INDIANAPOLIS — As stacked as the new season for the Broadway in Indianapolis series appears on the surface, there was one glaring question musical theater lovers were probably asking...
How in the world did Indianapolis get the biggest musical in Broadway history back in town just three years after it was last here?
It's great news if you missed "Hamilton" the first time it came to Indy in December 2019, just months before much of that season would have the curtain dropped on it by the pandemic.
"Everybody knows how popular it is, and everyone wants to see it," said Leslie Broecker, president of Broadway Across America Midwest. "We could have stayed in Indianapolis the first time for probably two months, but that wouldn't have been very fair to folks in other cities. So what they did was book shorter runs so that it could make its run across the country, and then they were able to do the comebacks pretty quick."
The new season includes several other shows that first made a big splash on the movie screen, including one about an amnesiac-turned-royalty. "'Anastasia' is a beautiful musical. It's from the composers of "Ragtime", so it's very sweeping," Broecker said. "We had announced that show pre-COVID, and I promised that we would try to get all of those shows back, and we're close — we're just missing one." "CATS" is the other show announced before the pandemic, and Broecker says the hope is that they will be able to schedule it for next season.
A Disney production that turned a larger-than-life animated movie character into a larger-than-life stage persona is second on the '22-23 season schedule. "Who doesn't love a big-bodied Genie who grants wishes," Broecker asked, referencing the Tony award-winning "Aladdin." "Disney has eye candy, and they know how to pull these shows off. I think people can expect the same sort of Disney-esque surprises in quality and glitter, and it's a huge show that will absolutely deliver."
Other shows on the calendar include the legendary "Les Miserables" - celebrating the 35th anniversary of its Broadway premiere, "Hairspray" - the hit musical based on the cult-classic film and the Motown-fueled "Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations."
The Broadway in Indianapolis season runs from October 2022 through June 2023, with shows split between Clowes Memorial Hall and The Murat at Old National Centre. Click here for more information or to buy a season subscription.
