Clear your schedule – Columbus’ 2008-09 performing arts season is set … And it’s full of drama, intrigue and excitement.

BalletMet
Find power and passion, courtesy of the BalletMet dancers, who’ve been invited back to The Joyce Theater, America’s exclusive premier dance venue in New York City. The troupe will take center stage at the “Carnegie Hall of Dance,” from Sept. 30 through Oct. 5.

The BalletMet classic production of Dracula will be retired after this season, so drink deeply from the dark side of desire before it’s too late. Performances are Oct. 10-18 at Capitol Theatre. Also, don’t miss the literary classics interpreted through dance, with Huck Finn’s American Song, Oct. 31 through Nov. 16 at the Riffe Center, and The Great Gatsby, April 23 through May 3, 2009 at Capitol Theatre. For a complete schedule, visit www.balletmet.org.

 

Broadway Across America – Columbus
There’s magic in the air as Columbus’ 20th anniversary of Broadway classics hits the stage. The blockbuster season entails something for everyone, including last year’s Tony Award-winning Best Musical Spring Awakening, which will be presented February 3-8.

Other classics in the line-up include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Grease, The Color Purple and A Chorus Line. Special productions include Mama Mia! and the timeless family-favorite Annie.
The season kicks off in October with Frost Nixon, the Tony Award-nominated new play direct from Broadway. Visit www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com for more information.

Opera Columbus
Opera Columbus ups the ante this season, with three productions instead of its usual two-performance schedule. It all kicks off Oct. 24 and 26 with Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, featuring one of opera’s most beloved songs, Au fond du Temple Saint.

Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot will be presented Feb. 20 and 22. This is the last opera written by Puccini, who also composed La boheme and Madama Butterfly. The season concludes with a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, June 19-21. Visit www.operacolumbus.org for more information.

CATCO
CATCO celebrates its silver anniversary this season with an exciting line-up, including Escanaba in Love, Oct. 15 through Nov. 2, which has been described as being “like Christmas with guns!” Shakespeare’s classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be presented Nov. 19-23; and Truman Capote’s short-fiction masterpiece Christmas Memory & The Thanksgiving Visitor will be presented Nov. 26 through Dec. 21.

Also this season is Almost, Maine, Feb. 4-22; The Clean House, April 1-19; and Blackbird, June 3-21. Visit www.catco.org for more information.

Columbus Jazz Orchestra
In February, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra will once again collaborate with BalletMet for Jazz Moves: Take 2. The original production took place more than two years ago and generated a strong enough response to expand the follow-up from one week to two weeks.

The CJO will also pay tribute this season to Motown, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, and George Gershwin. The troupe will host Leslie Uggams in May. Visit www.columbusjazzorchestra.com for more information.

Midland Theatre
Newark’s historic performance venue, the Midland Theatre, has released its 80th anniversary schedule, which includes legendary musicians Kenny Loggins, Oct. 9, and David Crosby and Graham Nash, Oct. 23.

Also scheduled is Kathy Mattea, Dec. 20; the Second City Touring Co., Jan. 30; Ben Vereen, Nov. 7; and Garrison Keillor, Jan. 21. There are 20 total acts slated for this season. For more information, visit www.midlandtheatre.org.

Check back at www.cityscenecolumbus.com for updates throughout the season.