The national tour of I Love Lucy Live on Stage is coming to the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center on Tuesday, May 5. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the Mountainlair and CAC box offices and online at ticketmaster.com.

I Love Lucy Live On Stage is the brand-new hit stage show adapted from the most beloved program in television history! America’s favorite foursome -– Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel –- is live on stage and in color for the very first time.

This performance is an “out-of-body experience for ‘Lucy’ fans” according to Showbiz Chicago. I Love Lucy Live On Stage takes audience members back to 1952 as members of the Desilu Playhouse studio audience where they await the filming of two hilarious and oh-so-familiar I Love Lucy episodes, “The Benefit” and “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined.” A charming host entertains and enlightens the crowd to the behind-the-scenes filming process of a brand new thing called “television” while the Crystaltone Singers perform advertising jingles in perfect ‘50s style harmony. And, of course, audience members will enjoy the sidesplitting antics of America’s favorite foursome –- Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel. It’s a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience TV Guide’s William Keck calls “the most entertaining stage production I’ve seen in years –- including Broadway!”

The iconic hit sitcom I Love Lucy originally aired on CBS from 1951–57 for a total of six seasons and 179 episodes, and is widely considered to be one of the most popular programs in the history of television. Due in no small part to its relatable characters, sharp comedic writing and Lucille Ball’s signature zany charm, the show continues to endear new audiences with every passing generation. The program was a technical trailblazer, pioneering the multi-camera shooting technique (still employed by the majority of traditional sitcoms to this day) and the use of 35mm film for the capture of a weekly, 30-minute scripted television program (which made possible the re-airing of episodes at a later date, what we now know as “reruns”). In September 2012, I Love Lucy was named the “Best TV Show Of All Time” and the “Greatest TV Comedy” by People magazine and ABC’s “20/20” special “Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time.”

The national tour cast, led by Thea Brooks and Euriamis Losada as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo and Kevin Remington and Lori Hammel as Fred and Ethel Mertz, is accompanied by an on-stage band conducted by Andy Belling.

Tickets for the Morgantown show range from $44 to $60, depending on location. WVU Student tickets are available for $28 at the campus box offices with a valid Mountaineer Card. Some restrictions apply. Tickets may be purchased at the Mountainlair and CAC box offices, online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at 304-293-SHOW or 800-745-3000, and at all Ticketmaster outlets.

I Love Lucy Live On Stage is part of the University Arts Series produced by WVU Arts & Entertainment. Stay connected with the latest event updates through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by following @wvuevents.

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ksg/4/28/15

CONTACT: Kristie Stewart-Gale, Arts & Entertainment
304-293-8221, kristie.stewart-gale@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.