Broadway series books 6 shows

• By ROBIN MILLER
• Arts writer
• Published: May 11, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Baton Rouge will be visited by a couple of dirty rotten scoundrels, a wizard and none other than Tracy Turnblad beginning in the fall.
Oh come on, you’ve heard of Tracy, haven’t you? She’s the girl with the hair, the girl who knows how to dance – the girl who turns 1960s Baltimore upside down in the musical Hairspray.

And she’ll be part of Jam Theatricals’ Broadway season coming to Baton Rouge in 2008-2009.

“Have you ever seen a dart board?” Scott Simpson asked.

He followed the question with a laugh. He’s director of programming at Jam Theatricals, the Chicago-based entertainment company that presents and produces traveling Broadway musicals throughout North America.

And sometimes scheduling might seem easier if he could just let the darts decide.

“We book shows in 30 markets across the country, from Alaska to Pensacola, Fla.,” he said. “This year, we have six set for Baton Rouge, and that will probably grow by a show.”

Leading the lineup on Friday, Dec. 12, is Oliver!, which brings to the stage some of Charles Dickens’ most unforgettable characters. The show includes such hits as “Consider Yourself at Home,” “Food, Glorious Food” and “Where is Love.”

Next is Footloose on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. The musical is based on the 1984 movie of the same title starring Kevin Bacon. The story begins when Chicago native Ren moves to a Midwestern town. He soon discovers a conservative world that’s banned rock music and dancing.

Ren and his classmates want a senior prom, and the town’s youth teach the elders that dancing isn’t evil.

Then it’s Tracy Turnblad’s turn to dance when Hairspray comes to town on Friday, Feb. 20, 2009.

The musical is set in 1962 Baltimore, where Tracy is a pleasantly plump teen who dreams of dancing on the Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, she must use her newfound stardom to vanquish the reigning teen queen, win the affections of Link Larkin and integrate a TV network without denting her hairdo.

Hairspray will be followed by Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Tuesday, March 10, 2009.

Nothing is exactly what it seems in this musical comedy, based on the 1988 MGM film. The story centers on two con men living on the French Riviera who make a bet: the first one to swindle $50,000 from a young heiress triumphs, and the other must leave town.
And on April 4, 2009, Dorothy, Toto and company will come alive in an audience favorite, The Wizard of Oz.