''Bugs Bunny on Broadway'' (also titled ''Bugs Bunny at the Symphony'' and ''Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II'') is a

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

musical featuring '' Looney Tunes'' characters such as

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring role ...

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created for Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Mel ...

, and Elmer Fudd. The production was conceived by

George Daugherty George Daugherty (born 1955) is an American conductor, director, producer, and writer. Current career Daugherty has conducted international ballet companies and most of America's major symphony orchestras, and has continuing guest conducting ...

, incorporating scores by Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn. The musical, and its 2010 sequel ''Bugs Bunny at the Symphony'', combines classic

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

'' Looney Tunes'' projected on a large screen accompanied by a live orchestra performing the original score. This production has been touring the world continuously since 1990 and has played to a total international audience of almost two million people.

History

''Bugs Bunny'' premiered in 1990 at the Civic Theatre in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

.Culture Monster (February 14, 2010)
"'Bugs Bunny on Broadway' gets classic makeover"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

''. Retrieved 15 April 2011. A limited

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

run of the show played at the George Gershwin Theatre from October 4, 1990, to October 23, 1990, with all performances sold-out. Voice characterizations were by Arthur Q. Bryan and Mel Blanc, with The Warner Brothers Symphony Orchestra. Animation direction was by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson and

Robert Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer. He was best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the television shows '' ...

. In 1996, a production played in Sydney, Australia. The original concert toured from 1990 until 2010, appearing with virtually every major American symphony orchestra, and with major symphonic ensembles in Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Among its major achievements were a sold-out week in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

Kremlin Palace The Grand Kremlin Palace (russian: Большой Кремлёвский дворец - ) was built from 1837 to 1849 in Moscow, Russia, on the site of the estate of the Grand Princes, which had been established in the 14th century on Borovits ...

, a performance for the British royal family at London's Royal Festival Hall (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), fifteen separate performances at The Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and a benefit concert with the

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San F ...

on July 17, 2009. A revised version, ''Bugs Bunny at the Symphony'', was created by Daugherty and David Ka Lik Wong. It began a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

national tour in July 2010, at the Hollywood Bowl in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, followed by an East Coast premiere with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap. An Australian touring production had opened in May 2010 at the Sydney Opera House prior to touring to additional Australian cities, including

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and

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

. A new international tour premiered in October 2010 with the

RTÉ Concert Orchestra The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full-time professional radio orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestr ...

in Dublin, Ireland at the Grand Canal Theatre, followed by Asian premieres in 2011 in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, and with the

Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO; ms, Orkestra Filharmonik Malaysia) is a Malaysian orchestra based in Kuala Lumpur. The orchestra is resident at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall (Dewan Filharmonik Petronas). It is one of Asia's leading ...

at the

Petronas Philharmonic Hall The Petronas Philharmonic Hall ( ms, Dewan Filharmonik Petronas) is Malaysia's first concert hall built specifically for classical music. It is the home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), and has hosted many of the world's leading or ...

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

."Bugs Bunny at the Symphony"
, imgartists.com

Musical numbers

Bugs Bunny on Broadway

:''Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.'' ;Act I *"Overture" - Merrie Melodies Main Title Music *"

This is a Life? ''This Is a Life?'' is a 1955 Warner Bros. '' Merrie Melodies'' animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, written by Warren Foster, and produced by Edward Selzer, with music directed by Milt Franklyn. The short was released on July 9, 1955, a ...

" *" High Note" (Music by Johann Strauss II) *" What's Up Doc?" *"

Baton Bunny ''Baton Bunny'' is a 1959 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow. The short was released on January 10, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny. It shows Bugs conducting an orchestra - with a fly bothering him. Bugs ...

" (Music by

Franz von Suppé Franz von Suppé (né Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo de Suppe) (18 April 181921 May 1895) was an Austrian composer of light operas and other theatre music. He came from the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now part of Croatia). A co ...

) *" Jumpin' Jupiter" *" The Rabbit of Seville" (music by

Gioacchino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...

) ;Act II *Act II Entr'Acte - "Orchestral Overture" from "

The Beautiful Galatea ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" and Merrie Melodies Main Theme *"

A Corny Concerto ''A Corny Concerto'' is a 1943 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on September 25, 1943, and stars Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck. They perform a parody of Walt Disney's ''Silly Sy ...

" *"

Long-Haired Hare ''Long-Haired Hare'' is a 1949 American animated short film directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. It was produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures as part of the '' Looney Tunes'' series, and ...

" *"

What's Opera, Doc? ''What's Opera, Doc?'' is a 1957 American Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on July 6, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. The story features Elmer cha ...

" *"Merrie Melodies Closing Theme" - "That's all Folks!"

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

:''Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.'' ;Act I *"Dance of The Comedians" from "

The Bartered Bride ''The Bartered Bride'' ( cz, Prodaná nevěsta, links=no, ''The Sold Bride'') is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The work is generally regarded as a major contribution towards the ...

" (music by

Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( , ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival." He has been regarded i ...

) *"Fanfare" (from '' Merrie Melodies'') *"

" (Music by

) *"What's Up, Doc?" *"

Rhapsody Rabbit ''Rhapsody Rabbit'' is a 1946 American animated comedy short film in the '' Merrie Melodies'' series, directed by Friz Freleng and featuring Bugs Bunny. The short was originally released to theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on November 9, 1946. ...

" *" I Love to Singa" (music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg) *"

Zoom and Bored ''Zoom and Bored'' is a 1957 Warner Bros. cartoon, being apart of the ''Merrie Melodies'' series and directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on September 14, 1957, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Plot The Coyote and Road Ru ...

" *"Home Tweet Home" *" The Rabbit of Seville" (music by

) ;Act II *"Orchestral Overture" from "

" (music by

) *"

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...

in the Hollywood Bowl" (music by

Johann Strauss Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ove ...

) *"

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the original series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are ...

’s Hall of the Mountain King" (from

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

's '' Peer Gynt'') *"Bedrock Ballet" (" Can-Can" from

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...

's ''

Orpheus in the Underworld ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' and ''Orpheus in Hell'' are English names for (), a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act " opéra bouffon" at the Thé� ...

'') *" Corny Concerto" *"

" *"

" *"Merrie Melodies Closing Theme" - "That's all Folks!" *"History of Looney Tunes" (music by

)

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II

:''Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.'' ;Act I *"Dance of The Comedians" from "

" (music by

) *"Fanfare" (from '' Merrie Melodies'') *"

" (Music by

) *"

Show Biz Bugs ''Show Biz Bugs'' is a 1957 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' animated short directed by Friz Freleng and featuring Mel Blanc. The short was released on November 2, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Plot Arriving at the theatre where he and ...

" *"

" *

Cartoons: "

Johann Mouse ''Johann Mouse'' is a 1953 American one-reel animated cartoon and the 75th ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon, released in theaters on March 21, 1953 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The short is directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, composed by Scott Brad ...

" (scenes) and " Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl" (music by Scott Bradley and

) *" Back Alley Oproar" (Figaro Scene) *"

" *Pepe Le Pew: Le Chanteur Romantique: " For Scent-imental Reasons" (scenes), "

A Scent of the Matterhorn ''A Scent of the Matterhorn'' is a 1961 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon written and directed by Chuck Jones (credited as M. Charl Jones). The short was released on June 24, 1961, and stars Pepé Le Pew. The title is a play on the phrase "a ...

" (Tiptoe through the Tulips scene) and " Scentimental Romeo (Baby Face scene)" *" The Rabbit of Seville" (music by

) ;Act II *" I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat" *"

Coyote Falls ''Coyote Falls'' is a 2010 3D computer-animated ''Looney Tunes'' short film featuring the characters Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Directed by Matthew O'Callaghan and written by Tom Sheppard, it is the first Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner ...

" *" Robin Hood Daffy" (scenes) *" Duck Amuck" *"

" (Leopold scene) *"

" *"Merrie Melodies Closing Theme" - "That's all Folks!"

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony: 30th Anniversary Edition

;Act I *"Ride of the Valkyries" by Richard Wagner *"Fanfare" (from '' Merrie Melodies'') *"

" *"What's Up, Doc?" *" Corny Concerto" *"

" *"

" *"Wet Cement" from

Looney Tunes Cartoons ''Looney Tunes Cartoons'' is an American animated television series developed by Peter Browngardt and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the characters from ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies''. The series made its worldwide debu ...

" *" One Froggy Evening" (Not full cartoon) *" The Rabbit of Seville" (music by

) ;Act II *Wile E. Coyote's 3D Odyssey: "

", "

Fur of Flying ''Fur of Flying'' is a 2010 3D computer-animated '' Looney Tunes'' short film featuring the characters Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Directed by Matthew O'Callaghan and written by Tom Sheppard, the film was first shown in theaters before W ...

" and " Rabid Rider" *" Duck Amuck" (Clips) *" High Note" (Music by Johann Strauss II) *"

" *"Merrie Melodies Closing Theme" - "That's all Folks!" *Encore with "Dynamite Dance" from

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony: 35th Anniversary Edition

Soundtrack Recordings

There hasn't been word of a soundtrack release for Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II as of yet.

References

External links

Official tour website
* * {{Authority control 1990 musicals Looney Tunes Broadway musicals