Glamour. Romance. Musical Fantasyland…THE OPERA SHOW presents beautiful music exquisitely performed in a spectacular and exuberant 21st century showcase.
Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical-comedy phenomenon takes you back to 1962 Baltimore, as 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show.
After an exciting debut at the Phillips Center in 2005 and a sold-out performance in 2006, the Soweto Gospel Choir returns to their “U.S. home” once again. The ensemble’s mix of tribal, traditional and popular African gospel makes for a moving, awe-inspiring and unforgettable evening for the entire family.
January 9, 2010 at 7:30 pm; January 10, 2010 at 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm
Location: Phillips Center
Genre: Broadway, Theater and Stage
Related sites:
Buy tickets online!
Prices: $66, Pit, Orchestra Rows A-P and Mezzanine; $50, Orchestra Rows Q-Z; $34, Balcony. (Prices include tax. Pit seating is limited and subject to availability.)
Note:
There will be a pre-performance discussion led by Keith Watson on Saturday, January 9 at 6:45 p.m.
There will be no discussions for the performances on Sunday, January 10.
Did you know…
CATS is the longest continuously running touring show in U.S. history.
Are you this performer? Have you seen this performance? Do you have information to share about this event? Submit your comments below. Our staff will post your comments on a regular basis.
Questions about tickets or seat availability should be directed to the Box Office.
January 9th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Enjoyed the performance, but a bit disappointed. The music over powered the singers or the acoustics/audio was off. This was 2nd time seeing Cat, 1st time at this venue and 1st time for my mother to see a Broadway…on her birthday tonight. Myself by focusing barely understood some of the words of the Naming of Cats. My hearing is great, but the young women next to me even said they could not understand a word. This topic was a conversation during intermission, so it was not just me. Even though we sat in the mez or balcony the words should be clear…all singing not just the booming men. So of course like me my mom who hears fine hardly understood many words of many of the song. The battle of singers vs. orchestra lessened the experience, but my mom did enjoy it.
Loved the dancing and especially Growltiger and Griddlebone and of course Grizabella….memories.
January 11th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Cats was an amazing show!
Thank you for bringing outstanding performances to the UF community and for providing student priced tickets. Otherwise, we probably would miss this culturally enriching opportunity!
Keep up the good work!
January 11th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
The sound of the show was the main hindrance, I am not sure whether it was my seat or the auditorium itself. None the less, the show was visually beautiful. The costumes, the sets, and the lighting were the highlight of the show. However though the show was amazing visually, it was hard to follow along for me.
January 11th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
The performance of Cats last Saturday evening was outstanding. Exceptional singing and dancing talents with excellent staging and music. A Bravo to the Phillips Center for bringing Cats to the community.
January 11th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I thought the program was fantastic. The performers were wonderful.
January 11th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE!
DANCE —SINGING —PORTRAYAL OF OUR BELOVED
CATS
SUGGESSTION THOSE ARRIVING 20 TO 30 MINUTES LATE
SHOULD BE HELD IN THE LOBBBY UNTIL THE 1ST ACT IS OVER, VERY DISTRACTING FOR OTHERS AS THEY GROUPED FOR THEIR SEATS IN THE DARK.
MUCH ENJOYED
January 11th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
The best show I have ever seen! Wonderful performance!
January 11th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE!
DANCE —SINGING —PORTRAYAL OF OUR BELOVED
CATS
SUGGESSTION —THOSE ARRIVING 20 TO 30 MINUTES LATE
SHOULD BE HELD IN THE LOBBBY UNTIL THE 1ST ACT IS OVER, VERY DISTRACTING FOR OTHERS AS THEY GROUPED FOR THEIR SEATS IN THE DARK.
MUCH ENJOYED
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January 11th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
BRAVO! The singing and dancing talent was astounding. This was an evening of breathless moments, chills and amazement. Such vocal talent is rare. It was a wonderful experience.
January 11th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
We are from New Jersey and see broadway shows in NYC. We werent able to see it in NY, this show was really good..
Keep bringing more broadway shows like that to the Phillips Center such as Lion King, Beauty and the Beasts, etc.
January 11th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Great show - that being said - it was VERY loud, uncomfortably so at times. I brought my family of 4 and it was enjoyed by all. Thanks for all you do for the community.
January 11th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
A wonderful performance. It was easily the equal of when we first saw it in London.
January 11th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
a great performance- Beautiful music and talented singers and dancers.
January 11th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
This was a very good production of this play, which I have seen three times over the years since it opened. Thanks!
January 11th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
I took my family and some of my best clients to the show. They all had a terrific time. After the show, my daughter (8 years old) went on the internet and You Tubed some of the performances and commented about how much better the performance at UFPA was.
This is a must see for families.
January 11th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
I saw Cats on Sunday 1pm. Great performance. The center was full. Sound system was awesome, I sat in row U towards the back.
Enjoyed the show and would attend again in the future.
January 11th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
I enjoyed the performance on Saturday night. They were good. But I felt they had changed the acts from the original performance I saw in London a number of years before. Then, they were up in caves, peeking out and singing-not so much dancing. I think I liked the original better.
January 11th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
My granddaughter and I went to see CATS on Sunday afternoon and it was fantastic. Luckily we were in the orchestra on the inner aisle so we got to see the performers very up close and very personal since they ofen ran up and down the aisle right past us and even stopped and interacted with Molly! Thanks for bringing another wonderful performance to UF Performing Arts!
January 11th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
I have wanted to see this performance for probably twenty years and it was worth the wait. It was awesome! What talent these performers have, not a missed beat. The costumes, the lighting, the special effects, the music were all delightful.
I also wanted to comment on the professional manner the ushers displayed and the Phillips Center was very well kept. I am certainly going to come again soon, even in these economic times the heart and soul needs to be refreshed time to time. I will pass my thoughts on to my friends.
January 11th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
My husband and I saw Cats on Broadway, this production was better. We enjoyed the play very much. I think that they should do Phantom.
January 11th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
My husband and I really enjoyed the show!!!!! We knew nothing about the story prior to the show. I am not certain but this production seemed to skip over key info and left us trying to piece the story together. Overall we are not regular theatre participants and we enjoyed the afternoon. the costumes were awesome!!!!!!
January 11th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
It was wonderful.The dancing was fabulous and the voices terrific.The Siamese part a little strange but overall I would highly recommend it.C
January 11th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
My daughter and I saw the Saturday evening performance of CATS and it was amazing..even better than expected! The dancing was superb and the costumes were great too. We were lucky enough to have tickets in the pit so we got a chance to see the performers up close. Thank you so much for bringing such a wonderful show to Gainesville!
January 12th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Fabulous performance! I had been wanting to see CATS for years and was delighted to see it right here in my own home town. What a special treat! All in all we totally enjoyed ourselves, but… We were in the mezzanine and it was hard to understand the performers, especially before the intermission. We were also surprised the campus police were not directing traffic prior to the performance.
January 12th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
I went to the 5 PM Sunday performance and was seated in row M, left side. The music, dancing, singing, and lighting were all excellant. The problem I had was that I did not know the story and the words, especially when sung in a group, were sometimes impossible to understand, especially in the first half. That made following the story difficult and a bit frustrating. I don’t know if that was the fault of the singers or of the sound system. But the voices were wonderful. I agree with a previous comment that the Performing Arts Center should try to bring Phantom of the Opera.
January 14th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Awesome music, costumes, dancing,special effects. Had some trouble understanding the words of some of the actors, a minor distraction compared to the overall performance.
Keep up the good work!
January 15th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Thank you so much for bringing Broadway to the wilds of north Florida! CATS @ the 011010 matinee’ was pure perfection; please bring us more Andrew Lloyd Weber. Again, our thanks to all @ UFPA and CATS. Konnie and Chip