Although we’re only in the opening stages of the 2021-2022 season, two recent surveys sent to patrons may provide some insight as to what to expect for the 2022-2023 season. We’ll break them down here.
EAST LANSING, MI
The first survey we’ll look at involves the Wharton Center. A partner with Broadway Across America (BAA), the survey asked for patrons’ input and suggestions regarding which shows they would like to bring to East Lansing.
First, we need to establish which shows have come to the venue over the past few years. This will help provide some perspective as to why the shows were included in the survey. Below is the data starting from the 2018-2019 season (new shows are in bold):
2018-2019
| Show | Dates |
|---|---|
| School of Rock | September 18-23, 2018 |
| Love Never Dies | October 9-14, 2018 |
| Fiddler on the Roof | December 4-9, 2018 |
| Anastasia | January 15-20, 2019 |
| Miss Saigon | March 12-17, 2019 |
| Hamilton | May 14 – June 2, 2019 |
2019-2020
| Show | Dates |
|---|---|
| Come From Away | September 10-15, 2019 |
| Les Misérables | November 12-17, 2019 |
| Aladdin | December 4-15, 2019 |
| My Fair Lady | February 26 – March 1, 2020 |
2020-2021
| Show | Dates |
|---|---|
| ( |
2021-2022
| Show | Dates |
|---|---|
| Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles | November 5, 2021 |
| Mannheim Steamroller Christmas | December 1, 2021 |
| Hadestown | December 7-12, 2021 |
| Cats | January 4-9, 2022 # |
| Frozen | January 27 – February 6, 2022 # |
| Mean Girls | March 1-6, 2022 # |
| Hamilton | March 29 – April 10, 2022 |
| Dear Evan Hansen | May 17-22, 2022 # |
| Ain’t Too Proud | June 7-12, 2022 |
Next, let’s get to the contents of the survey. BAA traditionally breaks down their surveys into sections with a level of interest next to each show. These surveys provide patrons with the opportunity to voice their opinion about which shows they would prefer to see. Although routing a tour is much like putting a puzzle together, the surveys do carry some weight into the makeup of a season. And, since BAA venues are in larger markets, they typically will be the first to present newer shows. Here are the shows listed in each section:
New Musicals
- An Officer and a Gentleman
- The Band’s Visit
- Beetlejuice the Musical
- The British Invasion – Live on Stage
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Jagged Little Pill
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- Pretty Woman: The Musical
- The Prom
- R.E.S.P.E.C.T – The Earth-Shattering Aretha Franklin Experience
- Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
- The Simon and Garfunkel Story
- Six: The Musical
- Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
- Tootsie
This list provides us with evidence that Jagged Little Pill and Tina are expected to head out on tour. Booking groups have been offering these shows since 2020 and touring announcements may come around the Tony Awards in late September. Outcomes at the ceremony also play a factor, but with fewer shows than normal currently on Broadway, it is more than likely that we will see these go on tour in the 22-23 season.
Beetlejuice, which had previously announced a tour, wisely decided to wait a season to begin touring. However, Aida, which had a tour route that was cancelled in 2020, does not appear on this list, making me believe that it will not tour in the foreseeable future.
Each of the other shows that are listed have been touring, or are currently scheduled to begin touring this season. I also anticipate a few of the new shows on Broadway to begin touring in the 22-23 season. These may include: Girl From the North Country, Company, Mrs. Doubtfire, MJ, and Diana.
New Plays
- To Kill A Mockingbird
- A Soldier’s Play
Although we’re familiar with Mockingbird, A Soldier’s Play seems like an unusual choice to tour. The show, which closed in March 2020 due to the Broadway shutdown, played for only 58 performances. It is currently nominated for seven Tony Awards, which may provide it with some interest across the nation. And, indeed, its booking group is currently scheduling the show with presenters.
One show of note that is missing is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is currently being revised from two acts to a single act. This change would indicate to me that the show’s producers would like to try and make it more accessible to being seen within a traditional time frame, which works within the parameters of the standard touring production.
Revivals
- 1776
- 9 to 5 The Musical
- Annie
- Hairspray
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- Oklahoma!
- West Side Story
Here is where things start to get interesting. Of the seven offerings listed, three (9 to 5, Annie, and West Side Story) are new to the touring scene. To be sure, they each have previously been on tour, but enough time has passed to consider them to be new revivals.
Possibly the most intriguing is West Side Story, which is expecting to see a surge of interest following the new film adaptation that will come out later this year. No indication for a tour was given when the new Broadway revival closed earlier this week; but, if it does end up on the road, it may have to perform major overhauls due to the complicated sets and overall safety of the performers.
Two revivals not mentioned in this listing are The Music Man and the recently-announced Funny Girl, which will each open in early 2022, and would be ideal candidates for the 22-23 touring season.
Returning Favorites
- Disney’s Aladdin
- Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
- Blue Man Group
- The Book of Mormon
- Chicago
- Come From Away
- Dear Evan Hansen
- Disney’s Frozen
- Hamilton
- Les Misérables
- Disney’s The Lion King
- Riverdance
- Stomp
- Wicked
This list gives us some insight as to which shows will be returning, and those which might not be returning, in the coming season. First, this list does gives some evidence to a few shows returning the road following their COVID-related closures, including: Aladdin, Book of Mormon, Chicago, and Les Mis. Of the currently-running touring shows, here are the shows that are missing, and which may or may not be returning following the 21-22 season:
- An American in Paris (expected to close after the 21-22 season)
- Escape to Margaritaville (will close in late November 2021)
- Fiddler on the Roof
- Hairspray (expected to return)
- Jersey Boys (expected to stop touring in June 2022)
- My Fair Lady (expected through at least November 2021)
- Rent (will close after the 21-22 season)
- South Pacific (not currently being offered to venues post-2022)
- Waitress
- What the Constitution Means to Me
While it is unlikely that all of the shows will not return in the 22-23 season, their absence from the options is certainly something to take into consideration.
Holiday
- A Christmas Carol
- A Christmas Story: The Musical
- Cirque Dreams Holidaze
- Dolly Parton’s Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol
- Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Although this list does not represent all of the potential holidays shows that tour on a regular basis, the one newcomer to the roster (Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol) will provide a new twist on the holiday classic. It is also satisfying to see the new adaptation of A Christmas Carol as an option as it looks to build on the success of its Broadway run and upcoming tour.
COLUMBIA, SC
The Koger Center also recently sent patrons a survey to gauge their interest for potential shows to be included in their 22-23 season. The survey consisted of four questions, with two providing show listings. Surveyees don’t have the category breakdown found in the BAA survey, so it is hard to tell what criteria they are using. Before we hit the lists, here’s a summary of the venue’s shows from the past few seasons:
2018-2019
| Show | Dates |
|---|---|
| Jersey Boys | November 20-21, 2018 |
| Kinky Boots | January 13-14, 2019 |
| The Wizard of Oz | February 18, 2019 |
| Rock of Ages | February 24, 2019 |
| Something Rotten! | March 4-5, 2019 |
| Chicago | March 23, 2019 |
| Beautiful | April 2-7, 2019 |
2019-2020
| Show | Dates |
|---|---|
| Mannheim Steamroller Christmas | November 22, 2019 |
| Christmas Wonderland Holiday Spectacular | December 17-18, 2019 |
| Wicked | January 22 – February 9, 2020 |
2019-2020
| Show | Dates |
|---|---|
2021-2022
| Show | Dates |
|---|---|
| Anastasia | November 17-18, 2021 # |
| A Magical Cirque Christmas | December 14-15, 2021 # |
| Jersey Boys | January 23, 2022 # |
| Cats | February 28 – March 1, 2022 # |
| The Lion King | March 23–April 3, 2022 |
| Waitress | April 27-28, 2022 # |
| South Pacific | May 10-11, 2022 # |
| Fiddler on the Roof | June 6-7, 2022 # |
Here are the list of show options provided with the survey:
Options 1
- Les Misérables
- Aladdin
- Frozen
- Dear Evan Hansen
- Come From Away
- Hamilton
- Phantom of the Opera
Options 2
- Elf the Musical
- Cirque Dreams Holidaze
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- 9 to 5
- Legally Blonde
- Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Oklahoma
- Mean Girls
Here is another indication that Aladdin, Les Miserables, and 9 to 5 will be touring in the 22-23 season. Hamilton would certainly be an interesting option as the show will be playing in North Charleston, SC next season. Typically, however, we see venues informing patrons of the show’s coming as an incentive to boost subscription sales–especially if it is the venue’s first time presenting the show.
However, the elephant in the room may be the return of Phantom, which last toured in the 19-20 season. A look on the show’s production company’s website (Troika) has the show listed and indicates that it is “Coming Soon.” So, perhaps the Phantom will be back on the road as early as 2022.
Combining the data, here is a potential list of shows that will be touring in the 2022-2023 season:
- Musicals (new)
- 1776
- 9 to 5
- Aladdin
- An Officer and a Gentleman
- Annie
- Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
- Beetlejuice the Musical
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Chicago
- Come From Away
- Dear Evan Hansen
- Frozen
- Hairspray
- Hamilton
- Jagged Little Pill
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- Legally Blonde
- Les Misérables
- Mean Girls
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- Oklahoma!
- Pretty Woman: The Musical
- Six the Musical
- Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
- The Band’s Visit
- The Book of Mormon
- The Lion King
- The Phantom of the Opera
- The Prom
- Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
- Tootsie
- West Side Story
- Wicked
- Plays (new)
- A Soldier’s Play
- To Kill A Mockingbird
- Holiday Shows (new)
- A Christmas Carol
- A Christmas Story
- Cirque Dreams Holidaze
- Dolly Parton’s Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol
- Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- Elf
- Misc. Shows
- Blue Man Group
- Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story
- Stomp
- R.E.S.P.E.C.T
- The British Invasion
- The Simon and Garfunkel Story
Summary
As you can see, just from two surveys we’re able to provide speculative information regarding future shows and where they may go during the 22-23 season. However, as more surveys are expected to be sent in the near future, the picture will become clearer. We’re a few months away from the new announcement season, so stay tuned as new information is added to the site.