“World history as a camp musical…a ‘Bang” up send up…Inspired nonsense.”-NY Daily News 

“Utterly silly-and very amusing.”-NY Times

“An inventively staged fiesta of eye-rolling idiocy…”-Time Out

Two wacky off Broadway creators, “Jed” and “Boyd”, are in the borrowed Park Avenue penthouse of Mrs. Sidney Lipbalm to perform their new creation, an epic musical that spans the history of the world from the Big Bang to the present, for potential backers. Their play is budgeted for $83.5 million with a cast of 318 performers and 6,428 costumes. The average running time is 12 hours (move over Nicholas Nickelby). Lucky for the backers – that’s you -  the creators will only be performing “highlights” of the impending extravaganza.  That’s where the fun begins!

Our two zany creators accompanied by a third on piano perform eighteen side splitting musical numbers, singing, dancing, narrating, and portraying every major figure in world and pop history (Adam and Eve, Attila the Hun, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Plato, Jesus, Cher, to name a few).  Unfortunately, every treasure in Mrs. Lipbalm’s “borrowed” opulent Park Avenue apartment becomes fair game for Jed and Boyd as they snatch furnishings to create makeshift costumes and props while singing and clowning their way through a condensed and inventive look at world history, musical style:

 Long before there was a Sistine Chapel
 Long before the bells of freedom rang
 Long before man invented Snapple
 Before this crazy world began
 Long before the dawn of man
 Before George Hamilton got his tan
 This whole thing started with one Big Bang!
 

The Producers, A Chorus Line, Waiting for Guffman, Tootsie, Fame, American Idol… The stress and hilarity of putting on a play has entertained play, movie, and television audiences for decades. The writing team of Jed Feuer and Boyd Graham created another angle on this ritual: the “backer’s” audition. The outcome? The Big Bang, a hilarious musical comedy that opens the Hippodrome’s 31st season.
 

As a matter of fact, The Big Bang is a lot like a greatest hits album by the biggest names in history:  Adam and Eve, Nefertiti, the Virgin Mary and Mrs. Gandhi, Caesar, Attila the Hun, Columbus, Pocohantas, and even Tokyo Rose and Shanghai Lil! This is a must see hit!

Would you vote to back this production? Will it “make the cut”? What would Simon Cowell say? Cast your vote as Hippodrome favorites Mark Chambers and Billy Sharpe share their tour-de-force talents and kick off our 31st season with a Big Bang!

August 29-September 21 with previews on August 27 and 28. Call 375-4477 for ticket information.
 

We are looking at these cuts as an opportunity to reinvent, reevaluate, adapt, redirect, and make positive changes.  The Hipp has always been exemplary in times of the greatest challenges. We believe that great theatre knows no bounds.  Our promise is to bring you the best theatre in the country with spectacular sets and costumes, enthralling characters, and engaging stories that will spark your imagination.  We will continue to enrich the lives of young audiences and our community through theatre, to provide artists with a home and an opportunity for expression and growth, and to make your artistic experiences extraordinary, compelling, and entertaining.

To give you a little history on state arts funding, in the mid 80s the legislature advised us to find dedicated funding sources for the arts, so that the arts were not dependent on general revenue support in the state budget.  The arts did just that creating trust funds. At that time, corporations agreed to pay slightly more in filing fees in order to fund the arts.   This year, legislative auditors recommended all the money be taken from the trust funds (our established dedicated funding sources) and merge it into general revenue, leaving it to the Legislature to decide on the fate of funding for cultural and historical grant programs. Unfortunately, despite extreme opposition, our legislators decided to cut the arts and cultural programs.

How can you help?  The support and dedication of our patrons is our most important asset. Buy a ticket.  Bring a friend or a group to the theatre.  Become a subscriber.  Make a donation.  Include your business in the Hippodrome’s Corporate Sponsor or Corporate Subscription Program.   Become one of the theatre’s valued volunteers.  We invite you to become more involved and to become part of the Hippodrome family. 

Join us for fantastical adaptations, breathtaking modern masterpieces, and exciting new works from some of the hottest new playwrights.  Join us for the 2003-04 Season. Be part of the Hippodrome family.

For more information on:
Donations/ Corporate Sponsorship/ Corporate Subscriptions call 373-5968: Nell Page, Director of Development
Subscriptions/ Group Sales/ Volunteering call 373-5968: Emilee MacDonald, Subscription Manager
 
 

We are working hard to make it possible for you to buy your tickets online on our website next season. Several technology companies in town that care deeply about the arts and the quality of life in Alachua County have helped us to accomplish this.

We want to thank Atlantic.net for installing a T-1 line that will insure a fast connection to our ticketing software.  Thanks to A+ Computer Geeks for upgrading our networking hardware and computers.  And thanks to ITG Solutions (Info To Go Solutions) for hosting our website and providing our e-mail accounts.

Next season you will be able to buy tickets on our website sales at thehipp.org by following the easy instructions to create an account.  On future visits you will just log on, pick your seats, and your tickets will be waiting for you at the reservation desk on your performance night…no lines, no waiting. The site will be Secure Site Certified so that you will be able to use your credit card with confidence. 

We are always looking for ways to better serve you.  We hope this feature adds to your convenience.  Remember to have a look around our website to stay up to date on what’s up at the Hipp!