Sutton Foster returned to Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 3, performing at Wharton Center's Cobb Great Hall in East Lansing.

The two-time Tony winner shared the stage with local high school and college students who earned their spots through competitive audition.

The one-night concert, titled "An Evening with Sutton Foster," opened Wharton Center's 45th anniversary performing arts season. A featured ensemble of young performers joined Foster for a few numbers during the 7:30 p.m. show.

Those students earned their place through a rigorous process. Nominees came from drama-teacher recommendations or recognition at the 2025 Sutton Foster Awards, a statewide program Wharton Center runs to celebrate high school musical theater. Applicants submitted either a 32-bar vocal selection or a tap combination designed by Foster's choreographer, Eric Sciotto, according to WILX. Selected students then rehearsed with local teaching artists and professional educators before the show.

Foster grew up in Troy. She attended Troy High School and launched her performing career in the state.

Wharton Center Executive Director Eric Olmscheid told The State News in April that Foster was intentionally chosen to open the anniversary season because of her deep Michigan roots.

Olmscheid described the format in an April interview with WKAR: "She will choose from the kind of the Broadway catalog and her favorite songs, and it will just be an evening with her telling stories and songs with her accompanist at the piano."

Foster's Broadway credits include starring roles in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Anything Goes," "The Music Man," "Sweeney Todd" and "Les Misérables." She has earned seven Tony nominations. On television, she led the series "Younger" and "Bunheads" and appeared in "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

The Sutton Foster Awards, her namesake program at Wharton Center, are open to every Michigan high school regardless of size or budget. Adjudicators attend each school's full musical production and nominate students for a showcase.

Wharton Center’s next Broadway production is ‘The Notebook,’ running Oct. 27 through Nov. 1.