Since its creation in 1990, Warner Bros. Studios’ "Bugs Bunny On Broadway" has become one of the world's most popular -- and enduring -- symphony orchestra concert productions in musical history, having played repeated sold-out performances not only on Broadway, but in a dozen performances at The Hollywood Bowl, as well as The Sydney Opera House, Severance Hall with The Cleveland Orchestra, Moscow’s Kremlin Palace, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony in Davies Hall, Wolf Trap with The National Symphony, Chicago's Orchestra Hall, London's Royal Festival Hall with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and countless other major venues worldwide"Bugs Bunny On Broadway" was created by Emmy Award-winning conductor George Daugherty, who felt that the extraordinary animation scores by legendary Warner Bros. Studios composers Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn were not only perfect for the classic cartoons for which they were composed, but in addition, were spectacular flights of fancy for the symphony orchestra itself. Daugherty felt it was no accident that, by far, the most popular and enduring of the classic Warner Bros. Studios cartoon scores were those that had taken familiar classical pieces as a jumping-off point for wildly original animated antics. So it was this fascinating synthesis of cartoons and classicism that, in turn, served as the impetus for the creation of this unique concert . . . one which has turned out to be one of the most surprising musical hits in recent memory.Almost entirely based upon classical music war horses, Looney Tunes like What's Opera, Doc?, The Rabbit of Seville, Corny Concerto, Baton Bunny, Rhapsody Rabbit, High Note, and Zoom and Bored were not only exceptional examples of a unique American art form -- the cartoon short (by such legendary Warner Bros. Studios directors as Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Bob Clampett) -- but were also incredible musical scores themselves; scores which had introduced millions of children (and adults) to classical music for four decades through the brilliance of the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.With a unique combination of the visual (the cartoons themselves projected on a giant screen) and live music (the original scores played in perfect synchronization by a live symphony orchestra), the production had its world premiere in June of 1990, in a sold-out test performance with the San Diego Symphony at the San Diego Civic Theatre. The reaction of that deafeningly enthusiastic audience gave creator/conductor/producer Daugherty and producer David Wong (both Emmy Winners and multiple Emmy nominees) the needed impetus to take "Bugs Bunny On Broadway" to Broadway, and it became an instant hit, playing a sold-out, extended run at New York's Gershwin Theatre.“They applauded, they stomped, they cheered, they hooted, they hollered, they whistled,” reported The Hollywood Reporter. “That was the reaction of the sold-out, opening-night audience at the 2,000-seat Gershwin Theatre on Wednesday night for the debut of "Bugs Bunny On Broadway", a genuinely joyous concert of vintage Warner Bros. cartoons accompanied by live orchestra. Without question, Bugs has become Broadway’s best-selling rabbit since “Harvey’ took the Great White Way by storm back in the 1940’s.”An additional critical sampling reveals the response to this utterly original entertainment experience: The New York Times called it "Hilarious!" "Spectacular" chimed The New York Post while Newsday crowned it "The giddiest entertainment happening between West 44th and 52nd Streets. Four carrots, highest rating!”Response was so extraordinary that the next step was all but inevitable: Daugherty and company took their act on the road. Since then, it has played to sold-out houses and rave reviews all over the world, including its legendary repeated sold-out Hollywood Bowl engagements with The Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as Severance Hall and The Blossom Festival with The Cleveland Orchestra, Davies Hall with The San Francisco Symphony, Washington D.C.'s Wolf Trap with The National Symphony, L.A.'s The Greek Theatre, The Philadelphia Orchestra at Mann Music Center, Detroit's Meadowbrook, Saratoga Center for The Performing Arts, Pittsburgh Symphony's Heinz Hall, The Atlanta Symphony, The Houston Symphony, The Vancouver Symphony, and in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Denver, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, San Diego, Orange County, Fort Worth, Winnipeg, and dozens upon dozens of other American and Canadian cities. "Bugs Bunny On Broadway" also embarked on a world-wide concert tour in 1996 with an international debut, and sold-out one-week engagement, at the famed Sydney Opera House in Australia, which has since been followed by three additional one week sold-out runs at The Opera House, two Australian/New Zealand tours; subsequent sold-out international performances with The Royal Philharmonic in London’s Royal Festival Hall, tours of China, Japan, and Korea; and in Mexico City at the Auditorio Nationale. In November of 1999, the production made history when it played six sold-out performances, to a total audience of almost 40,000, in Moscow’s legendary Kremlin Palace.International reviews have been no less rapturous. After the London premiere, The Times raved: “He has dragged up as Brunhilda to the strains of Wagner’s Tannhaüser in What’s Opera, Doc? He has dished up a tossed salad on Elmer Fudd’s head to Rossini’s overture in The Rabbit of Seville. He has wreaked vengeance on a snooty baritone, disguised as the Fantasia conductor Leo- pold Stokowski, in Long-Haired Hare. Let’s face it, Bugs Bunny has made more adventurous cinematic use of the classical canon than the stars of Brief Encounter, Amadeus, Shine and Hilary and Jackie all put together. And in Warner Bros.’ "Bugs Bunny On Broadway", the centerpieces are eleven classically-inspired Bugs shorts and other Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies from the 1930s-1960s golden era of Warner Bros. Studios animation played on a big screen – and here’s the big plus – with their bravura Carl Stalling scores played by a huge live orchestra. You certainly get a sonic rush from hearing Stalling’s scores performed live at Tasmanian Devil tempos. The roaring kettledrums, the sweetly confiding strings, the braying brass and luxuriant woodwinds are every bit as vibrant as the brilliant colours and choreography of the onscreen antics. Stalling, who died in 1974, gave Bugs and co their musical identity. “And following the production’s premiere at The Sydney Opera House, no less than five rave reviews hit the streets the next morning . . ."It is a Sydney success story of the most amazing kind, even before the shows hit the stage. When the show went on sale several weeks ago, there were 4,000 calls for tickets in the first three hours” The Sydney Morning Herald"A rare and magical experience . . . Spectacular. . . Bugs Bunny On Broadway" was a rousing success!” The Sydney Daily Telegraph"Irresistible! . . . The audience was roaring for more. It was a very happy night. These Warner Bros. cartoons stand up brilliantly as pieces of brilliant short animated film-making. They're also infinitely more amusing than those deadly-serious Disney productions. " The Australian"A sparkling event . . . the Sydney Opera House echoed to more laughter than it usually does. . . . An evening of complete jollity. A spectacular fusion of classic cartoons and classical music!” The Sydney Morning Herald Weekend Magazine"Wascally wabbit weaches the opera. It's enough to assault the sensibilities of any high-brow music lover, but the snobbery subsides when people realize the complexity of the scores, written by Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, and the brilliance of the Warner Bros. cartoons directed by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and their counterparts.” The Australian WeekendNot to be locked in the 20th Century, Bugs, Elmer, Daffy, and the rest of Warner Bros. ensemble again made history in the 21st Century with simultaneous New Year's Eve Millennium Concerts in both Japan (in Tokyo and Osaka with six sold-out concerts with Seiji Ozawa’s The New Japan Philharmonic, conducted by George Daugherty) and Toronto (at prestigious Roy Thomson Hall, conducted by Leo Marchildon) all on the same night.And now, the symphony orchestra world's Looney-est concert celebrates two decades of sold-out houses and standing ovations! New cartoon additions will mix with beloved old favorites like "What's Opera, Doc?" and "The Rabbit of Seville." Bugs, Elmer, Daffy and Porky will be joined on screen by special guests - including Tom and Jerry and other cartoon superstars from the Warner Bros. Studios family. Created and Conducted by Emmy Award winner George Daugherty.

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