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8 Popular Touring Broadway Shows

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Part of the Broadway experience is being in the city where Broadway was born and cultivated. A Broadway production never fails to draw in an audience, especially with features like a stellar original score or advanced tech used for set and sound designs. New York City’s Theatre District is close to Times Square and other popular attractions, giving theater-goers plenty to explore before or after the show. If you can’t make it to the Big Apple, there’s no need to worry as these eight popular Broadway shows on tour can be enjoyed in cities across North America.

Attending traveling Broadway shows can help cut down on travel expenses. If one of these Broadway tours stops in a city close by, driving is a great transport choice. Another benefit is little to no stress over using vacation time to get a good flight to New York. Broadway shows on tour, like Mean Girls or The Book of Mormon, offer a welcome variety to the usual theatre lineup. Whether you prefer cheerful show tunes or dramatic and powerful solos, these eight Broadway shows are showstoppers.

Beetlejuice

Watch the new hit musical based on Tim Burton’s beloved film Beetlejuice (1988) as it embarks on its first Broadway tour run with Beetlejuice tickets. With spooky characters like title figure Beetlejuice (Justin Collette) and the Maitlands causing chaos in her new house, young Lydia Deetz (Isabella Fraser) plots revenge on her neglectful father, while coping with the recent loss of her mother. 

The Beetlejuice musical was nominated for eight Tony Awards and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical). With tunes like “Say My Name” and “Fright of Their Lives,” you can be sure to enjoy the “…off-the-wall humor, endless visuals and aural delights, tuneful music” of Beetlejuice. Catch a performance of this musical throughout the summer in cities like Philadelphia, Pa., or San Diego, Calif.

Hamilton 

Using a score that blends hip-hop, R&B and the magic of Broadway, three-time Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda brought new life into the story of one of America’s Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton. Featuring hit numbers like “My Shot,” “The Schuyler Sisters,” and “The World Was Wide Enough,” watch the twists and turns of Hamilton’s journey in locals like Miami, Fla. and El Paso, Texas. Due to high interest in the North American Broadway tour, three different casts were made with different actors from multiple theatre companies. 

The diverse casts portray a variety of historical figures like Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, the Schuyler sisters and others. Hamilton’s Broadway debut earned the musical an astonishing number of awards and nominations for categories like Outstanding Music and Outstanding Set Design at the Drama Desk Awards and the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. 

An arm dressed in older styled closed pulls back a theatre curtain.

Six The Musical

If you ever wondered about alternate takes on pivotal historical events, then SIX The Musical is right for you. Created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the musical comedy follows the lives of all six of Henry VIII’s wives with a modern twist. All six women, from Anne Boleyn (Leandra Ellis-Gaston) to Catherine of Aragon (Hailee Kaleem Wright), are competing for the lead singer role for their band. The role was to be given to the woman who had the worst experience as the cruel king’s wife. 

After breaking box-office records at its 2019 American premiere in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, SIX The Musical was ready for a Broadway premiere in 2021. With amazing songs like “Don’t Lose Ur Head” and “Ex-Wives,” SIX The Musical won Best Original Score (Music And/Or Lyrics) Written For The Theatre at the 2022 Tony Awards. The musical’s tour is scheduled to run until the summer of 2024, stopping in cities like Portland, Ore., and Louisville, Ky. Enjoy this modern retelling of the six wives as they embark on a journey to be pop stars breaking free of the king’s shadow. 

The Lion King

Adapted from the hit Disney film with the same title, The Lion King is a family-friendly musical featuring actors dressed in intricately crafted costumes and hollow puppets to mimic the wildlife of Pride Rock. This musical is perfectly suited for kids and Disney fans of all ages. After its 1997 Broadway premiere at the New Amsterdam Theatre, the production earned numerous nominations and awards. The following year, The Lion King won eight Drama Desk and five Tony Awards, for categories like Best New Musical and Best Costume Design. Join characters like Simba (Darian Sanders) and Scar (Peter Hargrove) in the Pride Lands as the musical stops in places like Washington D.C. and Houston, Texas. 

Wicked

This musical follows the origin stories of two witches, long before Dorothy is swept away to the Land of Oz. Before they became the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, the two girls were simply known as Elphaba (Lissa Deguzman) and Galinda (Jennafer Newberry). From a surprising friendship to a bitter rivalry, follow the tale of Elphaba’s fall from grace. With a talented cast and iconic songs like “Popular” and “Defying Gravity,” Wicked won 10 Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards in 2004 after its Broadway premiere. Drop into the land of Oz anytime through July 2024 as the tour stops in cities like Atlanta, Ga., and St. Louis, Mo.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Set nearly 20 years after Harry Potter and his friends defeat the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, a new generation of witches and wizards take to the spotlight. Prepare to be spellbound while following the adventures and mischief of Albus Potter (Joel Meyers) and Scorpius Malfoy (Erik C. Peterson), who are best friends despite the rivalry between their parents. With a set that brings to life the thrills and mystery of magic along with a talented cast, kids and adults alike will be delighted by this return to Hogwarts and the rest of the wizarding world.

In 2018, this highly-anticipated play was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and a Grammy Award, in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Along with these nominations, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child won several awards including the 2018 Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Costume Design in a Play. The Broadway traveling shows for this play are running in New York and Toronto.

The Book Of Mormon

Join a pair of mismatched missionaries who travel to a remote Ugandan village to share their faith with the people there. In this musical comedy, Elder Price (Sam Mclellan) and Elder Cunnigham (Sam Nackman) are eager to bring the good news of Mormonism to the villagers. Despite their good intentions, the duo is ignored as the villagers face issues of famine and child endangerment as well as oppression from a local general (Dewight Braxton Jr.)

After The Book of Mormon’s Broadway debut in 2011, the musical received a mostly positive reception from the public and critics alike.  Having also won seven Tony Awards, The Book of Mormon tickets shouldn’t be passed up for anyone wanting a good laugh. The New York Post praised the musical for its ability to leave the audience “sore from laughing so hard.” With hits like “Hasa Diga Eebowai” and “ I Believe,” the musical also won a 2012 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

Hadestown

Hadestown is the contemporary adaptation of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, two lovers who are separated by an untimely death. In the Broadway version of the myth, Eurydice (Hannah Whitley) tries to escape her life of poverty by working in the Underworld’s factory. Orpheus (J. Antonio Rodriguez) learns that Eurydice is stuck in a hellish situation and sets off to rescue her from the Land of the Dead. As a tale of love with a tragic twist, Hadestown will lead every audience member to ponder how far they would go to protect their loved ones. 

The musical was nominated for 14 Tony Awards in 2019 and won eight of them, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. In 2020, Hadestown won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. With Hadestown tickets, you can enjoy the cast’s trials of love marked by soulful music numbers like “Way Down Hadestown” and “Wait for Me.”

Best Broadway Shows On Tour:

For Kids

  • Aladdin
  • Matilda
  • Peter Pan and Wendy 
  • Frozen

For Adults

  • Chicago
  • Come From Away
  • Jesus Christ Superstar 
  • Mamma Mia!

To See With Friends

  • Company
  • Legally Blonde
  • Mean Girls  
  • TINA -The Tina Turner Musical

For Date Night

  • Hadestown 
  • Hamilton 
  • Moulin Rouge 
  • Pretty Woman: The Musical

Get Tickets for Broadway Shows On Tour 

Whether you are partial to romance, tragedy or comedy, get tickets to see a vast variety of Broadway tours with TicketSmarter. Theatre enthusiasts can also discover newer Broadway debuts with TicketSmarter Insider.