Wilmington’s Grand Opera House Announces 2022-2023 Broadway Season

The Grand Opera House, on Market Street in downtown Wilmington, has officially announced the highly anticipated 2022-2023 Broadway in Wilmington season taking place just up the block at its sister theater, The Playhouse on Rodney Square inside the historic HOTEL DU PONT.  

The announcement reveals three Broadway shows will soon be making their Playhouse debut, along with the return of three favorites, plus a holiday spectacle for the entire family!  

The Broadway in Wilmington 4-show Subscription Series 

TOOTSIE 

October 6 - 9, 2022 

The Playhouse on Rodney Square 

This laugh-out-loud love letter to the theater tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime. Featuring a hilarious Tony®-winning book by Robert Horn and an outrageously clever score by 2018 Tony-winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), this New York Times Critic’s Pick is “a joyful delight” (The Washington Post) that’s “so packed with punchlines, it should be called a jokebox musical!” (Bloomberg). “In these turbulent times, when the world seems out of balance, we need a place to let the good times roll,” raves Rolling Stone. “TOOTSIE is it!” 

HAIRSPRAY 

December 1 - 4, 2022  

The Playhouse on Rodney Square 

Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon is back on tour! Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? 

The HAIRSPRAY company is led by Andrew Levitt aka Nina West (from “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) as Edna Turnblad, Niki Metcalf as Tracy Turnblad, and Sandie Lee as Motormouth Maybelle. It features the beloved score of hit songs including “Welcome to the ‘60s,” “Good Morning Baltimore” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” HAIRSPRAY is “fresh, winning, and deliriously tuneful!” (The New York Times). 

This all-new touring production reunites Broadway’s award-winning creative team led by Director Jack O’Brien and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell to bring HAIRSPRAY to a new generation of theater audiences. 

ANASTASIA  

February 9 – 12, 2023 

The Playhouse on Rodney Square 

Inspired by the beloved films, the romantic and adventure-filled new musical ANASTASIA is on a journey to Wilmington at last! 

From the Tony Award®-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love and family. 

ANASTASIA features a book by celebrated playwright Terrence McNally, a lush new score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) based on original direction by Tony Award® winner Darko Tresnjak with choreography by Peggy Hickey and tour direction by Sarah Hartmann. 

THE BOOK OF MORMON 

March 10 - 12, 2023 

The Playhouse on Rodney Square   

The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century.” The Washington Post says, “It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals.” And Entertainment Weekly says, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time.” Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show calls it "Genius. Brilliant. Phenomenal." It’s THE BOOK OF MORMON, the nine-time Tony Award®-winning Best Musical. Contains explicit language. 

More performances coming... 

Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School

March 22, 2023

Now that Junie B. Jones has been going to school for over one-and-a-half years, who better to write the book on EVERYTHING you need to know? From bus rules and Band-Aids to carpools to cookies, Junie B. and friends deliver the definitive word on surviving and thriving in style. With a jillion tips, tricks, and trip-ups, Junie B. shares her hard-won expertise and shows us all how school is sometimes scary, sometimes super-fun, and ALWAYS something to sing about!

The Pout Pout Fish 

April 20, 2023

Turn the poutiest of frowns upside down in this new musical featuring whimsical puppets and live performers in a sweeping oceanic adventure. When Mr. Fish sets out on a quest to find Miss Clam’s missing pearl, he discovers there is more to him than his permanently plastered pout.

“We were thrilled to celebrate the return of live theater with Wilmington audiences. Next season we’re looking forward to bringing even more shows for our audience to enjoy,” says Mark Fields, Executive Director of The Grand, the non-profit organization that operates The Playhouse on Rodney Square. “I’m excited for the lineup, especially THE BOOK OF MORMON, which is a show we have been trying to bring to Wilmington for some time. After a gradual re-opening this past season, we truly cannot wait to welcome back all of our patrons starting in October.” 

Season subscriptions will be available by calling 302.888.0200, or visiting the box office at The Grand at 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Subscribers receive priority seating ahead of the public, special ticket discounts, seating flexibility, and more.  

All performances for the 2022-2023 season will be on stage at The Playhouse on Rodney Square, 1007 N. Market Street in Wilmington. Single tickets for all shows will go on sale at a later date. 

The 109-year old Playhouse on Rodney Square is famously known for having been built by 100 men in 150 working days and at one point held the distinction as having one of the largest singular steel beams ever made to top off the proscenium arch.  The Playhouse also holds the distinction of being the country’s longest continuously operating Broadway touring house (pre-COVID).  Famous celebrities such as Julie Andrews, Bette Davis, Fred Astaire, Carol Channing, Christopher Plummer, Kathleen Turner, Abby Wambach, and Sutton Foster have all graced its stage. Other famous dignitaries that have spoken from the stage include Margaret Thatcher, President George W. Bush and then Senator (now President) Joseph Biden. 

Whether you’re planning on checking out one, two, or all the shows above, choose to make it a Wilmington weekend getaway!