The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts is expanding its popular 2026-2027 Beyond Broadway season after the original three-show subscription package sold out, prompting organizers to add second performances for two of the season's biggest attractions.

The expanded schedule comes in response to overwhelming demand for the concert series, which showcases some of Broadway's most celebrated performers in intimate Houston venues.

Beginning Friday, July 24, the public can purchase new three-show subscription packages that include the added performances. Packages start at $89, with single tickets for all Beyond Broadway performances going on sale August 24.

Audra McDonald
Photo credit: Allison Michael Orenstein

 

The newly expanded lineup features television, film and Broadway star Tituss Burgess, six-time Tony Award-winning performer Audra McDonald, and two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz.

Due to the intimate, 500-seat capacity of Zilkha Hall, second performances have been added for Burgess and Butz to accommodate demand. McDonald's appearance will remain a single engagement in the Hobby Center's 2,650-seat Sarofim Hall.

The Beyond Broadway series continues to gain momentum in Houston. According to the Hobby Center, subscriptions for the 2026-2027 season increased 166 percent compared to the previous season, highlighting growing interest in live performances featuring Broadway's biggest stars.

The season opens with Tituss Burgess in Concert on October 24, with an added performance on October 25. Known for his roles in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Schmigadoon!, Oh, Mary!, Moulin Rouge!, The Little Mermaid, and numerous other stage and screen productions, Burgess will perform an eclectic mix of Broadway favorites alongside music by artists including John Mayer, Shirley Bassey, Bette Midler, and selections from Porgy & Bess.

Tituss Burgess,
 Photo credit: Nina Duncan

 

The series continues on January 16, 2027, with An Evening with Audra McDonald, marking the acclaimed performer’s first appearance at the Hobby Center. The Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning artist will perform selections from Broadway, the Great American Songbook, and more, accompanied by Houston native and longtime music director Andy Einhorn.

Closing the season on March 20, 2027, Norbert Leo Butz will present Broadway, My Way, with an additional matinee performance added due to demand. The concert combines personal stories with songs spanning Butz's acclaimed Broadway career, including music from productions such as The Last Five Years, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Catch Me If You Can, Wicked, and Big Fish. Butz has also appeared in television and film projects including Bloodline, Fosse/Verdon, Gladiator: American Sports Story, and A Complete Unknown.

Subscribers receive benefits including priority seating, discounted package pricing, a 10 percent discount on additional Beyond Broadway tickets, and exclusive presale opportunities for select Hobby Center programming.

For Houstonians eager to experience Broadway-caliber performances without leaving the city, the expanded Beyond Broadway season offers another opportunity to secure seats to one of the Hobby Center's fastest-growing performance series.

Three-show subscription packages are available beginning July 24 through the Hobby Center. Single tickets go on sale August 24.