Broadway in Santa Barbara

What do King Arthur, Roxie Hart, and Nathan Detroit have in common? Besides being classic Broadway musical roles, these are all characters that will grace the big stage at the Granada as part of Theater League’s Broadway in Santa Barbara series. Based in Kansas City, this intrepid nonprofit production company is dedicated to the proposition that every American deserves more jazz hands, more tinsel, and especially more rousing big numbers in his or her life. As a result, they’ve spared no expenses in bringing professional touring companies of great Broadway shows to selected cities. If you have thrilled to West Side Story, Dreamgirls, Spamalot, or Young Frankenstein at the Granada, then you’ve seen a Theater League show. Often the casts are made up of rising stars, but in several instances, such as last season’s Hello, Dolly! featuring Sally Struthers, these shows come with the big stars attached.

Although the best value will always be season tickets (which are already on sale), starting August 18, those wanting to concentrate their resources on the sleaze of Chicago (April 7-8, 2015), the sassiness of Guys and Dolls (February 17-18, 2015), or the grandeur of Camelot (January 20-21, 2015) will have their chance because that’s when single tickets for all this season’s shows go on sale.

Theater League always throws in one show that’s not part of the season package, and it’s usually something wild. Last season, this one-off special was the Green Day musical American Idiot, and this year it’s another can’t-miss sensation: STOMP. No date has been set for that one-night-only performance, but the good news is that if you subscribe to the whole season, you can swap your tickets for one of those three shows for the best seats in the house for STOMP.

To purchase tickets to any of Theater League’s performances, call (805) 899-2222 or visit theaterleague.com.