Overture, Curtains, Lights: Broadway Under the Stars in Sonoma Valley

2014 Cast Poster Broadway Under the StarsDon’t miss out on a wonderful combination of live musical theater performances, historic park settings, and outstanding Sonoma County food and wine going on right now with “Broadway Under the Stars” at the Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen.  Brought to you by Transcendence Theatre Company, Broadway Under the Stars is an award-winning series of concerts that blend Broadway and popular songs together into spectacular experiences.

This series of performances offers options between now and September 6 for Broadway and music lovers of all types as well as events geared toward the whole family.  Each evening begins with pre-show musical entertainment and picnicking on the great lawn with food and wine available for purchasing. Opening night for the 2014 season was last Friday, June 27th and you can still purchase tickets for the first production and/or select seats for a later one.

MicrophoneNamed “Theater of the Year” by Broadway World San Francisco for their 2013 Season, Transcendence Theatre Company is a nonprofit arts organization whose performing artists have been previously featured in Broadway shows such as Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, Gypsy, Hairspray, Les Misérables, Mamma Mia, Spring Awakening, and/or Wicked. In addition, Jack London State Historic Park was recently named one of the 10 best Outdoor Concert Venues in the US by USA Today so now you have even more reasons to attend.

Keep reading, and we’ll give you the highlights on the concerts, ticket prices, food and wine options, and parking and transportation options.

Broadway Under the Stars – The Concerts

The 2014 Broadway Under the Stars concerts have a picnic time starting at 5:00 pm (with food and wine available for sale) and a 7:30 pm curtain for the performance:

Broadway Under the Stars One Singular SensationOne Singular Sensation – June 27, 28, 29 and July 2, 3 and 5

The 2014 season kicks off with One Singular Sensation, a night of irresistible Broadway production numbers, show-stopping routines and much more (including, of course, the classic song from A Chorus Line).

Fantastical Family Night – July 25, 26

TTC’s Fantastical Family Night is a magical exploration of Broadway, Disney, and other songs in a family-friendly night of entertainment featuring a special performance by the Broadway Kids Camp campers (as they wrap up a week-long experience of musical theater workshops). 

The Music of the Night – August 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, 24

The Music of the Night is a grand evening of singing, music and harmonies covering both contemporary and classical Broadway songs with a little dance thrown in for fun.

Broadway Under the Stars Gala CelebrationGala Celebration Concert – September 5, 6

The third annual Gala Celebration is a spectacular evening featuring the best from the 2014 summer season (and these are usually the first tickets to sell out). 

Broadway Under the Stars performances run approximately 2 hours and while there is no minimum age for admittance, attendees must be able to sit quietly through the performance without disrupting others.  Chairs are provided for the concert portion of each evening (you can bring chairs if you like for the pre-show picnic but they will need to be stored away during the concert).  As a reminder, the pre-show picnic and performance are entirely outdoors so please come prepared for all types of weather.

For more details on the individual concerts and their performers please go here.  For a preview video of the 2014 Season, please click on the picture below.

Broadway Under the Stars Preview

 

Broadway Under the Stars – Tickets

  • VIP Tickets ($125 per person) include a reserved seat in the VIP section of the audience during the concert, VIP parking, 2 glasses of wine, 1 commemorative GoVino Glass, and access to an exclusive VIP sparkling bar and lounge.
  • Premium Admission Tickets ($75 per person) come with a reserved seat in the Premium section of the audience during the concert.
  • General Admission tickets ($42 per person) do not offer reserved seating – these ticket holders choose their seats that night from those that have not already been reserved for VIP and Premium Admission ticket holders.

Broadway Under the Stars Fantastical Family NightFor the “Fantastical Family Night” concerts on July 25 and 26, reduced-price Youth Tickets (under age 21) are $112 for VIP seating, $62 for Premium, and $29 for General Admission.

A limited number of picnic tables (for pre-show picnicking) can be reserved in advance for $50 per table.  For more details on tickets, seating maps and to purchase tickets please go here.

 

Broadway Under the Stars – Food and Wine

If you’re interested in a beverage, bars will be open in the performance space at Broadway Under the Stars performances before the show and during intermission.  Please note that you may bring non-alcoholic beverages with you into the park but you cannot bring outside alcohol.

Starting at 5 pm, top rated food trucks in the area will be on site serving up delicious food for your evening picnic.  Depending on which concert you attend, you may be able to purchase your dinner  courses from Awful Falafel, COOKIE…take a bite!, Drums & Crumbs, The Farmer’s Wife, Fork Catering, Glen Ellen Star, theGreenGrocer, Java Wagon, Palooza, Taylor Maid Farms, Tip’s Tri-Tip and Ultra Crepes.  You also have the option of ordering food items in advance from the girl & the fig and picking it up that night at the check-in station.

Laurel Glen Vineyard

Laurel Glen Vineyard in Glen Ellen

Broadway Under the Stars’  wine sponsor is Benziger Family Winery and their products will be available for purchase at every performance. In addition, each concert will feature additional wineries and/or breweries including Anaba Wines, B.R. Cohn Winery, Buena Vista Winery, Canihan Family CellarsEn Garde Winery, Eric Ross Winery, Gundlach Bundschu, Idell Family VineyardsKORBEL, Landmark VineyardsLaurel Glen Vineyard, Little Vineyards, Paradise Ridge, St. Francis Winery & VineyardsSchug Carneros Estate, Talisman Wines and Valley of the Moon Winery.

Patrons are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy on the grounds and there are a limited number of barbeque stations and picnic tables that are first-come first-serve. However, there is limited space in the performance area for stowing personal items so please consider this before bringing coolers or other equipment.

For more details on which food and drink vendors will be available at each concert, please go here.

 

Broadway Under the Stars – Parking and Transportation

Jack London State Park Parking MapPrimary parking for Broadway Under the Stars performances will be in the upper and lower parking lots of Jack London State Historic Park (2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen). Once the Park’s lots are full, general admission ticket holders will be directed into the nearby parking lot at Benziger Family Winery (and then shuttles will transport you to the Park).  There is reserved parking available in the Upper Parking Lot for concertgoers who purchase VIP tickets.

When arriving, please allow 20-30 minutes for parking and either catching a shuttle or walking into the venue.  It usually takes 5-10 minutes to walk from the box office entrance to the performance site.

Beau Wine Tours logoPatrons may also consider taking a luxury shuttle to the shows, provided by Beau Wine Tours on performance evenings.  There are two shuttle routes, and roundtrip reservations are $20 per person. The Santa Rosa and Oakmont Shuttle picks up riders at Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa and Oakmont-Berger Center.  The Sonoma Shuttle starts at The Lodge at Sonoma (Hotel Guests Only), then stops at Sonoma Barracks and Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa (Hotel Guests Only) before ending at the Park.  To book a shuttle seat please go here.

 

Transcendence Theatre Company LogoTranscendence Theatre Company’s mission is to create transcendent experiences that inspire others to go beyond the usual limits and change the world in extraordinary ways.  TTC has partnered with the Valley of the Moon Natural History Association to bring live theater and cultural education programming into Jack London State Historic Park and in its first two seasons, TTC has contributed over $72,000 to the Park.

If you enjoy musical theater, you should really consider attending one of the 2014 Broadway Under the Stars performances and help bring that amount over $100,000 after this summer’s proceeds are included.  And, since there are four different concert series, you can always go to more than one show.  So step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch…Again!

 

 


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