GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Civic Theatre has announced the lineup for its upcoming 2023-2024 season.
The season will begin with The SpongeBob Musical, which is based on the Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. It will be performed September 15-October 8. In the musical, SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world.
The musical’s book was written by Kyle Jarrow. The show’s Broadway premiere was in December 2017. It went on to be nominated for 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. A television version, titled The SpongeBob Musical: Live On Stage!, aired on Nickelodeon in 2019.
The SpongeBob SquarePants television series was created by Stephen Hillenburg, and premiered on Nickelodeon in 1999. The series stars Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star, and Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tentacles. It show has spawned three feature films: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020). Two spin-off series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years and The Patrick Star Show, premiered in 2021.
The next show will be Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which will be performed November 17-December 17. It is based on the 1991 animated film. The musical features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. The show’s Broadway premiere was in April 1994. It went on to be nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The 1991 animated film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. It stars Paige O’Hara as Belle, Robby Benson as the Beast, and Richard White as Gaston. The film was the first animated movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It went on to win an Oscar for Best Original Score, and one for Best Original Song for “Beauty and the Beast.”
The film was followed by the direct-to-video films Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World (1998), and Belle’s Tales of Friendship (1999). A live action television series, Sing Me a Story with Belle, aired from 1995-1997. A live action remake was released in 2017. The film was directed by Bill Condon and starred Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, and Luke Evans as Gaston.
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s first production of 2024 will be Clyde’s, which will be performed January 19-28. The play is set in a truck stop sandwich shop, which offers its formerly incarcerated kitchen staff a chance for redemption. The staff has a shared quest to create the perfect sandwich.
Clyde’s was written by Lynn Nottage. The show’s Broadway premiere was in November 2021. It went on to be nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Play.
For each performance of Clyde’s, audience members can choose to pay what they want as part of the Civic Theatre’s Pay What You Want January.
Disney’s Descendants: The Musical will be performed March 1-17. The musical is based on the 2015 Disney Channel Original Movie. The musical follows the teenage children of the Disney villains Maleficient (from Sleeping Beauty), the Evil Queen (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Jafar (from Aladdin), and Cruella De Vil (from One Hundred and One Dalmatians). In the play, the teenagers leave the Isle of the Lost, where they have been imprisoned their whole lives.
The musical was written by Nick Blaemire.
The Descendants television movie was directed by Kenny Ortega and stars Dove Cameron as Mel, Cameron Boyce as Carlos, and Booboo Stewart as Jay. It was followed by Descendants 2 in 2017 and Descendants 3 in 2019. An animated series, Descendants: Wicked World, aired on Disney Channel from 2015-2017. A spin-off film titled The Pocketwatch will be directed by Jennifer Phang. It will premiere on Disney+.
The next production will be an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express. It will be performed April 19-May 5. In the play, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The next morning, one of the passengers, an American tycoon, has been found stabbed to death. Detective Hercule Poirot must solve the mystery of the killer’s identity.
The stage version of Murder on the Orient Express was adapted by Ken Ludwig.
Murder on the Orient Express was adapted into a film in 1974. It was directed by Sidney Lumet, and starred Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot, Lauren Bacall as Mrs. Hubbard, and Martin Balsam as Bianchi. The 1974 film went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards. Another film adaptation was released in 2017. The film was directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also played Hercule Poirot. The film also starred Tom Bateman as Bouc and Penélope Cruz as Pilar Estravados.
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s original program Ten For All will return May 17-18. For the program, local playwrights submit their original works for a chance for it to be fully produced on stage for the first time. Audience members will vote for their favorite to win the Audience Choice Award.
The final show of the season will be Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which will be performed June 7-20. The musical tells the story of the early life of singer and songwriter Carole King. The play’s book was written by Douglas McGrath.
The musical’s Broadway premiere was in January 2014. It went on to be nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Sony Pictures is developing a film adaptation starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as King. It will be directed by Lisa Cholodenko.
In the 2023-2024 season, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre will introduce Pay What You Want Wednesdays, where audience members can pay whatever they are willing to give. Seats can be reserved online, via phone, or in person as soon as the individual tickets go on sale. Season passholders will be able to choose their seats after purchasing their season passholders. The program will replace the traditional preview night.
“We’re so excited for this experiment,” said Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s Artistic Director Allyson Paris. “Pay What You Want Wednesday and Pay What You Want January offer our community the chance to take a risk on a play that they might not be familiar with, allowing them the opportunity to discover new art without breaking the bank.”
“The important thing to us is that we are able to share impactful live art with the community, without the burden of a price point,” said Audience Experience Manager Jess Burke.
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre will also continue their accessibility efforts with a wide variety of accessible programs and resources. This includes special performances for the deaf and hard of hearing, low sensory performances, and relaxed environmental performances.
The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s 2023-2024 season will begin with The SpongeBob Musical on September 15. Season passes with early access pricing are now available on the theatre’s website.
