ABOVE: “The Cher Show.” (Photo by Joan Marcus)
ORLANDO | After teasing the season with “Hamilton” and “Wicked,” the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts announced the rest of the shows for its 2020-21 FAIRWINDS Broadway season Feb. 18.
The nine shows coming for the new season boast an impressive 88 Tony Award nominations and 44 wins, including four Best Musical winners. The season features “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Tootsie,” “Hadestown,” “The Band’s Visit,” “The Prom,” “Wicked,” “CATS,” “Hamilton” and “The Cher Show.”
“This will be another fantastic Broadway year, especially with the acclaimed titles and expanded number of weeks,” said Kathy Ramsberger, president and CEO of Dr. Phillips Center, in a press release.
“Hamilton,” which will be a season add-on, will run for four weeks and “Wicked,” a season option, will run for three weeks. The upcoming season will also include the completion of Steinmetz Hall, the newest theater at the Dr. Phillips Center; however, all Broadway series shows will play in the Walt Disney Theater.
“This season is filled with one-of-a-kind performances and we are proud to offer exclusive pre-sale opportunities to our members through our continued support of the FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando seasonat Dr. Phillips Center and to provide quality entertainment to our entire community,” said FAIRWINDS Credit Union president and CEO Larry Tobin in the release.
The 2020-21 season will kick off Sept. 29 with “To Kill A Mockingbird” and conclude with “The Cher Show” June 15-21, 2021. For more information and to renew a subscription for the 2020-21 season and Broadway in Orlando, visit OrlandoBroadway.com. Dates and show descriptions for the entire season are below.
“To Kill A Mockingbird”
Sept. 29–Oct. 4
All rise for Academy Award–winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork. The New York Times Critic’s Pick “To Kill A Mockingbird” is “the most successful American play in Broadway history. It has not played to a single empty seat” (“60 Minutes”). Rolling Stone gives it 5 stars, calling it “an emotionally shattering landmark production of an American classic,” and New York Magazine calls it “a real phenomenon. Majestic and incandescent, it’s filled with breath and nuance and soul.” With direction by Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher, “To Kill A Mockingbird” — “the greatest novel of all time” (Chicago Tribune) — has quickly become “one of the greatest plays in history” (NPR).
“Tootsie”
Nov. 24–29
Call it “musical comedy heaven” (Rolling Stone). Call it “the most uproarious new musical in years!” (The Hollywood Reporter). Call it “Tootsie”! This laugh-out-loud love letter to the theater tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime. Featuring a hilarious Tony-winning book by Robert Horn and an outrageously clever score by 2018 Tony-winner David Yazbek (“The Band’s Visit,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”), this New York Times Critic’s Pick is “a joyful delight” (The Washington Post) that’s “so packed with punchlines, it should be called a jokebox musical!” (Bloomberg). “In these turbulent times, when the world seems out of balance, we need a place to let the good times roll,” raves Rolling Stone. “Tootsie” is it!”
“Hadestown”
Dec. 15–20
Come see how the world could be. Welcome to “Hadestown,” where a song can change your fate. Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, this acclaimed new show by celebrated singer/songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and innovative director Rachel Chavkin (“Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812”) is a love story for today — and always.
“Hadestown” intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, “Hadestown” is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.
“The Band’s Visit”
Jan. 5–10, 2021
The critically acclaimed smash hit Broadway musical “The Band’s Visit” is the winner of 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, making it one of the most Tony-winning musicals in history. It is also a Grammy Award winner for Best Musical Theater Album.
In this joyously offbeat story, set in a town that’s way off the beaten path, a band of musicians arrive lost, out of the blue. Under the spell of the desert sky, and with beautiful music perfuming the air, the band brings the town to life in unexpected and tantalizing ways. Even the briefest visit can stay with you forever.
With a Tony- and Grammy-winning score that seduces your soul and sweeps you off your feet, and features thrillingly talented onstage musicians, “The Band’s Visit” rejoices in the way music makes us laugh, makes us cry, and ultimately, brings us together.
“The Prom”
Feb. 16–21, 2021
Everyone’s invited to the joyous Broadway hit that New York Magazine hails as “smart and big-hearted” while The New York Times declares it “makes you believe in musical comedy again!” “The Prom” is a new musical comedy about big Broadway stars on a mission to change the world and the love they discover that unites them all. Variety raves, “It’s so full of happiness that you think your heart is about to burst.” And The Hollywood Reporter cheers, “It’s comic gold!”
“The Prom” features direction and choreography by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw (“Mean Girls,” “The Book of Mormon”), a book by Tony Award–winner Bob Martin (“The Drowsy Chaperone”) and Tony Award–nominee Chad Beguelin (“Aladdin”), music by Tony Award–nominee Matthew Sklar (“Elf”) and lyrics by Tony Award–nominee Chad Beguelin.
You belong at “The Prom!”
“Wicked”
March 10–28, 2021
The Broadway sensation “Wicked” looks at what happened in the Land of Oz — but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships, until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”
With a thrilling score that includes the hits “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” “Wicked” has been hailed by The New York Times as “the defining musical of the decade” and by Time Magazine as “a magical Broadway musical with brains, heart and courage.”
Having recently celebrated its 16th anniversary on Broadway, “Wicked” is the winner of over 100 international awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards. “Wicked” has been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries around the world and has thus far been translated into six languages.
Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, “Wicked” has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production is directed by Tony Award–winner Joe Mantello with musical staging by Tony Award–winner Wayne Cilento. “Wicked” is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.
“CATS”
April 20–25, 2021
“CATS,” the record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber that has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages, is now on tour across North America!
Audiences and critics alike are rediscovering this beloved musical with breathtaking music, including one of the most treasured songs in musical theater: “Memory.” Winner of 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical, “CATS” tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. The original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber (“The Phantom of the Opera,” “School of Rock,” “Sunset Boulevard”), original scenic and costume design by John Napier (“Les Misérables”), all-new lighting design by Natasha Katz (“Aladdin”), all-new sound design by Mick Potter, new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler (“Hamilton”) based on the original choreography by Gillian Lynne (“The Phantom of the Opera”) and direction by Trevor Nunn (“Les Misérables”) make this production a new “CATS” for a new generation!
“Hamilton”
May 4–30, 2021
“Hamilton” is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, “Hamilton” has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre — a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, “Hamilton” is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography. It has won Tony, Grammy and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.
“The Cher Show”
June 15–20, 2021
The Tony Award-winning musical! Her life. Her story. Her legend.
Superstars come and go. Cher is forever. For six straight decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture — breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. “The Cher Show” is the Tony Award-winning musical of her story, and it’s packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star and the icon.
“The Cher Show” is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy, an Oscar, an Emmy and enough Tony Award-winning Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequin shortage in New York City, all in one unabashedly fabulous new musical that will have you dancing in the aisles!
