After taking home the first Tony Award for Special Theatrical Event, Blast! has spawned a sequel, Blast II: Shockwave, currently playing at Disney World's Epcot Center through Aug. 24. After finishing their stint at the America Gardens Theatre at the popular Florida vacation destination, the 40 person company will travel on across the country. Shockwave is similarly staged to its predecesor, utilizing brass and percussion in an intricately choreographed corps of musicians. The second Blast takes its themes from pop culture and the numbers include rock (Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody") and jazz (Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" and Pat Metheny's "First Circle").
Big League Theatricals will produce the national tour. A partial list of dates follows:
Oct. 1: Erie, PA, Pennslyvania State University
Oct. 3: Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts' Fine Arts Center
Oct. 5: New Brunswick, NJ, State Theatre
Oct. 10-12: Green Bay, WI, Weidner Center
Oct. 18-19: Bloomington, IN, Indiana University Auditorium
Oct. 22: Cedar Rapids, IA, Paramount Theatre
Oct. 25: Madison, WI, Madison Civic Center
Nov. 8-9: Des Moines, IA, Civic Center of Greater Des Moines
Nov. 12-13: Schnectady, NY, Proctor's Theatre
Nov. 15-24: Wilmington, DE, Playhouse Theatre
Nov. 26-Dec. 1: Tampa Bay, FL, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Jan. 16-17, 2003: Colorado Springs, CO, Pikes Peak Center
Jan. 21-24, 2003: Fort Collins, CO
Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2003: Lubbock, TX
Feb. 4-6, 2003: Little Rock, AR, Robinson Center Music Hall
Feb. 25-26, 2003: Wichita, KS, Century II Concert Hall
March 5, 2003: Sioux City, IA
March 12: West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University,
March 22-23, 2003: Peoria, IL