Orchestra will play live tunes for 'toons

While living here two years ago, conductor and composer GeorgeDaughtery came up with a funny idea: to use a live orchestra toaccompany classic Bugs Bunny cartoons.

This brainstorm might seem odd coming from a man who led BalletChicago, the Grant Park Orchestra and won an Emmy for his work on thePBS ballet "Die Fledermaus" with members of the Chicago SymphonyOrchestra. But the 35-year-old musician had a secret. He was alifelong Bugs fan, and as such had impeccable standards for cartoons.

"It has nothing to do with classical music. This is not `Peterand the Wolf,' " he said. "These cartoons were designed to be seenin a theater. They're great on television . . . but you need a liveaudience, 50-foot wide image, with cartoons bigger-than-life. Whenseen in that setting, they are just the most entertaining thingsaround."

When Daughtery approached Warner Bros. with his plan, studio bigshots didn't shoo him away like some modern-day Elmer Fudd. Instead,they liked the idea. After endless hours of transcribing lostmusical scores and re-editing soundtracks, Daughtery's dream ofcombining a 50-person live orchestra with big-screen animation cametrue. "Bugs Bunny on Broadway," a sweeping replay of eight greatWarner Bros. cartoons starring the carrot-chomping wiseguy (with theoriginal Mel Blanc voice tracks), opened to raves last year.

Daughtery, who left Chicago for Hollywood, will have ahomecoming at 8 p.m. Sunday when he will bring "Bugs Bunny onBroadway" and the Warner Bros. Symphony Orchestra to the PoplarCreek Music Theatre in Hoffman Estates. And amidst classics rangingfrom Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" to classy send-ups such asCarl Stalling's "A Corny Concerto," the spirit of Bugs should comethrough loud and clear.

Tickets are $24.50 for pavilion and $17 for lawn seats. PoplarCreek is at 4777 W. Higgins. Call 559-1212 for tickets.