By Fiona Soltes • FOR THE TENNESSEAN • June 27, 2010
What better way to celebrate veteran status than by rolling out a lineup of long-loved art?
This fall, as Tennessee Performing Arts Center marks its 30th anniversary, the organization adds to its already-announced HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC series with a roster of tried-and-trues: Bill Cosby, Liza Minnelli, Les Misérables and more, most of it under the banner of "TPAC Presents."
"We wanted a 30th anniversary celebration that included some audience favorites, so we are bringing back some of our past big hits as well as offering some new shows," says Kathleen O'Brien, TPAC's president and CEO.
One of the "new" shows is contemporary dance/visual theater company MOMIX's Botanica, Moses Pendleton's latest work. The critically acclaimed "visual spectacle" based on nature's seasons has sold out houses across the globe.
"Botanica is an exciting new work — filled with color, special lighting effects and illusion — that integrates the performing arts with science, geography, self-expression, communication and more," O'Brien says. "Bringing MOMIX to Nashville is a perfect illustration of our purpose, the reason why TPAC was founded 30 years ago. Our mission is to offer rich, diverse programming for audiences of all ages."
Pendleton, whose celebrated career goes back further than TPAC's beginnings, brings new meaning to that diversity. He found inspiration for Botanica, he says, amid his own expansive Connecticut sunflower garden.
"Flowers have a great deal to tell us, but they don't have a voice," the enigmatic artistic director and choreographer says. "Artists have to go out and translate for them. . . I find that being in the garden is the very process of finding your soul in the soil, and the magic and mystery of all of this is something I think a lot of people are being denied. I think there should be more attention spent to unplugging at least for a while, on going out and experiencing something."
He speaks of not having much patience for sitting still and staring at "blue screens," though he's always wired and downloading ideas into an MP3 player while he's out in nature
"Many of the ideas I might not have thought of otherwise, I get while I'm moving," he says. "You let the changing light or the smell of June grass or the movement of the trees, whatever it is, affect you. . . . In a way, I'm collaborating with all of these elements."
The piece, which debuted in Italy before hitting the United States last year, has been lauded for its athleticism, whimsy, outrageous costuming, and use of music ranging from Vivaldi to natural birdsongs.
Here's how it fits into the overall lineup:
An Evening with Liza Minnelli, 8 p.m. Nov. 13: The Tony Award-winning songstress offers a rare concert appearance with her quartet and special guest Billy Stritch.
Bill Cosby, 4 and 8 p.m. Jan. 15: The award-winning comedian, actor and author brings his unique voice to the stage.
Ella, March 1-6: The new musical highlights the life and music of Ella Fitzgerald with an onstage band.
MOMIX Botanica, 7:30 p.m. March 3: The piece explores the natural world through dance and illusion.
Les Misérables, May 17-22: The iconic show, one of the best-attended musicals in TPAC history, receives a restaging for its 25th anniversary. Les Mis is presented as an HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC "special."
Stomp, June 14-19: This audience favorite, considered an "adventure in percussion," includes performers who create rhythms through everyday objects.
The Color Purple, June 21-26: The well-received musical, adapted from Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and Steven Spielberg's film, sold out earlier this year, so it returns for another engagement. Like Les Mis, the show is presented as an HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC special.
