New Wharton Season: Broadway and Little Else

Over the years, Wharton Center has transformed itself into a Broadway house.  It’s an all-purpose hall, but we all know that it’s too big for chamber music and small-intimate shows.  So, Broadway has become its thing.  Now, it is the busiest Broadway venue in the State of Michigan.

So, when a new season is announced, everyone talks about the shows, and this year has good stuff and old stuff.  Executive Director Mike Brand admits that putting together an exciting season after “the year of Hamilton” was a challenge.  But he did the best he could with the “products” that are available.

I will not go through every show in this space, since that info is readily available on line, but here are some hot spots and commentary.

The two big shows are the first and last.  The season begins with one of the most exciting, moving and ingenious shows I have seen in a while, “Come From Away”. It’s the true story of a small town in eastern Canada welcoming thousands of Americans when their planes are diverted from the US in the wake of 9/11.  It will grab you, for sure.

And the final show is the blockbuster hit, “Dear Evan Hansen”.  I hear that it is a hip show about teenage depression.  It is dark sometimes but hits a potent chord with young audiences.  The original Broadway production jettisoned the career of Ben Platt.

In between these bookends are two huge hits which are back again - “Wicked” (5^th time) and “Les Miserables” (7^th time).  Brand assures us that there are new generations who haven’t seen them before.

We will also see the big Disney show “Aladdin” and the popular revival of “My Fair Lady”.  Both are still in New York.

Besides Broadway it is a smattering of high quality.  For the Classical category, Wharton hosts one of he top string quartets, The Emerson String Quartet.  It seems to have taken over the status from the Juilliard.

Also featured is a woodwind quintet – The Imani Winds.  They were here before at the Pasant Stage and are interesting and excellent musicians. The group will be in residence for a week at the MSU College of Music. 

A young exciting pianist will be presented, Jonathan Biss, who will play two performances – all Beethoven.  This might be the classical highlight of the season.

For the third time, violin superstar Joshua Bell is returning with his
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Bell’s new gig.  They were here in the 2008-09 season and were stunning.

In a stretch, Wharton is calling Storm Large (singer)and Michael Feinstein (pianist) as a classical presentation.  They have played Kennedy Center and are apparently a big hit together.

All told, this is a pretty lackluster classical line-up.  This is the only season I can remember without one single large symphony orchestra or piano soloist.

It seems like every couple of years a Japanese drum group comes to Wharton.  Kodo started it all, but this time we’ll see “Tao: Drum Heart”.  The big change is that its women, not men.

The Kelzmatics will be performing at the Pasant Theater and another unique show called “Davina & The Vagabonds and Hot Club of Cowtown: The Finest Hour” – certainly the longest title of any show this season, or maybe any season.

Only two jazz shows will be at Wharton, pianist Keiko Matsui and Kenny Barron Trio & Sean Jones Quartet.

Although there are only three dance groups, they all look interesting: Pilobolus, Parson Dance and one of my favorites, Royal Winnipeg Ballet will perform “The Wizard of Oz”.

There’s enough to fill in your dance card, but not a lot to shout about.