the ceiling of the benedum center and the grand chandelier

2022-2023 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Season: A Message From The Curator

Mon, Apr 11, 2022

Written by: Marc Fleming

Since September of 2021, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has been joyfully welcoming guests back into the Cultural District for in-person arts experiences. The feedback we’ve received has been tremendous! Audiences are thrilled to be back in the theaters and venues, sharing tears, laughter, and everything in between as a community. In programming our 2022-2023 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season, we wanted to maintain and build upon this energy. I hope you’ll agree that we’ve delivered on this promise and then some for the coming season.

As we’ve shared in the past, our goal is to tell a story with every season. The shows can all certainly stand alone, but together they paint a bigger and more powerful picture. This line-up of Tony® Award-winning musicals and revivals features powerful females on stage and behind the scenes. From Six, which allows King Henry VIII’s wives to tell their stories, to Hadestown’s all-female creative team, to iconic leading ladies like Elsa, Tina Turner, and Tracy Turnblad, to Jagged Little Pill, based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music – this season shines a light on women’s voices and talent making such a massive impact on the Broadway industry.

In case we haven’t convinced you yet to join us, I’d like to share some insight into how each show made the cut to be included in this historic season.

the cast of disney's frozen

FROZEN

October 5-16, 2022 | Benedum Center

Disney’s Frozen is based on the 2013 movie, the highest-grossing animated film of all time. When I saw the show on Broadway, I was particularly impressed by the special effects and use of traditional Japanese bunraku-style puppetry for Olaf. Costume Designer Christopher Oram and Puppet Designer Michael Curry created this character with the performer and puppet intentionally in full view, to be seen ‘as one’ by the audience.

The score features the songs you know and love from the Oscar®-winning film, plus new numbers from Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. I know you and your family will be singing along in your seats. Disney’s Frozen is the perfect way to kick off our season, as we’ll have it for two weeks and the show is everything you want in a musical – it is moving, spectacular, and pure Broadway joy.

the cast of hadestown

HADESTOWN

November 15-20, 2022 | Benedum Center

We’ve tried a whopping four times to schedule this show in Pittsburgh. Originally on our 2020-2021 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season, this winner of eight Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album is FINALLY premiering in Pittsburgh. The show intertwines two mythic tales and while the stories are ancient, the jazzy musical touches on a number of contemporary issues.

Anaïs Mitchell made history with this show on Broadway, as she was the first woman in over a decade to write the music, lyrics, and book of a musical. Mitchell and Director Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812) created a powerhouse duo that ‘put their weight on the scales,’ similar to the female characters onstage in Hadestown. Mitchell’s words and Chavkin’s direction give this show an excitingly feminine twist and its success will hopefully pave the way for more musicals from women.

the cast of hairspray

HAIRSPRAY

January 3-8, 2023 | Benedum Center

We haven’t seen this title in the Cultural District since 2008 – 15 years ago. When the inspiring show debuted on Broadway, it (like Hadestown) took home eight Tony Awards. The story follows another incredible woman, Tracy Turnblad, who uses her sudden rise to stardom to incite change and do some good. We could all benefit from taking her lead!

The all-new touring production reunites Broadway’s award-winning creative team led by Director Jack O’Brien and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell. The production stars Nina West from RuPaul’s Drag Race as Edna Turnblad and rising star Niki Metcalf, bringing the fable of inclusion and hope to a new generation. Let’s eat some breakfast, then change the world!

the cast of jagged little pill

JAGGED LITTLE PILL

January 24-29, 2023 | Benedum Center

Gen Xers, rejoice! One of the best-selling albums of all time from Alanis Morissette (released in 1995) is the basis for this new musical about a perfectly imperfect American family. Nominated for 15 Tony Awards and winner of the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Jagged Little Pill breaks the ‘jukebox musical’ mold by singing about real, hot-button issues like opiate addiction, gender identity, and sexual assault.

Some shows you see. This show you feel. Critically-acclaimed and incredibly earnest, Jagged Little Pill will remind you what it’s like to feel truly human.

the cast of beetlejuice

BEETLEJUICE

February 21-26, 2023 | Benedum Center

Best described by The New York Times as a “Jaw-dropping funhouse,” Beetlejuice is a hilarious musical based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film. With a completely twisted set, spooky surprises abound, and a dedication to its source material, we had to bring this raunchy and rowdy show to Pittsburgh.

Fans of the movie, off-the-wall humor, and those who are open to some sensory overload will love this show. It actually reopened on Broadway just last week but now you don’t have to leave Pittsburgh to see Beetlejuice The Musical…The Musical…The Musical.

the cast of six

SIX

March 14-19, 2023 | Benedum Center

Say it with me, “Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.”

This euphoric, earworm of a show is one of the hottest tickets on Broadway. The musical is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII presented as a pop concert, as the wives take turns singing and telling their stories. HER-story comes to life as these Tudor Queens transform into Pop Princesses and absolutely bring down the house with their high-octane talent.

Witty and explosive, Six was always at the top of my list to bring to Pittsburgh – our audiences have been asking for it since before its premiere on Broadway. Book, music, and lyrics come from British duo Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. Don’t lose your head, Pittsburgh! Six will be here before you know it.

the cast of tina

TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL

April 4-9, 2023 | Benedum Center

We all know her as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, but Tina captures Turner’s triumphant story live in an exhilarating and undeniable mega-hit musical. Tina showcases the Queen’s incredible music while also depicting her life story – from humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee throughout her rise to stardom.

Most exciting about this piece is the way it celebrates Tina’s big dreams and tenacity as she conquered the music world against all odds. Tina Turner is totally inspiring, having sold over 100 million records worldwide, 12 Grammy Awards, three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She is, simply, the best.


And no season would be complete without special add-ons! This year, we’re thrilled to bring back two of the most popular titles to ever come through Pittsburgh and offer the chance for return visits or new experiences. We recently presented Les Misérables over Thanksgiving week in 2019 and received amazing feedback from audience members who either wanted an outing for the entire family or a way to get out of dish duty. That title will be back the week of November 22-27, 2022. Also returning is Dear Evan Hansen. We presented this title in 2019 as well and with such a high base of subscribers loading into this subscription show, we didn’t have many tickets to sell. We hope that bringing it back May 2-7, 2023 will allow those who missed it the first time around to experience the amazing digital sets and gorgeous score from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

We are so thankful that PNC has returned as the title sponsor for this season; bringing the best Broadway shows to Pittsburgh would not be possible without their support. You can subscribe to these amazing shows today, but don’t delay – tickets are sure to go quickly for this stellar line-up. We’ll see you when the curtain rises!

Marc Fleming is Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Broadway Programming for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

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