As the Lexington Opera House celebrates 50 seasons of Broadway Live, here’s what it takes to ensure the shows go on
In addition to Broadway Live touring productions, the Lexington Opera House hosts a variety of concerts and other live performances. Photo furnished
The 2026-27 Broadway Live Season marks 50 years of Broadway performances at the Lexington Opera House, a milestone that reflects not only the growth of touring theater in Central Kentucky but also one of the historic venue’s largest annual programming investments and revenue generators.
What began in 1976 with productions of “The Taming of the Shrew” and “The Sisters Rosensweig” has, over the past five decades, evolved into multi-night runs that require months of planning, six-figure booking fees, and careful market analysis before a show ever reaches the stage.
“We began doing shows during the middle of the week because it was such a small market [for touring productions],” said Edd MacKey, manager of national and local arts arts with the Opera House. “Now, we do five-show weekend runs.”
Today, Broadway Live seasons typically feature five productions with five performances each — one on Friday and two each on Saturday and Sunday. The 2026-2027 lineup includes “Beetlejuice,” “The Wiz,” “Shucked,” “Legally Blonde The Musical” and “Six.” In celebration of the milestone season, two additional special presentations will be announced at a later date.
Bringing Broadway to Lexington requires a significant financial investment.
Brian Sipe, general manager for Central Bank Center, Rupp Arena, and the Lexington Opera House, said it typically costs between $150,000 and $250,000 to book a five-performance run.
Sipe is part of Oak View Group, which has managed the three venues since late 2021. Earlier that year, the Lexington Center Corporation board approved a multi-year management agreement with the company to oversee the facilities and day-to-day event programming.
That fee covers the performances themselves, including the actors, singers, scenery and transportation. It does not include local expenses such as stagehands, custodial staff and marketing, although some of those costs are offset through the Opera House Fund.
“It’s definitely a little more expensive than some of the other shows we do,” Sipe said. “But that’s also because you have things like a major set and multiple tractor trailers and buses on the road.”
Because every production represents such a substantial investment, selecting each Broadway Live season is as much a business decision as an artistic one.
Actor and singer Darren Criss, best known for his role as Blaine Anderson on “Glee,” performed at the Lexington Opera House in 2023. Photo furnished
Booking begins about a year in advance, and Sipe and his team are already planning the 2027-2028 season.
The process starts by contacting New York-based booking agencies to determine which productions are offering split weeks. While larger markets such as Cincinnati may host a show for an entire week, Lexington typically books weekend engagements, with touring companies performing elsewhere Monday through Thursday before arriving in Lexington Friday.
From there, the Opera House evaluates how productions performed on Broadway, how they’re selling on tour and, if they’ve already played comparable markets such as Louisville or Cincinnati, how audiences responded there. While the venue prioritizes bringing new productions to Lexington, it also revisits proven favorites.
“There are some shows that we’ll repeat every couple of years just because fans love them and they sell really well, but we also want to make sure we’re not bringing the same shows back year after year or every two or three years,” Sipe said.
“Legally Blonde The Musical,” for example, returns after previously appearing during the 2017-2018 Broadway Live Season.
Once the Opera House identifies the productions it wants, booking agencies provide pricing information. Sipe and his team compare those costs with local operating expenses before finalizing the season.
Despite the size of touring Broadway productions, the logistics are remarkably efficient.
Productions can arrive Friday morning with as many as four tractor-trailers of scenery and equipment, complete load-in and rehearsals throughout the day, perform that evening, and be packed up and back on the road shortly after the last performance wraps on Sunday.
Over the past five decades, Broadway Live shows at the Lexington Opera House have evolved into multi-night runs that require months of planning, six-figure booking fees, and careful market analysis before a show ever reaches the stage. Photo furnished
“It’s pretty quick,” Sipe said. “The crews on the road are very efficient. They know how to get in and get out so they can get to the next town.”
The Opera House also works with IATSE Local 346, Lexington’s chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, to provide additional on-the-ground support for the technical and operational staff that travel with the tour.
Fifty years of Broadway Live isn’t the Opera House’s only milestone this year. The venue, which opened in 1887, is also celebrating its 140th anniversary.
For those interested in its history, MacKey recommends “At the Lexington Opera House: A Scrapbook 1887-2026” by local author Kevin Lane Dearinger.
“It’s a great resource,” MacKey says. “It provided some surprising facts that I didn’t even know about the Opera House.”