My Ramblings on the 2020-2021 Broadway Series

Are you a lover of Musical Theater? Do you love Broadway but do not have the means or time to go to NYC and see a magnificent show? Don’t fret, there are soo many AMAZING Broadway tours out there and they are likely headed to a city near year!

I am going to tell you about my in-home release party; Attendance ONE! Alright, not so much a party as a girl texting her best friend and theater partner-in-crime while watching the release party live! But you know, I was having an inner party and bursting with excitement! Lol.

I invite you to read on for my response to all the goodness that is coming to the Cleveland Playhouse Square theater district next season in the Broadway series! IF YOU DON’T LIVE IN CLEVELAND, no worries, you can still check this out as some of these shows may coming to a city near you!

If you click on the show title, it will take you to each show’s website and provide tour dates. BUT you may want to check back from time to time as announcements are still being made! Or who knows, maybe you can grab a theater loving pal and take a (MUCH cheaper) road trip to see an amazing show!

What’s The Buzz?

Every year our theater holds a Broaway Launch party and invite series ticket holders to announce the upcoming Broadway season. Anyone can watch it online.

My best friend and I are season ticket holders. Our husbands bought us the most amazing gift one year: Tickets to musicals in our first Broadway series! We decided to maintain that gift and have been treating ourselves for the past 8 years!

This evening has become more and more exciting for me every year! I have really thrown myself into the Broadway/Musical Theater life over the past few years. I mean I don’t go to concerts much so this is my music outlet! And at least this way I get a show and in most cases an (emotional) experience.

Let the show begin…

As I (im)patiently wait for the announcement to start, my excitement builds to that of a giddy school girl! What was going to come? Are my guesses accurate? Will we get the best or some mediocre shows?

And they start to announce:

To Kill A Mockingbird – (Nov 3-22) Shockingly I never had to read this book in school like practically everyone I know. Straight plays are not as exciting for me, but it has done well on Broadway and we have at least 5-6 other shows to release so I will let it slide! 😜

Next announced….Pretty Woman: The Musical! (Jan 5-24) It appears that the newest big trend in Broadway is to make a show based on a non-musical movie. Some others are Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire, even Back to the Future!  Either way, it wont be Richard Gere and Julia Roberts but it is a Cinderella story that most people can get behind!

Third up…….The Prom! (March 9- 21) Now I will be honest, I know the least about this show BUT I like to have an element of surprise when I see a show. Plus, it is THE show of original content. It hasn’t been done before, so that is exciting. I had considered it for our NYC trip but the run ended. Fun Fact: The Prom is going to be made into a movie starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Codren! Not too shabby. It will also be the comic relief of the seaon and every season needs that!

Next up….The Cher Show (Feb 2 – 21) This is another very popular trend in musicals now;  shows about musician(s) loves written to their music.  Sometimes this works out beautifully, other times, not so much. I do enjoy much of Cher’s work and believe she has a really interesting story. My worry here is that they will focus on her music and not develop a well executed story ( like Donna Sommers which you can read about.) If I just want to listen to music, I will buy the CD.  When I go to the theater, I want the whole package! Let’s hope they deliver. 

Now it starts to really get exciting…..Moulin Rouge! (May 5 – June 6) This show should be like a dream. I expect the set and costumes to wow us. If it doesn’t, the show will certainly fall short. But it has people raving. Also, the score is made up of a lot of modern songs; many of which were NOT in the movie. On a personal note, my mom a absolutely loved the movie. Anything that makes me feel closer to her makes my heart happy.l and has my vote!

Commercial Break

Ok, not really but every time a new show is announced, there is a segment on it. These segments involve interviews, roundups, costumes, or something else to get the people into it!

My BFF and I use this time to text back and forth like the peanut gallery!

• “Brian Adam’s score?”
• “Is this dude still talking?”
• “Where is the total sinker? It’s coming!”
• “Are we on the last show yet?”
• “Pu-lease don’t say Oklahoma? “
• “We are at 5 and they have not announced the revival yet. ” (b/c there is always a revival).

Back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Just as it is about time for the obligatory revival reveal, they throw a curveball and announce a second musician based show,  Ain’t Too Proud to Beg! (Apr 6 – 25) Whew, dodged a bullet! I did not grow up in the Motown era, BUT I did grow up with Motown. These songs were what we listened to as kids in my house. This period is such an epic historical era, both musically and otherwise, that I have to assume the story (if done right) will be very good.

Ok so now that my mind has been blown, I become worried what the last show could be! The texts are flying back and forth, “Please be Hadestown. Please be Hadestown……….”

FINAL SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT….TONY AWARD  WINNING HADESTOWN!!! (July 5-25) Shut The Front Door! I am over the moon. Yes I saw this show on Broadway already but it was SUCH AN AMAZING SHOW. (For my ramblings click here). I could not be more excited to see it again! I may be a little anxious that some of the performers (cough, Persephone) won’t be quite up to snuff as those on Broadway. But no matter what this show is still well worth the cost of the entire season!

Extras

To top it off, the Swap shows are truly incredible. These are shows that will be coming, just not as part of the ticket holder series. A ticket can be swapped out for one of these shows or purchased in addition for regular price.

Dear Evan Hanson and Come From Away should be witnessed by everyone. They are such touching shows with amazing scores. I would see them both in a heart beat with a box of tissues. If you want to read my ramblings on these shows, click Dear Evan Hanson or Come From Away.

And if you have kids, Dr Suess’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a fun way to mix it up. I heard them mention Hairspray is coming too but I have not seen that in writing yet.

Two Thumbs Up

Ultimately, I could not be happier about what the 2020-2021 season will bring to this heart of Rock-N-Roll city! It is certainly a milion times better than this season. I feel lucky to be part of a city with such a truly incredible theater district. I think this brings us some great shows and opportunities.

Another shout out to being a season ticket holder, it is well worth the money and the most affordable way to see the shows. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it!

Other Touring shows:

I studied what shows are touring and when they will be done for weeks to see what we could possibly be hosting.  Here are some others that are touring near the end of the year or into next year:

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Cats
• Fiddler On the Roof
• Hamilton
• Jersey Boys
• Les Miserables
• Rent
• Tootsie
• Wicked

If you really want to see any of these you could always make an excuse for a road trip closer to you.

Other Big Theater Districts

I have checked out some Broadway Series announcements in a few other big theater districts around the nation. It varies from city to city but make sure to look into it! It could offer you something to look forward to as much as I do! Here are some of the best rates Districts according to TripAdvisor:

• Boston, Massachusetts
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Washington DC
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Miami, Florida
• Houston, Texas
• Dallas, Texas
• Detroit, Michigan
• Chicago, Illinois
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Denver, Colorado
• San Diego, California
• Seattle, Washington

I would love to hear what shows you are looking forward to seeing or what is playing in your Broadway series in the comments.