Ordway Announces 2020-2021 Season - RENT, WAITRESS, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, and More!

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts today announced the titles for the 2020-2021 Broadway at the Ordway season.

The 2020-2021 season showcases five productions, opening in December with an Ordway Original holiday production of Disney's beloved, modern classic Beauty and the Beast. Following Beauty and the Beast are: a new, touring production of a sweeping musical romance based on the 80's smash movie that "lifts us up where we belong," An Officer and A Gentleman; a touring production of Waitress, the uplifting Broadway hit that celebrates friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie and features songs by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles; Triangle, an inspiring new musical about two love stories, 100 years apart, that will be produced in partnership with Park Square Theatre for a regional premiere; and an Ordway Original production of the iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that shaped a generation, Rent.

"This season features our signature Ordway mix of Broadway favorites, local artist spotlights, classic titles you love and new, never-seen-here-before productions," said Ordway Producing Artistic Director Rod Kaats.

New features of the 2020-2021 season include:

· Ordway Resident Artists, a program designed to deepen the Ordway's relationship with artists through residencies that feature their work in our Ordway Original productions. The goal is to help these artists create new work, explore new ideas, and share their knowledge and expertise with the Ordway community, all in the spirit of continued collaboration. The fresh voices of these artists will invigorate the organization and play a vital role in creating the artistic and creative culture at the Ordway. The inaugural Resident Artists for 2020-2021 are Tyler Michaels King and Jamecia Bennett, both Twin Cities favorites who starred in the Ordway Original production of 42nd Street last summer.

· Ordway Backstage Pass, an exclusive subscriber benefit that offers access to artistic conversations and behind-the-scenes content. Subscribers will be invited to join the Ordway's Producing Artistic Director Rod Kaats for events that look into the creative process behind producing musical theater, both at the Ordway and on Broadway.

· New subscriber benefits such as discounts on pre-show drinks at the Ordway bars, the option for auto-renewal for easy access to guarantee seats, and a quarterly newsletter with exclusive subscriber offers and updates. These are in addition to benefits already enjoyed by subscribers such as priority seating at up to 20% off, flexible payment plans, free and easy ticket exchanges, and discounts on additional single tickets.

Current public health concerns have pushed the season opener a bit later than usual. "The safety of our guests, artists, and employees is a priority and we will open the theater only when it is safe to do so. The holiday musical at the Ordway has become a tradition for many of our audience members; we're sincerely hoping we can safely reunite with our guests for a truly spectacular holiday production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast," noted President and CEO, Jamie Grant.

Subscriptions for the 5-show package start as low as $202; subscribers will save on fees if they subscribe prior to May 21. Current subscriber seats will be reserved through June 4. 2020-2021 Broadway at the Ordway season subscriptions are available at Ordway.org or by calling the Ordway Ticketing Office at 651-224-4222.

DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, December 1-27, 2020

Beauty is found within, redemption is made possible, and love can conquer all in this modern classic with iconic songs, "Be Our Guest," "Gaston," "Human Again," and the Tony-winning title song, "Beauty and the Beast." This beloved fairy tale about Belle, a bookish young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, a prince trapped in a spell by an enchantress, is filled with unforgettable characters, lavish costumes, and dazzling production numbers.

Nominated for nine Tony Awards, this family-favorite title based on the Academy Award-winning animated film and the classic French fairy tale, ran 13 years on Broadway and continues to thrill audiences in 37 countries worldwide.

Music by Alan Menken | Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice | Book by Linda Woolverton

AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, February 4-7, 2021

An Officer and A Gentleman, based on the Oscar-winning film starring Richard Gere, is a breathtaking production that celebrates triumph over adversity and includes one of the most iconic and romantic endings ever portrayed on screen. Featuring the Grammy Award-winning #1 hit single, "Up Where We Belong," and a score based on the 1980's catalog of music that gave voice to a generation, the live stage production is a new adaptation by multiple Tony Award nominee Dick Scanlan (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Everyday Rapture).

Zack Mayo's got smarts and a body built for US Navy pilot boot camp, but he also has too much swagger...until he meets a drill sergeant who's determined to drill his arrogance out of him. Zack finds comfort in the arms of a local factory girl. But it isn't until tragedy befalls a fellow candidate that Zack learns the importance of love and friendship, and finds the courage to be his best self and win the heart of the woman he loves.

Music by Dan Lipton | Book by Dick Scanlon | Original book by Douglas Day Stewart, Sharleen Cooper Cohen

WAITRESS, March 9-14, 2021

Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as "The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie" and "Betrayed By My Eggs Pie." When a baking contest in a nearby county-and a satisfying encounter with someone new-show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness.

Brought to life by a groundbreaking all-female creative team, this hilarious hit Broadway musical features original music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles ("Brave," "Love Song"). Don't miss this uplifting and hilarious musical celebrating friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.

Music by Sara Bareilles | Book by Jessie Nelson

TRIANGLE, April 9-May 2, 2021

Triangle, an original and compelling new musical full of mystery and romance, with songs by two of America's hottest new musical theater writers, was noted as "astonishingly successful" and "rich in melody and emotion" that "eloquently combines past and present and makes way for the future" by the San Francisco Chronicle.

In Triangle, two parallel love stories separated by a hundred years, unfold in the same New York City building. As the stories weave together across a century, the revelation of long-buried secrets from the past helps two star-crossed lovers find each other and discover what it really means to risk everything you believe for love.

Triangle was a 2017 Richard Rodgers Award Finalist and the winner of six Theatre Bay Area Awards, including Outstanding World Premiere Musical.

Produced in collaboration with Park Square Theatre, with performances at Park Square

Music by Curtis Moore | Lyrics by Thomas Mizer | Book by Curtis Moore, Thomas Mizer and Joshua Scher

RENT, July 20-August 8, 2021

Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon, with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

Based loosely on Puccini's La Bohème, Jonathan Larson's Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

To post a comment, you must register and login.