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Faith Prince, Tom Wopat headline "Over the Rainbow"

Jan. 19, 2005

KALAMAZOO--Celebrating 100 years of famed "Wizard of Oz" composer Harold Arlen's work, Broadway's Faith Prince and Tom Wopat take Miller Auditorium at Western Michigan University "Over the Rainbow" at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23.

"Over the Rainbow" is a multimedia and musical concert starring Faith Prince and Tom Wopat, featuring jazz vocalists Loston Harris and Barbara Morrison and a quintet of established jazz musicians. The show looks at Arlen's life and music with rare behind-the-scenes clips from "The Wizard of Oz," personal home movies and photos, all provided by the Harold Arlen Estate. One of America's greatest and most prolific composers, Arlen was honored in 2000 when "Over the Rainbow" was named the "Number One Song of the 20th Century."

Arlen composed more than 400 songs in his lifetime, including such hits as "Stormy Weather" and "Let's Fall in Love." He collaborated with more than 16 different lyricists, including Johnny Mercer and Ira Gershwin. Along with other great American songwriters, such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Richard Rogers, Arlen laid the foundation of musical history in the 20th Century.

Faith Prince is best known for her Tony-winning turn as the perennially unwed Miss Adelaide in the 1992 Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls," for which she also won Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards. She recently starred on Broadway in "Bells Are Ringing."

Tom Wopat first came to public attention in the late '70s as the freewheeling Luke Duke on the comedy adventure TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard." Wopat's background as a classically trained vocalist, however, secured him starring roles on Broadway, such as Frank Butler in "Annie Get Your Gun" and Julian Marsh in the Broadway revival of "42nd Street."

Tickets for "Over the Rainbow" range from $25 to $45 and are available by calling (269) 387-2300 or (800) 228-9858, online at www.millerauditorium.com, or by visiting the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office or the Epic Center Box Office in downtown Kalamazoo.

"Over the Rainbow with Faith Prince and Tom Wopat" at Miller Auditorium is sponsored by AM 590 WKZO and Coca-Cola.

Media contact: Tracey Lawie, 269 387-2309, tracey.lawie@wmich.edu

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