KOOZA
January 25 – March 5
Sam Houston Race Park
KOOZA is returning to the Big Top in Houston for another over-the-top performance showcasing the acrobatic feats and the art of clowning that Cirque du Soleil is known for. The name KOOZA is inspired by the Sanskrit word koza, which means box, chest, or treasure, and was chosen because one of the underlying concepts of the production is the idea of a "circus in a box." KOOZA explores themes of identity, recognition, and power and is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, and audacity.
cirquedusoleil.com/kooza
Chicago
Jan 31 – February 12
Theater Under the Stars
Set in the legendary city during the roaring 20s, Chicago tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses locked up in Cook County Jail. Nightclub star Velma's serving time for killing her husband and sister after finding they were having an affair. Driven chorus girl Roxie's been tossed in the joint for murdering her lover. While in jail, Velma plans her dramatic comeback while Roxie's got some of her own tricks up her sleeve. Chicago has been honored with six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and a Grammy.
houston.broadway.com
Moulin Rouge
February 22 – March 12
Broadway at the Hobby Center
Enter a world of splendor and romance, eye-popping excess, glitz, grandeur, and glory. A world where bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Baz Luhrmann's revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical extravaganza. Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the winner of 10 Tony Awards — including Best Musical.
houston.broadway.com
Legally Blonde
April 4 – 16
Theater Under the Stars
Fabulously fun and international award-winning Legally Blonde – The Musical is the ultimate Broadway tribute to girl power. Follow the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, sexism, snobbery, and scandal in pursuit of her dreams and proves that you can be legally blonde and the most intelligent person in the room. This contemporary musical moves quickly, driven by memorable songs and explosive dances.
tuts.com
Tosca
April 21 May 5
Wortham Theater Center
A mix of political crime, love, and obsession explodes in tragedy in Puccini's masterpiece, Tosca, one of the world's favorite operas. The story is set in Rome in the early 1800s, where singer Floria Tosca and painter Cavaradossi are in love. But their romance is doomed by the toxic Baron Scarpia, who is on the hunt for the escaped political prisoner whom Cavaradossi is protecting. To make matters worse, Scarpia decides he wants Tosca for himself, jails her lover, and threatens to kill him. Tosca tries to save Cavaradossi's life by striking a terrible bargain with Scarpia, but he betrays her—and her revenge comes too late.
houstongrandopera.org
To Kill a Mockingbird
April 25 – 30
Broadway at the Hobby Center
Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic To Kill a Mockingbird debuted on Broadway to rave reviews. The show follows the story of Atticus Finch, a lawyer in 1930s Alabama, as he defends Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape. Unlike the book, the play has Atticus as the protagonist, not his daughter Scout, allowing his character to change throughout the show.
houston.broadway.com
Salome
April 28 to May 12
Wortham Theater Center
Strauss's erotic drama Salome returns to HGO with the U.S. premiere from Spanish director Francisco Negrin, who makes his company debut with this gripping production. Based on the scandalous play by Oscar Wilde, the opera recounts the story of a deeply disturbed princess who has fallen in love with Jokanaan (also known as John the Baptist). After he denies her advances, she performs the infamous and seductive Dance of the Seven Veils for King Herod in exchange for John's head.
houstongrandopera.org
Rent
May 16 – 28
Theater Under the Stars
Theater Under the Stars created this brand-new production for the 2022-2023 season. Rent is a Tony winner for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson, is loosely based on Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in Lower Manhattan's East Village under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.
tuts.com
Wicked
May 31 to July 2
Broadway at the Hobby Center
One of the highest-grossing, most critically acclaimed, and longest-running shows on Broadway is told from the perspective of, and focuses on, the witches of the Land of Oz; its plot begins before and continues after Dorothy Gale arrives in Oz from Kansas. Wicked tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Galinda (later Glinda the Good Witch), whose relationship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, same love-interest, reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's private fall from grace.
houston.broadway.com
