Broadway is Back at National Theatre DC!

It's been frustrating to see businesses open, travel and live sports resume, all while Broadway and live theatre remain dark. I'm thrilled to finally see a light at the end of the tunnel with recent announcements of Broadway's September reopening, and now locally, DC's National Theatre has announced it's upcoming season beginning this December - and it's a good one! It includes the returning favorite, RENT, and my personal favorite, Come From Away! Here's the full season:

TOOTSIE

DECEMBER 7-12, 2021

Call it “musical comedy heaven” (Rolling Stone). Call it “the most uproarious new musical in years!” (The Hollywood Reporter). Call it TOOTSIE! This laugh-out-loud love letter to the theater tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime. Featuring a hilarious Tony®-winning book by Robert Horn and an outrageously clever score by 2018 Tony®-winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), this New York Times Critic’s Pick is “a joyful delight” (The Washington Post) that’s “so packed with punchlines, it should be called a jokebox musical!” (Bloomberg). “In these turbulent times, when the world seems out of balance, we need a place to let the good times roll,” raves Rolling Stone. “TOOTSIE is it!”

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL

DECEMBER 28, 2021 - JANUARY 2, 2022

After an incredible run on Broadway, Audience Choice Award-winner PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is now on tour! One of Hollywood’s most beloved stories of all time, PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is brought to life by a powerhouse creative team representing the best of music, Hollywood, and Broadway. Featuring direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde), an original score by Grammy® winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance (“Summer of ’69”, “Heaven”), and a book by the movie’s legendary director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J.F. Lawton, PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL will lift your spirits and light up your heart. “If you love the movie, you’ll love the musical!” (BuzzFeed News). Are you ready to fall in love all over again?

COME FROM AWAY

APRIL 12-17, 2022

Broadway’s COME FROM AWAY is a Best Musical winner all across North America! This New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. Don’t miss this breathtaking new musical written by Tony® nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and helmed by Tony®-winning Best Director, Christopher Ashley. Newsweek cheers, “It takes you to a place you never want to leave!” On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all.

HAIRSPRAY

MAY 10-15, 2022

You Can’t Stop the Beat! HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award®-winning musical comedy phenomenon that inspired the blockbuster film and live television event, is back on tour! Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960’s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Featuring the beloved score of hit songs including “Welcome to the 60’s,” “Good Morning Baltimore,” “It Takes Two,” and incorporating “Ladies Choice” from the musical film adaption, HAIRSPRAY is “fresh, winning, and deliriously tuneful!” (The New York Times). This all-new touring production will reunite Broadway’s award-winning creative team led by director Jack O’Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell to bring HAIRSPRAY to a new generation of theater audiences. Don’t miss this “exhilaratingly funny and warm-hearted musical comedy” (The New Yorker).

Season ticket buyers (subscribers) may add any of the following seasons specials to their subscription package as desired:

DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL

NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 5, 2021

DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL is the record-setting Broadway holiday sensation which features the hit songs “You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas” from the original animated special. Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is “two sizes too small,” decides to steal Christmas away from the Holiday loving Whos. Magnificent sets and costumes inspired by Dr. Seuss’ original illustrations help transport audiences to the whimsical world of Whoville and helps remind us of the true meaning of the holiday season. Don’t miss what The New York Times calls “An extraordinary performance! 100 times better than any bedtime story.”

THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY

JANUARY 29-30, 2022

THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY is touring North America again this year! Using state of the art video projection, photos and original film footage, the show also features a full live band performing all of their hits, including ‘Mrs. Robinson’ (featured in the 1967 film The Graduate), ‘Cecilia’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, ‘Homeward Bound’ and many more. THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY is an immersive concert-style theater show chronicles the amazing journey shared by the folk-rock duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. It tells the story from their humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry to their incredible success as one of the best-selling music groups of the ‘60’s to their dramatic split in 1970. It culminates with the famous “The Concert in Central Park” reunion in 1981 with more than half a million fans in attendance.

ALTON BROWN: BEYOND THE EATS

FEBRUARY 20, 2022

Alton Brown is hitting the road with a new culinary variety show. Audiences can expect more comedy, more music, more highly unusual cooking demos, and more potentially dangerous sciencey stuff. Prepare for an evening unlike any other and if Brown calls for volunteers… think twice.

RENT – THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY FAREWELL TOUR

MARCH 25-27, 2022

For a quarter of a century, Jonathan Larson’s RENT has inspired us to choose love over fear and to live without regret. This Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize-winning phenomenon follows a year in the lives of a diverse group of artists and friends struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. It has become more than a musical – it’s a cultural touchstone, a rite of passage and a source of joy and strength for millions. RENT has become a part of us forever. Whether you’ve never seen RENT or have completely lost count, you can’t miss it this time around – the 25th Anniversary “Farewell Season of Love” is your final chance to experience this celebrated touring production.

Want season tickets? Subscriptions are available starting at $145.

Keep updated before you go via the theatre's COVID-19 info center.