Broadway smashes galore coming to Kansas City: ‘Hadestown,’ ‘Six,’ ‘Hamilton,’ more
The return of “Hamilton” and the local premieres of “Hadestown” and “Six” highlight nine musicals that will make up the 2022-23 season announced Friday by the PNC Broadway in Kansas City series.
All three shows are among the most in-demand tickets on Broadway.
The rest of the lineup is a mix of two classics (“My Fair Lady” and “Les Misérables”), three fairly recent shows based on popular movies (“Disney’s Aladdin,” “Pretty Woman: The Musical” and “9-to-5: The Musical”) and one show fresh from a tour of Australia (“R.E.S.P.E.C.T.”). The season will open Nov. 15-16 with “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,” telling Aretha Franklin’s story.
“‘Six’ is the hottest show on Broadway,” said Leslie Broecker, president of the Midwest region of Broadway Across America. “‘Hadestown’ is last season’s Tony Award-winning best musical. Add in the returns of ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Les Misérables,’ and I think it’s fair to say this is one of our strongest seasons. There’s something for everyone to enjoy.”
If the season goes off without a hitch, it will be the first since 2018-19 to survive the pandemic unscathed. COVID-19 wiped out the series’ final two shows of 2019-20 and its entire 2020-21 season, and it caused an 18-month delay in the return of “Hamilton” to Kansas City. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s mega-hit was postponed from its original 2021-22 season-opening slot to the 2022-23 season.
This will be the second time “Hamilton” has come through town. It ran for three weeks at the Music Hall in 2019 to capacity audiences.
Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s “Hadestown” has been a Broadway sensation since opening April 17, 2019, winning eight Tony Awards that year. Like all Broadway shows, it was suspended from March 2020 until last fall because of the pandemic.
The global sensation “Six,” which features the six ex-wives of Henry VIII in a modern girl group concert, had the misfortune of being scheduled to open March 12, 2020, the day all Broadway theaters closed. It finally opened last October, becoming the first new Broadway musical to do so since the start of the pandemic.
Similarly, the touring version of “Aladdin” was scheduled to run at the Music Hall in April 2020. It now will make its Kansas City debut more than three years later. “Pretty Woman: The Musical” and “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” also will join “Hadestown” and “Six” in making their local premieres.
Season ticket packages may consist of seven shows with “Les Misérables” or six without. “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” can be added at the time of season package purchase. “Hamilton” will be available to add to packages in late summer. Tickets for season packages start at $267 and are available at broadwayinkc.com. Individual tickets will be available in late summer or early fall.
The Broadway series is a collaboration between Broadway Across America and the locally based American Theatre Guild.
Season-ticket package
“Pretty Woman: The Musical,” Dec. 6-11, Music Hall: Based on the 1990 romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, the musical features an original score by Grammy winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance.
“9 to 5: The Musical,” Jan. 3-8, Kauffman Center: Dolly Parton wrote the music for this adaption of the 1980 comedy in which she starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as three co-workers who stand up to their sexist boss.
“Hadestown,” Jan. 17-22, Music Hall: Intertwining the mythic tales of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice with that of King Hades and his wife, Persephone, “Hadestown” blends jazz, folk and pop music in a Depression-era New Orleans-style setting.
“My Fair Lady,” Feb. 7-12, Kauffman Center: Eliza Doolittle, Henry Higgins, “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” … few musicals have characters and songs more familiar than this Lerner and Loewe classic. But this production comes with a modernized twist.
“Six,” Feb. 28-March 5, Music Hall: The six queens of Henry VIII, inspired by present-day pop divas such as Beyoncé, Adele and Nicki Minaj, debate who should be the lead singer of their girl group.
“Les Misérables,” May 2-7, Music Hall: Victor Hugo’s timeless tale of Jean Valjean in 19th century France became one of Broadway’s longest-running hits and has been seen by millions around the world.
“Disney’s Aladdin,” May 30-June 4, Music Hall: The Genie steals this show that mixes magic and comedy with music. From the producer of “The Lion King,” it has played on Broadway since 2014.
Add-ons
“R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,” Nov. 15-16, Kauffman Center: This tribute to the Queen of Soul includes her hits “Natural Woman,” “Think,” “Chain of Fools” and, of course, “Respect.”
“Hamilton,” March 21-April 2, Music Hall: Telling the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton through a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, Miranda’s musical took Broadway by storm in 2015, winning 11 Tony Awards.
