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 p.m., with 16 classic Looney Tunes cartoons projected on the gigantic screen, while a large live symphony orchestra, conducted by Emmy Award winner George Daugherty, plays the original music of Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn.
“When we were all growing up and watching Looney Tunes on Saturday morning, we didn’t realize we also getting a massive lesson in classical music,” says Daugherty. “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony is the perfect opportunity to bring today’s kids to the symphony orchestra and appreciate the beauty of classical music while getting a hilarious twist from Bugs Bunny and his cohorts. More importantly, it’s a chance for adults of all ages to rekindle their affection for these brilliant animated shorts, and relive a truly nostalgic and magical part of their childhoods.”
This latest version of of the show is tuned to 16 classic Looney Tunes shorts, including What’s Opera, Doc? (Chuck Jones, 1957), The Rabbit of Seville (Jones, 1950), Baton Bunny (Jones and Abe Levitow, 1959), Long-Haired Hare (Jones, 1949) and the Merrie Melodies short A Corny Concerto (Bob Clampett, 1943), plus five contemporary shorts: 3D CG coyote & roadrunner toons from 2010, directed by Matthew O’Callaghan: Rabid Rider, Coyote Falls and Fur of Flying; and 2019 Looney Tunes Cartoons Dynamite Dance and Wet Cement.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 17 at 10 a.m. PT through AXS.com.
“We are especially excited to be performing at The Microsoft Theater,” Daugherty adds. “It’s one of the preeminent venues of its kind in the world, and we will start a new tradition where decades more of multi-generational audiences can revel in the brilliance of Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tunes.” He notes that the July 30 Microsoft Theater performance will feature animation-friendly activities in the theaters foyer prior to showtime, including Animation Stations provided by the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity and numerous photo ops for audience members of all ages.
Bugs Bunny at the Symphony has been an 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.
Created by conductor Daugherty and Emmy winner David Ka Lik Wong, Bugs Bunny at the Symphony has been touring the world to rave reviews with major symphony orchestras and at iconic venues since 1990, when the production first sold-out Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre as Bugs Bunny on Broadway.
As 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros., fans can expect plenty more of celebrations around the world throughout the year.
