‘Newsies,’ ‘Motown the Musical’ anchor Broadway in Atlanta’s 2014-15 season

2014-15 options:

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. Jan. 16. Prices start at $209 for all seven shows. Six-show packages are also available. New subscriptions can be ordered by calling 1-800-278-4447 or at www.BroadwayInAtlanta.com. Single-show tickets typically go on sale eight to 12 weeks prior to opening night.

Broadway musical fans will be dancing in the streets about the 2014-15 Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta lineup.

A slate of nine shows – three more than this current season – will launch early with the family-friendly “Disney’s The Little Mermaid” heading to the Fox Theatre in July.

But it’s likely the Tony-winning cachet of “Disney’s Newsies” (Jan. 20-25, 2015) and the revival of “Pippin” (May 5-10, 2015), along with the hits parade that couches the story of music impresario Berry Gordy in “Motown the Musical” (Aug. 18-23, 2015) that will sate fans’ cravings for blockbuster musicals.

“We’ve done a great job to represent New York and Broadway,” said Russ Belin, vice president of Broadway in Atlanta. “‘Motown’ is a real crowd-pleaser and will be a blast; ‘Pippin’ is a real spectacle. Those performers not only sing and act but do these circus tricks; and ‘Newsies’ is very family-friendly with a great score. Those three shows are still on Broadway, which I feel is special about this season.”

Rounding out the lineup, announced exclusively Thursday in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is a re-imagined version of “The Phantom of the Opera” (Oct. 22-Nov. 2) with new scenic design; the Atlanta debut of “Dirty Dancing” (Nov. 25-30) based on the 1987 hit Patrick Swayze movie; the kooky charades of Blue Man Group (April 7-12, 2015); and two season add-ons – the popular “Mamma Mia!” (Sept. 23-28), the jukebox musical starring the frothy songs of ABBA, and the durable smash “Wicked” (Feb. 18-March 8, 2015), back for its fourth Atlanta run.

While Belin was quick to note that he was "saddened" to see the loss of Theater of the Stars, which filed for bankruptcy last month after a 61-year existence, the company's demise did provide additional open dates at the Fox.

“The opportunity is for us to be part of Atlanta and fill that Broadway touring need. As our shows play the Fox, it’s important to support the venue and help with the programming. As we are part of this bigger network of shows, we were able to program a slightly expanded season,” Belin said, citing “Disney’s The Little Mermaid” as an example of a show that had a narrow window of availability this summer that Broadway in Atlanta was able to capitalize on.

“We’re in the middle of our most successful season in our 33-year history,” Belin said of a run that began in November with “Ghost the Musical,” continues later this month with the blockbuster “The Book of Mormon” and stretches until June with titles including “Once” and “Disney’s The Lion King.”

“The goal is to stick to a bigger season,” he said. “But it all comes down to, are the titles available? And that comes down to what people are supporting in New York.”