Providence Performing Arts Center News

Comedian Iliza Shlesinger will make her Providence Performing Arts Center debut on Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 7P, as part of her Back in Action tour.

The members of the Community Outreach Committee of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) are pleased to announce the recipients of the ARTS Scholarships 2022 program, sponsored by Textron Charitable Trust, with support from PPAC Annual Fund Donors, Ocean State Charities Trust, and WPRI 12.

More than 50 million people around the world have experienced the smash hit phenomenon that is BLUE MAN GROUP and now it's your turn! BLUE MAN GROUP returns to the Providence Performing Arts Center for a limited engagement on their new North American tour, May 20 – 22, 2022.

What did critics think of Moulin Rouge on tour? The cast is led by Chicago's own Courtney Reed as Satine and Conor Ryan as Christian, as well as Austin Durant as Harold Zidler, André Ward as Toulouse-Lautrec, David Harris as The Duke of Monroth, Gabe Martínez as Santiago and Libby Lloyd as Nini.

The First National Tour has officially begun for the history-making production of To Kill a Mockingbird, Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin's new play, directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher and based on Harper Lee's classic novel. Read the reviews here!

The music needs no introduction: all the hits that made The Temptations a household name are represented in this energetic and enjoyable national tour of 'Ain't Too Proud.' But what this jukebox musical adds is the story behind the songs, told with deft, impressionistic touches that will resonate long after you leave the theater.

The Providence Performing Arts Center will present the North American tour of Lincoln Center Theater’s critically acclaimed production of Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY at PPAC as part of the Taco/The White Family Foundation Broadway Series.

BWW's Critic Writes 'We’ve probably all been in a situation where a white lie or a misunderstanding ballooned into something bigger and unexpected.  DEAR EVAN HANSEN takes this idea and turns it up to eleven when teenage Evan Hansen becomes linked to a classmate who commits suicide.  It’s an interesting examination of how in mourning, we may try to rewrite the narrative of a dead person’s life, but there’s no way to get past the icky feeling that Evan’s actions leave, despite catchy songs and excellent performances.'

Katie Webber will step into the role of 'Rhonda' in Broadway's TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL beginning Tuesday, April 12 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street).

Dear Evan Hansen comes to Providence's Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), April 5 – 10, 2022.  In advance of the start of performances, the production announced today that it will host a digital ticket lottery offering fans the chance to purchase a limited number of $25 tickets available per performance.

 Dear Evan Hansen, The Broadway Education Alliance and Gotham Writers Workshop is inviting 11th and 12th grade students across North America to write a college-application style essay for the 4th annual Dear Evan Hansen College Essay Writing Contest.

PPAC’s 45th Broadway season will feature TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL, MEAN GIRLS, TOOTSIE, SIX, JAGGED LITTLE PILL, HADESTOWN, BEETLEJUICE and more! Find out dates and how to get tickets.

Warning: this is not your traditional version of OKLAHOMA!, and good riddance. Without changing a word of the book or lyrics, director Daniel Fish has created a revival of the 1943 musical that highlights different aspects of the material simply by changing the tone in which scenes are presented. The story has always been one of a community banding together against an outsider, but that aspect of the show is usually buried in favor of the sunnier, romantic elements of the plot. Not so this time. While the show loses some of its oomph by no longer being presented in the round, as it was during its run on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre, there is still plenty to like even when presented in a traditional space like the Providence Performing Arts Center’s.

Round Room Live, Moonbug Entertainment, and the Providence Performing Arts Center have announced that Blippi The Musical will be visiting PPAC on Saturday, June 18, 2022 at 2P! Blippi The Musical is bringing the vivacious, energetic, and educational children's character from the screen to the stage for an all-ages extravaganza of fun, dancing, singing and meeting amazing new friends onstage.

Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets today announced rescheduled dates for The Echoes Tour with 28 stops in major cities across the U.S. and Canada including Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. The Echoes Tour has also added dates in Columbus, Minneapolis, Detroit, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Tulsa, Austin, and Santa Barbara.

Down-on-their luck Broadway stars swoop down on an Indiana town to take up the cause of a high-school student who can't take her girlfriend to the prom. A promising premise, and this first national tour of the award-winning musical delivers all the laughs and spectacle with a knowing wink, while never losing sight of the poignant human story.

A new block of tickets for Broadway's TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is now on sale for performances through Sunday, November 20, 2022.

J.L. “Lynn” Singleton, President and CEO of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) has announced that PPAC has received the 2020 Olivier Award for Best New Musical for Dear Evan Hansen. The 2020 Olivier Award winners were announced during an awards ceremony on October 25, 2020; PPAC received the physical Olivier Award this past week. 

The movie An Officer and a Gentleman came out in 1982 to both critical and popular acclaim, but turning this story into a jukebox musical many years later seems like a strange choice.  The cast in this touring production are across the board excellent, but some of the musical choices seem forced, and the plot seems torn between conveying the serious themes of the movie and wanting to lean into the more cheesy aspects of the 80s.  The result is an odd hodgepodge that suffers from an identity crisis, but is still entertaining thanks to the efforts and talents of the cast.

The producers of TINA—The Tina Turner Musical announced today that a multi-year North American tour will launch at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) in Providence, Rhode Island in the Fall of 2022 and visit more than 40 cities in its first year.