A new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera is coming to the newly renovated Robinson Center in 2017, officials said Monday.
The performance, a first for Arkansas, will be in Little Rock for two weeks: March 8-19, 2017.
Producer Cameron Mackintosh is behind the new production of Webber's Phantom of the Opera, with the production retaining original elements of music, script, lyrics and Tony Award-winning costume design.
The updated version, with a cast and orchestra of 52, is "one of the largest productions on tour in North America," according to Celebrity Attractions.
Twenty tractor-trailers carrying the necessary production equipment will bring the performance to Arkansas' capital city.
Monday's announcement was made by Ed Payton, CEO of Celebrity Attractions; Gretchen Hall, president and CEO of the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau; and Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, representing the city, which owns the building.
Payton said the auditorium had previously been "hampered" by a lack of features needed in the Robinson Center's dock, backstage and stage areas to accommodate performances such as Phantom of the Opera.
"That's all changing with the new renovation here, and it's going to become a world-class theater capable of doing every possible show that tours," he said.
Payton said moving the dock to the back side of the building will make it possible to load shows' equipment directly onto the stage. Previously, the loading dock was on the Broadway Street side, and equipment had to be raised to stage level on a hydraulic lift.
Tickets for Phantom of the Opera will go on sale next year. Season ticket holders will have priority seating for the 2016-17 Broadway season.
More information about ticket sales is available at the Celebrity Attractions website.
Officials with the Robinson Center said renovation work is on schedule for a November 2016 opening as part of the auditorium's "second act."
Reporter/columnist Eric E. Harrison contributed to this report.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.