BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
For its 35th anniversary, the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta series will get a boost from the music of Carole King and Cyndi Lauper.
The 10-show 2015-16 season will present a balanced mix of returning and new names, but the marquee titles are a couple of current Broadway smashes — “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and “Kinky Boots,” whose Tony-winning score was written by pop star Lauper.
“Kinky Boots” will head to Atlanta from March 29-April 3, 2016, and “Beautiful” from May 24-29, 2016.
“It’s a big milestone and we wanted to be able to celebrate that our series has been in the market this long,” said Russ Belin, vice president of Broadway in Atlanta. “We always try to go back and find some of those hits, like ‘Jersey Boys,’ and make sure we have the best of what’s available from Broadway.”
Another major draw on the schedule is “If/Then,” which will close on Broadway next month and begin its first national tour in Denver in October.
Although the riotously ribald “The Book of Mormon” just played Atlanta in 2014, its record-breaking performance made it an obvious candidate for a quick repeat. During the week of Feb. 9, 2014, the show earned more than $2.8 million at the Fox Theatre, the highest weekly gross in history for a national tour.
“Mormon” will return for a two-week engagement Jan. 12-24, 2016.
The new season kicks off in October with the return of the perennially popular “Jersey Boys” (Oct. 6-11).
November brings “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” another recent Broadway success — it closed last month after more than 800 performances — that is a reimagined version of the show that played Atlanta more than a decade ago.
Following “Cinderella” (Nov. 3-8) are “Elf the Musical” (Dec. 2-6); “The Book of Mormon”; “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” (Feb. 2-7, 2016); “The Sound of Music” (March 1-6, 2016); “Kinky Boots”; “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”; “The Wizard of Oz” (June 21-26, 2016); and “If/Then” (Aug. 9-14, 2016).
The slate of 10 shows is one more than the current season and likely the number that Broadway in Atlanta will stick with in the future, although Belin didn't rule out adding more if the titles were available.
Belin also noted that family-friendly productions such as “Cinderella” and “Elf” appeal to multiple generations, which is important to sustain interest in the theater.
“A goal is to always build those future Broadway enthusiasts,” he said.
As for the proliferation of musicals on the menu, well, Broadway in Atlanta is just responding to its patrons.
“At the heart of it,” Belin said, “Atlanta is a musical town and that’s what they’ve been asking for.”
UPCOMING SHOWS
Here’s the 2015-16 Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta lineup:
“Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” — Nov. 3-8, 2015
“Elf the Musical” — Dec. 2-6, 2015
“The Sound of Music” — March 1-6, 2016
“Kinky Boots” — March 29-April 3, 2016
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” — May 24-29, 2016
“The Wizard of Oz” — June 21-26, 2016
“If/Then” — Aug. 9-14, 2016
2015-16 options:
“Jersey Boys” — Oct. 6-11, 2015
“The Book of Mormon” — Jan. 12-24, 2016
“Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” — Feb. 2-7, 2016
Performances are held at the Fox Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Show packages go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Prices start at $222 for all seven shows. Six-show packages are also available. New subscriptions can be ordered by calling 800-278-4447 or at www.BroadwayInAtlanta.com. Subscribers will be given access to their same subscription seating locations for series options if they renew by Feb. 27. Single-show tickets typically go on sale eight to 12 weeks prior to opening night; however, subscribers can purchase additional tickets before they go on sale to the public.
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