Every theater season, the nation’s bright-light Broadway performers saddle up for a grueling national tour, stopping at the country’s major theater hubs like Washington D.C. and Sacramento, California.
And, of course, East Lansing, Michigan.
For years, the
Wharton Center in East Lansing has been attracting some of the biggest of the big Broadway shows, scoring hits and debuts that don't always find their way to our big-city neighbors.
The Lion King,
Wicked and many other Broadway favorites come back to East Lansing each season. And Broadway has long been making some of its Midwestern debuts in East Lansing, bypassing big-city locales like Detroit and Chicago to open performances—such this year's biggies,
Spring Awakening,
Legally Blonde and
African Footprint—in East Lansing.
And don’t think Chicago doesn’t notice.
But why? Why East Lansing?
The answer is two-fold: support from the community in the form of record ticket sales is a good start. And phenomenal stage space at the Wharton is the clincher. It's surprisingly simple; the community demands it, and the Wharton Center delivers.
Kent Love, communications director for the Wharton Center, says it’s all about the relationships built over time. “Working with large Broadway productions like
The Lion King requires strong business relationships and a community that is able to support it.”
Working the WhartonEast Lansing has proven it’s a sought-after venue, and the national press has taken note.
The Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones recently
wrote an article lamenting the fact that East Lansing gets Broadway shows that Chicago just can’t book.
“Wanna make a reservation to see the Broadway show
Legally Blonde as fast as you legally can? Point your car toward East Lansing, Mich., in January,” Jones writes. “The iconic hit
Spring Awakening? East Lansing again. In February.”
Jones says Broadway goes to East Lansing because Chicago doesn’t have sufficient space to host Broadway-caliber shows, which is why these shows opt for the largest performing arts facility in Michigan: the Wharton.
The Wharton Center has four stages: Cobb Great Hall, Pasant Theatre, Fairchild Theatre and the MSU Concert Auditorium.
In the last year, Wharton Center invested more than $1.3 million in artist and patron amenities to make theatre more enjoyable for the actor and the patrons. Plush new theatre seats have been installed throughout, and a new riser system in the Concert Auditorium provides for improved viewing from the main floor.
The Wharton Center also broke ground on an $11 million expansion that will help develop, initiate, and expand educational programs for people of all ages while increasing access for children through affordable or scholarship tickets.
The enhanced facility, with more than 24,000 square feet of new space, will provide accommodation for expanded arts in education programs (such as Jazz Cats for kids) to more than 30,000 school-aged children annually, distance learning opportunities, and a variety of community programs.
The expansion will include an enlarged front lobby, box office and gift shop; two additional education/reception areas on the second floor; consolidated staff offices on the third level; new crew rooms, additional restrooms, and dressing rooms—all to maintain Wharton Center as a state-of-the-art facility.
Community CacheThe other variable in the equation is that, no matter how anemically the state or national economy is fairing, Mid-Michigan ponies up for the arts. And Wharton’s ticket prices— averaging 20 percent lower than most metropolitan areas—means East Lansing is quite affordable.
So far this season, between September and May, 257,000 theatre patrons have shown their love for the arts at the Wharton Center, including grabbing up 32,000 tickets for
Wicked, in town July 16 through August 10.
Solo performer Ron White sold more than 4,000 tickets over the course of a couple of days in February;
Cirque Dreams sold out by October 28, with 2,379 in ticket sales. Taylor Swift sold out in four days; Jerry Seinfeld’s February 2004 and January 2007 performances both sold out in a matter of minutes.
Last season,
Variety magazine recognized the Wharton Center during Disney’s
The Lion King tour, for outpacing other touring Broadway productions. The Wharton Center sold 120,157
King tickets—totaling more than $7 million—to patrons from all over the Midwest.
According to the Wharton Center, more than 42 percent of their ticket buyers originated from beyond the tri-county region, coming from nearly every county in lower Michigan in addition to Canada and the upper Midwest.
Life Off-stageWhen Broadway shows come to East Lansing, the performers turn into temporary residents, patronizing area restaurants and bars, and shopping at local boutiques like East Lansing’s
Refinery. Some of them even get a glimpse of MSU's iconic Sparty statue, as many stay in short-term lease apartments on or near campus.
During his 25 years of professional acting and six years with
The Lion King, New Jersey native Ben Lipitz has toured all over the U.S. As the happy-go-lucky hungry Warthog Pumbaa in the East Lansing performance of the show, he recognizes our community’s strengths.
“During my last stay, the community was very supportive and the experience was memorable,” he says. “The best part about the six week stay in East Lansing was that the Wharton Center was so accommodating and the audience was fantastic.”
Ben also says the fact that the Wharton can house their cast of more than 50 actors is amazing.
During his stay in East Lansing, Ben and his family stayed in an apartment for six weeks, which is typical for most performers.
In their free time, which was admittedly rare, Ben and his wife hit the gym on the MSU campus, and enjoyed the local scenery. He loved the on-site daycare, as they had their six-week-old son in tow.
Ben is excited to see the campus in the springtime during his five-week stay in 2009 instead of the wintery canvas he visited last time.
With the Wharton Center expansion and enthusiastic Mid-Michigan Broadway crowd, the future is bright for Michigan’s performing arts community and Broadway stars.
Tara Adams is a newbie to Capital Gains and is a frequent theater-goer.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
The Lion King
Wicked
Wharton Center
Legally Blonde
Rendering of the future expansion
Spring Awakening
Show production photos and rendering courtesy of Wharton Center; Wharton Center facade photo © Dave Trumpie