Bugs Bunny on Broadway

Bugs Bunny on Broadway (also titled Bugs Bunny at the Symphony and Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II) is a concert musical featuring Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd. The production was conceived by George Daugherty, incorporating scores by Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn.

Bugs Bunny on Broadway
(Bugs Bunny at the Symphony)
MusicCarl Stalling and Milt Franklyn
BookGeorge Daugherty
BasisLooney Tunes
Productions1990 San Diego
1990 Broadway
1990 United States Tour
1992 International tour
1996 Sydney
2009 San Francisco
2010 United States tour
2010 Australian tour
2010 International tour

The musical, and its 2010 sequel Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, combines classic Warner Bros. Looney Tunes projected on a large screen accompanied by a live orchestra performing the original score. This production has been touring the world continuously since 1990 and has played to a total international audience of almost two million people.

History

Bugs Bunny premiered in 1990 at the Civic Theatre in San Diego, California.[1] A limited Broadway run of the show played at the George Gershwin Theatre from October 4, 1990, to October 23, 1990, with all performances sold-out. Voice characterizations were by Arthur Q. Bryan and Mel Blanc, with The Warner Brothers Symphony Orchestra. Animation direction was by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson and Robert Clampett.[2]

In 1996, a production played in Sydney, Australia.[3] The original concert toured from 1990 until 2010, appearing with virtually every major American symphony orchestra, and with major symphonic ensembles in Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.[4]

Among its major achievements were a sold-out week in Moscow's Kremlin Palace, a performance for The British Royal Family at London's Royal Festival Hall (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), fifteen separate performances at The Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and a benefit concert with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra on July 17, 2009.[5]

A revised version, Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, was created by Daugherty and David Ka Lik Wong. It began a United States national tour in July 2010, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, followed by an East Coast premiere with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap. An Australian touring production had opened in May 2010 at the Sydney Opera House prior to touring to additional Australian cities, including Adelaide and Perth.[1]

A new international tour premiered in October 2010 with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Dublin, Ireland at the Grand Canal Theatre, followed by Asian premieres in 2011 in Taiwan, and with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[6]

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, all concerts have been cancelled and delayed to 2021.

Musical numbers

Bugs Bunny on Broadway
Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony
Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II
Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.

Soundtrack Recordings
Date Released Venue Orchestra Conductor Notes
January 29, 1991
George Gershwin Theatre, Broadway, New York City
Warner Bros. Symphony Orchestra
George Daugherty
Original Broadway Recording
July 13, 2010
Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Sydney Symphony
George Daugherty
Live Recording

There hasn't been word of a soundtrack release for Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II as of yet.

References
  1. Culture Monster (February 14, 2010). "'Bugs Bunny on Broadway' gets classic makeover". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  2. "Bugs Bunny on Broadway", ibdb.com, accessed October 12, 2010.
  3. "WaterTower Music to Release New 'Bugs Bunny at the Symphony' CD, Recorded Live at the Sydney Opera House". PRNews Wire. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  4. imgartists.com Archived May 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Hetrick, Adam (May 20, 2009). "Peters, Jones and Wainwright to Appear with San Francisco Symphony". Playbill. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  6. "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony" Archived May 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, imgartists.com
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