Wausau Pilot & Review
After a successful reopening of the historic theater after an 18-month closure, continued recognition as one of Pollstar’s Top 150 Theatres in the World, and performances from incredible artists across genres, The Grand Theater on Monday evening announced the lineup for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.
As always, The Grand is bringing world-class Broadway to Central Wisconsin. This season will feature four touring Broadway productions with a combined 23 Tony Awards, headlined by The Book of Mormon, the winner of Nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Another Best Musical winner hits the stage in January when Hairspray comes to The Grand, while one of the longest-running shows on Broadway, the legendary Chicago, returns for the first time in 15 years next March. Celebrate the Holiday Season with Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, from the producers of the award-winning Broadway hit. The season also features incredible Broadway talents in concert, including Wausau favorite The Midtown Men delivering a night of holiday hits, and Tony-nominee Adam Jacobs, who closes the season in June with a night of the music of the legendary Alan Menken.
In total, the 2022/23 Season features 29 shows between October and early June. The lineup includes incredible music from all genres. Country music legends Lonestar and Lorrie Morgan both come to The Grand for the first time, while Marc Martel returns after a sold-out show in 2019, headlining the Ultimate Queen Celebration. In October, The Doo Wop project opens the season with an evening celebrating the evolution of pop music from doo wop to today. March brings two classic rock bands both celebrating their 50th Anniversary—Atlanta Rhythm Section and Pure Prairie League—for an evening of hits.
Some of the hottest touring acts on the road today will also grace The Grand’s stage this season. Champions of Magic have sold out venues across the world with their incredible evening of illusions, while Whose Line Is It Anyway’s Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood return for “Scared Scriptless”, their sidesplitting improv show. Direct from London’s West End, Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books into one hilarious show. Also from the West End, The Simon & Garfunkel Story returns for a multimedia trip through the years celebrating the legendary music duo. The Wisconsin debut of a breathtaking new show, Our Planet: Live in Concert, will bring the Emmy-Award winning nature show to life in a live concert experience featuring an on-stage orchestra.
The season features shows for audiences of all ages, including holiday shows like All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 and the Wausau Christmas tradition that is the John Altenburgh Christmas Extravaganza. World-class ballet returns to The Grand as the American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company showcases the next generation of ballet stars. The Japanese Taiko drummers of Yamato will
bring the ancient art to Wausau, and the incomparable Jazz at Lincoln Center presents an evening celebrating the first three decades of jazz in Songs We Love.
All of these shows and more are available in season subscription orders beginning on Tuesday, June 7 at The Grand’s 2022/23 Season Preview Party. The event begins at 5:30pm, with the Season Presentation in the theater at 6:30pm.
Season subscription packages start at four shows and feature a discount of up to 15% depending on subscription level. Subscribers also receive priority seating, free ticket exchanges, and invitations to exclusive events. Contact the ticket office at 715-842-0988, online at www.grandtheater.org, or stop in to the Ticket Office at 401 4th Street in Downtown Wausau to subscribe starting Wednesday, June 8. Single-show tickets go on sale on July 12, 2022 at 9 a.m.
2022/23 Season Lineup
DOO WOP PROJECT – October 7, 2022
The Doo Wop Project is made up of Broadway stars who trace the evolution of pop music from Doo Wop to Motown and straight through to the biggest hits of today! It’s a musical journey celebrating some of the biggest hits of the last 70 years in an epic, high energy and crowd-pleasing show!
THE OK FACTOR & JAERV – October 11, 2022
A Wausau favorite, classical-crossover duo The OK Factor returns to The Grand, and this time they are bringing along the award-winning Swedish quintet Jaerv! With a genre-bending sound that is described as “pure magic”, it’s a night of music you don’t want to miss!
THE ULTIMATE QUEEN CELEBRATION STARRING MARC MARTEL – October 13, 2022
The Ultimate Queen Celebration is a highly theatrical, eye-popping performance of songs that Queen made famous, starring Marc Martel, known as “the vocal doppelganger for the Queen frontman.”
THE BOOK OF MORMON – October 18 & 19, 2022
The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century.” The Washington Post says, “It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals.” And Entertainment Weekly says, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time.” It’s THE BOOK OF MORMON, the nine-time Tony Award winning Best Musical, coming to The Grand for two nights! Contains explicit language.
LONESTAR – October 20, 2022
For 30 years, Lonestar has delivered one chart-topping hit after another. They went straight to #1 with their second single, “No News”, and didn’t stop there, putting out ten Number One hits, including “Everything Changed”, “What About Now” and the global smash “Amazed.”
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE STUDIO COMPANY – October 29, 2022
The rising stars of one of the nation’s most prestigious ballet companies make their Wausau debut with an evening of incredible artistry. The repertoire features a mix of classical and neoclassical works, contemporary works, and new custom pieces commissioned each season, all showcasing the vibrancy of these young dancers.
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET CHRISTMAS – November 18, 2022
Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley come together again to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. Sun Records, now donned with a Christmas tree, garland, and mistletoe, rings with the sounds of the season and the chart-toppers that made these four famous. Follow along with the gang’s usual antics as we journey through a story of Christmas past, present, and future. It’s a jam-packed evening of holidays hits and classic characters you won’t want to miss!
ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 – November 22, 2022
The musical All Is Calm recalls an outstanding moment during WWI when Allied and German soldiers met in “No Man’s Land” and laid down their arms to celebrate the holiday together by trading carols, sharing meals, and burying the dead. This remarkable story has become a must-see holiday classic.
THE MIDTOWN MEN: HOLIDAY HITS – December 7, 2022
Back after a pair of sold out shows, The Midtown Men—the four stars from the original cast of Broadway’s Jersey Boys—return to Wausau to ring in the holiday season with tunes from all of your favorite 60’s legends, from The Four Seasons to The Beatles, the Temptations, and many more!
JOHN ALTENBURGH CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA – December 16, 2022
With decades of sold-out shows, the John Altenburgh Christmas Extravaganza returns once again to The Grand Theater! A true Wisconsin Christmas tradition, this has long been the hottest ticket in town. With an all-star lineup, it’s a night of the best of jazz, blues, and the holiday songs you know and love.
CHAMPIONS OF MAGIC – January 12, 2023
The Champions of Magic brings amazing interactive experience, a daring escape from Houdini’s water torture cell, levitation above the stage, a finale you can’t believe and much more! They’ve sold out venues across the globe and now they’re coming to The Grand for the first time!
HAIRSPRAY – January 16, 2023
You Can’t Stop the Beat! HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, is back on tour! Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960s 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?
WORLD OF MUSICALS – February 1, 2023
The World of Musicals brings the very best of musical theatre to life! This captivating production is an emotional journey through the great world of musicals that will leave audiences spellbound. From Evita and Wicked to Rock of Ages and Mamma Mia, this show has something for everyone!
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER PRESENTS: SONGS WE LOVE – February 15, 2023
Songs We Love is a journey through the first 50 years of jazz, as three talented vocalists join an all-star band made up of New York’s rising jazz stars. Combining their distinct talents, the group will sing and play their way through four decades of music, featuring music from iconic singers including Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and more!
THE PEKING ACROBATS – February 17, 2023
The legendary Peking Acrobats perform daring maneuvers atop a precarious pagoda of chairs and display their technical prowess at such arts as trick-cycling, precision tumbling, juggling, somersaulting, and gymnastics. With time time-honored Chinese music, high-tech special effects and awe-inspiring acrobatic feats, it’s an evening with the festive pageantry of a Chinese Carnival!
CLASSIC ALBUMS LIVE: PINK FLOYD’S DARK SIDE OF THE MOON – February 24, 2023
The talented musicians of Classic Albums live return to The Grand, and this time they’re bringing an iconic album celebrating its 50th Anniversary, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon. Classic Albums Live will treat audiences to one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time – featuring Pink Floyd classics like “Breathe (In the Air),” “Money,” “Brain Damage,” and more– recreating the classic album, note for note, cut for cut.
IRELAND WITH MICHAEL LIVE – March 3, 2023
The golden voice of Riverdance on Broadway, Michael Londra, leads an all-star group that will use music, dance and stories to transport audiences to the Emerald Isle! Ireland with Michael harnesses the visual beauty of Ireland, using video and a band, world champion Irish Dancers, and of course, the legendary Michael Londra, the Emmy-Award nominated host of the television show Ireland with Michael!
COLIN AND BRAD: SCARED SCRIPTLESS – March 5, 2023
Wausau favorites and stars of the hit TV show Whose Line is it Anyway? Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood return to The Grand with their uproarious live show, Scared Scriptless! Armed with only their wits, the best duo in improv comedy delivers a night of laughs second to none. No two shows are ever the same when these incredible talents take the stage!
CHICAGO – March 12, 2023
After 25 years, CHICAGO is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz, with one show-stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. No wonder CHICAGO has been honored with six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy and thousands of standing ovations. As they celebrate their 25th anniversary — you’ve got to come see why the name on everyone’s lips is still… CHICAGO.
OUR PLANET: LIVE IN CONCERT – March 16, 2023
The landmark Emmy Award-winning Netflix series that took the world by storm is now a live concert event! Our Planet: Live in Concert combines breathtaking HD cinematography with a live orchestra. A journey of discovery across our planet featuring narration by legendary broadcaster David Attenborough, this mesmerizing concert is a spectacular celebration of the planet we call home.
ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION & PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE: 50 YEARS TOGETHER –
March 17, 2023 It’s an evening of songs, stories and American rock by two legendary bands, both celebrating their 50th Anniversary! See Pure Prairie League perform what is perhaps the most beloved country rock song of all time, “Aime.” Hear hits from Atlanta Rhythm Section’s 1978 breakthrough album Champagne Jam, and so much more as these groups prove that even 50 years later, they still embody everything that “classic rock” implies!
THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY – March 28, 2023
Returning to The Grand after a sold-out show in 2017, The Simon & Garfunkel Story is a critically acclaimed concert-style theatre show about two young boys from Queens, New York who went on to become the world’s most successful music duo of all time. Using state of the art video projection, incredible lighting and a full live band, The Simon & Garfunkel Story is a moving and powerful concert featuring all the hits such as “Mrs. Robinson,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound,” “Scarborough Fair,” “The Boxer,” “The Sound Of Silence,” and many more.
YAMATO: THE DRUMMERS OF JAPAN – March 31, 2023
For over 25 years, Yamato’s acclaimed performances of Japanese Taiko drumming have captivated millions of people across the globe. They’ve brought their thunderous music, incredible athletic ability and talented showmanship to 54 countries in over 3,500 performances, and next March they come to The Grand for the very first time!
THE RUSH TRIBUTE PROJECT – April 14, 2023
Combining skilled musicianship with exciting performances, The Rush Tribute Project (known as RTP to its dedicated fanbase) delivers the magic of Rush’s famous live concerts. Covering all 40-plus years of Rush’s amazing career, RTP painstakingly recreates the sound and energy that made Rush one of the top-selling rock bands of all time.
LORRIE MORGAN – April 21, 2023
Lorrie Morgan has achieved it all in her legendary country music career: Three Number One Hits, 14 Top Ten Hits, Grammy, CMA and ACM awards, and the youngest inductee to The Grand Ole Opry at age 27! She’ll bring all of her biggest hits—including “Five Minutes,” “What Part of No,” and “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”—plus songs from her four decades as country royalty when she comes to The Grand!
YESTERDAY AND TODAY: THE INTERACTIVE BEATLES EXPERIENCE – April 28, 2023
There is only one Beatles show that is truly interactive—where the audience picks the setlist—and that show is Yesterday and Today! Billy, Matthew and Ryan McGuigan lead an all-star band, while audience members fill out cards with their favorite Beatles song, and the reason why. Those songs and personal stories create the performance! Every show is different, every show is interactive, and every show proves that the Beatles music truly is the soundtrack to our lives.
POTTED POTTER – May 2, 2023
Playing to sold-out houses all over the world, the Olivier Award nominated Potted Potter – The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real-life game of Quidditch) into seventy hilarious minutes. Even if you don’t know the difference between a horcrux and a Hufflepuff, Potted Potter will make you roar with laughter.
CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES – May 7, 2023
It’s the 20th Anniversary tour of the beloved musical comedy Church Basement Ladies! A celebration of the stalwart, stable, sturdy ladies who live and breathe the church basement protocol while attempting to solve the problems of a rural Minnesota church, the Church Basement Ladies are in perpetual motion
as they attempt to stave off one disaster after another, creating “holy hilarity” that audiences have loved for decades!
ADAM JACOBS: RIGHT WHERE I BELONG, THE SONGS OF ALAN MENKEN – June 2, 2023
Join Broadway’s original Aladdin and Grammy-nominated artist Adam Jacobs as he explores the prolific songbook of the incomparable Alan Menken. Featuring classic songs from hits such as Newsies, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, Aladdin and more, his family-friendly show will leave audiences of all ages inspired.
