Meir, the Russian immigrant who became an American schoolteacher and a leader of international politics as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel in 1969. The longest running one-woman show in Broadway history, Golda’s Balcony will capture the hearts of the audience as Golda climbs from the riots of Russia to the halls of the legislature of Israel to shape the dramatic story of Israel in the 20th century. Don’t miss this phenomenal performance by a world-class actress in one of the most successful one-woman shows in history. Golda’s Balcony is also sponsored by Huntington Federal, WKEE, WTCR, and WSAZ. Adult tickets are $55, $50, & $45. Youth tickets (17 & under) are $27.50, $25, & $22.50.

The John F. Kennedy Center, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, West Virginia Department of Education, and Heiner’s Bakery present the stunning Blues Journey, a family-oriented musical and poetic voyage through the history of the blues. The Kennedy Center’s Blues Journey will appear at 8 p.m., Monday, March 9, 2009 at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center. The origins and history of the blues come to life as bluesman Willie Brown spins stories, both fictional and true, of his travels and pivotal encounters throughout his path as a young guitarist in Mississippi to his later success as a famous strummer in Chicago. Hear intimate stories about the first blues artist, “The Great One,” chuckle over amusing anecdotes, tap your toes to the music, and be overwhelmed by the beautiful illustrations by Christopher Myers and the heartfelt poems by Walter Dean Myers from their astonishing book, Blues Journey. This family friendly performance offers a truly unique and in-depth look at the world of the blues. Blues Journey is also sponsored by Cabell County Commission, Delegate Kevin Craig, Dr. Stephen Nicholas, Insurance Systems, WV Department of Education & the Arts, Kay Goodwin - Cabinet Secretary, Marsha Slater Insurance, Offutt & Nord, People’s Bank, Rahall Transportation Institute, Trainer, Wright, & Paterno, WKEE, WVHU, WSAZ, and Herald Dispatch. Adult tickets are $25; Youth tickets (17 & under) are $15.

Huntington prepares to welcome the reigning #1 artists on Billboard’s classical charts for 21 weeks, a group of 5 twenty-something siblings who make up classical music’s first family of piano virtuosos. The 5 Browns will take Huntington by storm at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center. The five brothers and sisters began their astonishing careers when they came to notice at the famous New York Julliard School of Music by breathing new life into old classics, and have since performed sold-out concerts all over the world and have topped the charts with a succession of gorgeous albums. “One family, five pianos and 50 fingers add to the biggest classical music sensation in years,” extols The New York Post. The 5 Browns will bring their immense talent and their 5 Steinway pianos to the Keith-Albee stage for a performance not to be missed! The 5 Browns is sponsored by First Priority Federal Credit Union, WKEE, WVHU, WSAZ, and Herald Dispatch. Adult tickets are $45, $40, & $35. Youth tickets (17 & under) are $22.50, $20, & $17.50.

Get ready, set… Spell! Broadway’s Tony-Award winning new musical comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is taking the stage at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 28, 2009. This exciting new musical breaks the mold as it follows the story of six young spelling stars in the throes of puberty, dealing with grownups lost in their own childhoods, as they partake in the all important county spelling bee. Along the way, the contestants learn that winning isn’t everything, and that losing doesn’t always make you a loser. Spelling Bee has been hailed by the Wall Street Journal as “perfect in every possible way- that rarity of rarities, a super-smart musical that is also a crowd pleaser.” Packed with tuneful musical numbers, offbeat humor, and interactive elements, this truly creative and entertaining musical is guaranteed to bring back all your happy and sometimes silly memories of childhood spelling bees. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is sponsored by Air Systems Inc., Boggs Roofing, Huntington Testing & Technology, Neighborgall Construction, Verizon, WKEE, B-97, WVHU, WSAZ, and Herald Dispatch. Adult tickets are $55, $50, & $45. Youth tickets (17 & under) are $27.50, $25, & $22.50.

With all the excitement of the season, be sure you don’t miss the Fall and Spring International Film Festivals! Marshall Artists Series makes it their goal to provide Marshall students, faculty, and the Huntington area with the chance to see films from all over the world on the big screen at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center. Film show times vary. Season passes are available for all 12 films in advance for $70. Individual tickets are not sold in advance; rather, they are available at the performances 15 minutes prior to each film and are $7 per film.

The Fall International Film Festival will be held October 10 – 16, 2008 at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center and features the following films:

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden (USA) – Famous documentarian and West Virginia native Morgan Spurlock is at it again! When he and his wife discover they are about to have a child, he realizes he wants his baby to grow up in a safer world. So Spurlock goes on an epic adventure to find out for himself where the most dangerous man on Earth, Osama Bin Laden, has been hiding. Presented in English.

4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania) – The film portrays the gritty and powerful account of Otilia, a young college student trying to help her pregnant roommate secure an illegal, late-term abortion during the final days of communism in Russia. Both women soon get lost in the haunting task and experience unexpected revelations. Presented in Romanian and English with subtitles.

Sangre De Mi Sangre (Mexico) – A young Mexican immigrant, Pedro, journeys to New York in search of the father he’s never met, but gets entangled with the conniving thief Juan who steals his identity and his dream. Only the assistance of a mysteriously complex prostitute enables him to continue his desperate search. Presented in Spanish and English with subtitles.

The Band’s Visit (Israel) – The film follows the story of an Egyptian police orchestra that gets lost on its way to a performance in Israel and wind up far from home in an isolated Israeli village. The film touches lightly on the complex political issues of the band’s visit and shows through heartfelt comedy how people of all cultures share the trials of friendship and romance. Presented in Arabic, English, and Hebrew with subtitles.

The Counterfeiters (Austria) – Winner of this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, the movie tells the true story of Salomon Sorowitsch, the bohemian and Russian Jew who was captured by Nazis and forced to cooperate in an organized counterfeiting operation to finance the war effort. Presented in German, Russian, English, and Hebrew with subtitles.

The Flight of the Red Balloon (France) – In this tribute to Lamorisse’s 1956 classic short The Red Balloon, Juliette Binoche stars as a single Parisian mother who employs a Taiwanese film student as her son’s babysitter. As the babysitter and child explore the streets and cafes of the city, they create and share an imaginary world where they are followed everywhere affectionately by a mysterious red balloon. Presented in French with English subtitles.

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The Spring International Film Festival will be held February 20 – February 26, 2009 at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center and will feature the following films:

Brick Lane (UK) – The film follows the story of a young Bangladeshi woman as she makes her new home in London and is trapped by an arranged marriage. Caught in a loveless marriage, she struggles to keep her head up until the day she meets the hotheaded young Karim. Presented in English.

Edge of Heaven (Turkey/Germany) – In a Turkish enclave in Bremen, a widower brings home a local prostitute to tend to his domestic needs. Their families and lives become intertwined in this complex, multi-layered film addressing German-Turkish relations and generational divides. Presented in English, Turkish, and German with subtitles.

Caramel (Lebanon/France) – This colorful and sensual film tells the story of five women who meet regularly in a Beirut beauty salon where different generations come to talk of men, sex, and motherhood in between haircuts and sugar waxing with caramel. Presented in Arabic and French with subtitles.

Elsa and Fred (Argentina) – When elderly Fred loses his wife, he moves to a smaller apartment to live quietly. But when his vivacious neighbor Elsa gets involved, he soon discovers how much life he has left to live. Presented in Spanish, Italian, and English with English subtitles.

The Grocer’s Son (France) – This drama centers on Antoine, a city-dweller forced to return to the country when his father falls ill. He takes over his father’s job as a grocery cart driver, and soon develops a relationship with the town and the enchanting Claire, only to find that there is more to life than what he left behind. Presented in French with subtitles.

Trouble the Water (USA) – The film documents the harrowing struggle of Katrina survivors in New Orleans. Told from an insider’s perspective, the film follows the difficulties faced by a couple as they try to rebuild their lives after disaster. Presented in English.

The Marshall Artists Series 2008-2009 season is packed with a variety of extraordinary performances. Individual tickets go on sale to the public starting Monday, Sept. 8, 2008 at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased through the Marshall Artists Series box office, located in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center, or by calling (304) 696-6656 or (304) 523-5757. Patrons can also visit www.marshallartistsseries.org for ticket information. The box office is open Monday - Friday from noon - 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com. Patrons can pick up tickets at any Ticketmaster outlet, as well as FYE stores in the Huntington Mall and Ashland Town Center, and at Macy’s in the Charleston Town Center.

For additional information please call the Marshall Artists Series at (304) 696-3326 or send us an email at artistsseries@marshall.edu.