I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU — The Music of Ray Charles Premieres in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music September 26 - October 1
August 8, 2006
Tickets are on sale AUGUST 13!
"Ray Charles Music Rocks the House in This Spectacular Show!" —London Press
Direct from London's West End and a sold out European Tour, I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU — The Music of Ray Charles will make its Philadelphia premiere at the Academy of Music for one week only beginning Tuesday, Sept. 26 through Sunday, Oct. 1. Part of the Kimmel Center Presents 2006-07 Broadway at the Academy theater series, I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU — The Music of Ray Charles is directed and choreographed by Gary Lloyd, creator of the successful production in the United Kingdom. Tickets will go on sale Sunday, August 13 at 10am.
Featuring a live on-stage orchestra, stunning dancers and six amazing singers, I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU — The Music of Ray Charles takes audiences on a musical review of Ray Charles’ life and music. This non-stop celebration embraces the diversity of Ray Charles' musical genres. From rhythm and blues to gospel and country, from soul to rock and roll, from jazz to big band, Ray Charles’s music has influenced generations of artists and styles throughout his 50-year career.
I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU — The Music of Ray Charles delivers hit after hit of the music that Ray Charles made famous including "Georgia On My Mind," "Hit The Road Jack," "You Don’t Know Me," "Shake A Tail Feather," "What'd I Say," "Bye Bye Love" and many more timeless classics.
Known as "Brother Ray" or simply "The Genius," Ray Charles was one of the greatest musical legends of the 20th century. Born in 1930 in Albany, Georgia, and blind by the age of seven, Ray Charles started his recording career in the late 1940s. He soon began his mixture and experimentation within musical genres winning him 17 Grammy® Awards over his lifetime.
Throughout his career, Ray Charles was featured on over 250 albums, appeared in film and on television, and was one of the original inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Presidential Medal for the Arts, France's Legion of Honor and the Kennedy Center Honors.
In 2004, Ray Charles' life story was chronicled in the award-winning film Ray starring Jamie Foxx. The biography of his life Brother Ray has become an international best seller. Ray Charles’ best selling album to date Genius Loves Company was released in 2005, one year after his death. The Genius may be gone, but his music lives on in our hearts and minds.
GARY LLOYD (Director/Choreographer) has worked with many established artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Pink, G4, Robbie Williams and Kelly Clarkson. TV: I Dream (BBC), Simon Cowell’s X-Factor. He has directed and choreographed arena tours including "American Idols Live" US Tours Seasons 1-3 and "Pop Idol" UK Tour 2004. Other credits include Oh! What A Night; Zorro the Musical; Jesus Christ Superstar (Scandinavian tour), the original US and UK productions of I Can’t Stop Loving You — The Music Of Ray Charles; Spirit of Christmas (Kodak Theatre); What A Feeling! (2006 UK Tour); My Fair Lady (Larnaca International Festival). Gary's most current project is directing and choreographing a musical revue based on the life and works of Barry Manilow.
Tickets for I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU — The Music of Ray Charles are available beginning August 13 at 10am by calling 215-731-3333, visiting the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce streets. (open daily 10am to 6pm), at the Academy of Music box office, Broad & Locust streets. (during performances only) or by logging onto www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway. Curtain times are Tuesday through Thursday evenings (Sept. 26-28) at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday evenings (Sept. 29 & 30) at 8pm, and matinees on Wednesday (9/27), Saturday (9/30) and Sunday (10/1) at 2pm. Ticket prices range from $25 to $60. A limited number of VIP seats are available for $100. Groups of 20 or more please call 215-790-5883. For more information, visit the official I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU — The Music of Ray Charles website at www.geniusofray.com
A special sneak preview of I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU — The Music of Ray Charles will air on WHYY-TV (PBS) on Sunday, September 10 at 6:30pm. Fans tuning in will have the opportunity to win tickets to a performance and receive information on special ticket prices for PBS viewers.
Broadway at the Academy2006-07 subscription packages are on sale now and, in addition to I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU, will feature four other Broadway musicals including: Edward Scissorhands ( January 16 - 21, 2007); Pippin (Jan 11 - 15, 2007); Monty Python's Spamalot (March 20 - April 8, 2007) and Wicked (July 25 - August 19, 2007). Additional Broadway at the Academy shows will include: Disney Live! Mickey's Magic Show (Nov. 24 & 25, 2006); The Beatles Experience performed by Rain (January 4 - 7, 2007); Annie (March 1 - 4, 2007) and Riverdance (May 15 - 20, 2007).
All performances of 2006-2007 Kimmel Center Presents Broadway at the Academy are supported by the Philadelphia Coca Cola Bottling Company, WPVI-TV 6, The Philadelphia Inquirer & Philadelphia Daily News. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Broadway at the Academy.
*Not endorsed, sponsored or affiliated with the Ray Charles estate.
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