From 'Wicked' to 'The Outsiders': Find out which Broadway shows are headed to Des Moines

Des Moines is about to see a flurry of Broadway shows as they hit the road for touring season.

Des Moines Performing Arts announced its upcoming season, featuring a mix of classic and contemporary shows.

Several carry a common theme — girl power, Iowa, and great for kids, to name a few. Des Moines Performing Arts invested in two of the shows — "The Notebook" and "The Outsiders" — as part of the Independent Presenters Network, a consortium of 40 leading Broadway presenters, theaters, and performing arts centers nationwide.

"We do have back-to-back Tony Award winners for best musical, 'Kimberly Akimbo' from '23 and then 'The Outsiders' from '24," said Jeff Chelesvig, the CEO and president of Des Moines Performing Arts, who announced his retirement in August last week . "We are putting 'Wicked' back on the season, so part of the package is the hottest show in the country."

"Wicked" was part of the 2020 season that was canceled due to the pandemic. It's the first time the show returned since the 2013 season, Chelesvig said.

More: Jeff Chelesvig says Des Moines Performing Arts will still 'shine bright' after he retires

He called the season "well-rounded," with a number of fan favorites returning, such as "Les Misérables." "I think this is going to be the last hurrah for 'Les Mis.' I think they're going to be taking that off the road," he said.

Highlights for the 2025-2026 season include "The Music Man," "The Wizard of Oz" with the Des Moines Symphony, and "Kimberly Akimbo," which won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The season will also feature "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Suffs."

Season tickets go on sale Tuesday, and group tickets for "Wicked" will be available the same day.

Here's a look at the shows coming to Des Moines Performing Arts in the next 18 months.

More: Surprising Iowa connections to Tony-nominated Broadway hits like '& Juliet,' 'Some Like It Hot'

'A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical'

Chelesvig said Iowa has a lot of Neil Diamond fans, making it a natural for the schedule Oct. 21-26. The "Sweet Caroline" and "America" singer helped created "A Beautiful Noise," a musical that tells his like story from his youth in Brooklyn to chart-topping singer.  

Previously, Des Moines Performing Arts brought other musical memoirs such as "Jersey Boys" and "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" to the stage.  

'The Notebook'

Des Moines Performing Arts was part of a consortium that invested in "The Notebook," coming to the Des Moines Civic Center Dec. 2-7. The Broadway musical based on the best-selling novel that inspired the film tells the tale of a couple from two different worlds. Allie and Noah let a lifetime of love keep them from being pulled apart in "The Notebook."

'Kimberly Akimbo'

This new musical won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. "Kimberly Akimbo" comes to Des Moines Feb. 3-8, 2026, to share the story of growing up and growing old. On the verge of her 16thbirthday, Kimberly moves to a new town in suburban New Jersey, where she copes with everything from family dysfunction and her rare genetic condition that makes her age fast, to felony charges and her first crush.

'The Outsiders'

The winner of the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical comes to Des Moines Feb. 24-March 1. Adapted from S.E. Hinton's seminal novel and Francis Ford Coppola's iconic film, "The Outsiders" takes the audience back to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1967, when Ponyboy Curtis, his best friend Johnny Cade and their Greaser family of "outsiders" battle with their affluent rivals, the Socs and dream about who they want to become in a world that may never accept them.

'Suffs'

The Tony Award-winning musical just came from Broadway to take the stage in Des Moines April 28 through May 3, 2026. "Suffs" showcases the funny and passionate women who fought for the right to vote, "…one of the characters, of course, being Carrie Chapman Catt, who has a strong history here in Iowa. That seemed like a real natural," Chelesvig said.

'Wicked'

"So if you care to find me, look to the western sky." This musical took Broadway and theaters to the Land of Oz before the arrival of Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz." "Wicked" takes the stage for three weeks, Sept. 2-20, 2026, sharing the tale of a woman with emerald-green skin who meets a popular blonde, and they become the unlikeliest of friends until one is deemed good and the other wicked.

The 2025-2026 season also includes add-on shows,

'Les Misérables'

"I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Bring Him Home," "One Day More," "Master of the House" and more are some of the songs from "Les Misérables," the show Des Moines Performing Arts described as "still the world's most popular musical." The production comes to Des Moines Nov. 12-16. The sweeping epic based on the Victor Hugo novel is set against the backdrop of 19th century France, telling the story of redemption and a man determined to make Jean Valjean pay for his criminal life.  

'Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical'

The classic Dr. Seuss holiday story comes to the stage Dec. 16-21, bringing its hit songs "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas." Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small," when he decides to steal Christmas away from the holiday-loving Whos.

'SIX'

The Tudor queens turn into pop icons in "SIX," coming to Des Moines Jan. 13-18, 2026. The six wives of Henry VIII bring girl power to the stage in a 21stcentury fashion.

'Meredith Willson's The Music Man'

There's big trouble in River City when Iowa's own Meredith Willson weaves his tale of a fast-talking salesman who convinces River City, Iowa, townspeople to buy musical instruments. "Meredith Willson's The Music Man" comes to Iowa March 20-22, 2026. When he falls for Marian, the librarian, she transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain's fall. This musical features songs such as "Seventy-Six Trombones," "Trouble," "'Til There Was You," "Pickalittle," and "Gary, Indiana."

'The Wizard of Oz' in concert with the Des Moines Symphony

Before "Wicked" comes to Des Moines, see "The Wizard of Oz" performed with the Des Moines Symphony March 28, 2026. Remastered images are accompanied by the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra playing entirely new transcriptions of Harold Arlen's lost scores along with Judy Garland's original 1939 studio recordings.

How to buy tickets to the Des Moines Performing Arts Willis Broadway series

Purchase season tickets to the six-show Willis Broadway series to guarantee seats. Season tickets to the Willis Broadway series are on sale at the Civic Center Ticket Office at the Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines, by phone at 515-246-2322, and online at DMPA.org. Group tickets can be ordered by calling 515-246-2300. Single tickets will go on sale to the general public at a later date.

(This story was updated to add a video.)

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on  Facebook ,  Twitter , or  Instagram , or drop her a line at  sstapleton@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet the 6 Broadway shows in the Des Moines Performing Arts new season