Bugs Bunny at the Symphony is a concert musical featuring Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote, and Road Runner. The production was conceived by George Daugherty, incorporating scores by Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn. It is an upgraded version of Bugs Bunny on Broadway.
History[]
After the rousing success of Bugs Bunny on Broadway, a revised version, Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, was created by Daugherty and David Ka Lik Wong. It premiered on 7 May 2010 at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony, and 16 July 2010 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, 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 Adelaide and Perth.
A new international tour premiered in October 2010 with the RTE Concert Orchestra in Dublin, Ireland at the Grand Canal Theatre, followed by Asian premieres in 2011 in Taiwan, and with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas Concert Hall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Musical Numbers[]
- Music and lyrics by Stalling and Franklyn unless otherwise noted.
- Act I
- "Dance of The Comedians" from "The Bartered Bride" (music by Bedřich Smetana)
- "Warner Bros. Fanfare and Intro from "Merrie Melodies"
- "Baton Bunny" (Music by Franz von Suppé)
- "What's Up Doc?"
- "Rhapsody Rabbit"
- "I Love to Singa" (music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg)
- "Zoom and Bored"
- "Home, Tweet Home"
- "Rabbit of Seville" (music by Gioacchino Rossini)
- Act II
- "Orchestral Overture" from "The Beautiful Galatea" (music by Franz von Suppé)
- "Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl" (music by Johann Strauss)
- "Scooby-Doo’s Hall of the Mountain King" (from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt)
- "Bedrock Ballet" Featuring The Flintstones ("Can-Can" from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld)
- "A Corny Concerto"
- "Long-Haired Hare"
- "What's Opera, Doc?"
- "Merrie Melodies Closing Theme" - "That's all Folks!"
- "History of Looney Tunes" (music by Gioacchino Rossini)
CD Tracklist[]
The CD version was recorded at the Sydney Opera House and conducted by George Dauherty, and was released by WaterTower records in 2010.
- "Dance of The Comedians" from "The Bartered Bride"
- "Warner Bros. Fanfare and Intro from "Merrie Melodies"
- "Baton Bunny" (4:16)
- "Rhapsody Rabbit" (6:23)
- "I Love to Singa Medley"
- "Zoom and Bored"
- "The Rabbit of Seville" (7:27)
- "Orchestral Overture" from "The Beautiful Galatea"
- "Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl"
- "Bedrock Ballet" Featuring The Flintstones
- "A Corny Concerto" (8:03)
- "Long-Haired Hare Excerpt"
- "What's Opera, Doc?" (7:07)
- "Merrie Melodies Closing Theme" - "That's all Folks!"
Sequels[]
In 2013, George Daughtery once again upgraded the concert and changed the program a bit. This updated version was called Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II. For its 30th anniversary, the concert was upgraded again and was renamed as Bugs Bunny at the Symphony 30th Anniversary Edition.