The Tennessee Theatre is thrilled to announce the 2019-2020 Broadway at the Tennessee Theatre season. The complete lineup is as follows:
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF – Dec. 27-29, 2019
MISS SAIGON – Jan. 28-Feb. 2, 2020
WAITRESS – Feb. 28-March 1, 2020
A BRONX TALE – April 3-5, 2020
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY – May 5-10, 2020
CATS – June 19-21, 2020
Broadway at the Tennessee is a cornerstone of entertainment in the East Tennessee region, bringing long-time theatre goers and first-timers together to enjoy the excitement, energy, and thrill of live theatre. Presenting beloved favorites and today’s hits, the Tennessee Theatre is pleased to present the 2019-2020 Broadway season which features six titles and a total of 34 performances which begin in December 2019 and go through June 2020.
“The Tennessee Theatre is proud to bring these high-quality, diverse productions to Knoxville. To see a Broadway show in Knoxville’s Grand Entertainment Palace – with its intimate auditorium and beautiful ambiance – is an incredible experience,” said Becky Hancock, Executive Director of the Tennessee Theatre. “It is our goal to provide diverse cultural experiences which open the doors to imagination, inspiration, and into the perspectives of others. Broadway shows are an exciting way to explore those other worlds through storytelling, music, and dance. We also thank our new presenting season sponsor, Greater Knoxville Honda Dealers. We look forward to sharing the world of Broadway during our upcoming season.”
Subscription packages for the season are on sale now! Four different package options are available with four, five, and six show options. Subscription benefits include reduced service fees compared to single ticket purchases, first notification of next year’s season, opportunity to purchase additional tickets to individual performances before the public, and free same-show ticket exchanges. To renew a current subscription or to purchase a new subscription, call the Tennessee Theatre box office at 865-684-1200, extension 2 or visit the box office in person on Clinch Avenue. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Audiences across North America are toasting a new production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF! Rich with musical hits you know and love, including “Tradition,” “Sunrise, Sunset;’ “If I Were A Rich Man;’ “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “To Life (L’Chaim!),” FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is the heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and life, love and laughter. Tony®-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific, The King and I and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play Oslo, bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Featuring a talented cast, lavish orchestra and stunning movement and dance from Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF will introduce a new generation to the uplifting celebration that raises its cup to joy! To love! To life!
Experience the acclaimed new production of the legendary musical MISS SAIGON, from the creators of Les Misérables. This is the epic story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim. In a bar run by a notorious character called The Engineer, Kim meets an American G.I. just before the fall of Saigon. That encounter will change their lives forever. Featuring stunning spectacle, a sensational cast of 42, and a soaring score including Broadway hits like “Last Night of the World,” “The Movie in My Mind,” and “American Dream,” this is a theatrical event you will never forget.
Meet Jenna, a WAITRESS and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie.” When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying run-in with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness. Brought to life by a groundbreaking, all-female creative team, this Tony Award® -nominated hit features original music and lyrics by 7-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles (“Love Song,” “Brave”), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam) and original direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Finding Neverland).
A BRONX TALE – Three years ago, Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri teamed up with Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro, Tony® Award winner Jerry Zaks and Tony® Award nominee Sergio Trujillo to create this streetwise musical – based on Palminteri’s true life story.
A BRONX TALE, Broadway’s hit crowd-pleaser, takes you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s, where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he’d love to be. Bursting with high-energy dance numbers and original doo-wop tunes from Academy Award® and Tony® Award-winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and Tony® Award-nominee Glenn Slater (Love Never Dies), A BRONX TALE is an unforgettable story of loyalty and family. The New York Times hails A BRONX TALE as “A Critics’ Pick! The kind of tale that makes you laugh and cry.”
Roald Dahl’s amazing tale is now Knoxville’s golden ticket! CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film, including “Pure Imagination,” “The Candy Man,” and “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,” alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of Hairspray. Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory…to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with color and confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination. Now’s your chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before – get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper!
CATS, the record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber that has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages, is now on tour across North America! Audiences and critics alike are rediscovering this beloved musical with breathtaking music, including one of the most treasured songs in musical theater—”Memory”. Winner of 7 Tony Awards® including BEST MUSICAL, CATS tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. The original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera, School of Rock, Sunset Boulevard), original scenic and costume design by John Napier (Les Misérables), all-new lighting design by Natasha Katz (Aladdin), all-new sound design by Mick Potter, new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) based on the original choreography by Gillian Lynne (Phantom) and direction by Trevor Nunn (Les Misérables) make this production a new CATS for a new generation!
More information on the Broadway at the Tennessee 2019-2020 season can be found at our website www.tennesseetheatre.com.
SPECIAL ADD-ON PERFORMANCES!*
THE COLOR PURPLE – November 5-6, 2019
THE COLOR PURPLE is the 2016 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical Revival! Hailed as “a direct hit to the heart” (The Hollywood Reporter), this joyous American classic about a young woman’s journey to love and triumph in the American South has conquered Broadway in an all-new “ravishingly reconceived production that is a glory to behold” (The New York Times).
BLUE MAN GROUP – April 21-23, 2020
Blue Man Group performances are euphoric celebrations of human connection through art, music, comedy and non-verbal communication. Since debuting at New York’s Astor Place Theatre in 1991, the live show has expanded to additional domestic residencies in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas and Orlando, an international residency in Berlin, and multiple North American and World tours, reaching more than 35 million people worldwide. Blue Man Group is universally appealing to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds, and continually injected with new music, fresh stories, custom instruments and sensory stimulating graphics.
*The Color Purple and Blue Man Group can only be added to subscription packages and cannot be substituted for the six subscription titles. Add-ons can only be purchased now if you purchase a subscription. Individual tickets without a subscription will be available later this year.
About the Tennessee Theatre
Located in the heart of downtown Knoxville, the Tennessee Theatre opened in 1928 as a movie palace. The Tennessee Theatre is the Official State Theatre of Tennessee and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Tennessee Theatre is the region’s leading performing arts venue with advanced technology, staging, and lighting that draws top entertainment to the Knoxville area. The Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the mission of preserving, maintaining, and operating the Theatre for the benefit and enjoyment for all Tennessee residents and visitors.