Four big Broadway shows will be coming to the Cross Insurance Center in the next several months, with the first performance in October and the final show in May 2014.
Shows slated to hit Bangor’s new arena include the audio-visual spectacle Blue Man Group, set for Thursday, Oct. 10; the perennial holiday favorite Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis, set for Thursday, Dec. 5; the family-friendly “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” set for Monday, March 3, 2014; and the feel-good hit based on the hit songs of ABBA, “Mamma Mia!” wrapping it up on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. All performances are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
“We are very happy to bring the Greater Bangor area the chance of having a Broadway experience,” said Mike Dyer, general manager of the Cross Insurance Center. “The opportunities that this brand new, state-of-the-art venue are allowing us keep proving to be greater than this region has ever experienced.”
In addition to the Broadway series, the Cross Center announced on Friday a November performance by multi-platinum, Grammy-winning band Chicago. Chicago will perform their most popular hits, such as “Make Me Smile,” “Saturday in the Park,” “25 or 6 To 4,” “You’re The Inspiration,” “Beginnings,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” and “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” at the Nov. 2 event. Tickets for the Chicago concert start at $50 and will be available starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2.
Tickets to all four “Broadway’s Best in Bangor” shows will be available to purchase noon-5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at the Cross Center, in a special season ticket offer starting at $149 per four-ticket pack (one per show). After that, tickets will be available 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday at the Cross Center box office, or by calling 561-8333. Individual tickets for single shows will not be available at this time; any single tickets that remain after season ticket sales are over will go on sale approximately one month before the show is scheduled. The season ticket package ensures that ticket buyers will have the same seats at each show, will avoid service fees and will receive priority purchasing rights to future shows.
Bangor audiences are no strangers to Broadway shows. The Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine brings touring shows to Orono several times a year, which routinely sell out. This is the first time, however, that fully staged productions are able to be performed in this part of the state, as the Collins Center is not equipped to accommodate many shows.
Other events initially slated for the Cross Insurance Center include the Harlem Globetrotters on Sept. 20 and 21, and comedian-puppeteer Jeff Dunham on Nov. 22. More performances are set to be announced in the coming weeks. For information, visit crossinsurancecenter.com.
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