The Carnegie’s upcoming season blends classic and contemporary musical theater with big ensemble productions and intimate stories of friendship.
“In thinking about our season, I like to think of it as event theater where you want to get a group together to go out and see a show, making memories and traditions together,” said Tyler Gabbard, the Carnegie’s theater director, in an interview with CityBeat. “The feeling of celebration is top of mind when we’re picking shows.”
The season kicks off with The Color Purple, based on Alice Walker’s novel. “The 2015 Broadway revival brought it to people’s attention and back to its roots,” said Gabbard. “It’s a great human story, true to the characters. Very serious, heavy things happen, but there’s so much hope and joy celebrating the power of community, family and tradition.”
Cincinnati theater fans will recognize Ken Early and Deondra Means on stage, under the direction of Torie Wiggins, with University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) student Jordyn Jones as Celie. “It’s so exciting to introduce her in this huge, remarkable role,” said Gabbard. “The vocal prowess of the cast is pretty unmatched. The music is a breadth of styles — gospel, jazz, blues and musical theater music — and has a flavor of the period but also feels up to date with incredible soaring ballads and anthems. The opening church scene will blow the roof off the Carnegie.”
The season continues with Always…Patsy Cline, featuring Charlotte Campbell as Cline and Sara Mackie as fan-turned-friend Louise Seger. “Always is a memory play more than a musical review,” said Gabbard. “Louise is a single, divorced woman at a time when there was so much shame around that, but she’s bold and fun. Patsy is a career woman who has kids at home. It’s about her impact on this one particular person, from the point of view of the fan. Charlotte is a remarkable talent and Sara is the perfect fit for this role.” While not a jukebox musical, Cline’s music is woven throughout the show, with a band performing from the stage.
“We wanted to close the summer out with something high energy and a lot of fun,” said Gabbard. “Grease features so much great young talent. They deal with a lot of challenging things in the show and their authenticity makes it understandable. We want it to feel closer to its origins as a gritty satirical portrait of life for teenagers in Chicago in the ‘50s. It’s a little more rock than pop.”
In addition to the recognizable music from the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John movie, cast member Paige Davis may also be familiar to audiences. Perhaps best known as the host of TLC’s Trading Spaces, Davis brings her Broadway experience to the role of Miss Lynch in this production.
The Rocky Horror Show returns to the Carnegie in October. “Last summer it was hugely popular — people came three and four times to see it,” said Gabbard. “The production fired on all cylinders, a little more polished and elegant, but all the bawdy fun of Rocky Horror.” The 2024 principal cast, including Pam Kravetz and Dusty Ray Bottoms, will return for the autumn performances, including a midnight show on Halloween.
Christmas at the Carnegie features two nostalgia-filled performances. “Cozy Christmas is like a Judy Garland Christmas special, with a vintage living room and guests dropping by to sing and decorate the tree,” said Gabbard. “Then we’re doing It’s a Wonderful Life radio play with CCM acting students, including live Foley sound effects and scripts in hand.”
The Carnegie’s partnership with CCM continues into the new year with a co-production of Anything Goes. “We talk about this collaboration as being a chance for students to work with professionals, but they’re so professional already,” said Gabbard. “This production uses the newish version of the script based on the Broadway revival with Sutton Foster. The musical theater students are going to dance their faces off.” CCM stage management students also participate behind the scenes in both productions.
Individual and subscription tickets are available in one of the more unique package models among regional theaters. “Our subscriptions are flexible to lower the barrier to entry,” said Gabbard. “You can become a subscriber at any time, mix and match between seasons as long as something is on sale and buy as few as two shows to get savings.” Group tickets are also available.
Whether you’re attending solo, on a date night or with friends, the Carnegie’s 2025-2026 season offers something to fit the occasion.
For additional information on the Carnegie’s 2025-26 season, visit thecarnegie.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s June 25 print edition.
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 8, 2025.