A look at the entertainment coming your way

Kirk Detweiler is the executive director of the Palace Theatre.

During the run of Christmas at the Palace in December, the rumor mill was rampant with what the summer musical in 2023 would be. Director Clare Cooke and I had to laugh because the big rumor was a show that wasn’t even on our radar − “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.” I did my best to shut that rumor down, but when push came to shove and our top four choices were unavailable, we decided to do “Beauty and the Beast” after all. So, the last laugh is on us, I guess.

That being said, we are excited to kick off our “Season of Enchantment” with Disney’s wonderful family show about a handsome but arrogant prince who is turned into a hideous beast by a wicked witch until he can find true love. The show, directed by Clare Cooke and choreographed by Kristi Wink, will run July 8-16 on the main stage.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on May 30 for the summer musical and the entirety of “A Season of Enchantment.” In August, we will be presenting the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical “Next to Normal” in the May Pavilion directed by Dustin Rawlins.

Other highlights of our new season include October’s youth musical “Disney’s Finding Nemo JR,” directed by Kristi Wink. The first weekend in December we will kick off the holiday season with “Christmas at the Palace 2023,” followed by “A Church Basement Ladies Christmas: Away in a Basement” on Dec. 15.

In February 2024, we will present our yearly junior play, “Under the Big Top,” directed by Emily Yaksic. She will be doing double duty as she also directs our adult play, “Lend Me A Tenor,” in April.

Headliners for next season will include the Grammy-winning boy band “All-4-One” in November and an up-and-coming country band performing in May 2024, whose name we will announce in June.

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