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Broadway Grand Rapids' 2026-27 season: The Notebook at DeVos Performance Hall

Broadway Grand Rapids' 2026-27 season: The Notebook at DeVos Performance Hall

Money Moves Grand Rapids, MI local

Seven-show touring season tests Grand Rapids' appetite for Broadway theater

October 18th, 2026: Final performance of The Notebook

Overview

Updated Sep 22

Six nights in October, up to 2,404 people will file into DeVos Performance Hall for The Notebook, the touring musical based on Nicholas Sparks' 1996 novel. The run is the second production in Broadway Grand Rapids' seven-show 2026-27 season at the downtown venue, which opened in 1980.

Ticket sales determine more than one show's fate. A packed house fills downtown restaurants, hotels, and parking decks; weak sales signal that a mid-sized market like Grand Rapids can no longer sustain the touring circuit's economics.

Why it matters

Tour bookings like The Notebook decide whether a regional city keeps getting Broadway shows — and the downtown spending those audiences bring.

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Key Indicators

2,404
DeVos Performance Hall seating capacity
Maximum audience per performance when sold out.
6
Performances of The Notebook in Grand Rapids run
October 13-18, 2026, at DeVos Performance Hall.
$250
Starting price for 5-show season ticket package
Includes Hell's Kitchen, The Notebook, Maybe Happy Ending, Beauty and the Beast, and Death Becomes Her.

Voices

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People Involved

MD
Meghan Distel
President and CEO, Broadway Grand Rapids
Leading the 2026-27 season rollout
BB
Bob Bucci
President of Marketing and Content, Broadway Across America
Co-presenter of the 2026-27 season

Organizations Involved

Broadway Grand Rapids
Broadway Grand Rapids
Theater presenter
Presenter of the 2026-27 season

The nonprofit that books national touring productions into DeVos Performance Hall.
DeVos Performance Hall
DeVos Performance Hall
Performing arts venue
Host venue for 2026-27 season

The largest performance venue in Grand Rapids, seating about 2,404 people.

Timeline

February 2026 October 2026

5 events Latest: October 18th, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Final performance of The Notebook

    Latest Performance

    Run concludes after six nights; season continues with Maybe Happy Ending in November.

  2. The Notebook opens at DeVos Performance Hall

    Performance

    Six-night run begins; up to 2,404 seats available per show in the downtown Grand Rapids venue.

  3. Deadline to add Six to renewing packages

    Procedural

    Renewing subscribers could purchase their seats for the January production of Six through this date.

  4. Subscriber auto-renewal begins

    Procedural

    Current season ticket holders' same seats automatically renew for the new season.

  5. Broadway Grand Rapids unveils 2026-27 season

    Announcement

    Seven-show lineup announced at DeVos Performance Hall reveal event attended by about 1,200 people.

Scenarios

1

The Notebook sells out its six-night Grand Rapids run

Deadline passed (Oct 19, 2026)

Discussed by: Broadway Grand Rapids leadership; Tours To You

Season subscribers cover much of the house, and single-ticket buyers fill the rest. Strong weekend sales carry the run, with midweek shows nearly full. A sellout positions the tour for a return engagement in a future season.

2

Notebook sells solidly, weeknights leave empty seats

Deadline passed (Oct 19, 2026)

Discussed by: Local arts reporters (MLive, Grand Rapids Magazine)

Weekend performances draw near-capacity crowds, but Tuesday through Thursday shows leave upper-balcony seats unsold. Season subscribers fill much of the house; walk-up buyers lag on weeknights. The run posts respectable but not sold-out numbers.

3

Notebook underperforms, prompting heavy discounting

Deadline passed (Oct 19, 2026)

Discussed by: Theater industry observers (Playbill, Broadway World)

Slow sales lead Broadway Grand Rapids to offer promotional pricing or two-for-one deals online and via social media. The tour moves to its next city after six low-return performances, raising questions about the sustainability of the full season.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

March 2020

COVID-19 shuts down Broadway tours (March 2020)

The pandemic halted all Broadway productions and national tours mid-run. DeVos Performance Hall went dark, and Broadway Grand Rapids canceled the rest of its 2019-20 season.

Then

Touring theater lost billions in ticket revenue nationwide; some shows never returned to the road.

Now

The circuit rebuilt slowly through 2021-22 with pent-up demand, but mid-sized markets saw fewer bookings and shorter runs.

Why this matters now

Explains why a full seven-show season in Grand Rapids now matters: it signals the touring circuit has recovered enough to risk extended runs in smaller cities.

2015-2023

Hamilton's national tour sets new records (2015-2023)

The Hamilton tour grossed hundreds of millions of dollars, setting records for national Broadway touring and proving that productions with strong name recognition could sell out multi-week runs in cities far from New York.

Then

Touring producers expanded schedules and raised ticket prices in major markets.

Now

Demand spread to adapted-popular-IP shows like The Notebook, which trades on the film's familiarity rather than original audience.

Why this matters now

The Notebook follows the same formula, and Grand Rapids' response will test whether a mid-sized market still buys that pitch.

Sources

(2)
DeVos Performance Hall Tours To You