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An Overview of our 2023-24 Willis Broadway Series

Willis Broadway Series

Get ready to experience the magic of Broadway right in the heart of Des Moines! The 2023-24 Willis Broadway Series at the Des Moines Civic Center is set to showcase an impressive lineup of shows, featuring six Season Ticket Package productions and three additional add-on engagements. From classic favorites like Funny Girl and Les Misérables to new smash hits like MJ and Moulin Rouge! The Musical, you won't want to miss out on a season full of the best of Broadway right here in Des Moines.

With a combined 23 Tony Awards, including recent wins for Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical, every production in this season is an absolute must-see!

Click here to order season tickets!

Take a few minutes and dive into each of the productions in our 2023-24 Willis Broadway Series 6-Show Package below.

 

2023-24 Willis Broadway Series 6-Show Package

Girl from the North Country

November 28 – December 3, 2023

Girl from the North Country is the Tony Award-winning new musical that the Chicago Tribune declares is  "a Broadway revelation!"

Written and directed by celebrated playwright Conor McPherson and featuring Tony Award-winning orchestrations by Simon Hale, Girl from the North Country reimagines 20 legendary songs of Bob Dylan as they’ve never been heard before, including Forever Young," "All Along The Watchtower," "Hurricane," "Slow Train Coming," and "Like A Rolling Stone."

It’s 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota. We meet a group of wayward travelers whose lives intersect in a guesthouse filled with music, life, and hope. Experience this ‘profoundly beautiful' production (The New York Times) brought to vivid life by an extraordinary company of actors and musicians.

TONY AWARD® WINS (2022)
Best Orchestrations


THE WIZ

December 12 – 17, 2023

Everybody look around, ‘cause the Tony Award-winning Best Musical that took the world by storm is back.

THE WIZ returns “home” to stages across America in an all-new Broadway-bound tour, the first one in 40 years. The tour begins in THE WIZ’s original home city of Baltimore, where the show made its world premiere 50 years ago.

This groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway—from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping 70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

Director Schele Williams (The Notebook, revival of Disney’s Aida), choreographer JaQuel Knight (Beyonce’s "Single Ladies"), William F. Brown (book), Charlie Smalls (music & lyrics), Amber Ruffin (additional material), and Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements) conjure up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before. A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop brings a whole new groove to easing on down the road. So everybody rejoice! An all-new 21st-Century WIZ is sliding into an Emerald city near you.


COMPANY

February 6 – 11, 2024

PHONE RINGS, DOOR CHIMES, IN COMES COMPANY.

Winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical, Company "strikes like a lightning bolt. It’s brilliantly conceived and funny as hell" (Variety).

Three-time Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott (War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Angels in America) helms this revelatory new production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s groundbreaking musical comedy, at once boldly sophisticated, deeply insightful, and downright hilarious.

It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, Why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man and isn’t it time to settle down and start a family? As Bobbie searches for answers, she discovers why being single, being married, and being alive in the 21st-century could drive a person crazy. 

Company features Sondheim’s award-winning songs "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "The Ladies Who Lunch," "Side by Side by Side" and the iconic "Being Alive." Let’s all drink to that! 

TONY AWARD® WINS (2022)
Best Revival of a Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Best Direction of a Musical
Best Scenic Design of a Musical

 


Funny Girl

March 12 – 17, 2024

WELCOME TO MUSICAL COMEDY HEAVEN!

Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direction from Michael Mayer, this love letter to the theatre has the whole shebang!

The sensational Broadway revival dazzles with celebrated classic songs, including "Don’t Rain On My Parade," "The Greatest Star," and "People." This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.


MJ

April 30 – May 5, 2024

The music. The moves. The icon. Now, the unparalleled artistry of the greatest entertainer of all time comes to Des Moines as MJ, the multi-Tony Award-winning new musical centered around the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour, begins a tour of its own.

Created by Tony Award-winning Director/Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Michael Jackson into legendary status. MJ is startin’ somethin’ as it makes its Des Moines premiere at the Civic Center in April 2024.

TONY AWARD® WINS (2022)
Best Leading Actor in a Musical
Best Choreography
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Best Sound Design of a Musical


Moulin Rouge! The Musical

August 20 – September 1, 2024

Pop the champagne, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the winner of 10 Tony Awards — including Best Musical!

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. Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical!

Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love. With a book by Tony Award winner John Logan; music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award winner Justin Levine; and choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! The Musical! is more than a musical — it is a state of mind.

TONY AWARD® WINS (2021)
Best Musical Won
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Best Direction of a Musical
Best Choreography
Best Orchestrations
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Best Sound Design of a Musical

 

2023-24 Willis Broadway Series Add-On Productions

santino fontana

Santino Fontana

October 5, 2024 Get Tickets
Chicago

CHICAGO

December 6 - 8, 2024 Get Tickets
Hadestown

HADESTOWN

April 11 - 13, 2025 Get Tickets

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Season tickets for the 2023-24 Willis Broadway Series are on sale now!

Now's your chance to experience an unforgettable season of highly anticipated Broadway national tours including a few fan-favorites returning to the Des Moines Civic Center!

The 6-show season ticket package starts at just $240!* Split your order into 11 monthly payments as low as $22 per month if purchased before March 31!

Get Season Tickets