On Theater:

The Orange County Performing Arts Center has unveiled its Broadway Series lineup for next season, and the phrase “something old, something new” immediately comes to mind.

Sure, we’re getting some old favorites like “Annie” and “Rent,” which have trod the center’s boards several times before, but the upcoming 2009-10 season promises a bountiful crop of newcomers (to Orange County, at least) to tempt the musical theater aficionado.

First up from Oct. 6 to 18, just for laughs, is Monty Python’s “Spamalot” with “Family Feud” host John O’Hurley recreating his role of King Arthur.

Legendary movie director Mike Nichols helms this touring show, a musical comedy based on the flick “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

The street people of “Rent” will return for a Oct. 20 to 25 encore, bringing their in-your-face message about love, friendship and community. It’s now the eighth longest-running show in Broadway history.

“Spring Awakening,” ticketed from Nov. 17 to 29, will be unfamiliar to most, but it won eight Tony awards, including best musical, for its Broadway engagement.

Parents are cautioned that the coming-of-age show includes sexual situations, partial nudity and strong language.

Remember Gene Kelly starring with a roller-skating Olivia Newton-John in “Xanadu”?

Well, that show is now a stage musical, and it’ll be in Costa Mesa over the Christmas holiday, Dec. 15 to 27.

If you’ve yearned for the days of disco, this is your ticket.

Don’t blink or you’ll miss “Annie,” who’ll be in town from Jan. 29 to 31 for her umpteenth visit to the center.

For sheer musical delight, only Stephen Sondheim rivals “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber.” This compilation of highlights from such shows as “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Cats,” “Evita,” “Sunset Boulevard” and others will be in town briefly, from Feb. 16 to 21.

If you dug the Beatles, you’ll probably want to experience “Rain” from March 23 to 28. This retrospective follows the Fab Four from the Ed Sullivan Show to Abbey Road.

Another “quickie” show, at the center for just a week, is the return of “Hairspray,” the musical based on John Waters’ hit movie about teenagers kicking up their heels in 1962 Baltimore. This encore production will stop here from April 6 to 11.

“Dreamgirls,” the stage version of the movie that won Jennifer Hudson her Oscar, is the story of a 1960s Motown girl group seeking the brass ring of fame. Local audiences can catch it between April 20 and May 2.

I plan to celebrate my birthday at “The Lion King” next year, the hit Disney musical that’ll hold forth at the center from May 26 through June 13.

It’ll be the second visit of the mega-popular show to our turf.

Looking forward to August 2010, the center will offer “In the Heights,” the 2008 Tony winner for best musical. This upbeat musical set in a Manhattan neighborhood will play from Aug. 3 to 15.

How many times have you seen Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein,” on the screen or the tube?

A year from September, we’ll have the stage version from the folks who brought you “The Producers.” Circle Sept. 7 to 19, 2010, on your calendars.

Interested? The folks at the center are taking orders for single shows, season tickets or any combination thereof.

Call them at (714) 556-2787 daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot.