Broadway in Boston Announces Its Showstopping 2015-2016 Season
Faith D’Isa ‘17 / Emertainment Monthly Executive Marketing Officer
On Monday night at the Boston Opera House, Broadway in Boston announced their plans for the 2015-2016 season, playing in Emerson’s own Colonial Theatre and the Boston Opera House. It’s a strong season with a lot of powerhouse players, and absolutely nothing disappointed.
First, returning for the third time in four years to Boston is Tony Award winning The Book of Mormon, the Broadway smash hit from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, composed by EGOT Bobby Lopez. The Book of Mormon follows a pair of Mormon missionaries sent across the world to spread the word of their religion, with tons of twists and turns in their way. The Book of Mormon will run from September 1st to October 11th in the Colonial Theatre.
Next up is the fresh off Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, a brand new take on the classic fairytale. A breathtaking visual production with tons of new plot elements, Cinderella is nothing like the Cinderella you know from your youth. Douglas Carter Beane has enhanced this romantic and beautiful production beyond anything you can imagine. For the second year, Broadway in Boston will be partnering with Autism Speaks to present an Autism friendly performance of Cinderella as it did this past season with The Lion King. Cinderella runs from September 29th until October 11th in the Boston Opera House.
Coming up after that is the critically acclaimed Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, which tells the true story of a young Carole King and her rise to stardom through writing and performing music for a generation. Featuring popular songs like “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman)”, “I Feel the Earth Move”, and “You’ve Got A Friend”, Beautiful is a moving experience for all. It plays at the Boston Opera House from November 3rd to the 15th.
The first show playing in 2016 for the season is Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, an incredible take on the Disney classic. Filled with an extraordinary cast, beautiful costumes and sets, and a “tale as old as time”, Beauty and the Beast is a magical show for everyone, ready to bring you back to being a child. Beauty and the Beast runs from January 6th until the 10th of 2016 at the Boston Opera House.
The next show in the season coming up is no stranger to Boston–it’s the astonishing, acrobatic Pippin, fresh off its Broadway run after having been conceived right here in Boston at the A.R.T. by the incredible Diane Paulus. Pippin is a story within a story, a theatre troupe–or in this case, a circus–putting on the tale of a young prince finding his place in the world. With Bob Fosse style choreography and acrobatics from Les 7 Doigts de la Main, who were behind Traces, Pippin is sure to be a spectacle. It runs at the Boston Opera House from February 2nd to the 14th, 2016.
Following that is a music near and dear to so many, whose successful film adaptation is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year–The Sound of Music. The tour is a brand new production of a well-beloved tale that has found a place in the hearts of so many, with a wonderful cast of characters and songs that are gladly stuck in our heads for days. The Sound of Music will run at the Boston Opera House from March 29th until April 10th, 2016.
The next show taking on Boston is the incredible, groundbreaking show that’s still taking Broadway by storm, based on the wonderful story by Roald Dahl, Matilda. Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who makes the most of her terrible circumstances and changes everything around her with sheer positivity and willpower, daring to be different. Matilda will run at the Boston Opera House from June 14th to the 26th, 2016.
The final show in Broadway in Boston’s 2015-2016 season is the showstopper If/Then, winner of the a Pulitzer Prize, done by the creators of Next to Normal. If/Then is a story of choices and how they affect our lives, focusing on a woman and how one moment could change everything. If/Then will run from July 5th to the 17th, 2016.
It’s a very strong season, particularly for female-lead productions, with something exciting coming one after another–what are you most excited to see?