PROVIDENCE – The Providence Performing Arts Center on Tuesday released its 2025-26 schedule of productions that will make up its 48th Broadway season, taking off Sept. 19 with performances of Tony-award winning “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”
Themed "Come Along For The Ride," the upcoming season includes a total of 120 shows, a roughly 20% increase from the current schedule, said PPAC CEO and President J.L. “Lynn” Singleton.
Broadway arrivals for 2025-2026 include “The Outsiders, "Suffs,” “Water for Elephants,” "Kimbely Akimbo" and “Clue," as well as the long-awaited returns of “Wicked,” “Six,” “Hadestown” and a two-week engagement of Disney’s “The Lion King.”
Seven shows will run as part of the Taco and The White Family Foundation Broadway series and three as part of the Encore Series.
Like the Broadway hit "Hamilton," Singleton expects the arrival of Harry Potter to increase the theater's 13,000-member subscription base by up to 4,000 new members.
"I don't know if it will be Hamilton-esque,” he said. “But that is going to have a lot of demand.”
[caption id="attachment_490885" align="alignleft" width="230"]
PPAC CEO AND PRESIDENT J.L. “Lynn” Singleton speaks Tuesday during the historic theater's announcement of its 2025-26 performance schedule. / PBN PHOTO/CHRIS ALLEN[/caption]
One-off specials include a holiday concert by The Boston Pops with conductor Keith Lockhart on Dec. 13, which "will ultimately sell out, as it always does,” Singleton said.
Live band and comedy shows include comedians Jo Koy on Oct. 17, Louis C.K. on Oct. 19 and a tour stop from "America" on Oct. 18.
"Cirque Dreams Holidaze" will bring four performances of its holiday show from Dec. 19–21.
Singleton, who said the theater relies on winter performances in addition to commercial Broadway hits to fund its various community programs, credited the arrival of "Harry Potter" to PPAC to London-based producer Sonia Freedman last September.
Typically these Broadway tours might make a stop in Boston or other regional cities before coming to Rhode Island. However, "she fell in love with Providence," said Singleton, adding that this will be the show's first stop north of New York City.
The 2025-2026 full schedule and dates include:
- HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, 2025.
- WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, Dec. 2-7, 2025.
- SUFFS, Jan. 20-25, 2026.
- WICKED, March 4-22, 2026.
- THE OUTSIDERS, April 14-19, 2026.
- KIMBERLY AKIMBO, May 5-10, 2026.
- SIX, Oct. 22-26, 2026.
- HADESTOWN, Nov. 7-9, 2025.
- CLUE, Jan. 16-18, 2026.
- Disney’s THE LION KING – May 20-June 7, 2026.
PPAC said current subscriber seats will be held until the May 22 renewal deadline. And emails will be sent to current subscribers when their renewal packets are in the mail.
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
