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Best Broadway Shows on Tour

Recommendations
Published on: Nov 6, 2022
By: Kathryn Willingham
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From the Great White Way to a city near you, these Broadway shows are on tour in North America. Buy tickets to catch your favorites, see brand new shows, and enjoy all things Broadway – even when you can’t make it to the theater district in New York City.

Musicals on Tour

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations

Ain’t Too Proud follows the journey of The Temptations, from its formation to its rise in fame and its impact on the music industry and our culture at large. The production won a Tony Award for Best Choreography and songs include “My Girl,” “Get Ready,” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.”

Cities: San Jose, Sacramento, Tempe, Tucson, Toronto, Detroit, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Providence, Rochester, Durham, Washington DC, Sarasota, and New Orleans.

Aladdin

Aladdin

This Broadway show based on the beloved Disney film is great for kids of all ages. Deadline said “the stage musical has an enthusiasm and joy that makes for quality family-friendly Broadway entertainment…it has the ability to take you on a thrilling magic carpet ride and want a Genie of your own.”

Cities: Greensboro, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Sioux Falls, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Orlando, Atlanta, Grand Rapids, Birmingham, Fort Worth, El Paso, Toronto, South Bend, Fayetteville, San Diego, Anchorage, Seattle, Fresno, and Costa Mesa.

Also playing on Broadway!

Beetlejuice

Based on the cult classic film directed by Tim Burton, this musical follows teenager Lydia Deetz and the titular Beetlejuice, a demon from the underworld. The Hollywood Reporter said, “The show is a loving homage to a wonderfully weird original, reconceived for the stage with eye-popping design, full-throttle performances and a mischievous sense of fun.”

Cities: Detroit, Rochester, Pittsburgh, Greenville, Columbus, East Lansing, Buffalo, Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Providence, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Jose, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Tempe, Denver, Minneapolis, and Des Moines.

Come From Away

Come From Away is based on the true story of 38 planes that were rerouted to the small town of Gander in Newfoundland on September 11, 2001 and the locals who opened their doors and their hearts to the displaced visitors. The New York Times called this Broadway show a “big bearhug of a musical…even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble staying dry-eyed during this portrait of heroic hospitality under extraordinary pressure.”

Cities: Huntsville, Owensboro, Bloomington, St. Louis, New Haven, Halifax, London, Anchorage, Hershey, Easton, New Brunswick, Elmira, Burlington, Portland, Wilmington, Clemson, Chattanooga, Stillwater, Manhattan (Kansas), Wichita, Kalamazoo, Lima, Columbus, Charleston, Toledo, Rockford, Wausau, Cedar Falls, Eau Claire, Evansville, and more.

Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen follows Evan Hansen, an anxious teenager who finds himself unable to walk back a well-intentioned lie about a recent tragedy. This musical played for 6 years on Broadway and won six Tony Awards including the Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The New York Times called it a “gorgeous heartbreaker of a musical.”

Cities: Fresno, Reno, San Francisco, Tucson, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Spokane, Albuquerque, El Paso, Lubbock, Wichita, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Cleveland, Chattanooga, Peoria, Des Moines, Toledo, Buffalo, Columbia.

Frozen

Based on the Disney movie, this Broadway show has all of your favorite characters and songs like “Let It Go,” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” and “Love is an Open Door.” Time Out London said, “the musical version of ‘Frozen’ is an awesome spectacle with more heart, depth and darkness than the film.”

Cities: Sacramento, San Diego, Costa Mesa, Tempe, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Omaha, Dayton, Greensboro, Baltimore, Memphis, Grand Rapids, and Columbus.

walter-kerr-theatre-hadestown

Hadestown

Based on the Greek myths of Hades, Persephone, Eurydice, and Orpheus, Hadestown won eight Tony Awards including the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2020.  Variety called the show “perfectly heavenly.”

Cities: West Palm Beach, Atlanta, Kansas City, Madison, Cleveland, Buffalo, Schenectady, Hartford, Rochester, Providence, Worcester, Hershey, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Louisville, Fayetteville, Richmond, Washington DC, Fort Worth, and San Francisco.

Also playing on Broadway!

Hamilton-Broadway-Musical

Hamilton

One of the biggest blockbusters on Broadway, this musical has taken theatre by storm ever since it premiered off-Broadway in 2015. The New York Times says, “Yes, it really is that good…’Hamilton’ makes us feel the unstoppable, urgent rhythm of a nation being born.”

Cities: Honolulu, Tampa, Boston, Birmingham, Knoxville, Springfield, Toronto, Tulsa, Schenectady, Kansas City, Norfolk, Minneapolis, Richmond, Indianapolis, Appleton, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Wichita, El Paso, Lubbock, and Lincoln.

Also playing on Broadway!

Into the Woods

Into the Woods with music and lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine follows fairy tale characters like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and a pair of princes and their run-ins with a witch and a giant. Variety said this “sensational revival shines a spotlight on Sondheim…a glorious lifeline for fans reawakening to the wonders of live performance.”

Cities: Buffalo, Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Jagged Little Pill

Jagged Little Pill won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2021 and features the music of Alanis Morissette. Diablo Cody (known for the film Juno) wrote the book.

Cities: Philadelphia, Providence, Pittsburgh, East Lansing, Detroit, Durham, Washington DC, Cincinnati, Chicago, Lincoln, Schenectady, Hartford, Tampa, Greenville, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston, and Minneapolis.

Les Miserables

Les Mis is the longest running musical on the West End and has had stagings all over the world. Based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, Les Mis follows Jean Valjean after he is released from prison. This iconic musical includes songs like “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “One Day More,” and “Bring Him Home,” and actors like Nick Jonas, Ramin Karimloo, Patti LuPone, Michael Ball, Lea Michele, Gaten Matarazzo, and Lea Salonga have all played various roles on stage. 

Cities: Nashville, St. Louis, Dayton, Charlotte, Baltimore, Chicago, Omaha, Indianapolis, Richmond, Greensboro, Durham, Washington DC, Kansas City, Denver, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Fresno.

Lion-King-Broadway

The Lion King

Based on the beloved Disney movie, The Lion King is still one of the most popular musicals both on Broadway and globally. It recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, has played on every continent except Antarctica, and shows no signs of slowing down. 

Cities: Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Des Moines, Toledo, Madison, Tulsa, Washington DC, and Philadelphia.

Also playing on Broadway!

Mean Girls

Based on the movie written by Tina Fey, who also wrote the book of the musical, this show follows teenager Cady Heron and her experiences with the Mean Girls at her new school.  Deadline said, “Vibrant, beautifully sung and visually splendid, this funny charmer – book by Fey, music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin – broadens the original Paramount movie – a bar-raiser for teen flicks – to full musical comedy scale without sacrificing any of the mordancy and compassion that made a superstar of Lindsay Lohan and a generational descriptor of the title.

Cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Costa Mesa, Las Vegas, Tucson, Sarasota, Naples, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale.

Moulin-Rouge-Broadway

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Based on the movie directed by Baz Luhrmann, this romantic musical follows poet Christian and his relationship with cabaret performer Satine at the famous Moulin Rouge in Paris. Entertainment Weekly called it “buoyant, campy, and vivacious.”

Cities: Portland, Las Vegas, Fayetteville, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Durham, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.

Also playing on Broadway!

Pretty Woman The Musical

Based on the movie starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, WNYC called this musical “pretty perfect…the creative team has pulled off a magic trick. This is a show that will delight almost everyone.”

Cities: Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Orlando, West Palm Beach, San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Boise, and Sacramento.

Six-musical-broadway

Six The Musical

This historical remix about Henry VIII’s ex-wives puts these queens in the spotlight. The Guardian called it “explosively joyful,” and Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2022.

Cities: Grand Rapids, Appleton, Hartford, St. Louis, Columbus, Des Moines, Nashville, San Francisco, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Providence, Buffalo, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Rochester, Hershey, Costa Mesa, Durham, San Diego, Charlotte, Greenville, Madison, and Cleveland.

Also playing on Broadway!

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

This musical follows the life and career of Tina Turner and includes songs like “I Want to Take You Higher,” “River Deep Mountain High,” “Proud Mary,” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Variety said, “Call ‘Tina’ a jukebox musical or a bio-musical or anything you want to call it, but above all, this is one fine specimen in the best showbiz tradition of the Great Big Broadway Musical.”

Cities: Durham, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, New Orleans, Memphis, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Hartford, East Lansing, Cleveland, Des Moines, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.

Wicked

Wicked is one of the biggest musical hits in the world. Join Glinda and Elphaba as they enter Shiz University in the Wizard of Oz prequel that has been dazzling audiences since 2003.

Cities: Washington DC, Orlando, Miami, Tampa, West Palm Beach, St. Louis, East Lansing, Houston, Atlanta, Greenville.

Also playing on Broadway!

Plays on Tour

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s beloved novel brings this story to the stage.  The San Diego Tribune said this “updated ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ play makes a fierce and powerful statement against racism.”

Cities: Kansas City, Wilmington, Waterbury, Milwaukee, Birmingham, Toronto, Eugene, Spokane, San Francisco, West Palm Beach, St. Louis, Sioux Falls, College Station, Iowa City, Indianapolis, Norfolk, Providence, Auburn, Huntsville, Fort Myers, Richmond, Detroit, Tulsa, Knoxville, Naples, Fayetteville, Grand Rapids, Evans, Worcester, Atlanta, Greensboro, Utica, Chattanooga, Lincoln, Boise, Reno, and Thousand Oaks.

Shows on Broadway

Looking to make a trip to the Big Apple to see a show on Broadway? Check out our article on the Top Broadway Shows playing right now!

Kathryn Willingham

Head of Creative Development at Jean Doumanian Productions

Kathryn Willingham has worked in entertainment for over ten years, and recent credits include: Co-producer of SHRINK currently streaming on Peacock, Associate Producer of the independent film UNA, and Creative Executive on multiple theatrical productions including HANGMEN by Martin McDonagh on Broadway, NASSIM by Nassim Soleimanpour Off-broadway and Associate on productions EVERY BRILLIANT THING by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe and THE EFFECT by Lucy Prebble. She was Producer of Todd Almond’s musical travelogue “Wyoming and Parts of Kansas” and Production Coordinator for Karen O and KK Barrett's “Stop the Virgens.”

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Education: B.A. in English, Literature & Creative Writing from Rhodes College
Knowledge: Theaterical Production

Published

Nov 6, 2022

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