Six Broadway productions are coming to Grand Junction as part of the new Asteria Theatre Broadway Series.
Colorado Mesa University’s new Asteria Theatre facility will host six touring Broadway shows starting in December and running through next spring.
Broadway shows in the lineup include:
- “Mrs. Doubtfire” on Dec. 1 and 2;
- “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical” on Jan. 27 and 28, 2026;
- “Mark Twain Tonight!” on Feb. 4 and 5, 2026;
- “The Book of Mormon” on March 10 and 11, 2026;
- “Chicago” on April 22 and 23, 2026;
- “Hadestown” on May 1 and 2, 2026.
Flex passes allowing access to at least four of the six shows will go on sale July 16. Single-show tickets will be available in August. Ticket information is available at CMUstages.com.
Per CMU spokesman David Ludlam and Performing Arts Marketing Manager Laura Bradley in an interview with The Daily Sentinel, the arrival of these Broadway productions fulfills the potential the school envisioned when it drew up plans for the Asteria Theatre.
“One of the limitations in western Colorado up until now is not having a venue that can support even just a load-in of a show like that. That was a huge factor in how they decided to build the theater,” Bradley said. “Up until now, people have had to travel all the way to Denver to see shows like this, which can get expensive. It limits the number of people who can enjoy the arts at this level.”
“Everything about the theater in terms of how it was conceptualized, the aesthetic design was built around the stars. ‘Asteria’ is Greek for ‘the stars,’ kind of striving toward these higher ideals,” Ludlam added. “The way it was positioned in terms of acquiring funding and getting the green light was all based around the value of the highest forms of art and what they can do for our culture, for our community, for our economy, not just in Grand Junction but throughout the region.”
The university has so far been pleased by the community’s reaction to the Asteria Theatre, which has hosted other stage productions, several political town halls and one of the world’s most famous astrophysicists.
“When you look at the reaction the community had when Neil Tyson came, it sold out in 10 minutes, then they added another show and that sold out in about the same amount of time. What that revealed to us is that there’s this pent-up demand for that kind of world-class programming, whether it be a global intellect like Neil Tyson or world-class Broadway performers on tour,” Ludlam said. “I believe we’ll get a similar reaction in terms of sales when these shows go on sale at the beginning of July.”
“We had a huge opening with a CMU student theater production of ‘Amadeus’ and that sold out as well. I think people are really excited to see the theater and come in and experience it all together,” Bradley added.
“One of the messages we’re trying to get out is how important live theater is to the human experience, the way we can come together and not just sit on our couches and consume art but experience it together.”