Morrison Center looks ahead to 2020-21 season with blockbuster ‘Hamilton,’ premieres
For Boise and Idaho performing arts groups, the focus is shifting from the coronavirus crisis, which closed down its seasons, theaters, museums and community events, to the future.
“We’re turning the page and thinking ahead,” said Laura Kendall, executive director of Boise’s Morrison Center, the theater with Idaho’s largest proscenium stage and the main presenter of national touring shows. “We’re super-excited about the season.”
All of the center’s 2020-21 Broadway Across American season shows are premieres, meaning these productions have not played in Idaho before, including a new production of a beloved musical and a true blockbuster.
Yes, the center is rewarding its loyal subscribers with first dibs on seats early in each run, but new subscribers and individual ticket holders will have plenty of opportunities for great seats in the latter part of each run. Also, “Hamilton” will offer its famous ticket lottery on rush tickets for each performance of the renowned show.
Morrison Center 2020-21 season
Just in time for the holidays, the season opens with a stage musical production of “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,” based on the popular 1954 film. You’ll follow Bob Wallace and Phil Davis from the trenches of World War II to an inn in Vermont owned by their former commander, General Waverly. Along the way they meet the Haynes sisters and fall in love. It contains much of Berlin’s beloved songs, such as the title classic, “Snow” and “Sisters,” and a few Berlin tunes that are not featured fully in the film, such as “Blue Skies.”
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1-Thursday, Dec. 3, 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6.
Next up, a beloved Broadway standard gets a fresh take with this re-envisioned production. “Cats” tells the story of a tribe of cats that gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which of the cats will be reborn. Billed as a “’Cats’ for a new generation,” this production still has all of the original Andrew Lloyd Webber score and cherished songs, such as “Memory” and “Jellicle Ball.” But you will see and hear it anew with fresh lighting and sound designs. Plus there’s a new take on Gillian Lynne’s classic choreography, reworked by “Hamilton” choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. Those new technical aspects will support Trevor Nunn’s original direction and all of the costumes and makeup that audiences have come to love.
8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Jan. 10, 2021.
%20Joan%20Marcus.jpg "Company -HAMILTON National Tour - (c) Joan Marcus.jpg")
Here is the centerpiece of the season, and it is a true blockbuster. The theatrical phenomenon “Hamilton” will play for 24 performances in Boise. “Hamilton” took the theater world by storm in 2015, with an energy that spilled over into global popular culture to become an international sensation.
“Hamilton” tells the story of the “ten-dollar founding father,” first U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, with a combination of rap and traditional musical techniques, as well as colorblind casting. It won 11 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, and propelled its creator and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, to worldwide fame. It also created a cultural earthquake that introduced a new generation to the art form — and forever changed it.
Feb. 10, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 1 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16-Thursday Feb. 18, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, 1 and 7 p.m. Feb. 21, 2021.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23-Thursday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, 2021.
Get ready for some Oompa Loompa fun! One of the best-loved children’s stories-turned-musicals will play in Boise in April 2021. Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” brings the book that has delighted generations to the stage with a vivid production. It’s got all the delightful tunes from the film — such as “Pure Imagination” the “The Candy Man” — plus new songs written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (“Hairspray”), who wrote for the show’s Broadway debut in 2017.
8 p.m. Friday, April 30, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 1, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, May 2, 2021.
The emotional and heartwarming true story of a plane load of people stranded in a small town in Newfoundland in the days after the 9/11 attacks became the inspiration for the Tony Award-winning musical “Come From Away.” It opened with little fanfare in 2017 and became a slow-burn success on Broadway, where it continues its run. It’s filled with touching musical moments, as the mostly American passengers and crew try to grapple with the tragedy at hand and navigate their new cultural surroundings in a tiny Canadian burg.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, July 7 and July 8, 8 p.m. Friday, July 9, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, July 10, 1 and 6:30 p.m. July 11, 2021.
Tickets
All performances are at the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane, on the Boise State University campus.
Season subscriptions run $280 to $495; call (208) 426-1110 or go to MorrisonCenter.com. Season-ticket renewals go until April 24. If you’re not a returning subscriber and want to purchase a season ticket, you can sign up for the wait list. Tickets for individual performances go on sale about 30 to 60 days before each show’s run, and availability will vary. The Morrison Center is at 2201 W. Cesar Chavez Lane on the Boise State University campus.
This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
