'Hamilton' and 'Wicked' will stop in Twin Cities during 2022-2023 Broadway season

Broadway shows, which have been on a stop-start roller coaster for two years, are scheduled to come to the Twin Cities in the 2022-23 season with a vengeance.

The Hennepin Theatre Trust has announced a lineup of 10 high-wattage productions, including classics, new musicals and a play starring veteran actor Richard Thomas. Blockbusters "Wicked" and "Hamilton," an add-on to the season, each run for a month. Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical was slated to have been at the Orpheum Theatre nearly a year ago but got pushed back because of the pandemic.

As theaters have gotten back into something of a regular groove, they have seen a pent-up demand from patrons, said Mark Nerenhausen, president and CEO of Hennepin Theatre Trust that presents touring Broadway in Minneapolis. Touring Broadway also had a backlog because of the pandemic.

"My gosh, talk about a circle of riches: We've got 16 weeks of some of the best shows that are touring the country right now plus the rescheduled 'Hamilton,'" said Nerenhausen. "The message is that we're back — and bigger and better than ever."

The new roster includes return engagements of "Wicked," "Les Misérables" and "Cats." The lineup also has shows that are new to the Twin Cities such as "Beetlejuice," "Tootsie," "Jagged Little Pill" and "Tina — The Tina Turner Musical."

The season kicks off with "Wicked," the 2003 prequel to "The Wizard of Oz" that has sold out repeat runs at the Orpheum. "Wicked," about sisterhood and social isolation, revolves around green-skinned Elphaba as she builds a friendship with Glinda (July 27-Aug. 28).

"Beetlejuice," based on Tim Burton's wacky, ghost-filled 1988 film and featuring "Day-O," the song made popular by Harry Belafonte in the 1950s, is slated to make its regional premiere (Sept. 13-18).

"Beautiful — The Carole King Musical," which tells the story of the writer of such tunes as "One Fine Day," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "You've Got A Friend," makes its third appearance in the Twin Cities since 2015 (Nov. 16-20).

A new staging of "Les Misérables," the Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg juggernaut set during the French Revolution, is slotted for the runup to the holidays (Dec. 6-18).

The lineup also has shows that obliquely address our historic moment. "Hairspray," about teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream of landing a spot on a TV dance show in 1960s Baltimore, gets a new production from original director Jack O'Brien and original choreographer Jerry Mitchell, both Broadway heavyweights (Jan. 10-15, 2023).

The sole play in the trust's season, and one whose themes of social justice still resonate, is "To Kill a Mockingbird," Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of Harper Lee's canonical novel. The drama is headlined by Thomas, who shot to fame playing John-Boy Walton in "The Waltons" 50 years ago, as attorney Atticus Finch (Feb. 14-19, 2023).

"Tina — The Tina Turner Musical," about the rock icon, also will make its regional premiere. There's no word yet about casting or if Adrienne Warren, who won a Tony for playing the "Proud Mary" and "What's Love Got to Do With It" singer, will star on tour (March 1-12, 2023).

The trust's season stretches into summer of next year, when it will present the Broadway adaptation of Sydney Pollack's 1982 comedy "Tootsie" (June 20-25, 2023) and "Jagged Little Pill," the Alanis Morissette musical that has a book by former Minnesotan Diablo Cody (Aug. 8-13, 2023).