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BLAST! Is Back

2001 TONY AWARD Winner for
“BEST SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENT”

Returns to Dallas Summer Musicals June 3-8, 2003

Dallas Summer Musicals is bringing back the surprise hit of last season, Blast!

Michael A. Jenkins, President and Managing Director of DSM, said, “This is one of the most popular shows we have ever had at the Music Hall.  I had over 80 letters from subscribers begging us to bring Blast! back as soon as possible. So when we found an opportunity to bring it back this year as a special, we were thrilled to do so.  One lady told me that her teenaged son had been about to drop band until she took him to see Blast! and he decided to stay with his school’s band program after that.  Some people call this show ‘revenge of the Band geeks,’ but it had broad appeal with people who had never played an instrument as well as those who had,” Jenkins said.

The celebration of movement and music almost defies description --  and it has left critics everywhere surprised and delighted.  Howard Kissel of the New York Daily News says: “What a cast, what a ‘Blast!’  An exhilarating evening.”

Born on athletic fields across the nation, Blast! is a novel art form evolved from the showmanship of outdoor pageantry. A unique experience, Blast! explodes the genre with the artistry of the theatre. It is musical spectacle; it is music in motion.  Described by Richard Christiansen of the Chicago Tribune, ‘Blast!’ And a truer word was never spoken.  A terrific good time … explosive entertainment.  It is indeed a blast.”

Blast! evolved from the drum corps Star of Indiana, which was founded in 1984 in Bloomington, Indiana, by businessman Bill Cook to benefit young people in music education.  The Artistic Director, James Mason, is a lifelong veteran of drum and bugle corps and other musical activities.  In its initial year, Star of Indiana became the first corps ever to place among the top ten corps at the prestigious Drum Corps International World Championships.  Star of Indiana improved each year until it became the World Champion in 1991.  Competing against other organizations from the United States, Japan, Canada and Europe, Star’s performances revolutionized the world of drum corps, bringing an ever more sophisticated sense of musicianship, exciting showmanship, and dynamic choreography to this wonderful genre.  Since 1993, Mr. Mason has been shaping the evolution of Star of Indiana from a competitive, 128 member drum corps, to a theatrical show which brings the power, passion and precision of outdoor pageantry to the stage in a musical performance now known as BLAST!

Blast! on tour, consists of 54 members, largely in their early 20s, drawn from the world of outdoor pageantry all across North America.  There are over 40 world titles held by BLAST! cast members who comprise three performing sections – the brass, percussion and visual ensembles.  The brass instruments are pitched in the standard multi-keys.  The percussion section includes drums, mallet instruments and electronic keyboards.  The visual element enhances the show by spinning and tossing unusual implements along with the traditional sabers and colorful flags in perfectly synchronized, ballet-like drill.

The physical and musical demands of the production require that the performers be highly trained athletes who are also world-class musicians.  Months of intense training prepare the cast.  Rehearsing through heat, cold, dust and rain, they produce thrilling performances where athleticism, musical talent, kaleidoscopic movement, and showmanship merge into an art form that is both compelling and entertaining.

All performances will be at the Music Hall at Fair Park, 909 First Avenue, 214-421-5678.  Performances start Tuesday, June 3 at 8 p.m., with additional performances at 8 p.m. Wed., June 4, Thurs., June 5, Friday, June 6, Sat., June 7 and Sun., June 8.  In addition, there will be two matinee performances at 2 p.m. Sat., June 7 and Sun., June 8.

Following Blast! June 17-22, Neil Goldberg’s Cirque…Dream It Live, also a one-week subscriber’s special from the creators of Cirque Ingenieux; June 24-July 6, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast –Broadway’s Tony® Award-winning smash hit musical; July 8-20, Larry Gatlin in The Will Rogers Follies, a Life in Revue; July 22-Aug. 3, Thoroughly Modern Millie, winner of six 2002 Tony® Awards comes to Dallas direct from Broadway; Aug. 5-17, Starlight Express, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s triumphant musical with new state of the art technology;  Sept. 2-14, Flower Drum Song, the newly revised musical with new book by David Henry Hwang and beautiful score by Rodgers & Hammerstein kicks off its national tour here following a successful run on Broadway; and Sept. 30-Oct. 19, Mamma Mia!, a new musical based on the songs of ABBA, will also be the State Fair of Texas musical for 2003.

Dallas Summer Musicals is celebrating its 63rd Anniversary this year as one of the nation’s premiere presenters of musical theater productions.  A non-profit cultural organization, Dallas Summer Musicals is dedicated to presenting and producing the best in musical theater

BLAST is  a one-week subscriber’s special June 3-8.  Single tickets are on sale now at The Box Office, 542 Preston Royal Shopping Center, or any Ticketmaster outlet, including The Majestic Theatre Box Office, Foley’s or Fiesta Stores, Sound Wherehouse and Tower Records.  Tickets, priced from $10-$58, can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 214-631-ARTS (2787). For groups of 20 or more, call 214-426-GROUP.

For more information, call 214-421-5678 or visit  www.dallassummermusicals.org.

Season sponsors for Dallas Summer Musicals are The Dallas Morning News, WFAA TV Channel 8, KLTY Radio, Moritz Dealerships, and American Airlines.

Edited by Madelyn Miller

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