It’s time to dust off your vintage lorgnette glasses, visit the virtual box office, and take a minute to silence your cell phone: A new season at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) has begun. And there’s something just for you. “There’s always so much to choose from for really anyone’s taste,” says John Ekeberg, executive director for the Broadway and Cabaret divisions of the DCPA. “We have wonderful, self-produced shows that the theater company does in the smaller theaters; brand-new plays that are shown for the first time in small, intimate settings; and the glitz and glamour of touring Broadway.”

More than 30 shows featuring beauties, beasts, and bus-driving pigeons will take to the nine different venues comprising the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Watch Frankie Valli and Betty Boop break into song from one of the Buell Theatre’s 2,839 seats. Or, find deep connection with old friends and identity-seeking dreamers in the 200-seat Singleton Theatre. Many shows are traveling Broadway productions visiting from the Big Apple. Seven others are presented fully—from the expansive sets and period costumes to the home-grown talent—by the Mile High City’s own Denver Center Theatre Company.

Related Articles

“What excites me the most about both the Theatre Company and Broadway lineups is its incredible range,” says Chris Coleman, Theatre Company artistic director. “Across both programming lines, audiences will find stories that entertain, inspire, and connect us to one another.”

Bottom line: There are many great shows from which to choose. You could, of course, splurge on a full season package starting around $500 for the Broadway lineup and $300 for the Denver Center Theatre Company’s collection. But if you only have the time or budget for a show or two, you’ll want to prioritize.

Ekeberg and Coleman sat down with us to help suss out which shows will earn your standing ovation.

Jump Ahead:

For Broadway Fans

People dancing in a production of “The Buena Vista Social Club”
The Buena Vista Social Club. Photo by Matthew Murphy, courtesy of DCPA
A woman in a pink jacket and a man in blue pants hold a jar in a production of “Maybe Happy Ending”
Claire Kwon and Steven Huynh in Maybe Happy Ending. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman, courtesy of DCPA

Eager to see last season’s Tony Award winners for yourself? Don’t miss Maybe Happy Ending, “which just has a cast of four—and feels very intimate—but, in production scale, is big and grand,” Ekeberg says, adding that Cuban-music-driven musical Buena Vista Social Club is also dazzling. Neither has the same commercial brand of better-known titles like Hamilton or Wicked (at least not yet), but he’s certain they’re shows that “a real tried-and-true theater fan will embrace.”

For Music Lovers

The “Jersey Boys” show tile
Show tile courtesy of DCPA
A girl in a red dress and a man in black leather with a guitar in a production of “A Beautiful Noise”
Ryahn Evers and Max Braunstein in A Beautiful Noise. Photo by Jeremy Daniel, courtesy of DCPA
  • Jersey Boys plays in the Buell Theatre Dec. 1–6, 2026; starting at $53
  • A Beautiful Noise plays in the Buell Theatre Sept. 7–12, 2027; tickets on sale Nov. 10

As the return of acid-washed jeans and fanny packs (not to mention the churn of celebrity biopics) proves, nostalgia is having a moment. So it’s no surprise that the retro resurgence has hit the stage as well. “Telling stories around these really classic artists gives you another version of the song and the artist that’s different from what you would just hear on a record or maybe see in a concert,” Ekeberg says. “Theatrical storytelling is certainly its own magical thing.”

For Families

A girl in a yellow dress dances with a beast in a blue suit in a production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”
Kyra Belle Johnson and Fergie L. Philippe in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Photo by Matthew Murphy, courtesy of DCPA
A blue heeler prop is held by stage actors in a production of “Bluey’s Big Play”
Bluey in Bluey’s Big Play. Photo by Mark Senior, courtesy of DCPA

Have a youngster who loves to belt out “Be Our Guest” or clap along with Bluey and Bingo as the characters move across the screen? Take them to a showing of Disney’s Beauty & the Beast or Bluey’s Big Play, and they can watch as the characters come to life before their eyes. “When you’re seeing a group of performers and/or musicians and/or dancers onstage, in the moment—there’s just an immediacy that can’t be replicated by other art forms,” Ekeberg says, though he’s quick to note he appreciates the value of other creative modes too. Still, “live theater is a way to—hopefully, potentially—build empathy with other people’s stories. It’s a real learning experience for kids to be a part of storytelling as it happens.”

For the Holidays

A bunch of musicians during a production of “Manheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis”
A production of Manheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis. Photo by Matt Christine Photography, courtesy of DCPA
An elf and Santa in a production of “Elf the Musical”
A production of Elf the Musical. Photo courtesy of DCPA

After you’ve donned your ugliest holiday sweater and roasted some chestnuts over an open fire, steer your one-horse open sleigh toward the Denver Performing Arts Complex. “Holiday time is really known for family traditions,” Ekeberg says, pointing to the more than 30 years the Denver Theatre Company has portrayed a reformed curmudgeon and his tiny (Tim) pal. “We hear from plenty of people that they come every year with their grandparents and/or their kids.”

Ekeberg recommends booking tickets for the Charles Dickens classic as well as a newer take on the Christmas spirit in Elf the Musical. “The power of tradition and family,” he adds, “is one of the drivers to the popularity of those shows.”

Read More: 10 Theater Performances You Shouldn’t Miss This Holiday Season

For Theatergoers

The “Tempest” show tile
Show tile courtesy of DCPA
The “Bogfriends” show tile
Show tile courtesy of DCPA
The “How To Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt” show tile
Show tile courtesy of DCPA
The “And So We Walked” show tile
Show tile courtesy of DCPA

Plenty of shows in DCPA’s lineup will make you laugh. Many others might make you cry. And nearly all of the above will lead to both—possibly by intermission. “Live theater taps into our emotions because it brings people together to share a story in real time, creating a level of intimacy and connection that’s impossible to replicate elsewhere,” Coleman says. “Unlike other art forms, theater is built on a live exchange between artists and audiences, making every performance a deeply human experience.”

For Mystery and Dark-Comedy Fans

A woman in a ballgown and a woman in a suit in a production of “Death Becomes Her”
Michelle Williams and Megan Hilty in Death Becomes Her. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman, courtesy of DCPA
  • Dial M for Murder plays the Kilstrom Theatre Apr. 30–May 30, 2027; tickets on sale Nov. 10
  • Death Becomes Her plays the Buell Theatre May 25–June 6, 2027; tickets on sale Nov. 10

There’s a special sorcery that happens when you’re in the same room as the story being told, Ekeberg says, noting that proximity makes mysteries like Death Becomes Her all the more enchanting. “Theater artists create visual illusions or magical moments that do dive into actual illusionists’ work,” he adds. “People are surprised when they see certain things happen on stage in front of them. They can’t believe it. They have no idea how that happened.” And, we would argue, they love it.

Read More: A Conversation with Janice Sinden, the DCPA’s New Leader