Funny Girl, Frozen, Mrs. Doubtfire and More Coming to PPAC in 2023-24

On Tuesday, March 7, the Providence Performing Arts Center  (PPAC) announced a “sparkling season of Broadway gems” for its upcoming 2023-2024 season. From comedies and classic to brand new touring productions and highly anticipated returns, we can attest the lineup is quite dazzling. Keep scrolling for the full schedule.

 

The 2023–24 Taco/ The White Family Foundation Broadway Series:

Funny Girl

Dates: September 9–16, 2023

“The Funny Girl team is so thrilled to launch the national tour at PPAC this September,” says the production’s tap choreographer, Ayodele Casel, in a prerecorded segment during the season announcement. “You are going to be the first city to see this beautiful show and you’re in for such a treat. We cannot wait for you to join us in the fall.”

For the unfamiliar, this love letter to the theatre is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice (the role of which was first made famous by none other than Barbara Streisand), a girl from the Lower East Side of New York who dreams of being a star despite the doubts of everyone around her. Described as “vivacious and glitzy” by Vogue, the revival includes some of the greatest Broadway musical hits of all time, including Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “I’m the Greatest Star.”

 

Mrs. Doubtfire

Dates: October 17–22, 2023

BankNewport Family Night: Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 7 p.m.

Newer to the Broadway scene, this internationally acclaimed musical comedy is based on the beloved nineties film of the same name and follows the hilarious and heartfelt journey of an unemployed actor who will do anything for his kids. Directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, the Hollywood Reporter calls it a “feel-good, family-friendly comedy that delivers.”

 

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Dates: December 19–31, 2023

Moulin Rouge invites you to enter a world of, “splendor and romance , of eye–popping excess, of glitz, grandeur and glory. A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment.” With the help of Tony Award-winning writers, directors, choreographers, music and supervisors and more, Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film is remixed as a musical mash-up extravaganza on stage.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Dates: February 6–11, 2024

Based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (which follows a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama as he defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge), Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill A Mockingbird adaptation has been deemed “the most successful American play in Broadway history” by “60 Minutes”, as well as an “emotionally shattering landmark production of an American classic” in a five-star review by Rolling Stone.

During the season lineup announcement on Tuesday, PPAC President and CEO J.L. “Lynn” Singleton recalls a conversation with Sorkin during a dinner they both attended during To Kill a Mockingbird’s initial Broadway run.

“Finally, I say, ‘where did you get the idea, Mr. Sorkin, of doing To Kill a Mockingbird as a Broadway play?” he shares. “He goes, ‘Well, it’s the second-most owned book in North America in every household.’ And like the stupid Southern Baptist I am, I said, ‘What’s the first?’ He looks at me and says, ‘the Bible.’”

The play marks the first in a longtime that PPAC is featuring a non-musical production, a decision which Sorkin attributes to the story’s broad appeal and staying power.

 

Frozen

Dates: March 7–17, 2024

BankNewport Family Night: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at 7 p.m.

The Tony-nominated hit Broadway musical features the songs you (and the children in your lives) know and love from the original Oscar-winning Disney film about the magical bond between two sisters, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers by the film’s songwriters. Heralded by the New York Times as “thrilling” and “genuinely moving,” the production also features sensational special effects, stunning sets and costumes and powerful performances.

 

Company

Dates: April 23–28, 2024

The five-time Tony Award winner Company rounds out the Taco/the White Family Foundation Broadway Series with a boldly sophisticated, deeply insightful and downright hilarious show. Created by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, the groundbreaking musical comedy forces Bobbie to confront all the ridiculous judgments that come with being a single, childless modern woman celebrating her thirty-fifth birthday.

 

The 2023/2024 Encore Series: 

The Book of Mormon

Dates: October 31–November 5, 2023

Back by popular demand, the Book of Mormon opens the Encore series with a week-long engagement. The outrageous musical comedy follows the adventures of a mismatched pair missionaries who have been sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word. The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century” while the Washington Post says, “it’s the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals.”

 

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical

Dates: November 28–December 3, 2023

BankNewport Family Night: Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 7 p.m.

He may be a mean one, but we all love to see him anyway. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical will return to PPAC for ten performances during the holiday season. In this live version, Max the Dog narrates as the scheming Grinch decides to steal Christmas away from the holiday-loving Whos. Fans of the original film can expect to enjoy hit songs such as “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas,” as well as magnificent sets and costumes inspired by Dr Seuss’ original illustrations.

 

Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations

Dates: January 23–28, 2024

Finally, featuring Grammy-winning songs and Tony-winning moves, Ain’t Too Proud will also return to PPAC for a week-long engagement. The Temptations’ journey is a thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty and betrayal during a decade of civil unrest in America. Learn even about the smash-hit Broadway musical in our review of its first run in Providence here.

 

The 2023/24 season will also feature a one-night only performance by Johnny Mathis as part of his Voice of Remembrance Tour on Saturday, September 23 at 8 p.m. For more information about the season and how you can secure tickets, visit PPAC’s website here.