4 Broadway touring shows to hit the stage in Moncton this spring
Appetite for professional theatre in Moncton is strong, says entertainment group bringing productions to city
Moncton will be reaping some of the rewards of what it means to be a fast-growing city this spring.
While individual Broadway touring shows have been to the city, this spring, for the first time, there will be an entire season of shows, from March until the end of May.
Joseph Kosin, head of programming at Innovation Arts & Entertainment in Chicago, the parent company of Broadway in Moncton, said in the last few years the city has shown a desire for Broadway-style entertainment.
"The public has been very responsive in a very positive way," said Kosin, whose company has brought several Broadway productions to the city, including Jersey Boys and Cats.
Moncton's Broadway season will feature four productions: STOMP, Chicago, Come From Away and Mean Girls, all at the Avenir Centre.
And although these touring shows don't feature the same cast as the original Broadway productions, they are immensely popular.
"The example I always give is at the height of Hamilton's popularity, which was right before the pandemic, there were seven productions of Hamilton in the world," said Kosin.
"And that was all by the creative team that created Hamilton in New York."
Getting four big touring shows to Moncton wasn't cheap, so Kosin said they had to be sure the demand was there. But he said the Broadway touring world has bounced back in a huge way in that last couple of years.
"Canada didn't really restart events until the fall of 2022, so it's been a long road to this point, and the audiences — they ultimately tell us what to do," he said.
"We've been at work on this series for over a year with the Broadway producers ... figuring out what the ideal time to bring the shows to Moncton was and how to roll out, you know, the collective announcement of the brand new kind of concept of a Broadway season in Moncton."
Tickets are now available for the entire season of four shows, but if any tickets remain after that sale, Kosin said, they will be available to purchase for individual productions.
So far, the demand has been "through the roof," he said.
Kirstin Daley of Fredericton is one of those who is especially excited for Come From Away. She was trying to plan a trip with a friend to see the production in Toronto but now she'll save some money by only having to drive to Moncton.
Daley said that a few years ago, she never would have believed that New Brunswick would be welcoming a Broadway tour season. But she's happy to see that the appetite is there.
"I've always been into Broadway and musicals and plays and stuff, but it's nice to know there's more people like me out there that wanted it bad enough that we finally got something," she said.
Marshall Button, the artist-in-residence at Moncton's Capitol Theatre, said there is definitely an appetite for musical theatre, both in the city and throughout the province.
"It shows that they're aware that there's an audience for musicals and professional shows," he said. "I think it's very ambitious."
Button said he has put on several musicals at the Capitol Theatre, including The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, and the Wizard of Oz, and he was "gobsmacked" by the number of people who bought tickets.
He said he's expecting a 10 — or more — performance run of the Capitol's production of The Addams Family this winter.
Button is looking forward to seeing what the Broadway touring productions will deliver, especially in a venue that is typically used for concerts and sporting events
"I applaud the initiative, and I think the more the merrier."
Kosin said even with 15-20 shows playing around the world at any given time, there are always other productions the team is working on for the future.
"Our plan is to be bringing Broadway titles to Moncton for many years to come," he said.
"It's really exciting so far to see the response that we've seen from all of the fans of Broadway in Moncton and New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada.
"There's people that are coming, buying season tickets from P.E.I., down from Saint John, even from Nova Scotia as well. So it's great to have everyone come together and really join in on the excitement for Broadway."
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