Just a few weeks into the new year and there are still some big shows coming to the Bank of America Broadway at the Straz season. The series, supported in part by the Tampa Bay Times, official media sponsor of the Straz, continues with A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, MJ the Musical, Mystic Pizza, Shucked and a three-week engagement of Disney’s The Lion King. The season ahead also features an encore engagement of MAMMA MIA!
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical
Tuesday, February 11, through Sunday, February 16
Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A Beautiful Noise is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chartbusting, showstopping American rock icon. With 120 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “Sweet Caroline,” an induction into the Songwriters and Rock & Roll halls of fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Diamond’s story was made to shine on Broadway — and head out on the road across America.
MJ the Musical
Tuesday, February 25, through Sunday, March 2
He is one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Now, Michael Jackson’s unique and unparalleled artistry comes to Tampa as MJ the Musical, the multi-Tony Award-winning, new musical centered around the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour, begins a tour of its own. Created by Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Jackson into legendary status.
Disney’s The Lion King
Wednesday, April 2, through Sunday, April 20
More than 100 million people around the world have experienced the phenomenon of Disney’s The Lion King, and now you can too when Tampa’s best-loved musical returns to the Straz Center. Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, this landmark musical event brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway. Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor brings to life a story filled with hope and adventure set against an amazing backdrop of stunning visuals. The Lion King also features some of Broadway’s most recognizable music, crafted by Tony Award-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice. There is simply nothing else like The Lion King.
Mystic Pizza
Tuesday, April 29, through Sunday, May 4
Based on the beloved 1988 MGM rom-com that launched the career of Julia Roberts, Mystic Pizza is a new musical about three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love and family in a small-town pizza joint serving everyone from the townies to the privileged country club set. And what’s in that secret sauce, you ask? The hits of the ’80s and ’90s! The hit songs range from “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” to “Hold On” to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”
Shucked
Tuesday, June 3, through Sunday, June 8
Shucked is the Tony Award-winning musical comedy The Wall Street Journal calls “flat out hilarious!” And nobody knows funny like economists. Featuring a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn (Tootsie), a score by the Grammy Award–winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally (Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow”) and directed by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien (Hairspray), this corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy your appetite for great musical theater.
In addition to the nine-show Broadway series, The Straz will present the return engagement of:
MAMMA MIA!
Now through Sunday, February 2
A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget.
Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship and identity is beautifully told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago.
For show ticket information, call the Straz Center Ticket Sales Office at 813-229-STAR (7827) or, if located outside the Tampa Bay area, at 800-955-1045, or visit www.strazcenter.org.
The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts and its programs are funded in part by the City of Tampa; the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners; the Tourist Development Council/Hillsborough County; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; and the National Endowment for the Arts.
You must be logged in to post a comment.