The Wiz — New staging at local theaters
- The Broadway in Austin run of The Wiz starts Tuesday, May 12, at Bass Concert Hall — not May 11 — and continues through Sunday, May 17. - The key detail is scale: eight performances, a 2-hour-20-minute runtime, and listed ticket prices ranging from about $48 up to $198. - What makes it matter is that this is the new national tour version — a fresh staging of a classic that’s now landing in Austin.
The thing to know first is simple: this isn’t a vague “local theaters” listing. The Wiz is playing at Bass Concert Hall in Austin from May 12 through May 17, 2026, as part of the Broadway in Austin season. That matters because the original blurb floating around for May 11–14 makes it sound shorter, looser, and more scattered than it really is. Turns out this is a full multi-show stop of the new touring production, with evening and weekend performances, not a one-off community run. ### So what actually is coming to Austin? This is the current national tour of The Wiz, the Tony-winning musical that reimagines *The Wizard of Oz* through Black music, dance, and style. The Austin stop is being presented by Broadway in Austin and Texas Performing Arts, which puts it in the city’s major touring-Broadway lane rather than a smaller neighborhood venue. (austin.broadway.com) ### Where is it, exactly? The show is at Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Drive, on the University of Texas campus. That’s useful because “area theaters” suggests multiple venues, but the official listings point to one place and one presenting organization. If you’re planning around parking, campus traffic, or dinner, that distinction matters a lot. (austin.broadway.com) ### When can you see it? The run opens Tuesday, May 12, 2026, with evening shows on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Then it expands for the weekend with Friday night, two Saturday performances, and two Sunday performances, closing Sunday, May 17. So the preliminary May 11–14 window is off by both the start date and the end date. (austin.broadway.com) ### How big a production is this? Pretty substantial. The official runtime is 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission, which tells you this is a full Broadway-style presentation, not a trimmed family matinee version. The Austin listings also show a broad ticket range — roughly $48 to $150 on Visit Austin, with KMFA listing the top end as $198 — which is normal for a major touring musical with seat-tier pricing. (austin.broadway.com) ### Is it aimed at kids, or adults? Basically both, but with a clear family-friendly floor. Broadway in Austin marks it as recommended for ages 5 and up, which is a useful signal for parents wondering whether this is one of those “family classic, but actually pretty long and loud” situations. It probably is still long for very young kids — 2 hours and 20 minutes is real time — but it’s being sold as accessible for families, not adults-only theatergoers. (austin.broadway.com) ### Why are people calling it a “new staging”? Because this isn’t just the old show dusted off. The tour is being billed as an all-new version coming direct from Broadway, which is why the language around it leans hard on fresh choreography, new energy, and a return of the title to big American stages. That’s the real angle here — a classic title, but in a current touring package. (austin.broadway.com) ### What should you take away from all this? If you saw a short local-events roundup and assumed The Wiz was a brief four-day theater pick, that undersells it. This is a weeklong Broadway stop at one of Austin’s main performance venues, with eight performances, official ticketing, and a full-scale touring production behind it. If you’re interested, plan around Bass Concert Hall, May 12–17, not the rougher May 11–14 shorthand. (texasperformingarts.org) (austinot.com)
