Exciting lineup on tap for theater season

Exciting lineup on tap for the theater season
By Tim Spitzack | Editor | September 2025

Get ready theater fans, the curtain is rising on another season of live performances. St. Paul has a long history of hosting world-class shows and the city’s playhouses have an impressive lineup for the upcoming season. Two theaters are commemorating milestone anniversaries this year and have some special events planned, including an open house and a world premiere.

The Ordway Center for Performing Arts
In recognition of its 40th anniversary, The Ordway will host an open house 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 21, featuring self-guided backstage tours of the 1,900-seat music theater and 1,100-seat concert hall, family-friendly activities, mini-concerts throughout the day, and more. The event is free, but tickets are required by visiting ordway.org/anniversary. Reserve your space at ordway.org/events. The Ordway is a member of the Arts Partnership, a collaboration of four performing arts organizations formed in 2007. The other partners are Minnesota Opera, The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Schubert Club.

The Ordway is presenting seven musicals this season.

• “The Addams Family,” Sept. 30-Oct. 5. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Now her father Gomez must do something he’s never done before: keep a secret from his beloved wife Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.
• “The Notebook,” the musical, Nov. 18-30. Based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film, “The Notebook” tells the story of Allie and Noah, two people from different worlds who share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart.
• “Jesus Christ Superstar,” December 9-28. A rock musical set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas.
• “Kimberly Akimbo,” Feb. 24-Mar. 1, 2026. Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. Now, she is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush, and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.
• “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Mar. 17-22, 2026. Based on the beloved film, “Mrs. Doubtfire” tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids.
• “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” June 10-14, 2026. Lovingly ripped off from the film classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” this comedic musical has everything from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery and, of course, the Lady of the Lake.
• “SIX,” the musical, June 17-28, 2026. From Tudor Queens to pop icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st-century girl power.

Park Square Theatre

Park Square Theatre will present four plays for its 50th anniversary season, including the world premiere of a new mystery, a high-kickin’ classic and a spooky family favorite. Shows are:

History Theatre

• “Rollicking! A Winter Carnival Musical,” Nov. 20-Dec. 21. With a gust of icy wind, Viola and Cap are whisked away into the realm of King Boreas and find themselves at the center of the epic myth that drives the festival. 
• “WHOOSH!” Jan. 29-Feb. 22, 2026.  A raucous, comical, emotionally gripping ghost story performed by solo artist Andrew Erskine Wheeler, performing multiple characters, and involving Minneapolis’ St. Anthony Falls in the days immediately following Minnesota’s involvement in the Civil War.
• “Hungry Like The Wolf,” Mar. 19-April 12, 2026.  A fast-paced, irreverent comedy exploring a bank strike and fight for women’s labor rights, an ‘80s TV movie flop, a starlet’s battle with McCarthyism, and a young woman’s obsession with the musical group Duran Duran.
• “Courting Harry,” May 14-June 7, 2026. Follow Minnesota natives Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger and Justice Harry Blackmun, lifelong friends from the same St. Paul neighborhood who remained close despite their differing career paths and often conflicting personal and political ideologies.

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