DPAC’s new Broadway season features Tony winners and the return of ‘Hamilton’
The journey from Broadway to Durham seems to be getting shorter.
The Durham Performing Arts Center’s 2020-21 season will feature several productions that just snagged Tony Awards, wrapped up their Broadway runs or are still on Broadway.
“Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations,” “Hadestown,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Oklahoma!” and “The Cher Show” are among the productions that fit in those categories — and will visit North Carolina within the next year or so.
And then there is “Hamilton,” which will return in the 2020-21 season, having had a record-busting run at DPAC in 2018. DPAC announced its season Saturday night, but did not say when “Hamilton” will enter the lineup.
The dates and how to buy “Hamilton” tickets will be provided “at a later date,” a DPAC spokesperson told The News & Observer in an email.
Here is a look at the schedule, according to a news release:
▪ “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations,” Sept. 1-13. The story of the Temptations, from Detroit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The musical, still on Broadway, will take to the road in July. It won the Tony Award in 2019 for Best Choreography.
▪ “Wicked,” Sept. 30-Oct. 25. The reimagining of “The Wizard of Oz” is back at DPAC for the first time in five years. This can be added to season ticket-holders’ package.
▪ “Tootsie,” Nov. 3-8. The musical comedy, based on the 1992 film starring Dustin Hoffman, won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.
▪ “Hadestown,” Nov. 17-22. This musical snagged eight Tonys, including Best Musical. It “intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone,” according to a press release.
▪ “1776,” Dec. 1-6. Before this musical hits Broadway in Spring 2021, it will have a preview on the DPAC stage. The musical, currently being developed at Harvard University’s American Repertory Theater, is described as a “re-imagination” of the production that first hit the stage in 1969 and has been revived a few times since then. It explores the time period around the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
▪ “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” Feb. 23-28, 2021. Imagine the classic Julia Roberts-Richard Gere film set to music. The modern fairy tale is big. Huge.
▪ “To Kill a Mockingbird,” March 16-21, 2021. Harper Lee’s story has been told numerous times before, but this version was written by uber-producer Aaron Sorkin, who breathes new life into a classic you thought you new.
▪ “Oklahoma,” April 20-25, 2021. Like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” this iconic work gets a new twist that’s “stripped down to reveal the darker psychological truths at its core,” according to a press release.
▪ “The Cher Show,” June 1-6, 2021. The musical features no shortage of wigs or sequins as the story of Cher’s life unfolds across several decades with three different actresses.
How to get tickets
Right now, DPAC is only selling season tickets for the 2020-21 season, and they’re only available to current ticket-holders. Those who have season tickets have until May 1 to renew their memberships.
Then, season tickets will be available in June to new members.
Individual tickets will be sold later in the year.
When “Hamilton” came to DPAC in 2018, there was a ticket lottery a few months before its arrival with options to buy online or in-person. When the musical started, 40 $10 seats were available by lottery for each production.
“Hamilton” sold out all 32 shows during its month-long run, The News & Observer previously reported. That’s more than 86,000 patrons at the 2,712-seat theater.
For details, email Broadway@DPACnc.com or call 919-281-0595.