Trending
Join the millions who have witnessed the fusion of live orchestral music with favorite classic cartoons on the big screen when Warner Bros. presents “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II,” a program celebrating classic Looney Tunes projected on the big screen, while the original scores are played live by the Wheeling Symphony.
The concert will be conducted by Emmy Award-winner George Daugherty at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at the Capitol Theatre, 1015 Main St., Wheeling.
“The orchestra will play Carl Stalling’s acclaimed scores, infused with classical music, while Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons are being screened,” said Bruce Wheeler, executive director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. “The concert is appropriate for kids of all ages. Someone like me who grew up on Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and Elmer Fudd, can relive his childhood, and children will love watching the cartoons on the big screen above the orchestra. It will be an entertaining, fun evening for the whole family.” Wheeler pointed out that this concert will be the “first focused use of the Capitol’s video capabilities, part of the latest restoration. The concert will be utilizing the technical abilities of the Capitol Theatre to its fullest ability.”
The production was created by Daugherty and Emmy Award-winner David Ka Lik Wong, and stars Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Tweety, Sylvester, Pepe Le Pew, Giovanni Jones, Granny and many other Warner Bros. characters, with a special guest appearance by Tom and Jerry.
The inspiration for the show, Daugherty said, was twofold.
“I had two very strong reasons behind my desire to create ‘Bugs Bunny on Broadway,’ which was the original concert, and the precursor to ‘Bugs Bunny at the Symphony,’ and ‘Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II,’ all of which we have now been doing for 25 years.
“The first stemmed from my great memories of these cartoons from my own childhood,”?he said.
“And my second reason was a really strong desire to create a concert which pulls people into the concert hall who might not otherwise come … and that has been the case throughout the 25-year history of the project,” Daugherty said. “This concert, just like the cartoons, has also introduced a lot of adults (as well as kids) to the incredible magic of the symphony orchestra, and they come back for what we like to call ‘normal’ concerts.”
Daugherty said the “truly magical thing about these cartoons – and the music – is that they are as equally appealing to first-time concertgoers as they are to seasoned classical music aficionados. But actually, it’s the savvy classical music fans who really get the ‘inside musical jokes.’ So the concert has an extremely wide demographic, both in terms of age, and in terms of musical knowledge and experience.”
The concert’s dozen-plus cartoons include “Baton Bunny,” based on the overture to “Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna,” by Franz von Suppe; “Rhapsody Rabbit,” based on Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt; “The Rabbit of Seville,” based on the overture to “The Barber of Seville” by Gioachino Rossini; and “What’s Opera, Doc?” based on music by Richard Wagner.
Many of the pieces are the work of composer Carl Stalling. A “genius” and “an impeccably trained classical musician,” Stalling’s music is “extremely difficult,” Daugherty said. “The musicians instantly recognize this brilliance of the compositions and the incredibly high musical standard. And then, of course, there is the whole difficulty of playing an entire concert in exact synchronization to cartoons being projected on the big screen. So it is a very unique experience for these orchestras. And I have yet to see a bored musician in 25 years.”
Daugherty pointed out that the Wheeling show is the “last stop before we take the show to Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, with The New York Philharmonic. Those NYC shows have sold out so enthusiastically that the New York Phil is actually adding performances.
“We are up to four shows now there, all of which will be sold out.”
He added, “I can’t think of a better way to earn my living, because there is a great deal of happiness and joy which is associated with this project.”
A family-friendly dinner, catered by Ye Olde Alpha, will be available at 6 p.m. at the Capitol Ballroom.
Dinner reservations and concert tickets are available by calling 304-232-6191.