🎭 Prognostications for the 2023 Pantages/Ahmanson Seasons

It’s that time of year again. I’ve received email from Broadway in Hollywood (FB) (Pantages) that it is time to advance renew our subscriptions and that their season announcement was coming soon; I expect to hear something similar from the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). So I though I would go through the list of shows I know to be setting up tours, and predict what the seasons will look like. Let’s see how close I am once the announcements come out. My basis for show information is the Tours to You site, and the Playbill article on current and upcoming tours.

Ahmanson Theatre

The Ahmanson Theatre, in Downtown LA,  is a large venue that in the past has programmed both National tours, shows it has locally produced or produced pre-tours, or select touring productions from elsewhere, such as the West End. It has smaller capacity than the Pantages/Dolby, can accomodate mid-size runs but not long sit downs. There has been a recent strong push for diversity and local productions at CTG, and there is new artistic leadership, so I expect to see more diverse playwrights and local productions as opposed to only the tours we’ve seen of late.

My prediction:

• To Kill a Mockingbird (Tour). This was postponed from 2021.
• 1776 (Musical). This was postponed from 2021.
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This could be a local mounting as a tour hasn’t been announced, but there has been a sister production at the Curran in SF.
• Jagged Little Pill. This just seems a bit more like an Ahmanson show.
• Diversity author slot.
• Pre-Broadway or West-End Musical

Broadway In Hollywood

Broadway in Hollywood, booking at the Pantages and the Dolby, has to fill large venues. They book only tours and such; no locally produced or unknown quantitites here. They also bring in a small number of retreads — shows that have done well before that might be worth another sit-down.

My prediction:

• Mean Girls. This was postponed from 2020.
• Six.
• Beetlejuice.
• Tina – The Musical.
• Ain’t Too Proud. This started out at the Ahmanson and went to Broadway. It is likely not to repeat at the Ahmanson — they want to reach a different subscriber base.
• Wicked. On tour, currently at the Segerstrom. A likely retreat that performs well and can do an extended sit-down at the Pantages.
• Girl from the North Country (although this could end up at the Ahmanson)
• Aladdin The Musical. This is a “newly imagined” version, and could be a draw.
• Maybes:
  • The new equity tours of either Annie or Hairspray. Both are older, both done regionally, but both might be crowd draws.
  • The Cher Show. The tour was postponed, but it might come back.
  • The Spongebob Musical. One can always hope.

So those are my predictions. Your thoughts? I could also see, if the new Music Man announces a tour this early, that it could end up at the Pantages.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 Prognostications for the 2023 Pantages/Ahmanson Seasons by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.