Which shows will light up DPAC’s stage in the 2025-26 Broadway season? Here’s the lineup.
Broadway is returning to Durham.
This time the Durham Performing Arts Center’s 2025-26 Broadway season delivers a blend of innovative new hits and cherished classics, featuring productions like “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” “The Outsiders,” and “The Great Gatsby.”
Here’s a look at the upcoming shows, according to a news release from DPAC:
▪ “Disney’s Beauty and The Beast,” Sept. 2-14. Disney’s 30th anniversary new production of the beloved classic features new sets, dazzling costumes and includes award-winning and nominated songs like “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
▪ “The Outsiders,” Dec. 2–7. Winner of the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical, “The Outsiders” is an adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic film. Set in 1967 Tulsa, it follows Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade and their greaser family as they navigate self-discovery and their battle with the wealthy Socs. Entertainment Weekly calls it “a powerful story with the ability to inspire an entire generation.”
▪ “Water for Elephants,” Dec. 16-21. Adapted from Sara Gruen’s bestselling novel, the musical “Water for Elephants” has been hailed as a Critic’s Pick by The New York Times, which called it “stunning, emotional, heart-filled, and gorgeously imaginative.” It follows a young man who, after losing what matters most to him, joins a traveling circus, discovering love and a new beginning, as seen through the perspective of his older self.
▪ “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” Dec. 28, 2025–Jan. 17, 2026. When Harry Potter’s son Albus befriends the son of his rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an extraordinary new adventure in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” a Broadway spectacle that’s a six-time Tony winner, including Best Play, and was dubbed “one of the most defining pop culture events of the decade” by Forbes.
▪ “Hell’s Kitchen,” Feb. 17–22, 2026. “Hell’s Kitchen,” a new Broadway musical inspired by 17-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys’ songs about growing up in 1990s New York, follows 17-year-old Ali, a fiery girl seeking freedom and purpose. Hailed as a “thrilling, must-see” New York Times Critic’s Pick, the show is directed by Michael Greif and features Keys’ hits..
▪ “Stereophonic,” March 17–22, 2026. The most Tony-winning show of the year and the most Tony-nominated play ever, “Stereophonic” unfolds in a 1976 recording studio, where an up-and-coming rock band teeters between breakthrough and collapse.
▪ “The Great Gatsby,” May 5–10, 2026. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, “The Great Gatsby” is a Tony Award-winning musical that Entertainment Weekly calls a “Broadway extravaganza that explodes with life and energy.”
▪ “The Notebook,” July 14-19, 2026. Based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film, “The Notebook” tells the story of Allie and Noah, two lovers from different worlds who share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart. Entertainment Weekly calls it “full of butterfly-inducing highs and beautiful songs,” while The Chicago Tribune raves it’s “absolutely gorgeous, not to be missed.”
How to get DPAC tickets
DPAC is currently selling season packages, the release states.
Information on purchasing them can be found online, via email at broadway@DPACnc.com, and in person at DPAC.
Tickets for individual shows go on sale later this season.
DPAC is owned by the city of Durham but managed by Nederlander and Professional Facilities Management.
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 8:00 PM.
