Hell's Kitchen, Harry Potter featured in 2025/2026 Denver Center for the Performing Arts Broadway Season

CBS News

18-03-2025

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts Broadway and Cabaret has announced its 2025-2026 season. Some of the performances featured this next season include Tony Award-winning performances Shucked and The Outsiders, along with The Notebook, Hell's Kitchen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
"The 2025/26 Broadway season is full of spellbinding, spine-tingling (and slightly corny) hits and we can't wait to see you at the theatre," John Ekeberg, Executive Director of DCPA Broadway and Cabaret said in a statement. "With auto-renew, subscribers no longer need to go through the trouble of re-subscribing every year, so they never have to worry about losing their favorite seats or their DCPA subscriber perks."
Additional Information from the DCPA:
Shucked
Oct. 7-19, 2025
Buell Theatre
Shucked
is the Tony Award®–winning musical comedy
The Wall Street Journal
calls "flat out hilarious!" And nobody knows funny like economists. Featuring a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn (
Tootsie
), a score by the Grammy® Award–winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally (Kacey Musgraves' "Follow Your Arrow"), and directed by Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien (
Hairspray
), this corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy your appetite for great musical theater.
The Notebook
Dec. 16-28, 2025
Buell Theatre
Based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film,
The Notebook
tells the story of Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, who share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart. "Full of butterfly-inducing highs and beautiful songs" (
Entertainment Weekly
),
The Notebook
is a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love. Chris Jones of
The Chicago Tribune
says
The Notebook
is "absolutely gorgeous, not to be missed," and
The New York Daily News
calls it "a love story for the ages."
The Notebook
is directed by Michael Greif (
Dear Evan Hansen
,
Next to Normal
,
RENT
) and Schele Williams (
The Wiz
,
Aida
), and features music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, book by Bekah Brunstetter (NBC's "This Is Us"), and choreography by Katie Spelman.
Water for Elephants
Feb. 11-22, 2026
Buell Theatre
"Many wonders await audiences in this gorgeously imaginative Broadway musical." -
The New York Times
The critically acclaimed bestselling novel comes to "thrilling, dazzling" life (
Time Out New York
) in a unique, spectacle-filled new musical! Hailed as a Critic's Pick,
The New York Times
calls it "stunning, emotional, heart-filled and gorgeously imaginative." After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life—and love—beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age. Tony Award-nominated director Jessica Stone's "huge, heart-filling" production (
The New York Times
) features a book by three-time Tony nominee Rick Elice adapted from Sara Gruen's novel, and a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co. So, step right up to the "spellbinding entertainment" (
Variety
) at
Water for Elephants
, "the best new musical on Broadway" (
Theatermania
).
Hell's Kitchen
April 14-26, 2026
Buell Theatre
Ali is a 17-year-old girl full of fire – searching for freedom, passion and her place in the world. How she finds them is a New York City coming-of-age story you've never felt before –
Hell's Kitchen
, a new musical from 17-time Grammy® Award winner Alicia Keys, whose new songs and greatest hits about growing up in NY inspire a story made for Broadway. Rebellious and stifled by an overprotective single mother, Ali is lost until she meets her mentor: a neighbor who opens her heart and mind to the power of the piano. Set to the rhythm of the 90s,
Hell's Kitchen
is a love story between a mother and daughter. It's about finding yourself, your purpose, and the community that lifts you. Come remember where dreams begin. Hailed as a
New York Times
Critic's Pick that is, "thrilling from beginning to end – a rare must-see!"
Hell's Kitchen
is directed by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, with choreography by four-time Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown, a book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz, and the music of Alicia Keys.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
May 30 – June 27, 2026
Buell Theatre
IT'S TIME TO BELIEVE IN MAGIC
Broadway's spellbinding spectacular
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
is coming to Denver. Join the next adventure and experience the wizarding world like never before at this record-breaking hit and winner of six Tony Awards including Best Play. "It's one of the most defining pop culture events of the decade" (
Forbes
). When Harry Potter's head-strong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all—with the power to change the past and future forever. Prepare for a mind-blowing race through time, spectacular spells, and an epic battle, all brought to life with the most astonishing theatrical magic ever seen on stage. It's a "marvel of imagination" (
The New York Times
) that will "leave you wondering 'how'd they do that?' for days to come" (
People
)
Monty Python's
Spamalot
Aug. 11-23, 2026
Buell Theatre
THE SHOW THAT SET BROADWAY BACK 1,000 YEARS...RETURNS!
Peter Marks of
The Washington Post
exclaims, "It's UNFAIR to make me laugh this much!
Spamalot
is a tightly packed clown car speeding to musical theater nirvana!"
Spamalot
, which first galloped onto Broadway in 2005, returns to Denver off a spectacular Broadway revival last season. Featuring a book and lyrics by Eric Idle and music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, the original Broadway production was nominated for fourteen Tony Awards and won three, including Best Musical. The musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has everything that makes a great knight at the theatre, from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery, and of course, the Lady of the Lake.
Spamalot
features well-known song titles such as "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," "The Song That Goes Like This," "Find Your Grail" and more that have become beloved classics in the musical theatre canon.
The Outsiders
Sept. 8-27, 2026
Buell Theatre
The winner of four 2024 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical
Adapted from S.E. Hinton's seminal novel and Francis Ford Coppola's iconic film, this thrilling new musical features a book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine, music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, music supervision, orchestration, and arrangements by Justin Levine, choreography by Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, and direction by Tony Award® winner Danya Taymor.
Entertainment Weekly
says, "It has the power to inspire an entire generation." In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, Ponyboy Curtis, his best friend Johnny Cade and their Greaser family of 'outsiders' battle with their affluent rivals, the Socs.
The Outsiders
navigates the complexities of self-discovery as the Greasers dream about who they want to become in a world that may never accept them. With a dynamic original score,
The Outsiders
is a story of friendship, family, belonging…and the realization that there is still "lots of good in the world."
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Nov. 8, 2025 – May 10, 2026
Garner Galleria Theatre
LOCALLY PRODUCED
By Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen
Ever wondered what would happen if you took Bram Stoker's legendary vampire tale and put it into a blender with Mel Brooks, Monty Python, and
The 39 Steps
? That's just what happens in this lightning-fast, laugh-out-loud, 90-minute, gender-bending romp. When her sister Mina falls ill with a mysterious disease of the blood, Lucy Westfeldt and her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, enlist the help of famed female vampire hunter Doctor Jean Van Helsing. Their hunt for the dangerous and sexy Count Dracula abounds with clever wordplay and quick-change antics. Five actors play over a dozen roles in this bloodcurdlingly hilarious send-up of the literary classic.
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. Local auditions will be announced at a later date.
ABOUT THE ADDED ATTRACTIONS
Bluebird Improv
May 16-18, 2025
Garner Galleria Theatre
Bluebird is a collective of some of the best improvisers on the planet. The show is inspired by a short conversation with audience members and what follows is an evening of never-before-seen (and never again) scenes and characters that cascade into a hilarious and original freewheeling show.
Bluebird Improv is
- Tim Meadows (
Mean Girls
, SNL)
- Matt Walsh (Co-founder of UCB, "Veep")
- Joe Canale (Alum of The Second City)
- Brad Morris ("Cougar Town," Alum of The Second City)
Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
May 28 – June 29, 2025
Garner Galleria Theatre
The Tony® Award-winning
Forbidden Broadway
, Gerard Alessandrini's hilarious musical spoof of Broadway's biggest shows and brightest stars, wowed critics at a recent opening, with
The New York Times
making it a "Critics Pick", and calling it "The Best Edition of
Forbidden Broadway
in recent memory!", and NY1 one proclaiming "Seeing
Forbidden Broadway
feels like all's right with the world again!" Feeling "completely inspired" by the latest crop of Broadway musicals, Alessandrini lampoons The Great White Way's biggest shows and stars in this edition, which he directed. Gerry McIntyre
(Spamilton, Once on this Island, Anything Goes)
is the choreographer. The musical is produced by John Freedson and Harriet Yellin. Up to the minute spoofs include comic looks at the
Eddie Redmayne
Cabaret
;
& Juliet,
Stephen Sondheim's
Old Friends
,
Into the Woods
, and
Merrily We Roll Along,
this season's new
Cats
Jellicle Ball
, along with
The Outsiders
and
The Great Gatsby;
plus exciting star turns by Patti LuPone, Daniel Radcliffe, Bernadette Peters, and some classic laughs from
The Lion King, Frozen, Phantom, Les Miz
and others. Featured in the cast are Jenny Lee Stern, Chris Collins-Pisano, and Katheryne Penny, with Fred Barton on piano. Set design is by Glenn Bassett, with Costume design by Dustin Cross.
Dixie's Tupperware Party
– Final Season
July 16 – Aug. 17, 2025
Garner Galleria Theatre
Not Your Mother's Tupperware Party! Denver is your last chance to join the party.
Dixie Longate is the fast-talking, gum chewing, ginger-haired Alabama gal who is bringing your grandma's Tupperware party into the 21st century. Audiences howl with laughter as Dixie demonstrates the many alternative uses for the iconic plastic kitchen staple. Filled with outrageously funny tales, heartfelt accounts, audience participation and a little bit of empowerment and homespun wisdom,
Dixie's Tupperware Party
leaves your heart a little bigger and your food a little fresher. ADULT CONTENT
Dixie's Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding a Mechanical Bull (And 16 Other Things I Learned while I Was Drinking Last Thursday)
– Final Season
Aug. 20 – Sept. 7, 2025
Garner Galleria Theatre
Dixie's Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding a Mechanical Bull (And 16 Other Things I Learned while I Was Drinking Last Thursday)
originated right here in Denver, at the Garner Galleria Theatre, before touring the country, and now the show is back! Dixie Longate is known for her phenomenal success and hilarious antics in her wildly popular show,
Dixie's Tupperware Party
. In her hit show, Ms. Longate has reviewers cheering and audiences on their feet with nonstop laughter. Put on your cowboy boots and walk into her favorite honky-tonk as Dixie shares lessons learned after a hard night of drinking. What do a jeweled crown, a cardboard cutout of Julie Andrews and a box of moon pies have in common? Spend the night with Dixie and find out as she swaps her Tupperware bowls for a mechanical bull. Denver is your last chance to catch Dixie in this show.
Disney's
The Lion King
Oct. 23 – Nov. 16, 2025
Buell Theatre
Giraffes strut. Birds swoop. Gazelles leap. The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. This is Disney's
The Lion King
, making its triumphant return to the Buell Theatre, where the award-winning musical launched its North American tour in 2002! More than 100 million people around the world have experienced the awe-inspiring visual artistry, the unforgettable music, and the uniquely theatrical storytelling of this Broadway spectacular – one of the most breathtaking and beloved productions ever to grace the stage. Winner of six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical,
The Lion King
brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway. Tony Award®-winning director Julie Taymor brings to life a story filled with hope and adventure set against an amazing backdrop of stunning visuals.
The Lion King
also features the extraordinary work of Tony Award®-winning choreographer Garth Fagan and some of Broadway's most recognizable music, crafted by Tony Award®-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice.
There is simply nothing else like
The Lion King
.
The Hip Hop Nutcracker
Nov. 21-23, 2025
Buell Theatre
A holiday mash-up for the whole family,
The Hip Hop Nutcracker
, this contemporary dance spectacle is a re-mixed and re-imagined version of the classic, smashing hip hop dance and Tchaikovksy's timeless music together into a heart-stirring and inspirational holiday event.
The Hip Hop Nutcracker
is brought to life by a powerhouse cast of a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ, a violinist, and MC Kurtis Blow, one of hip hop's founding fathers, who opens the show with a short set. Just like the original, in
The Hip Hop Nutcracker
, Maria-Clara and the Nutcracker Prince go on a dream adventure battling a gang of mice, visiting the land of sweets and learning the lessons of the holiday season. Innovative digital graffiti and visuals transform the landscape of E.T.A. Hoffmann's beloved story from traditional 19th Century Germany to the vibrant, diverse sights and sounds of contemporary New York City.
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Dec. 3-7, 2025
Buell Theatre
The Grinch
broke box office records for two consecutive years on Broadway during its holiday engagements at the St. James and Hilton theatres in New York. Since then, millions more theatregoers across America have been delighted by this heart-warming holiday musical, which
The New York Times
praised as "100 times better than any bedtime story" and the Gannett papers hailed as "A genius of a show! A total delight for both kids and adults."
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
features the hit songs "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas" (written by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss) from the original animated series. 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 (John Lee Beatty) and costumes (Robert Morgan) inspired by Dr. Seuss' original illustrations help transport audiences to the whimsical world of Whoville, while the Music and Book of Mel Marvin and Timothy Mason breathe new life into this timeless story of the true meaning of Christmas.
SIX
Jan. 7-11, 2026
Buell Theatre
From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the
SIX
wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over!
SIX
won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.
The New York Times
says
SIX
"TOTALLY RULES!" (Critic's Pick) and
The Washington Post
hails
SIX
as "Exactly the kind of energizing, inspirational illumination this town aches for!"
The SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT
Broadway album debuted at Number 1 on the
Billboard
cast album charts and surpassed 6 million streams in its first month.
Meredith Willson's
The Music Man
Feb. 27 – March 1, 2026
Buell Theatre
There's trouble in River City when a fast-talking salesman gets his heart stolen by the town librarian. Meredith Willson's six-time, Tony Award-winning musical comedy
The Music Man
follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band that he vows to organize – this, despite the fact that he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain's fall. Featuring songs such as "Seventy-Six Trombones," "Trouble," "'Til There Was You," "Pickalittle" and "Gary, Indiana,"
The Music Man
is a family-friendly story to be shared with every generation.
The Phantom of the Opera
March 18 – April 5, 2026
Buell Theatre
THE BRILLIANT ORIGINAL RETURNS "MORE SPECTACULAR THAN EVER" -
Sunday Express
Cameron Mackintosh's legendary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's
The Phantom of the Opera
is back to thrill American audiences once again! A revitalized production featuring Maria Björnson's brilliant original design, which was rapturously received by London critics when it reopened at His Majesty's Theatre in 2021, will launch in a multi-year North American tour in November 2025.
The Phantom of the Opera
is widely considered one of the most beautiful and spectacular productions in history. First directed by Harold Prince with musical staging and choreography by Gillian Lynne, the brilliant original production has played to over 160 million people in 47 territories and 195 cities in 21 languages. Andrew Lloyd Webber's romantic, haunting and soaring score includes "The Music of the Night," "All I Ask of You," "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," "Masquerade" and the iconic title song. It tells the tale of a disfigured musical genius known only as 'The Phantom' who haunts the depths of the Paris Opera House. Mesmerized by the talents and beauty of a young soprano – Christine — The Phantom lures her as his protégé and falls fiercely in love with her. Unaware of Christine's love for Raoul, The Phantom's obsession sets the scene for a dramatic turn of events where jealousy, madness and passions collide. Produced by Cameron Mackintosh with The Really Useful Group.
Hadestown
May 5-10, 2026
Buell Theatre
COME SEE HOW THE WORLD COULD BE.
Welcome to
Hadestown
, where a song can change your fate. Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, this acclaimed new show from celebrated singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and original director Rachel Chavkin (
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
) is a love story for today...and always. Intertwining two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone —
Hadestown
is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.
MJ
May 13-17, 2026
Buell Theatre
Back by overwhelming demand, the multiple Tony Award®-winning musical
MJ
is making a victorious return to Denver. Created by Tony Award-winning Director/Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage,
MJ
goes beyond Michael Jackson's singular moves and signature sound, offering a rare glimpse at the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour. Don't miss your chance to experience the show that's electrifying sold-out crowds on Broadway, in cities across North America, London's West End, and Hamburg, Germany once again to the Buell Theatre in May 2026.
The Sound of Music
July 29 – Aug. 2, 2026
Buell Theatre
For 65 years,
The Sound of Music
has been one of our "favorite things." With its timeless story and irresistibly charming score, this Rodgers & Hammerstein classic isn't just meant to be enjoyed - it's meant to be shared. Directed by three-time Tony Award® winner Jack O'Brien (
Hairspray
), this vibrant and romantic tale of Maria and the von Trapp family features beloved songs like "Do-Re-Mi," "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" and "Edelweiss."
Beetlejuice
Aug. 4-9, 2026
Buell Theatre
He earned his stripes on Broadway…now the ghost-with-the-most is returning to Denver by popular demand.
It's showtime! Based on Tim Burton's dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. With an irreverent book, an astonishing set, and a score that's out of this Netherworld,
Beetlejuice
is "SCREAMINGLY GOOD FUN!" (
Variety
). And under its uproarious surface (six feet under, to be exact), it's a remarkably touching show about family, love, and making the most of every Day-O!
TICKET ADVISORY
Please be advised that the DCPA — denvercenter.org — is the ONLY authorized ticket provider for these productions in Denver. Tickets purchased from a source other than DCPA may be lost, stolen, fake, or otherwise violate our terms or policies. Such tickets will not be honored. The DCPA is not able to intervene with ticket purchases through a third party or ticket broker. The DCPA does not guarantee the authenticity of tickets purchased from any third-party reseller (such as brokers or individuals). Patrons found in violation of the DCPA Ticket Purchase and Sale Terms and Policies may have all their tickets cancelled.