A “hare-raising” Looney Tunes Experience for the entire family
Tickets Currently on Sale via AXS.com
The much beloved film-and-orchestra concert “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” is returning to Los Angeles for the first time in eight years, and in a new home . . . the Microsoft Theater.
The gala return performance takes place on Sunday, July 30, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., with 16 classic Looney Tunes shorts projected on the gigantic screen, while a large live symphony orchestra, conducted by Emmy Award winner George Daugherty, plays the iconic original Carl Stalling and Mily Franklyn scores live. In addition, a panoply of Looney Tunes-themed activities will greet concertgoers in the Microsoft’s Foyer, creating an unprecedented deluxe experience in Los Angeles for fans of Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and the rest of the gang. Onstage, the concert is a new version not seen in Los Angeles, with other special added features during the performance itself.
“We look forward to wonderful new adventures with our audiences in this fantastic, and wonderfully comfortable, concert venue!”, Daugherty said.
Upon arrival, audience members will be able to experience a virtual carnival in the theater’s Foyer, including an animation art exhibition of rare production cels and limited edition cels from the actual shorts featured in the concert; animation art work stations manned by working animation artists provided by The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, demonstrating the process of creating an animated short; greenscreen experience kiosks where audience members can get “snapped” within Looney Tunes backgrounds; and meet-and-greet photo ops with Looney Tunes characters from Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Onstage, the concert features beloved iconic classics like What’s Opera, Doc?, The Rabbit of Seville, Long-Haired Hare, Corny Concerto, Baton Bunny, and many others, while introducing a slate of new shorts never before seen in Los Angeles, including Dynamite Dance, Wet Cement, Fur of Flying, and others . . . plus the return, after 25 years, of the Chuck Jones-directed, Oscar-nominated short High Note.
Emmy Award-nominated voiceover artist Bob Bergan, the voice of Porky Pig, will give an onstage salute to “The Man of A Thousand Voices,” Mel Blanc, as well as to the other great Looney Tunes voices of June Foray, Arthur Q. Bryant, and others. The children and grandchildren of the great Warner Bros. animation directors Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Bob Clampett will be honored. And, the Chuck Jones family and the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity will present a rare Chuck Jones work of art to the Microsoft Theater for future permanent exhibition.
Finally, to add to the festive mood, audience members are invited to attend in costume, and there will be a Looney Tunes costume contest with finalists getting the opportunity to appear on stage, with a variety of exciting Looney Tunes, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Bugs Bunny at the Symphony experiences, merchandise, CD’s, DVD’s, and other fantastic prizes award to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners.
“Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” has been a gargantuan audience favorite since its Los Angeles premiere in 1991, with over 300,000 Los Angeles audience members having experienced Bugs Bunny’s musical magic over the past 32 years. But for the first time ever in Los Angeles, however, the concert will now be seen in a more intimate theatrical environment, which is the way the rest of the world has come to love this concert.
“We are thrilled to be making our new home at The Microsoft,” said Emmy Award-winning co-creator/conductor George Daugherty. “It’s one of the pre-eminent venues of its kind in the world. The joy of this concert is to see the orchestra and the single big animation screen all at the same time. There is a joyous, irresistible . . . and frequently, hilarious . . . synergy and synchronization between Bugs Bunny’s musical hijinks on the big screen, and the live musicians below on the stage. The Microsoft Theater’s perfect configuration gives us the opportunity to accentuate and magnify the brilliant connection between music and animation which has always been the brilliance of these iconic Looney Tunes masterpieces. The orchestra is definitely an equal partner in this production. When audiences can see their interaction with the animation up close, they will never again listen to these scores in the same way.”