Photo by Jeremy Daniel
'Hairspray' features Niki Metcalf as Tracy Turnblad and Andrew Levitt as Edna Turnblad.
Broadway in Columbus has announced its 2022-23 season featuring five productions making their Columbus premiere. This season kicks off Nov. 8-13 with Hairspray starring Andrew Levitt, better known as Nina West.
In addition to Hairspray, the season includes Columbus premieres of Frozen, To Kill a Mocking Bird, SIX, Beetlejuice, and Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations. Outside its main season offerings, Broadway in Columbus will also host Elf the Musical and Annie, both at the Palace Theatre, as additions to season ticket subscriptions.
That slate of shows at the Ohio Theatre features a blend of seasoned successes and newer productions.
Hairspray is a Tony Award-winning show that tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, a teenager who auditions for a role on a dance show. The beloved musical was made into a movie in 2007 that starred John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Disney’s Frozen, which runs July 26-Aug. 6, 2023, was nominated for a Tony for best musical but has had even greater success for its film and soundtrack. It comes from the producer of The Lion King and Aladdin.
Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of the classic novel by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mocking Bird, is the highest grossing American play in Broadway history. That show runs June 6-11, 2023.
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The newer productions have received considerable acclaim and buzz as well. SIX, which runs Jan. 24-29, 2023, borrows from the Hamilton playbook and adapts the story of Henry VIII’s six wives to a pop diva soundtrack. Ain’t Too Proud, running April 18-23, 2023, will keep the pop music going as it follows The Temptations from doo-wop beginnings in Detroit to induction in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Beetlejuice premiered on Broadway in 2019 and will make its way to Columbus March 7-12, 2023. The musical comedy takes on Tim Burton’s spooky 1988 film of the same name.
Elf the Musical, based on the modern classic Christmas movie starring Will Ferrell, runs Dec. 13-18. Annie, another beloved title, runs May 12-14, 2023.
The 2022-23 season announcement comes with a few productions left in the current season. Broadway in Columbus will host Pretty Woman from March 29-April 3, Wicked from May 18- June 5 and Hamilton from Oct. 4-23. All of those shows are held at the Ohio Theatre.
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editorial assistant, Cameron Carr is an editor. Feedback welcome at ccarr@cityscenemediagroup.com.
