SONDHEIM, CINDERELLA, UGLY X-MAS SWEATERS AND CHER ARE AMONG THE TREATS THAT MAKE UP THE TUTS 2023/24 SEASON!

Today, Theatre Under The Stars announced the full lineup for the 2023/24 Season this afternoon, and it includes a brand-new musical written by TUTS Artistic Director, Dan Knechtges and Megan Larche Dominick.

“The 2023/24 Season really does have it all – thrills, chills, humor, passion and heart! Every show this season will have you talking about it after whether it’s your new favorite musical or you left the theatre with a different perspective on the world around you, you’re not going to want to miss a moment of it,” said Knechtges.

The season kicks off in August with the Houston premiere of the National Tour of Jagged Little Pill, the Tony Award-winning musical set to the music of Alanis Morissette. In October, just in time for Halloween, TUTS takes to the dark streets of London with an immersive production of the Sondheim masterpiece, Sweeney Todd.

This holiday season, TUTS has not one, but two holiday shows to keep you celebrating all season. First in November, TUTS will have the world premiere of the new, laugh-out-loud musical, The Ugly X-mas Sweater Musical, an alternative holiday show where audience participation is highly encouraged. This will be an add-on option for the season performed on the Zilkha stage, and TUTS subscribers will get exclusive access to the show before tickets go on sale to the public in the summer. Then in December, TUTS will delight audiences with a brand-new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The production, which is a nod to the popular version that was produced for television by Disney will thrill audiences, young and old alike.  

In the spring of 2024 TUTS brings Houston two vibrant productions that will have audiences dancing and singing in the aisles. First in January, On Your Feet, the story of two people who together became an international sensation, Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Their story, interwoven with all of her hits, will capture your heart. In April, TUTS brings you the Houston premiere of the National Tour of The Cher Show, a musical that celebrates all of the spectacle and glamour that is Cher wrapped in 35 smash hits for a nonstop musical celebration of her life.  

The season wraps up in May with a brand-new TUTS production of the hit Disney musical, Newsies! The mesmerizing dance numbers that have captivated audiences time and time again will finally come to life on the TUTS stage after it was canceled in March of 2020 because of the pandemic.  

THE THEATRE UNDER THE STARS 2023/24 SEASON

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SOME SHOWS YOU SEE. THIS SHOW YOU FEEL.
PROUDLY PRESENTED BY THEATRE UNDER THE STARS

JAGGED LITTLE PILL

AUG. 29 – SEPT. 10  

Music by Alanis Morissette  

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

Book by Diablo Cody

Directed by Diane Paulus

Joy, love, heartache, strength, wisdom, catharsis, LIFE—everything we’ve been waiting to see in a Broadway show— is here in the exhilarating, fearless new musical based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music. 

Directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin, 1776) with a Tony-winning book by Diablo Cody (Juno) and Grammy-winning score, this electrifying production about a perfectly imperfect American family “vaults the audience to its collective feet” (The Guardian). “Redemptive, rousing and real, Jagged Little Pill stands alongside the original musicals that have sustained the best hopes of Broadway.” (The New York Times) 

You live, you learn, you remember what it’s like to feel truly human… at Jagged Little Pill. 

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THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
PROUDLY PRODUCED BY THEATRE UNDER THE STARS – ONLY IN HOUSTON

SWEENEY TODD

Oct. 17 – 29

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Book by Hugh Wheeler

Based on the adaptation by Christopher Bond

Directed & Choreographed by Dan Knechtges

Winner of 8 Tony Awards! Stephen Sondheim’s landmark musical masterpiece, set in the dark corners of 19th century England. This is the tale of a vengeful barber out for blood and a resourceful pie shop owner. Together they serve up the hottest and most wicked pies in London. It’s the perfect show to get you in the Halloween spirit!

“Sweeney Todd,” a glorious musical thriller set in a society that has become morally unhinged.” Los Angeles Times 

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“THE OFFICE” MEETS “PROJECT RUNWAY”
ADD-ON SHOW FOR THE 2023/24 SEASON!
PROUDLY PRODUCED BY THEATRE UNDER THE STARS – ONLY IN HOUSTON

THE UGLY X-MAS SWEATER MUSICAL

NOV. 28 – DEC. 24

Book by Dan Knechtges and Megan Larche Dominick

Directed & Choreographed by Dan Knechtges

A new musical written by Dan Knechtges, TUTS Artistic Director, and Megan Larche Dominick, The Ugly X-mas Sweater Musical is a laugh-out loud, interactive musical. Cheryl is the HR director of a large company that is being bought out by an international conglomerate. To save their jobs, her employees (you, the audience!) must come up with the best “Ugly X-mas Sweater” ever. Blending the comedy of “The Office” with the competitive spirit of Project Runway “and “Pose” The Ugly X-mas Sweater Musical includes many of your favorite holiday songs. Singing along and walking the runway is encouraged.

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IMPOSSIBLE THINGS ARE HAPPENING EVERY DAY
PROUDLY PRODUCED BY THEATRE UNDER THE STARS – ONLY IN HOUSTON

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s

CINDERELLA

Dec. 5 – 24

Music Richard Rodgers

Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Adapted for the stage by Tom Briggs

Directed by Eboni Bell Darcy

For the holidays our doors burst wide open with all the magic of this fresh, dazzling and empowering production of the classic tale. Inspired by the acclaimed Disney adaptation starring Brandy and Whitney Houston, this timeless, magical fairy tale is reborn as a hilarious and romantic story featuring Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most beloved songs. 

“This version is for those who do enjoy the theatricality of a movie-musical, the splendor of a fairy tale and the escapism of a romance and unapologetically revels in the fun of it all.” Times News 

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HER VOICE. HIS VISION. THEIR STORY.
PROUDLY PRESENTED BY THEATRE UNDER THE STARS

ON YOUR FEET

JAN. 30 – FEB. 11

Music and Lyrics by Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan

Book by Alexander Dinelaris

Directed by Luis Salgado

On Your Feet! is the inspiring true story about heart, heritage and two people who believed in their talent—and each other—to become an international sensation: Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Now their story is an all-new exhilarating original musical winning the hearts of critics and audiences alike, with the Chicago Tribune declaring “IT’S A HIT!” and The New York Times cheering, “The very air in the room seems to vibrate in this undeniably crowd-pleasing musical!”  

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HER LIFE. HER STORY. HER LEGEND.
PROUDLY PRESENTED BY THEATRE UNDER THE STARS

THE CHER SHOW

APR. 16 – 28, 2024

Book by Rick Elice

Directed by Casey Hushion

Superstars come and go. Cher is forever. For six decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture — breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries, and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. This is her story, and it’s packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her. Featuring all of Cher’s amazing Bob Mackie outfits.

“…slyly fabulous and imbued with a plucky feminist spirit that’s quite stirring.” –Hollywood Reporter 

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SEIZE THE DAY!
PROUDLY PRODUCED BY THEATRE UNDER THE STARS – ONLY IN HOUSTON

Disney’s

NEWSIES

May 21 – JUNE 2, 2024

Music by Alan Menken

Lyrics by Jack Feldman

Book by Harvey Fierstein

Based on the Disney Film written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White

Originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions

Directed by Ryan Scarlata

They delivered the papers, and then they made the headlines… Newsies, the smash-hit, crowd-pleasing, Tony Award-winning musical from Disney in a brand-new production by Theatre Under The Stars.

Newsies is the extraordinary, mostly true story of a band of underdogs who become unlikely heroes when they stand up to the most powerful men in New York. It’s a rousing tale about fighting for what’s right… and staying true to who you are. 

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Tickets for Theatre Under The Stars 2023/24 Season are currently available for renewal. Subscriptions go on sale to the public April 23. Season ticket holders enjoy a variety of perks including first access to seats, complimentary ticket exchanges, and savings on additional seats. Tickets for individual shows will go on sale in the summer. Visit TUTS.com/subscribe or call 713.558.8887 to learn more.

Subscribers are also encouraged to become Annual Members. Forty percent of Theatre Under The Stars’ annual operating expenses are covered by donors. Learn more about all the exclusive benefits available with an Annual Membership donation at TUTS.com/AnnualMembership!

Theatre Under The Stars is grateful to our season sponsors Hampton Inn/Homewood Suites and ABC13. Theatre Under The Stars is funded in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, The Brown Foundation and The Wortham Foundation.