'Mean Girls,' 'Come From Away,' 'Hairspray' coming to IU Auditorium in 2023-24 season

Five biggies from Broadway plus award-winning musicians and other performers will hit the stage of the Indiana University Auditorium beginning this October.

The 2023–24 season offers a range of genres, including the Bloomington debuts of "Mean Girls" and "Come From Away," along with "Hairspray," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Shrek – The Musical" and STOMP.

And that's just part of the upcoming schedule. Patti LuPone and Branford Marsalis will entertain, along with exhilarating performances by Step Afrika! and "The Simon & Garfunkel Story."

And of course, Bloomington traditions such as Dennis James Hosts Halloween, Straight No Chaser, and "Chimes of Christmas" return.

World-renowned chamber orchestra Academy of St. Martin in the Fields will feature Bloomington’s own Joshua Bell, and there will be room for laughter and grace as the male ballet dancers shimmer across the stage in Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (“the Trocks”).  A jazz salute to a century of Disney with the house band of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem will perform in "When You Wish Upon A Star."

More: John Mellencamp takes the stage at Indiana University Auditorium

Step Afrika!: 8 p.m. Oct. 7

Step Afrika! is the first professional "stepping" company. In 1994 C. Brian Williams started Step Afrika!, which is among the world's 10 top-most-rated African American dance companies.

Step Afrika! mixes percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional West and Southern African dances and contemporary dance and art forms. Audiences, who will participate in parts of the show, will also hear humor, songs and stories.

Patti LuPone: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11

In her Bloomington debut, this three-time Tony Award winner, Patti LuPone, will do her one-woman show "Don’t Monkey with Broadway." LuPone performs Broadway show tunes by artists such as Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jule Styne, Stephen Schwartz, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin.

"When You Wish upon a Star – A Jazz Tribute to 100 Years of Disney": 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19

"When You Wish upon a Star" honors 100 years of Disney, with jazz by the new house band of The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Pianist and musical director Sean Mason leads the band, and vocalists Kim Nalley and Sasha Dobson help illuminate Disney favorites. This production is not affiliated with, sponsored or authorized by the Walt Disney Company.

More: Spring for a unique place to tie the knot: Buskirk-Chumley, FAR, the Mill, Flex Space

Dennis James Hosts Halloween: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25

Bloomington’s beloved musician Dennis James hosts “Mystery Night” for this year's Dennis James Hosts Halloween. The show includes a live radio reenactment along with Sherlock Holmes-themed films with James, of course, creating the soundtrack on IU Auditorium’s 4,543-pipe organ.

Again this year, live actors from IU’s Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance will perform an episode of the 1940s radio drama "Inner Sanctum." James will present silent films with live accompaniment.

"Mean Girls": 7 p.m. Oct. 27-28

"Mean Girls" is the hit Broadway musical from a creative team that includes Tina Fey ("30 Rock"), Jeff Richmond ("Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"), lyricist Nell Benjamin ("Legally Blonde"), and original director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw ("The Book of Mormon").

"Come From Away": 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1- 2

This musical favorite, Broadway’s "Come From Away" makes its Bloomington debut. This New York Times Critics’ Pick is a true story of 7,000 airline passengers and the Newfoundland town that took them in during the crises of Sept. 11, 2001.

Chimes of Christmas, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2

The Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers return for their holiday concert, "Chimes of Christmas." Contemporary songs, favorite carols, classical choral arrangements and guests and ensembles from the Jacobs School of Music will entertain.

Straight No Chaser: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13

IU's Straight No Chaser returns as part of their 2023 "Sleighin’ It" tour. Pop and holiday a cappella classics and new songs, with some humor, are in store.

Since their early days at IU, Straight No Chaser has become a worldwide attraction with a large fanbase and accolades. including two RIAA Gold Certified albums, over 1.5 million concert tickets sold and more than two million albums sold worldwide.

STOMP: 8 p.m. Jan. 20

Garbage cans, brooms, matchboxes, Zippo lighters, and such will provide rhythms and energy as STOMP returns to Bloomington. Witty and unusual, the show is for all ages. Its choreographed percussion and physical comedy has been delighting audiences for more than 30 years.

An Evening with Branford Marsalis: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25

Three-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis and the Branford Marsalis Quartet will provide music that has rendered them the gold standard among jazz ensembles.

The quartet’s newest album, "The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul," won laurels, including a Grammy nomination, and is said to be the group’s most emotionally wide-ranging and melody-propelled release.

"Hairspray": 7:30 p.m., Feb. 6 -7

Broadway's "Hairspray" is a Tony Award-winning musical comedy and returns to Bloomington. Tracy Turnblad is 16, and it's the 1960s again, in Baltimore. Can a girl make the world a better place? See this all-new touring production.

"Jesus Christ Superstar": 7:30 p.m. , Feb. 20-21

As part of a 50th anniversary tour, a new production of the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" returns. With lyrics and music by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the show is set against the backdrop of events during the last  weeks of Jesus Christ's life as witnessed by Judas. It took the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, attracting both theater audiences and concert music fans.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (the Trocks): 8 p.m. Feb. 24

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo consists entirely of male dancers, well-known around the globe. During its 50th anniversary season, dancers will perform highlights from the company’s repertoire. Also called The Trocks, they began in 1974 in New York City.

Ballet experts as well as complete novices rave about these dancers, who perform pointe work alongside sophisticated parodies of choreography from classical ballet.

Joshua Bell and Academy of St Martin in the Fields: 7:30 p.m. March 26

Music director and Bloomington native Joshua Bell leads The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, as they cross the Atlantic to come to Bloomington. This chamber orchestra ranks as one of the world’s best. They are known for their for fresh interpretations of the globe's finest orchestral music.

With Bell leading and the support from leader/director Tomo Keller and principal guest conductor Murray Perahia, the ensemble gives player-directed performances with symphonic repertoire and chamber music.

"Shrek – The Musical": 7:30 p.m. April 9-10

A surprising hero goes on a trip with a wisecracking donkey. A lively princess resists rescue. You guessed it: that delightful ogre is back in "Shrek – The Musical," based on the behemoth-sized hit, in this Oscar-winning DreamWorks animated film.

"The Simon & Garfunkel Story": 7:30 p.m.  April 25

The popular theater show "The Simon & Garfunkel Story"comes to Bloomington for the first time. Using a immersive concert style, it tells the story of the folk-rock duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

The two began as Tom and Jerry and became one of the 1960s top selling music groups. They broke up in 1970, and the show comes to a crescendo in 1981 with the men's notable “The Concert in Central Park” reunion. More than half a million people showed up to watch.

Since 1965, they have sold more than 100 million albums, rendering them one of the most triumphant folk-rock duos ever. Ten Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is only a part of their success.

How to buy tickets in 2023–2024

IU Auditorium executive director Maria Talbert, in a press release, encouraged patrons to choose five shows to subscribe to this summer and save up to 15% off single ticket prices (for most shows).

"Loyalty Points" members and new subscribers can place their orders and select their seats before tickets go on sale to the general public. Visit IUauditorium.com/Subscribe for details.

When do subscriptions and pre-orders go on sale?

June 13-23: "Loyalty Points" seat selection.

June 26: New subscribers seat selection starts.

July 31–Aug. 13: Preorder single tickets will be available.

Aug. 14: General public can start buying single tickets.

For a complete list of events for the 2023–2024 season, visit IUauditorium.com.

The complete list and info

The following is the complete list of shows, in alphabetical order, that have been announced by IU Auditorium for its 2023-24 season:

• Academy of St Martin in the Fields

• An evening with Bradford Marsalis

• Chimes of Christmas

• Come from Away

• Dennis James Hosts Halloween

• Hairspray

• Jesus Christ Superstar

• Joshua Bell

• Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks)

• Mean girls

• Patti LuPone

• Shrek—the Musical

• Simon and Garfunkel story

• Step Afrika!

• Straight No Chaser

• STOMP

IU Auditorium, is at 1211 E. Seventh St. Go online to iuauditorium.com/ for more information or tickets, which can also be purchased in person at the IU Auditorium Box Office and by calling 812-269-8248.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Step Afrika!, Patti LuPone, Branford Marsalis come to IU Auditorium