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North Iowa Area Community College and Kraft are honored to present Movin’ Out, a spectacular musical immersed with the music of Billy Joel.  Movin’ Out will take the North Iowa Community Auditorium stage on Thursday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. as a part of the 2008-2009 NIACC Performing Arts Series. Tickets are on sale now and cost $39 in advance and $45 at the door.

For 30 years, Billy Joel has been one of music's great storytellers. Now those stories come to life in Movin’ Out.   It's the story of the lives we've led, the songs we've sung, the days we'll never forget. A story that earned ®Tony Awards for each of its creators, Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp, and ten Tony nominations in all.  It all adds up to one unforgettable Broadway musical.  Beginning in the 60s, through Vietnam and its aftermath, this musical follows Brenda, Eddie, James, Judy, and Tony as their lives weave together over the years.

Tony® Award-winning, five-time Grammy® Award winner Billy Joel and legendary director/choreographer Twyla Tharp joined forces to create a dynamic musical. The score is a rich tapestry of Billy Joel songs created over several decades and used to follow the story of a group of friends from high school, through war and the difficult adjustment to civilian life after military service. Joel's music is performed live by an on-stage rock band, fronted by a pianist/singer. Movin’ Out electrifies the musical stage with the vibrant energy of a rock concert.  Among the Billy Joel songs in the presentation are "Uptown Girl," "Movin' Out," "Why Judy Why?," "Angry Young Man," "James," "We Didn't Start the Fire," and 18 others.

Tharp has taken twenty-four of Billy Joel’s greatest hits and crafted them into a Broadway musical.  This was no small feat.  The songs were written decades apart and were never intended to tell a single unified story.  Yet Tharp has captured the essence from these songs and reflected the imagination of Billy Joel as he wrote the songs.  Tharp discovered connections of emotion, character, and a story that traveled from one song to another to create a larger story of five friends living through the turbulent 60s and 70s.  Movin’ Out brings classic Billy Joel songs to electrifying new life as it tells the story of these five lifelong friends and follows their lives throughout two turbulent decades.

Movin’ Out’s first appearance took place on October 24, 2002, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York. The original cast consisted of Michael Cavanaugh, Wade Preston, Billy Joel, James Fox, John Selya, Keith Roberts, Henry Haid, Elizabeth Parkinson, Ashley Tuttle, Benjamin Bowman and Scott Wise. The show ran 1,307 performances in the Richard Rodgers Theatre until it closed in December 2005. Movin’ Out began its first national tour in 2004 and has made over 1,000 performances to date.

For tickets to Movin’ Out, call the NIACC Box Office at 1-888-466-4222, ext.4188.  Tickets may also be purchased online at www.niacc.edu.  Platinum sponsors for the 2008-2009 series include NIACC, Globe Gazette Elizabeth Muse Norris Charitable Fund; the Globe Gazette; Alliant Energy; Community National Bank; Henkel Construction; and Principal Financial Group.  Gold sponsors include Diamond Jo Casino; First Citizens National Bank; First State Bank of Belmond; Kraft; Mercy Medical Center – North Iowa; Martin, Cooney, MacNider & Cooney, Financial Consultants of Raymond James and Associates, Inc.; Dr. Gary W. Swenson and Dean A. Genth; and Sukup Manufacturing.  In kind sponsors include Country Inn and Suites; KIMT; and Pepsi.

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