What to know about the upcoming Houston theater season
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The Houston Grand Opera will bring back world-beloved opera "La Bohème." Photo: Lynn Lane, courtesy of HGO
The 2023-2024 Houston theater season isn't quite over, but companies are already sharing plans for the next season, starting in the fall.
Why it matters: The lineup announcements offer promising prospects for eager season ticket buyers and theaters alike as theaters hope to secure vital revenue streams and grow their audiences.
- Plus: Houston has one of the larger theater scenes in the country.
Houston Grand Opera
- Driving the news: HGO announced that the next season will be all about love. Themed "Truly Madly Deeply," the season will feature "Il Trovatore," "Cinderella," "La Bohème," "West Side Story," "Breaking the Waves" and "Tannhäuser."
- What they're saying: HGO's current season is filled with mature works, including composers' last works, but in the new season, "not only is the subject so much youth, most of these words were written by young people," HGO artistic director Patrick Summers says.
- The intrigue: "Il Trovatore," a first for HGO, "has had somewhat of a curse in the world. It's because it's very hard to get right," Summers says, adding that HGO is "giving it everything we have."
Broadway at the Hobby Center
- Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center's upcoming season will notably feature the return of "Hamilton."
- Other highlights in the lineup include "Mamma Mia!," the cornfed humor of "Shucked," "The Book of Mormon," "Life of Pi" and "& Juliet," a twist on the love story where Juliet survives.
Theater Under the Stars:
- TUTS will create one of the first regional productions of Disney's "Frozen," which will have new staging and new designs to "allow audiences to experience Arendelle in a whole new way."
- Other musicals in the next season include "Dear Evan Hansen," "Mean Girls," "In The Heights" and "Waitress."
The Alley Theatre
- The Alley Theatre will stage three world premieres among its 11 productions: "The Janeiad," "The Night Shift Before Christmas," and "December: a love years in the making."
- The season has a variety of shows, from classics to mysteries, like Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" and Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None."
Go deeper: The next Houston Symphony season will feature Yo-Yo Ma in December, and the Houston Ballet will host the world premiere of "Raymonda."
What we're watching: Some community theaters, including Ensemble, Main Street, and Catastrophic theaters, have yet to announce their 2024-2025 seasons.
- Stages is also appointing a new artistic director, who will make their directorial debut in a to-be-announced season finale.