Grand Rapids Civic Theatre

is pleased to announce the 2023-2024 season.

 

 

 

THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL
September 15 – October 8, 2023

Presenting Sponsor: West Michigan Toyota Dealers  

The stakes are higher than ever in this dynamic stage musical, as SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world. Chaos erupts. Lives hang in the balance. And just when all hope seems lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and takes center stage. The power of optimism really can save the world! 

RATED: PG for mild language and some adult situations.

The SpongeBob Musical is based on the beloved animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg; book by Kyle Jarrow, with original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and T.I., songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny and Andy Paley. Additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton, additional music by Tom Kitt. Original production conceived by Tina Landau.


 

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
November 17 – December 17, 2023

Presenting Sponsor: Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge

Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast includes all of the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice.  The Tony Award-winning musical tells the tale of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. Can the Beast learn to love and be loved in return before time runs out?

RATED: PG for mild fantasy violence.

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

 

CLYDE’S
January 19 – 28, 2024

In Clyde’s, a truck stop sandwich shop offers its formerly incarcerated kitchen staff a shot at redemption. Even as the shop’s callous owner tries to keep them under her thumb, the staff members are given purpose and permission to dream by their shared quest to create the perfect sandwich. The 2022 Tony-nominated play is written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage.

This season we are excited to introduce “Pay What You Want January”! For each and every performance of Clyde’s, audience members can choose to pay what they want to attend. Grand Rapids Civic Theatre is excited to invite you to experience this stirringl new play, and “Pay What You Want January” allows the community to invest in a new theatre experience with a manageable price point that YOU decide. The amount you pay is based on what you are able and willing to give the production, whether that is the cost of a small coffee or the bill for a large dinner. Reserve your seat online, via phone or in person as soon as individual tickets go on sale, or choose your seats today if you’re a 2023-24 Season Passholder.

RATED: R for strong language, adult themes, and explicit sexual references.

By Lynn Nottage


 

DISNEY’S DESCENDANTS
March 1 – 17, 2024

Based on the popular Disney Channel Original Movies, Disney’s Descendants: The Musical is an exciting new show jam-packed with comedy, adventure, Disney characters, and hit songs from the films! Imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost – home of the most infamous villains who ever lived – the teenaged children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella De Vil have never ventured off the island… until now.

RATED: G for the entire family.

Book by Nick Blaemire, Additional lyrics by Nick Blaemire, Music Adaptation by Madeline Smith, Vocal and Incidental Arrangements Madeline Smith, Orchestrations by Matthew Tishler, Music Produced by Matthew Tishler; Music Adaptations, Vocal and Incidental Arrangements by Madeline Smith, Orchestrations and Music Produced by Matthew Tischler
 

 

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
April 19 – May 5, 2024

Presenting Sponsor: Centennial Securities

Ken Ludwig’s clever adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express boasts all the glamour, intrigue and suspense of her celebrated novel, with a healthy dose of humor. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer – in case they decide to strike again.

RATED: PG-13 for some adult themes and mild violence.

By Ken Ludwig


 

TEN FOR ALL
Civic Theatre’s Ten-Minute Playwriting Festival
May 17-18, 2024

Back for its 4th year, the Ten For All festival will once again present original world premiere 10-minute plays written by West Michigan playwrights. Plays are anonymously read and scored and the top Semi-Finalist scripts in each category are read live on stage. Those Semi-Finalists are then adjudicated by local theatre experts and media and business leaders and then one finalist in each category is named. The finalist plays are then fully produced, staged, and performed during the premiere event, and audience members vote to give one playwright the coveted “Audience Choice” Award.

*Note: Ten For All is a Civic Special Event; pricing and ticketing details to be released at a later date.

Rating pending based on submitted content.


 

BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL
June 7 – 30, 2024

Presenting Sponsor: Warner Norcross + Judd

Before she was hit-maker Carole King — she was Carole Klein, a spunky, young songwriter from Brooklyn with a unique voice. From the chart-topping hits she wrote for the biggest acts in music to her own life-changing, trailblazing success with Tapestry, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical takes you back to where it all began — and takes you on the ride of a lifetime. Featuring such unforgettable classics as “You’ve Got a Friend”, “One Fine Day”, “So Far Away”, “Take Good Care of My Baby”, “Up on the Roof”, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”, and “Natural Woman”, this Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning musical phenomenon is filled with the songs you remember — and a story you’ll never forget.

RATED: PG-13 some adult themes and language.

 

Words and Music by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil; Book by Douglas McGrath; Music by Arrangement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing