Concerts
March 1, 2007March 9
March 5, 2007On the big screen, Urban Cowboy made cowboys, bull riding and the Texas dance bar Gilley’s cool in the 1980s.
John Travolta and Debra Winger scored big with Aaron Latham’s screenplay.
March 9, locals can relive the bootscootin’ magic when Urban Cowboy: The Musical hits the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center’s stage. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $36.26, $41.69 and $47.11.
The third show in the 2006-07 Cenac Towing Season of Entertainment, Latham’s Broadway musical recounts the story of Bud, a new breed of cowboy who’s turning heads and looking for love in all the wrong placesnnamely Gilley’s, the biggest honky-tonk in the world.
Bud’s whirlwind romance and marriage to Sissy are played out against a gritty landscape of oilfields, trailer parks and a sawdust-covered dance floor. It’s at Gilley’snthe Houston-based nightclub owned by country singer/pianist Mickey Gilleynthe couple’s lives play out in a sea of booze, brawls, babes and a foot-stomping band.
Urban Cowboy: The Musical draws from the original film, reviving toe-tappin’ country-western hits “Lookin’ for Love in All the Wrong Places,” “Could I Have This Dance?” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
But its also pulled from modern contemporary artists surely to be known by today’s audience. Clint Black, Toby Keith and Brooks and Dunn tunes, as well as original compositions, complete the musical line-up.
Windwood Productions is producing Urban Cowboy: The Musical. Paula Hammons Sloan directs and choreographs the traveling production.
“We think this is going to be a great night of entertainment for the whole family,” said Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center Executive Director David Ohlmeyer. “This is a first-rate, high-quality production. It’s the show that actually appeared on Broadway.”
Great seats are available on the floor or in the risersnthere really isn’t a bad seat in the civic center theatre realm.
The first two shows in the 2006-07 Cenac Towing Season of Entertainment were a bit jinxed by the success of area sports teams.
When “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” came to town, the Saints were in the hunt for a championship title. When Cirque Dreams’ Jungle Fantasy arrived in Houma, the Louisiana State University Tigers were playing in the Sugar Bowl.
“We’re just hoping nobody local’s playing in March Madness that week,” Ohlmeyer said, chuckling afterward.
This season marks a new direction for the civic center. Ohlmeyer said the shows in this year’s lineup reflect the feedback local theatergoers have provided.
“People have told us they want to see the bigger Broadway productions, so that’s what we’ve lined up,” he said. In return, he’s looking for the community to turn out and support the show.
“We’re really excited about this production. It should be a great night of entertainment and a lot of good, boot-scootin’ music,” Ohlmeyer said. “All the clips I’ve seen have been firstclass.
Everywhere the show’s toured, the people there can’t say enough good things about it. And it really is a fantastic value for the dollar when you consider the Broadway show people are going to see.”
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., one hour before show time.
Tickets are available at the Civic Center Box Office weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., or through Ticketmaster.
Group discounts of 10 or more are available at the box office only. For more information, call the civic center’s executive office at (985) 850-4657.
