PNC Broadway Lights Announces New Season Including Disney's Frozen, and Tony® Award Winners Once on This Island and Come From Away
Mar 18, 2019 / Press Releases
By Becky Bereiter
PNC Broadway Lights Announces New Season Including
Disney's Frozen, and Tony® Award Winners
Once on This Island and Come From Away
LOCAL MEDIA CONTACT
Becky Bereiter, (704) 348-5814
(March 18, 2019) Charlotte, NC – Blumenthal Performing Arts is pleased to announce another extraordinary lineup for its upcoming 2019-20 PNC Broadway Lights season featuring eight new shows including the hit Broadway musicals Disney’s Frozen, Once On This Island, and Come From Away as well as the return of a number of beloved blockbuster favorites in its Broadway Extras series including Charlotte’s most popular musical Wicked, Jersey Boys and Les Misérables.
“Charlotte theater fans are among the best in the country. Their exceptional support and enthusiasm has made us a top destination for the very best touring Broadway productions,” said Blumenthal President/CEO Tom Gabbard. “Audiences here have access to more current Broadway shows and beloved classics than in most other cities across the country. The season ahead continues the tradition of being able to see the best of Broadway close to home.”
Eight incredible productions are part of the 2019-2020 PNC Broadway Lights season package, including winner of the 2018 Tony® Award for Best Revival of a Musical Once on This Island; Broadway and London’s award-winning smash comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong; the amazing tale of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; the remarkable true story of the small town that welcomed the world following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Come From Away; a sumptuous new production of what Entertainment Weekly calls “the most perfect musical of all time,” My Fair Lady; inspired by the beloved films, the romantic and adventure-filled new musical Anastasia; the iconic musical phenomenon Jesus Christ Superstar; and Disney’s Frozen, an all-new production based on the wildly popular film, created for the stage by an award-winning team.
Season ticket holders looking for maximum value can opt for a nine-show package. The ninth option this season is Mike Birbiglia’s The New One, a hilarious and heartfelt look at fatherhood from the comic mind behind Sleepwalk with Me.
In addition to the season shows, Blumenthal will present another knockout lineup of Broadway Extras, including the Tony® Award-winning musical phenomenon Les Misérables, direct from its acclaimed Broadway return; the Tony® and Grammy® Award winning true-life musical inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Jersey Boys; The New Colossus, an homage to the strength, resilience and dignity of the immigrants and refugees that risked their lives to find a better life; an amazing new 25th anniversary production of Riverdance, as you’ve never seen or heard it before; the return of the global smash hit Blue Man Group; The SpongeBob Musical, a “brilliant” (The New York Times) reimagination bringing the beloved Nickelodeon series to life with humor, heart and pure theatricality; and the highly anticipated return of the Broadway sensation Wicked.
PNC Broadway Lights season tickets continue to be Charlotte’s best entertainment value. Season ticket buyers have guaranteed renewable seats and enjoy the best seats at the best price, as they lock in their seats before single tickets go on sale and prices rise. Season buyers also can choose an extended payment plan that allows them to pay for their season tickets in up to twelve installments.
Season ticket holders will also enjoy the right to swap up to four of their season shows for anything else coming next season and the opportunity to buy tickets to additional Broadway shows and special attractions before sales open to the public.
Season subscriptions for new and returning customers are on sale now!
For more information or to make a purchase:
- Visit BlumenthalArts.org/Broadway
- Call 704335-1010
- Visit the Belk Theater box office, 130 N. Tryon St., Mon.Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Blumenthal will also continue its Ticket Protect program this year. For about half of what one show in a season package costs, subscribers can protect their investment in all eight or nine shows with Ticket Protect. This provides a refund should you be unable to attend a show(s) due to approved reasons like dangerous weather conditions, illness, accidents and more. Buyers can include Ticket Protect in their extended payment plan.
2019-2020 PNC BROADWAY LIGHTS
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (November 12-17, 2019 - Belk Theater)
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (November 19 - December 1, 2019 - Knight Theater)
ROALD DAHL’S CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (December 10-15, 2019 - Ovens Auditorium
COME FROM AWAY (January 7-12, 2020 - Belk Theater)
MY FAIR LADY (January 21-26, 2020 - Ovens Auditorium)
ANASTASIA (April 28 - May 3, 2020 - Ovens Auditorium)
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (July 28 – Aug. 2, 2020 - Belk Theater)
DISNEY’S FROZEN (October 7-18, 2020 - Belk Theater)
Include MIKE BIRBIGLIA’S THE NEW ONE (October 8-13, 2019 - Knight Theater) for a 9-show package!
BROADWAY EXTRAS
LES MISÉRABLES (October 29 - November 3, 2019 - Ovens Auditorium)
JERSEY BOYS (December 6 – 8, 2019 - Ovens Auditorium)
THE NEW COLOSSUS (January 28 – February 2, 2020 – Knight Theater)
RIVERDANCE NEW 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW (April 7-12, 2020 - Belk Theater)
BLUE MAN GROUP (April 24 – 26, 2020 – Ovens Auditorium)
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL (June 16 – 21, 2020 – Belk Theater)
WICKED (December 9, 2020 – January 10, 2021 – Ovens Auditorium)
2019-2020 PNC Broadway Lights Show Descriptions:
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND
(November 12-17, 2019 - Belk Theater)
“What a delight it is to enter the world of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND!” raves The New York Times.
Winner of the 2018 Tony® Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Once on This Island, is the sweeping, universal tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world, and ready to risk it all for love. Guided by the mighty island gods, Ti Moune sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who has captured her heart.
The groundbreaking vision of two-time Tony® Award nominated director Michael Arden (Spring Awakening revival) and acclaimed choreographer Camille A. Brown (NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live) conjures up “a place where magic is possible and beauty is apparent for all to see!” (The Huffington Post). With a score that bursts with life from Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the Tony® Award-winning songwriters of Anastasia and Ragtime, Once on This Island is a timeless testament to theater’s unlimited possibilities.
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
(November 19 - December 1, 2019 - Knight Theater)
What would happen if Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had an illegitimate Broadway baby? You’d get The Play That Goes Wrong, Broadway & London’s award-winning smash comedy! Called “A GUT-BUSTING HIT” (The New York Times) and “THE FUNNIEST PLAY BROADWAY HAS EVER SEEN” (HuffPost), this classic murder mystery is chock-full of mishaps and madcap mania delivering “A RIOTOUS EXPLOSION OF COMEDY” (Daily Beast). Welcome to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), it’s “TONS OF FUN FOR ALL AGES” (HuffPost) and “COMIC GOLD” (Variety) – sure to bring down the house!
ROALD DAHL’S CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
(December 10-15, 2019 - Ovens Auditorium)
Roald Dahl's amazing tale will soon be Charlotte’s golden ticket! Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film, including "Pure Imagination," "The Candy Man," and "I've Got a Golden Ticket," alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of Hairspray.
Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory...to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with color and confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination. Now's your chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before – get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper!
COME FROM AWAY
(January 7-12, 2020 - Belk Theater)
Broadway’s Come From Away is a Best Musical winner all across North America!
This New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.
Don’t miss this breathtaking new musical written by Tony® nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and helmed by this year’s Tony-winning Best Director, Christopher Ashley. Newsweek cheers, “It takes you to a place you never want to leave!”
On 9/11, the world stopped.
On 9/12, their stories moved us all.
MY FAIR LADY
(January 21-26, 2020 - Ovens Auditorium)
From Lincoln Center Theater that brought you The King & I and South Pacific, comes “a sumptuous new production of the most perfect musical of all time” (Entertainment Weekly), Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady. Director Bartlett Sher’s glowing production is “thrilling, glorious and better than it ever was” (New York Times). “Every so often a revival comes along that reminds you how indispensable great theater can be” (NY1).
Boasting such classic songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “On the Street Where You Live,” My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed?
ANASTASIA
(April 28 - May 3, 2020 - Ovens Auditorium)
Inspired by the beloved films, the romantic and adventure-filled new musical Anastasia is on a journey to Charlotte at last!
From the Tony® Award-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.
Anastasia features a book by celebrated playwright Terrence McNally, a lush new score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) with direction by Tony® Award winner Darko Tresnjak.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
(July 28 – Aug. 2, 2020 - Belk Theater)
Jesus Christ Superstar is an iconic musical phenomenon with a world-wide fan base. In celebration of its 50th Anniversary, a new mesmerizing production comes to North America. Originally staged by London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and helmed by the acclaimed director Timothy Sheader (Crazy for You, Into the Woods) and award winning choreographer Drew McOnie (King Kong, Strictly Ballroom), this production won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival garnering unprecedented reviews and accolades. Appealing to both theater audiences and concert music fans, this production pays tribute to the historic 1971 Billboard Album of the Year while creating a modern, theatrical world that is uniquely fresh and inspiring.
With music and lyrics by Emmy, Grammy®, Oscar® and Tony® winners Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Jesus Christ Superstar is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary score includes ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’, ‘Gethsemane’ and ‘Superstar’.
DISNEY’S FROZEN
(October 7-18, 2020 - Belk Theater)
From the producers of The Lion King and Aladdin, Disney’s Frozen, the Tony®-nominated Best Musical, is melting hearts on Broadway in an all-new production created for the stage by an award-winning team. Heralded by The New Yorker as “thrilling” and “genuinely moving,” Frozen quickly emerged as the biggest musical hit during last year’s Broadway season, breaking four St. James Theatre house records and placing in the top 10 best-selling shows every week since opening in March 2018. The hit musical features the songs you know and love from the original Oscar®-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers.
A mysterious secret. A family torn apart. As one sister struggles with being an outsider and harnessing her powers within, the other sets out on a thrilling adventure to bring her family together once again. Both are searching for love, but they’ll learn that to find it they’ll have to look inside themselves first. An unforgettable theatrical experience filled with sensational special effects, stunning sets and costumes, and powerhouse performances, Frozen is everything you want in a musical: It’s moving. It’s spectacular. And above all, it’s pure Broadway joy.
MIKE BIRBIGLIA’S THE NEW ONE
(October 8-13, 2019 - Knight Theater) ***9th show option***
Mike Birbiglia has a new one.
It’s called The New One.
He’s made you laugh in Sleepwalk With Me (it was a play presented by Nathan Lane, then a movie, THEN a book); My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend; and “Thank God for Jokes.” (He was also really funny in that one season of “Orange Is the New Black.” And in “Billions.” And “Broad City.”) Now he’s on Broadway telling a new story in a new way with the same heart and humor we’ve come to expect. Lin-Manuel Miranda called The New One “as perfect a night as you’re gonna get.” Do not miss The New One. Some people say it’s his best one. (It was John Mulaney. Also Vogue.)
Broadway Extras Show Descriptions:
LES MISÉRABLES
(October 29 - November 3, 2019 - Ovens Auditorium)
Cameron Mackintosh presents the new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony® Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables, direct from an acclaimed two-and-a-half-year return to Broadway. With its glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, this breathtaking new production has left both audiences and critics awestruck, cheering “Les Miz is born again!” (NY1). Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Featuring the thrilling score and beloved songs “I Dreamed A Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars," “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. Seen by more than 130 million people in 44 countries and in 22 languages around the globe, Les Misérables is still the world’s most popular musical, breaking box office records everywhere in its 33rd year.
JERSEY BOYS
(December 6 – 8, 2019 - Ovens Auditorium)
“THE MOST EXCITING MUSICAL BROADWAY HAS SEEN IN YEARS.” – Chicago Tribune
“THE CROWD GOES WILD!” – The New York Times
“TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!” – New York Post
They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard… and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story -- a story that has made them an international sensation all over again.
Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning true-life musical phenomenon, Jersey Boys. From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is the musical that’s just too good to be true.
FEATURING THE LEGENDARY TOP TEN HITS:
“Sherry” • “Big Girls Don’t Cry” • “Walk Like A Man” • “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” • “December, 1963 (Oh What A Night)”
THE NEW COLOSSUS
(January 28 – February 2, 2020 – Knight Theater)
12 refugees
12 languages
12 eras
1 border
In The New Colossus, twelve actors from all over the world are telling their ancestors stories in twelve different languages and twelve different eras, all woven into a single narrative about escaping an oppressive homeland, drawn to the beacon above Ellis Island. An intensely physical production, with live music, poetry and kinetic movement, The New Colossus is an homage to the strength, resilience, and dignity of the immigrants and refugees that risked their lives to find a better life.
"At a time when history is being warped by demagoguery, 'The New Colossus' holds a theatrical mirror to the nation." - Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
RIVERDANCE NEW 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW
(April 7-12, 2020 - Belk Theater)
Riverdance, as you’ve never seen or heard it before!
A powerful and stirring re-invention of this beloved favorite, celebrated the world-over for its Grammy award-winning score and the excitement, energy and dynamism of its Irish and International Dance.
Twenty-five years on, renowned composer Bill Whelan brings this mesmerizing soundtrack back to life, completely revitalized for the first time since those original orchestral recordings. Producer Moya Doherty and Director John McColgan have produced an amazing new 25th Anniversary production with innovative and spectacular lighting, projection, staging and costume design, and an all-new finale number which will blow audiences away.
Immerse yourself in the extraordinary power and grace of music and dance – beloved by fans of all ages. Fall in love with the magic of Riverdance all over again.
BLUE MAN GROUP
(April 24 – 26, 2020 – Ovens Auditorium)
Blue Man Group performances are euphoric celebrations of human connection through art, music, comedy and non-verbal communication. Since debuting at New York’s Astor Place Theatre in 1991, the live show has expanded to additional domestic residencies in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas and Orlando, an international residency in Berlin, and multiple North American and World tours, reaching more than 35 million people worldwide. Now it’s your turn!
At Blue Man Group, you’ll rock, laugh and party. As three bald and blue men explore our world, together, encountering surprises at every turn. By the end of this spectacular journey, you’ll be saying “I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED BUT I LOOOVED IT.”
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL
(June 16 – 21, 2020 – Belk Theater)
A legendary roster of Grammy® Award winners. A visionary director and a Tony® Award-winning design team. One of the world’s most beloved characters. Turn them loose on stage and what do you get? The musical The New York Times declares, “BRILLIANT!” Broadway’s best creative minds reimagine and bring to life the beloved Nickelodeon series with humor, heart and pure theatricality in “a party for the eyes and ears” (Daily Beast). Explore the depths of theatrical innovation in THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL, 2018 Best Musical winner of the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, where the power of optimism really can save the world.
WICKED
(December 9, 2020 – January 10, 2021 – Ovens Auditorium)
Wicked, the Broadway sensation, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin—smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”
From the first electrifying note to the final breathtaking moment, Wicked —the untold true story of the Witches of Oz—transfixes audiences with its wildly inventive story that USA Today cheers is “a complete triumph! An original musical that will make you laugh, cry, and think.”
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