Blockbuster hits highlight PNC Broadway in Columbus' new season

Musicals about a seductive Paris nightclub singer, Tina Turner, a Scottish nanny and the “ladies who lunch” will tour Columbus next season.

Such Broadway shows as “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and the Tony-winning revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” will propel PNC Broadway in Columbus’ 2023-24 season.

“As Columbus has grown, we’ve had more success bringing headliner shows here fresh from Broadway, like ‘Moulin Rouge,’ or in recent seasons, ‘Six,’ ‘Hadestown’ and ‘Hamilton’,” said Chad Whittington, president and CEO of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), which presents the Broadway touring season.

“It’s a logistical puzzle how to schedule these tours throughout the country, so some things are out of our control ... But we want our audiences to see the hit shows the next year or so if at all possible,” Whittington said.

Balancing the season

Of the subscription shows, only “Moulin Rouge!” — winner of 10 2020 Tony awards including best musical — is still wowing crowds on Broadway; “Company,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Tina” have closed.

“If you didn’t get to New York before or during the pandemic, you would have missed those shows, but now you get to see them on tour in top quality,” said Genevieve Miller Holt, vice president of Broadway Across America – Midwest.

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Rounding out the six-show subscription season: the 50th-anniversary revival of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Clue,” a comedy whodunit based on the board game. Neither production had a Broadway run.

“Come From Away,” “The Lion King” and “Mamma Mia” will return as non-subscription options.

“Balance is the key. ... We want shows that are fresh and Tony-winners, but sometimes those aren’t on the radar yet in Columbus, so we also want to offer recognizable-name shows and great revivals,” Holt said.

Coping with growing pains

PNC Broadway in Columbus reached a record 16,500 subscribers with the first visit in 2019 of “Hamilton,” the past decade’s biggest Broadway hit.

Since then, Whittington said, subscriptions were capped at 15,000 to ensure availability for single-ticket buyers. One-week Ohio Theatre runs “max out” at about 22,000 theatergoers, he said.

Such growth brings growing pains, he said, as more theatergoers find they can’t get good seats or buy tickets at all. “Six,” “Beetlejuice” and other recent tours sold out days or weeks before opening night.

“In terms of our mission to provide access to these shows to our community, it’s a problem,” Whittington said, adding that the two-week run of “Moulin Rouge” will test whether Columbus can support more expanded runs.

Meanwhile, Columbus, one of 48 cities where Broadway Across America presents tours, remains an important market as more shows sell out their typical one-week runs here.

“We’re filling our theater and that’s certainly noticed in New York, allowing us to deliver more first-run shows,” Whittington said.

Outlining the season

Except where noted, all shows will be presented at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St.

(* Denotes non-subscription shows.)

• “Jesus Christ Superstar” (Oct. 3-8): The 50th anniversary tour of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice’s pop-opera, retelling the last weeks of Christ from the perspective of Judas, is based on the Olivier-winning rock-concert-style London revival inspired by the 1970 concept album.

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“Pretty cool visually and very dance-forward, it feels more like a concert with songs performed on mics and not the literal dress of a Bible story,” Holt said.

• “Mrs. Doubtfire” (Oct. 31 to Nov. 5): The musical comedy, which had a short pandemic-limited Broadway run in 2021-22, is based on the 1993 Robin Williams film about a struggling actor who dons a kindly disguise after a bitter divorce to care for his kids as a Scottish nanny.

“We love to bring shows that people can bring their families to, and this is really fun, a good comedy about a family trying to figure out its next step after the parents separate. The family element gives it so much heart,” Holt said.

• “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” (Jan 2-14, 2024): Broadway’s mega-hit focuses on a poor Bohemian poet in 1899 Paris who falls in love with beautiful Satine, a Moulin Rouge star desired by a jealous duke funding the nightclub’s next spectacular.

“Lush and beautiful, with a red and regal set that will look gorgeous in the Ohio Theatre, ‘Moulin Rouge’ is one of the most exciting shows on tour,” Holt said.

The remixed, music-enhanced show, adapted by John Logan (“Red,” “Hugo,” “Skyfall”) from Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 movie musical, is set to more than 70 songs by Adele, the Beatles, Beyonce, Elton John, Madonna, Offenbach and many others.

“Big and bright with great music, ‘Moulin Rouge’ is a huge spectacle that will get the biggest oohs and ahs as next season’s centerpiece,” Whittington said.

• “Come From Away”* (Feb. 2-3, 2024, Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.): The one-act musical, which first toured here in February 2022, weaves true stories about Canadian hospitality welcoming American airline passengers stranded by the 2001 terrorist attacks in Gander, Newfoundland.

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• “Company” (Feb. 13-18, 2024): The innovative 1970 musical, which won five 2022 Tony awards including best musical revival, revolves around unmarried Bobbie and her married friends as the 35-year-old faces relationship and commitment issues.

Among Sondheim’s iconic songs: “The Ladies Who Lunch,” “Side by Side by Side” and “Being Alive.”

“Watching a woman approach the age where everyone expects her to get married comes across differently, bringing a new perspective to relationships and what you want from life,” Holt said.

“With greater humor and an innovative set design, this artistically fantastic tour was Sondheim’s last Broadway show during his lifetime, so we’re thrilled it’s coming to Columbus."

• “Mamma Mia”* (March 12-17, 2024): The musical comedy, using ABBA songs (including “Dancing Queen,” “SOS” and “Super Trouper”), revolves around a mother planning the Greek-island wedding of her daughter, who secretly invites three of her mom’s old boyfriends with hopes of identifying her father. Most recently touring here in 2015, the musical will return for its seventh visit.

• “Clue” (April 9-14, 2024): The comedy, an 80-minute one-act based on the 1985 film and Hasbro board game, follows six mysterious guests (such as Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlet) visiting a mansion for an unexpected night of blackmail, hidden motives and murder.

“This new stage version, not a musical but a period piece, is a bit silly and family-friendly,” Holt said.

• “Tina - The Tina Turner Musical”* (May 7-12, 2024): The bio-musical, written by Pulitzer-winning playwright Katori Hall and nominated for 12 Tony awards in 2020 including best musical, charts the life of the Grammy-winning Queen of Rock n’ Roll. Among the Top-40 songs: “Private Dancer,” “Proud Mary,” “River Deep – Mountain High,” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

“Jukebox musicals aren’t for everybody, but ‘Tina’ uses all the music you know from her life to tell the inspiring story about how Tina Turner persevered through tough times,” Whittington said.

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• “The Lion King”* (June 12 to July 7, 2024): Disney’s puppet-enhanced musical, adapted from the animated film, charts a lion cub’s coming of age amid Africa’s cycle of life. Most recently touring here in 2014, the family-oriented mega-hit will return for its fourth visit.

Subscriptions to the six-show season, on sale now for renewals and May 25 for new subscribers, cost $253.80 to $825.55. (1-800-294-1892, columbus.broadway.com)

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: PNC Broadway in Columbus announces 2023-24 season