Lion King returns to Century II in October for extended run

Broadway in Wichita fans shouldn’t look too far into the future, Amy Hamm says.

Even though the announcement of the 2020-21 season came with confirmation that a touring production of “Hamilton,” the musical-turned-pop culture touchstone, would be on the Century II stage the following season, Hamm says there are plenty of draws to the upcoming year.

Those include an extended run of Lion King as well as the revival of a classic, a new movie-based musical, an ode to a disco starlet and a concert rendition of a famed pop duo.

“We’re really happy with the mix of this season,” said Hamm, executive director of American Theatre Guild.

The biggest draw, Hamm says, kicks off the season.

“The Lion King”

Scheduled for 24 performances over 18 days, “Lion King” returns to Wichita for the first time since September 2012.

The show will run from Oct. 1-18, 2020.

“The show is just as popular as it was eight years ago. It’s the kind of show that seems to be bringing in new audiences every time,” Hamm said. “I think it’s really exciting for Wichita to be able to bring this back.”

“The Lion King,” which was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 1998, winning for direction, choreography, scenic, costume and lighting design, is based on the 1994 animated Disney feature, which itself returned in a new cinematic version last year. The composers of its score include Elton John and Tim Rice.

The stage musical opened in November 1997 and has continued for 9,300 performances – the third-longest running musical in Broadway history as well as the highest-grossing.

“Disney does a great job of keeping shows fresh and making updates to make sure the shows are exciting and a lot of fun,” Hamm said. “It’s the same show that’s still running on Broadway, it’s just had some freshening up from a few years ago.”

“Fiddler on the Roof”

While most shows in the Broadway in Wichita series run three consecutive weeknights, “Fiddler” will be on a weekend, with one show on Friday and two performances Saturday, Feb. 5-6, 2021.

The classic musical debuted in 1964 with songs such as “Tradition,” “Sunrise, Sunset” and “If I Were a Rich Man.” The version coming to Wichita comes from the 2015 revival directed by Bartlett Sher (“South Pacific,” “My Fair Lady” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” revivals) with choreography based on Jerome Robbins’ original.

“It’s doing really well” after two years on tour, Hamm said. “It’s a gorgeous production – big, lavish.”

“An Officer and a Gentleman”

Based on the 1982 Oscar-winning movie, “Officer” is from Work Light productions, whose “Bandstand” and anniversary production of “Rent” have been in previous Broadway in Wichita seasons.

“We’ve been really happy with a lot of the products and the quality they’ve been able to bring out,” Hamm said.

The musical, which includes the film’s hit single “Up Where We Belong,” debuted in London, and producers have made a few changes before it goes out on tour in 2020-21. It will play in Wichita March 15-17, 2021.

“We’re glad to have been a part of the some of the creative conversations that have taken place,” Hamm said. “It has a really, really strong creative team attached to it.”

Producers even sent the key creative people of the production to a Naval officer training program to get a better taste of the experience.

“I’ve really been impressed with how immersed they’ve been in the whole creative process,” Hamm said.

“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”

A musical biography of the disco diva ran for eight months on Broadway in 2018. It comes to Wichita April 19-21, 2021.

Featuring three different actresses at various stages of Summer’s (1948-2012) life, the show features 20 of her hits, including “Love to Love You Baby,” “Bad Girls” and “She Works Hard for the Money.”“It’s a lot of fun, bright, with all of the Donna Summer music that everyone knows,” Hamm said.

“The Simon & Garfunkel Story”

A season add-on or “swap a show” option is a staged concert featuring two impersonators of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, accompanied by a live band to stage Nov. 27, 2020..

“They go through their discography in their shows, with some projection in the background. They both sound just like them, it’s really uncanny,” Hamm said. “It’s been wonderfully reviewed by patrons in our other markets.”

Season tickets begin at $135 for all shows, and 2020-21 season ticket holders will get the first opportunity for “Hamilton” tickets for the following season, Hamm said. The dates for “Hamilton” have not been announced.

Season tickets are available at BroadwayWichita.com, the WichitaTix box office or 316-303-8100.

This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 8:00 AM.