Broadway in Columbia shows you shouldn’t miss

The lineup for 2017-18 Broadway in Columbia season has been released, and “I’ve Heard It Through The Grapevine” that it will be among the most entertaining “five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes” of a year filled with “The Sound of Music.”

Those three musicals – “Motown the Musical,” “Rent,” and “The Sound of Music” – join Broadway hits “The Book of Mormon,” and “A Christmas Story: The Musical” on the slate of shows being performed at the Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia starting this fall.

There will be a lot of singing, dancing and drama to see during the season, which runs November through May.

Here are the three shows we’re most excited about, shows we don’t want to wait months for!

‘Book of Mormon’

The plot: The Book of Mormon follows two young missionaries who are sent to Uganda to try to convert citizens to the Mormon religion. One missionary, Elder Price, is an enthusiastic go-getter with a strong dedication to his faith, while his partner, Elder Cunningham, is a socially awkward but well meaning nerd whose tendency to embroider the truth soon lands him in trouble. Upon their arrival in Africa, Elders Price and Cunningham learn that in a society plagued by AIDS, poverty and violence, a successful mission may not be as easy as they expected. (from Broadway.com)

Why you should see it: For the laughs. The Tony Award-winning play playfully pokes fun at religion, sexuality, poverty and race. Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly said it is “a spectacular, rather perfect Broadway musical not only grounded in a serious love and understanding of the traditions that make a Broadway musical great but also filled with love for the very flawed, mortal characters who populate this romp.”

‘Rent’

The plot: A group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and thrive in New York City’s East Village sing their way through good times and bad. The show deals with a variety of themes such as homelessness, drug addiction, love, sexuality, disease, and death.

Why you should see it: It’s on the list of must-see shows, if for no other reason than “Seasons of Love,” perhaps among the most beloved Broadway songs of all time. And if you saw the movie? Doesn’t matter, you still need to see the stage version.

‘Motown the Musical’

The plot: It’s the story of Motown founder Berry Gordy, who went from a featherweight boxer to music mogul. Gordy launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more.

Why you should see it: The music! The show includes songs such as “ABC,” “Dancing in the Street,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Stop in the Name of Love,” and “Super Freak” to name a few.

This story was originally published July 7, 2017 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Broadway in Columbia shows you shouldn’t miss."