Beginning in mid-September, the Straz Center’s 2019-2020 Broadway Series will be ready for all musical theater lovers to enjoy. This year, nine shows are included in the Broadway season ticket packages, with three more available to be added.
“What is terrific about our series is that we present the absolute best that Broadway has to offer. The Tampa Bay community has come to expect top-notch Broadway performances and our series always delivers,” said Paul Bilyeu, senior director of communications at the Straz Center.
Starting the series on Thursday, September 19 to Sunday, November 3 is Spymonkey’s Hysteria, a combination of The Pink Panther and Hitchcock’s Rebecca. Directed by Cal McCrystal, Hysteria features a “spooky mansion, a plucky young heroine and a handsome English aristocrat. Add a German butler and a Spanish soap star and you are all set for a night of hysteria with Spymonkey!”
From Tuesday to Sunday, October 8-13, you can experience the delightful tale of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl’s story follows Charlie, who gets a rare look into Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory alongside a few lucky others. You, too, can join the delicious fun of Oompa Loompas, amazing inventions, wonderful songs and more.
Following that is Fiddler on the Roof from Tuesday to Sunday, November 5-10. From Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific, The King and I and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play Oslo, the performance will be an authentic vision of the beloved original and fresher than ever.
Next up is Once On This Island from Tuesday to Sunday, November 19-24. This widely acclaimed, Tony Award-winning show is about a courageous peasant girl named Ti Moune who, guided by island gods, goes on a beautiful and magical journey to find the man she fell in love with.
After that is Disney’s Aladdin from Thursday to Sunday, December 19, 2019 to January 5, 2020, which has left many in awe on its tour around the country. This new version of the highly regarded classic has all your favorite songs along with fantastic new music, choreography, sets and costumes that make the show extraordinary.
Then from Tuesday to Sunday, February 18-23, 2020 comes Mean Girls from writer Tina Fey, composer Jeff Richmond, lyricist Nell Benjamin and director Casey Nicholaw. This hilarious musical is about Cady Heron, who was raised in an African savanna and must survive in her new home of suburban Illinois when faced with three lionized frenemies.
Coming next is Miss Saigon from Tuesday to Sunday, March 24-29, 2020 by the creators of Les Misérables. It tells the story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim forced to work for the Engineer in a bar. She falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris, but the fall of Saigon separates them.
The eighth show is Summer: The Donna Summer Musical from Tuesday to Sunday, May 5-10, 2020. Donna Summer is a Bostonian singer-songwriter who rose to stardom from gospel choir to dance floor diva. Featuring more than 20 of Summer’s classic hits, it tells the risks she took in breaking through barriers to become an iconic figure who would inspire all future music divas.
Last but not least is My Fair Lady from Tuesday to Sunday, June 2-7, 2020, directed by Bartlett Sher. This musical follows Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle and linguistics professor Henry Higgins, who strives to change her into a ‘proper lady,’ but she may not be the one changing.
In addition to those nine shows, you can also see Jersey Boys, Jesus Christ Superstar and The SpongeBob Musical. Single tickets for all three go on sale on Sunday, December 1. Though not included in the Broadway season ticket packages, you can call the Ticket Sales Office at 229-7827 to ask how to add them.
For more information about the shows, to buy single tickets or to buy or renew season tickets for the Broadway season package, visit www.strazcenter.org/Tickets-Events/Season-Tickets/1920-Broadway.
