Broadway in Columbus announces its 2024-25 season, including '& Juliet,' 'MJ the Musical'

Musicals about the moonwalking King of Pop, a reimagined Shakespeare heroine, singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, a prematurely-old teenage girl and a high-flying boy who never grew up will tour Columbus next season.

Current Broadway hits such as “MJ the Musical,” “& Juliet,” “A Beautiful Noise” and “Kimberly Akimbo” will enliven PNC Broadway in Columbus’ 2024-2025 season.

“It’s something for everybody, a good mix of shows,” said Chad Whittington, president and CEO of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), which presents the national tours.

“Variety defines this great season, with new products coming from Broadway, including five Columbus premieres and family favorites,” Whittington said.

The value of revivals

Rounding out the 2024-2025 subscription series is a touring-only revival of “Peter Pan,” an encore run of “Hamilton” and the recent first Broadway revival of “Funny Girl,” which catapulted Barbra Streisand to stardom playing a comic cut-up who imagines herself “the greatest star... by far.”

“It’s important to have revivals each season... an opportunity to see the great shows from the past — sometimes tweaked to be relevant — that reflect the evolution of our society and connect us with the deep history of Broadway,” Whittington said.

Jukebox hits and family favorites

Of the four newer musicals visiting Columbus for the first time, only “Kimberly Akimbo” boasts an original score, while “A Beautiful Noise,” “& Juliet” and “MJ The Musical” have “jukebox” scores compiled from older Top-40 songs and composer’s catalogs.

“Talking about jukebox musicals leading the series is difficult for purists to hear, but that’s where the audience is right now,” Whittington said.

Family favorites include “Peter Pan” and an encore run of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” a non-subscription option.

“We put ‘Peter Pan’ on the season specifically for families... For us, introducing new audiences to Broadway at a young age is important, and family shows give us the opportunity to do that,” Whittington said.

How Broadway matters

Five of the seven subscription shows are still on Broadway: “& Juliet, “A Beautiful Noise,” “Hamilton,” “MJ the Musical” and “Kimberly Akimbo,” the top 2023 Tony winner with five awards including best musical, book and score.

“There’s an awareness on social media when a show is a Broadway hit, but even more important is how long it runs. Shows lasting only a few months have a harder time doing well on tour,” Whittington said.

More: 'Jersey Boys,' 'Legally Blonde,' 'Nine' among 2024-25 Short North Stage lineup

Also returning as a non-subscription option: “The Book of Mormon,” approaching 5,000 performances on Broadway after virtually sweeping the 2011 Tony awards.

“We tend to bring back shows that have a long life and were hugely popular during their first runs,” Whittington said.

‘Some shows people see once, and that’s enough. These are shows people tell us, on our audience surveys, they want to see again,” he said.

What tours are set for fall?

Except where noted, all shows (*non-subscription) will be performed at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St.

• “MJ: The Musical” (Sept. 10-15): The dance-oriented musical pays tribute to Michael Jackson’s creativity and collaborative spirit. Conceived by Tony-winning director-choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (“An American in Paris”), and Pulitzer-winner Lynn Nottage (“Ruined,” “Sweat”), the show centers on the making of Jackson’s 1992 “Dangerous World” tour.\

‘’’MJ’ is more than just about Jackson’s music. It has great music and great dancing, but also a really strong story,” Whittington said.

• “The Book of Mormon” (*Oct. 8-13):  Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone (“South Park”) and Robert Lopez (“Avenue Q”), the Tony-winning musical comedy returns for its fourth run after 2014, 2016 and 2018. The story follows a naïve pair of Mormon missionaries from Utah to Uganda as their religious beliefs are tested.

Family shows set for winter

• “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (Dec. 3-8, Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.): The one-act holiday musical, which had a 2015 run here, brings to life the cartoonish world of Dr. Seuss in adapting the book and animated 1966 TV special about the green-hued Grinch’s scheme to spoil the holiday for Whoville residents.

• “Peter Pan” (Jan. 14-19): Newly adapted by playwright Larissa FastHorse, the 1954 musical is based on J.M. Barrie’s play about Peter Pan and sidekick Tinker Bell taking the Darling children on a magical journey to Neverland. Among the iconic songs: “I’m Flying” and “I Won’t Grow Up.”

Strong women enhance 2025 season

• “& Juliet” (Feb. 18-23): Nominated for nine 2023 Tony awards, the musical by Emmy-winning writer David West Read (“Schitt’s Creek”) imagines Juliet getting a second chance.

“What if Juliet decides that losing Romeo doesn’t mean she has to lose her life? Shakespeare’s play is flipped on its head in this story about finding your way,” Whittington said.

The score highlights songwriter/producer Max Martin’s Top-40 songs, including “Blow,” “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” “Domino,” “One More Try,” “Oops!... I Did It Again” and “Roar.”

“You’ll recognize hit after hit, which reflects the breadth of singers Martin has written for,” Whittington said.

More: Jon Batiste coming to Columbus to participate in a musical residency with ProMusica

• “Funny Girl” (March 25-30): With Harvey Fierstein (“La Cage aux Folles”) updating the book for the first Broadway revival, the musical charts the life of Fanny Brice, whose knack for comedy and chutzpah propelled her to Ziegfeld Follies stardom. Jule Styne and Bob Merrill’s score includes “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star” and “People.”

What completes the season?

• “A Beautiful Noise” (April 22-27, 2025): Created with Neil Diamond, the bio-musical charts Diamond’s rise from a Brooklyn kid to a chart-topping pop-rock singer-songwriter who sold 120 million albums.

Among the songs: “America,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “Hello Again,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Solitary Man” and “Sweet Caroline.”

• “Kimberly Akimbo” (June 3-8, 2025): Author-lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire (“Shrek”) and composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home”) based the coming-of-age musical on Lindsay-Abaire’s play of the same title about the struggle for happiness of a 16-year-old girl with a rare genetic condition prematurely aging her.

“It’s about the angst and complications for kids who might not fit in... You fall in love with all the kids in this really endearing show, which appeals to theater-lovers with a new score and a mostly-teenage cast,” Whittington said.

• “Hamilton” (July 8-20, 2025): Lin Manuel Miranda’s Pulitzer-winning musical drama, returning here for its third multi-week run after 2019 and 2022, focuses on Alexander Hamilton, George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War.

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At a glance

Subscriptions to the seven-show season, on sale nowfor renewals and May 28 for new subscribers, cost $332.25 to $1,019.60. (1-800-294-1892, BroadwayinColumbus.com)

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Broadway in Columbus announces 2024-25 season lineup at the Ohio Theatre