DC Felton

This season with Des Moines Performing Arts is full of 'Razzle Dazzle.' One of the things I'm excited about this season with Willis Broadway Series is that they are presenting not one but two shows that came out of the City Center Encore Series in NYC. The first is 'Chicago: The Musical,' which is currently the longest-running show open on Broadway. While this production of the show may have opened in 1996, it still feels timely today.

'Great, Scott!' Des Moines Performing Arts is opening another season of fantastic shows coming directly from Broadway.  One exciting thing about this season is that all six shows in the season ticket package are in the first year of their national tours. Their 2024/2025 season kicks off with the Lawrence Olivier Award winning musical 'Back to the Future.' While the show won Best Musical in London, it didn't fare as well on Broadway.  While both productions are still running, the question I had coming into this was if the show would hit 88 miles per hour and be a hit or not.

Another season comes to a close at Des Moines Performing Arts, and they are going out with a big spectacle. On Tuesday, the tour of 'Moulin Rouge' opened at the Civic Center for a two-week run.  Having seen the show in New York in the summer of 2022, I was looking forward to seeing this show again and seeing how the show was reimagined for the tour. While I loved the impressiveness of the show on Broadway, I wondered if they could recapture that magic on the tour. Were they able to recapture that magic? Continue reading to find out.

What did our critic If you 'Wanna be Startin' Something,' then check out Des Moines Performing Arts; not only did they recently announce their 2024/2025 season, but they are not stopping there.  This week, they are bringing the hottest show of the 2021/2022 Broadway Season.  'MJ: The Musical' opened to a packed house on Tuesday night. From the moment the show started, the buzz continued growing, and there was an immediate standing ovation at the end of the show.  What was the buzz about?  think of MJ THE MUSICAL at Des Moines Performing Arts?

Hey Des Moines, here she is. A new production of 'Funny Girl' opened on Tuesday evening. When you think of the show 'Funny Girl,' one of the first things you probably think of is the person you saw bringing Fannie Brice to life on stage. For the show to work, you need someone who can deliver an iconic performance. That may be why it took nearly 60 years for the show to be revived on Broadway. Now, just short of 60 years, the revival's national tour is making a stop in Des Moines as part of the Willis Broadway Series. Judging from the audience response, there is a new iconic name that people will consider when thinking of 'Funny Girl.'

Over the years, since Des Moines Performing Arts started bringing productions to the Temple Theatre, there have been a few staple productions. One of those staples centers around Dixie Longate, a woman from Mobile, Alabama, who happens to sell Tupperware. While she has returned multiple times to sell Tupperware, I have not had the opportunity to see one of her performances. That changed this last week when I attended 'Dixie's Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding a Mechanical Bull: and 16 Other Things I Learned while Drinking last Thursday' at the Temple Theatre. This engagement marks this show's second time has been at the Temple Theatre.

One of the great things about the Des Moines Performing Arts Broadway series is that it not only introduces us to new productions in their season, but there are also a few shows you can purchase as an add-on that have stood the test of time. This week, they are bringing the musical 'Les Miserables' back for its 9th engagement since 1989.

When Des Moines Performing Arts announces its new season, there is always a show or two I can't help but get excited about. This year, one of those shows for me was 'Company,' which is now playing through February 11.

After a cold start to the year, the fever to be able to vacation is already starting to set in. “ABBA” fever has hit Des Moines this last year. It started with concerts with the Des Moines Symphony and is continuing this week. On Tuesday night, the 25th anniversary tour of “Mamma Mia” opened at Des Moines Performing Arts for a week-long run. With the singing and dancing that came from the stage and the audience, how can you resist a trip to Donna’s Taverna and seeing “Mamma Mia?'

It’s been almost 40 years since the last time “The Wiz” was on Broadway, and the show is currently starting to “Ease on Down the Road” and going on a pre-Broadway national tour. While it’s not scheduled to open on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre until March 29, 2024, you can see it through December 17 at Des Moines Performing Arts.  If the reaction from the audience is any indication of how it will be received on Broadway, then the show, like Dorothy, is on a journey that will lead them… “Home.”

All you gotta do is say his name three times, and he will appear on the Civic Center stage. 'Beetlejuice: The Musical' has been summoned to Des Moines Performing Arts as the finale of the 2022-2023 Willis Broadway Series. You may be asking if 'Beetlejuice' is the perfect start to your spooky season. This show is one of the hottest tickets in the area, with limited seating still available. I attended opening night on October 3, and the audience was cheering from the show's start to the end.  

Being involved in theatre takes both the audience and those on stage and backstage on a journey with each show. With each show, the journey is different. The best journeys are when the show leaves a little something with you that you carry with you for the rest of your life. One show has taken me on what so far has been a 17-year journey. That show is 'The Drowsy Chaperone.'

Dear Broadwayworld Reader. This week is going to be a good week. That is because 'Dear Evan Hansen' is back in Des Moines through June 11. In 2019, Des Moines Performing Arts brought the first national tour of 'Dear Evan Hansen' early in its run. So it's fitting that it is returning to Des Moines this week as one of its final stops before the tour closes in July. Another reason it's a fitting way to wind up its tour is that as part of the Independent Producers Network, Des Moines Performing Arts has invested in the show's Broadway, National Tour, and London productions. If you've seen the show in the past, or even the movie, after seeing it on opening night in Des Moines, I can say with certainty 'Dear Evan Hansen' is worth revisiting.

What did our Some artists are remembered for being one-hit wonders, while others are known for producing hit after hit. In either case, we are left with the legacy of their music. When you think of Tina Turner, you think of all the hit songs she is known for. The legacy her music still has can be seen on stage at Des Moines Performing Arts as they opened 'Tina: The Tina Turner Musical' as part of their current Broadway Series.  critic think of TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at Des Moines Performing Arts?

Every once and a while, when a new season is announced, I find a show in the lineup that I can help but anticipate seeing. For me, that happened when Iowa Stage announced they would be doing 'A Bright New Boise' as part of their 2023 season. It wasn't a show I was familiar with, but it was a plot I was going to be able to relate to. That was due to the show taking place at a Hobby Lobby. I have not worked for Hobby Lobby, but I did work retail for a few years, so going in, I was excited to see another look at the retail working experience. What I got was so much more.

In 1957 after a 91-performance Off-Broadway run, a Broadway transfer was planned for Alice Childress' 'Trouble in Mind.' The transfer was halted when Childress refused to soften the themes of racism in the play. Had it premiered, it would have been the first play by an African American female. That honor eventually went to Lorraine Hansberry's 'A Raisin in the Sun.'  'Trouble in Mind' finally made its Broadway debut on November 18, 2021. Almost 18 months later, you can see the amazing play here in Des Moines as it kicks off Iowa Stage's 2023 season.

September 14, 2021, is a day I will never forget.  After an 18-month break due to Covid, Broadway reopened.  Something special happened that morning.  On Good Morning America, there was a special performance from 'The Lion King' that had the cast in places around New York City, awakening the city and Broadway, leading to the cast gathering in Time Square, all during a performance of the opening song 'Circle of Life.' After an eight-year break in Des Moines, you can finally experience the breathtaking opening of 'The Lion King' again during its multi-week run at Des Moines Performing Arts.  Iowa is happy to have the show back again if the audience is any indication.

Everybody say yeah! It's that time of year when multiple productions start opening after spending the colder winter months inside. For the spring, Des Moines Playhouse has opened its production of "Kinky Boots." While the musical is fun and had the audience on their feet at the end, the show's message couldn't be more timely.

In March 0f 2020, Des Moines Performing Arts announced it was bringing the musical '1776' as part of its 2020/2021 Broadway Series. At the time, the production was billed as a pre-Broadway run. What we didn't know at the time was that it would be almost three years before the show was finally able to make it to Des Moines. Going into the opening night performance, I hoped the production would be worth the wait, but I wasn't prepared for the fantastic production I saw on stage.

What did our critic think of RUHave you heard what's going on in Indianola? Not only has Carousel announced their new season, more on that at the end of this review, but they opened their latest production to a sold-out audience on March 10. The show that had a sold-out opening night is Neil Simon's 'Rumors.' If the laughter from the sold-out audience on opening night is any indication, then this is the perfect show to lift the audience out of the wintertime blues as we head into spring.MORS at Carousel Theatre Of Indianola?