Willis Broadway Series 2025 - 26 Season Overview
March 4, 2025Des Moines Performing Arts is thrilled to unveil the 2025-26 Willis Broadway Series Six-Show Package, featuring a dazzling lineup of Tony Award-winning hits, brand-new Broadway sensations, and audience favorites. With two Best Musical winners, a brand-new Broadway hit, and the return of one of the most beloved shows of all time, this season is packed with must-see productions that will entertain, inspire, and amaze.
A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL | October 21 - 26, 2025
"An inspiring, exhilarating, energy-filled musical memoir" – Broadway News
From the songwriter behind Sweet Caroline, America, and Cracklin’ Rosie, A Beautiful Noise is a thrilling new musical chronicling the life and career of Neil Diamond, one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, this production brings his extraordinary journey to life with dazzling performances and his most beloved hits.
Like Jersey Boys and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical before it, A Beautiful Noise is more than just a concert—it’s an intimate look at the man behind the music.
THE NOTEBOOK | December 2 - 7, 2025
“A love story for the ages.” – New York Daily News
Based on Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling novel and the hit film, The Notebook is a deeply moving new musical about the power of love across decades. With music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson (Girls Chase Boys) and a book by Bekah Brunstetter (This Is Us), this poignant production brings Allie and Noah’s love story to life in a breathtaking way.
Entertainment Weekly calls The Notebook “full of butterfly-inducing highs and beautiful songs,” and critics are already hailing it as one of Broadway’s most emotionally powerful new musicals.
KIMBERLY AKIMBO | February 3 - 8, 2026
“A howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show.” – The New Yorker
Winner of 5 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Kimberly Akimbo is an offbeat, deeply moving, and wildly funny coming-of-age story unlike any other. The show follows Kimberly, a bright and optimistic teenager living with a rare aging condition, as she navigates family dysfunction, first love, and even a few felony charges—all while chasing happiness.
With a Tony Award-winning book by David Lindsay-Abaire (Shrek the Musical) and a score by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home), Kimberly Akimbo is “the most uplifting and profound show on Broadway” (The Washington Post).
TONY AWARD® WINS (2023)
- Best Musical
- Best Book of a Musical
- Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics)
- Best Leading Actress in a Musical
- Best Featured Actress in a Musical
THE OUTSIDERS | February 24 - March 1, 2026
“The Outsiders has the power to inspire an entire generation.” – Entertainment Weekly
Winner of 4 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, this electrifying new show brings S.E. Hinton’s seminal novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic film to the stage in an unforgettable way. Set in 1960s Tulsa, The Outsiders follows Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade, and their Greaser family as they fight to find their place in a world that may never accept them.
Featuring a thrilling original score by Jamestown Revival and Justin Levine, stunning choreography by Rick Kuperman & Jeff Kuperman, and direction by Tony Award winner Danya Taymor, this Broadway hit captures the raw emotions, deep friendships, and rebel spirit of the classic novel.
TONY AWARD® WINS (2024)
- Best Musical
- Best Lighting Design of a Musical
- Best Sound Design of a Musical
- Best Direction of a Musical
SUFFS | April 28 - May 3, 2026
“Thrilling, inspiring, and dazzlingly entertaining.” – Variety
Winner of 2 Tony Awards®, including Best Original Score, Suffs is a bold and timely musical about the brilliant, passionate, and funny women who fought for the right to vote. From the singular mind of Shaina Taub, this critically acclaimed Broadway sensation explores both the triumphs and failures of the suffragist movement.
With a dynamic all-female creative team, Suffs is “a beautifully staged, must-see experience” (The New York Times), blending humor, heart, and history into a groundbreaking theatrical event.
TONY AWARD® WINS (2024)
- Best Book of a Musical
- Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics)
WICKED | September 2 - 20, 2026
“If every musical had the brains, heart, and courage of Wicked, Broadway really would be a magical place.” – TIME Magazine
A global phenomenon and one of the most beloved musicals of all time, Wicked returns to Des Moines for a special three-week engagement.
Long before Dorothy arrives in Oz, there’s another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, and misunderstood. When she meets a bubbly and exceptionally popular blonde, their unlikely friendship changes the course of Oz forever—until the world decides to call one “good” and the other “wicked.”
Featuring iconic songs like Defying Gravity and For Good, Wicked is a breathtaking theatrical experience that continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
TONY AWARD® WINS (2004)
- Best Scenic Design
- Best Costume Design
- Best Leading Actress in a Musical
Season ticket packages and group tickets are available now, providing the best seats and exclusive benefits. Single tickets will go on sale at a later date.
Secure your seats for this extraordinary season of Broadway magic Today!
