Wolf Trap’s Filene Center, along with the National Symphony Orchestra, present “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony,” starring, of course, the most famous character in cartoonland, Mr. Bugs himself.
The Friday and Saturday shows are conducted and created by Emmy Award winner George Daugherty, and are a tribute to the iconic cartoons from the 1930s up to the 1950s, complete with projected animated shorts and the original theme music that accompanied them.
If you go
Warner Bros. Presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, with George Daugherty and the NSO
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna
When: 8:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Info: $20 to $52; wolftrap.org
“Over the last 20 years, over 2 million people have seen these concerts,” said Daugherty, who in 1990 created, directed and conducted the hit Broadway musical “Bugs Bunny on Broadway.” “A wonderful byproduct of it all is that it celebrates this incredible, unique American art form — the animated cartoon shorts.” Also starring in the animated concert are the likes of Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig — to name a few — along with special guest appearances by Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and the Flintstones.
Daugherty noted the very first touring stop after Broadway was Wolf Trap, a venue he and Bugs would play many more times over the years.
“That summer you barely saw kids,” he remembered. “It was the adults wanting to keep this experience for themselves, wanting to keep their own youthful memories.”
But in addition to that, the “Looney Tunes” shorts were very sophisticated cartoons. Original musical scores were produced for each of these seven-minute cartoons by artists such as Max Steiner, Carl W. Stalling and Milt Franklyn, who were adapting the classical works of Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Rossini and many more. In addition, the spectacular animation flowed from the pens of Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
More than 20 cartoons will be projected onto three gigantic screens, accompanied by the 85 musicians of the NSO — just as the original shorts were complimented by the full orchestra of the Warner Brothers Symphony. The orchestra provides the voices of the characters in over half of the program.
“What better way to enjoy a summer evening that to listen to some of the most renowned film music of all time, performed by one of the nation’s greatest orchestras?” said Graham Binder, assistant director of public relations at Wolf Trap.
With nonstop touring ahead of him, Daugherty said he looks forward to the variety of performers he will be collaborating with.
“I’m very grateful to Bugs,” he said. “This [project] has allowed me to work with the greatest orchestras in the world on the greatest stages of the world.”
