Broadway Live shows are coming back to the Lexington Opera House. Here’s the lineup.
Live Broadway touring productions are coming back to the Lexington Opera House this fall, according to the venue.
The upcoming Broadway Live season will include one show that was scheduled to debut on the Lexington stage just as the coronavirus pandemic hit. Another show started on the London stage and is now touring the U.S.
The Opera House has been closed down since March 2020, unable to operate because capacity restrictions made live shows too expensive to stage in the 866-seat theatre.
The five-show Broadway Live season will have full capacity performances beginning in November, said Luanne Franklin, the Opera House director of performing arts. She said that they anticipate audiences will have to be masked but performers will not be.
“We’ll follow whatever the guidance is at the time,” Franklin said.
Safety will be a important for the audience and for the touring companies. “The entire industry during lockdown has been re-imagining how we do things, to do it in a safe way for everyone.”
No more printed tickets
New this year: All tickets will be virtual, with no paper tickets.
“It is important to reduce touch as much as possible, so that’s one of our new protocols,” Franklin said. “I don’t think we can over-emphasize the priority for health and safety protection. We’ll have hand sanitizers at every turn, for instance.”
Bill Owen, president and CEO of the Lexington Center Corp. that owns the venue, hailed its return.
“The Opera House has served our community for 135 years and continues to be a vibrant part of downtown Lexington,” Owen said in a statement. “We remain grateful to The Opera House Fund and the Lexington Business community for supporting live stage performances by both national and touring artists and the local performing arts community. The Opera House is a shining example of creativity, ingenuity, collaboration and cooperation.”
Franklin said they are thrilled to welcome patrons back and have booked shows that will draw a wide audience. “From classics to comedies, appealing to everyone from grandparents to grandkids — and all ages in between — we have a Broadway season to lift your spirits and bring you joy,” she said in a news release.
How to get Broadway Live tickets
Franklin said that season tickets are available now by phone at 859-233-3535 or online at lexingtonoperahouse.com or Ticketmaster.com. Season tickets start at $205 per subscription, a savings of up to 53 percent over individual show ticket prices, she said. Season tickets range from $205-$385.
Individual Broadway Live show tickets will go on sale Sept. 13 but season ticket holders can buy extra individual tickets before the general public at a 10 percent discount. If you sign up for the “First In Line” notifications, you will be eligible for pre-sale tickets Sept. 9-10.
There also will be two Variety Live shows as well, and season ticket holders get first chance to purchase tickets for those too.
Showtimes for all Broadway Lives performances will be Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1 p.m.
Lexington Broadway Live show lineup
Here is a list or guide of the five musicals coming to the Opera House:
▪ Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Nov. 12-14, five shows. This musical includes songs from the original film including “Pure Imagination,” “The Candy Man” and “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket.” And Lexington performer Audrey Belle Adams will be in the cast, too.
▪ “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Jan. 28-30, five shows. Based on the Oscar-winning film that starred Richard Gere and Debra Winger, the stage production was a hit in London and is now touring the U.S. In fact, Lexington will be one of the first stops. The show features lots of music from the ’80s including “Up Where We Belong.”
▪ “Waitress,” Feb. 11-13, five shows. This Broadway musical with songs by Sara Bareilles focuses on Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. She pours her heart into her pies and finds charts a new path.
▪ “An American in Paris,” March 11-13, five shows. Based on the beloved film, this lush Broadway musical won four Tony Awards with its stunning dance numbers and production. This show was originally scheduled to open in Lexington in 2020. Now all your Gershwin favorites are finally coming to town.
▪ “Hairspray,” April 22-24, five shows. The Tony Award-winning musical returns to the Opera House (it was here in 2007) with the story of Tracy Turnblad, a Baltimore teen in the segregated ’60s with big hair and big dreams: She wants to dance on TV. Hits include “Welcome to the Sixties,” “Good Morning Baltimore,” “Big, Blonde and Beautiful” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”
Variety Live shows
▪ “Concert with the Stars,” Jan. 8, one show. The Lexington Theatre Company’s signature concert brings together Broadway stars and talented young artists from around the country.
▪ “STOMP,” Feb. 24-25, two shows. This show features inventive percussive and dance numbers with props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans.
