Over the past 43 years, thousands of artists have presented on Wharton Center’s stages. As Michigan’s largest performing arts venue, we definitely have some stories to tell. Here are seven things you may not know about Wharton Center!  

1. First Broadway tour at Wharton  

In 1982, Wharton Center welcomed its first Broadway musical, Barnum- a Bio-show of P.T. Barnum, who was an American Showman. The musical won a Tony Award®, and the show had 854 performances on Broadway. For its Wharton Center debut, the musical ran for just two days. This makes it the shortest Broadway run in Wharton Center history!  

 

2. Les Misérables at Wharton  

Wharton Center and Michigan State University became the first university to host Les Misérables. The run began in April 1989 and showcased special promotional material for MSU. Cosette says Go Green! Since it’s Wharton Center premiere, it has been to East Lansing five times: 1995, 2002, 2012, 2019, and 2024. 

3. First week-long show at Wharton  

In 1986, Wharton Center hosted Dreamgirls, for our first week-long production.  The show won six Tony Awards®, produced a Billboard number one song, and spawned a film adaptation in 2006 starring Beyoncé & Jennifer Hudson.  

4. Presidential Debate  

On October 19, 1992, Wharton Center hosted the final presidential debate of the election cycle. George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and H. Ross Perot each had qualified for this debate. To qualify for a Presidential Debate, candidates need to poll 15% or more in the four major US polls.  This was a completely unique scenario as the debate was hosted in October and historically there are only two major party endorsements that close to the November election.  This cycle marked the last time three candidates qualified for the presidential debate in the United States.   

Over 2,000 campaign staff, journalists and pollical members traveled to East Lansing for the debate!  

5. Wharton Center’s Longest Show  

In 1996, Wharton Center hosted Phantom of the Opera for seven and a half weeks. To host the show, Wharton Center upgraded its infrastructure by adding structural steel to the ceiling and beneath the stage to support the staging and sets. We also added a complex wrench system specifically for the famous chandelier drop at the end of Act One. Over the seven-week run, 138,000 Michiganders saw Phantom, and our ticket revenue exceeded 7.5 million dollars!   

6. More Structural changes   

When Wharton Center hosted, a unique detail of the show had to be addressed, Mary Poppins’ flight over the audience. At the time, Wharton Center didn't have the infrastructure to do this, so we built it. If you have ever noticed the sound booth in the Grand Tier, it was built for Mary Poppins' landing! Want to learn more check out this video. 

7. Taylor Swift at Wharton Center  

Before Taylor Swift had the highest grossing music tour of all time, she performed at Wharton Center! In 2008, seventeen-year-old Taylor Swift had a solo concert in Cobb Great Hall. At the time her only album was the self-titled “Taylor Swift.” Later that year she would release Fearless, which became her first Album Tour.