Broadway: 2018-19 Broadway in Pittsburgh Season Announcement | Pressroom

PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES

PNC BROADWAY IN PITTSBURGH
2018-19 SEASON

Production images available for download: 2018-19 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is thrilled to announce the 2018-19 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season featuring the most new productions in series history, continuing the tradition of bringing the best of touring Broadway directly to Pittsburgh. The series, presented in partnership with Broadway Across America, will feature 11 productions comprised of seven season events and four Season Specials.

The seven-show season lineup features six entirely new Broadway shows and one new Broadway revival, boasting a combined 19 Tony® Awards. The season is anchored by HAMILTON. Also headlining is six-time 2017 Tony Award- and 2018 Grammy®-winning Best Musical DEAR EVAN HANSEN. In addition, the season features the Tony Award winners and nominees THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, COME FROM AWAY and ANASTASIA, the sweetest ticket in Pittsburgh, Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, and the revival of the theatrical masterpiece FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.

The 2018-19 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Season Specials feature the return of the holiday classic ELF THE MUSICAL and the spectacular new production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Back by popular demand following sold out record breaking engagements, THE BOOK OF MORMON returns to Pittsburgh. Included in the Season Specials is the world premiere of CIRQUE ÉLOIZE HOTEL, which is also a featured event of the Trust’s 2018 Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts.

The PNC Foundation joins the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in bringing the best of Broadway to entertain, enlighten, and complement the rich experiences that add to the region’s exceptional quality of life. The seven season presentations and four specials contribute to the city’s reputation as a major destination for the arts, culture, and world-class entertainment.

TICKET ADVISORY

There has been an unprecedented demand for tickets and ticket availability will change. For the most up-to-date ticketing information, visit TrustArts.org/BroadwayFAQ.

SEASON PRESENTATIONS

The Play That Goes Wrong
September 18-23, 2018 • Benedum Center
What would happen if Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had an illegitimate Broadway baby? You’d get THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, Broadway & London’s award-winning smash comedy! Called “A GUT-BUSTING HIT” (The New York Times) and “THE FUNNIEST PLAY BROADWAY HAS EVER SEEN” (HuffPost), this classic murder mystery is chock-full of mishaps and madcap mania delivering “A RIOTOUS EXPLOSION OF COMEDY” (Daily Beast). Welcome to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), it’s “TONS OF FUN FOR ALL AGES” (HuffPost) and “COMIC GOLD” (Variety) – sure to bring down the house!

Anastasia
October 16-21, 2018 • Benedum Center
Inspired by the beloved films, the romantic and adventure-filled new musical ANASTASIA is on a journey to Pittsburgh 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) with direction by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak.

Fiddler on the Roof
November 20-25, 2018 • Benedum Center
“An entirely fresh, funny, and gorgeous new production. A REASON FOR CELEBRATION!” – New York Magazine

Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I, and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play OSLO, bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick.

The original production won 10 Tony Awards, including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. You’ll be there when the sun rises on this new production, with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter and based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family.

Featuring the Broadway classics “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Matchmaker,” and “To Life,” FIDDLER ON THE ROOF will introduce a new generation to this uplifting celebration that raises its cup to joy! To love! To life!

Hamilton
January 1-27, 2019 • Benedum Center
HAMILTON is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now.

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
January 29-February 3, 2019 • Benedum Center
Roald Dahl’s amazing tale is now Pittsburgh’s golden ticket! It’s the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film, including “Pure Imagination,” “The Candy Man,” and “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,” alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of HAIRSPRAY. Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory...to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with color and confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination. Now’s your chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before – get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper!

Come From Away
April 9-14, 2019 • Benedum Center
The true story of the small town that welcomed the world. Broadway’s COME FROM AWAY has won Best Musical all across North America!

The New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. Don’t miss this breathtaking new musical written by Tony nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and helmed by this year’s Tony-winning Best Director, Christopher Ashley. Newsweek cheers, “It takes you to a place you never want to leave!”

On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all.

Dear Evan Hansen
May 21-26, 2019 • Heinz Hall
WINNER OF SIX 2017 TONY® AWARDS INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL
AND THE 2018 GRAMMY® AWARD FOR BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. DEAR EVAN HANSEN is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it.

“One of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history,” says The Washington Post. The New York Times calls DEAR EVAN HANSEN “a gut-punching, breathtaking knockout of a musical” and NBC News says that the musical is “an inspiring anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond.”

DEAR EVAN HANSEN features a book by Tony Award winner Steven Levenson, a score by Grammy, Tony and Academy Award® winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (LA LA LAND, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN), and direction by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (RENT, NEXT TO NORMAL).

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of DEAR EVAN HANSEN, produced by Atlantic Records, made an extraordinary debut at #8 on the Billboard 200– the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961 -- and went on to win the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. A special edition coffee table book authored by Levenson, Pasek and Paul, Dear Evan Hansen: through the window (Grand Central Publishing / Melcher) is now available, offering an in-depth, all-access look at the musical, including never-before-seen production photos and cast portraits, behind-the-scenes stories, and a fully annotated script by the authors.

2018-19 PNC BROADWAY IN PITTSBURGH SEASON SPECIALS

Cirque Éloize Hotel
September 25-30, 2018 • Benedum Center
For its 25th anniversary, Cirque Éloize once again presents a touching, poetic, one-of-a-kind creation.

HOTEL is the story of a place and the travelers who come passing through it. A stopover where lives intersect, collide and juxtapose for a brief time to generate tales and memories.

Acrobatics, theatre, dance and live music will draw spectators into a colorful, timeless world. Avant-garde stage design, inspired by the elegance of the great hotels, will carry the narrative. All that remains is to enter through the lobby door and get swept away by the grandeur and poetry of HOTEL.

CIRQUE ÉLOIZE HOTEL is also part of the 2018 Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts.*

ELF The Musical
December 26-30, 2018 • Heinz Hall
ELF The Musical on tour is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. This modern-day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner ELF.

The Phantom of the Opera
February 20-March 3, 2019 • Benedum Center
Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA makes its triumphant return to Pittsburgh as part of its North American Tour. Critics are raving that this breathtaking production is “bigger and better than ever before” and features a brilliant new scenic design by Paul Brown, Tony Award-winning original costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Tony Award-winner Paule Constable, new choreography by Scott Ambler, and new staging by director Laurence Connor. The production, overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh, boasts many exciting special effects including the show’s legendary chandelier. The beloved story and thrilling score - with songs like “Music of the Night,” “All I Ask Of You,” and “Masquerade” - will be performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this PHANTOM one of the largest productions now on tour.

The Book of Mormon
April 16-21, 2019 • Heinz Hall
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.

This outrageous musical comedy follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word. Now with standing-room-only productions in London, on Broadway, and across North America, THE BOOK OF MORMON has truly become an international sensation. Contains explicit language.

Broadway Across America
Broadway Across America (BAA) is part of The John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com and The Broadway Channel. Led by 11-time Tony-winning producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 44 markets with over 400,000 subscribers. Current and past productions include Beautiful, Cats, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Groundhog Day, Hairspray, Hello, Dolly!, Million Dollar Quartet, On Your Feet!, The Producers, School of Rock and Waitress. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.

* Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will present its fourth Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts—a city-wide, performing and visual arts festival to be held in the fall of 2018. The Festival programming will be announced spring 2018. Highlights include seven dizzying weeks, featuring exclusive events by renowned international artists and contemporary performing arts companies premiering for the first time in the U.S. and in some cases, the world. Thirty international companies and artists from 18 countries will capture your imagination, challenge you to think outside the ordinary, and leave you seeing the world in an entirely new way. Festival events will be presented in association with other Pittsburgh cultural organizations and events, offering visceral experiences for audiences at various traditional and non-traditional venues throughout the downtown Cultural District.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.