Tampa’s Straz Center is getting these Broadway shows for its 2024-25 season

The David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa has announced its 2024-25 Broadway season, and it ranges from a world premiere to longtime favorites.

“The Lion King” returns for the first time in a decade with a three-week engagement. New works include the play “The Boy Who Loved Batman” and the musical “Mystic Pizza,” based on the 1988 movie that launched Julia Roberts’ career.

Speaking of movies, “Some Like It Hot” — a musical based on the 1959 film starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon — is on the roster.

The season brings holiday cheer with “Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical.”

Musical icons are represented with “The Cher Show,” which tells the musician’s life story; “A Beautiful Noise,” based on Neil Diamond’s life; and “MJ the Musical,” which follows Michael Jackson’s 1992 world tour.

Returning this season are the shows “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations” (Jan. 3-5, 2025) and “Mamma Mia!” featuring the music of Swedish supergroup ABBA (Jan. 28-Feb. 2, 2025).

The world premiere of “The Boy Who Loved Batman” is a special engagement held in the Jaeb Theater this fall. It’s based on a book by Michael E. Uslan, about how his dogged obsession with the comic led to his becoming executive producer on every Batman film, starting with Tim Burton’s in 1989.

Straz Center president and CEO Greg Holland said in a phone interview that there is always an effort to include a show that can only be experienced in the Tampa Bay area.

“Because of the existing reputation of The Straz ... people want to talk to us about doing new productions,” he said. “It gives us all kinds of opportunities.”

Season ticket renewals and new subscriptions will be available beginning April 2. Current season ticket holders will receive renewal invoices in early April and must renew by April 29 to guarantee their seats. Prices range from$392 to $1,036 for the nine-show season package. For more information, call the Straz Center Ticket Sales Office at 813-229-7827 or visit strazcenter.org.

Individual show tickets will go on sale at a later date, to be announced.

Here’s the lineup:

The Boy Who Loved Batman (Oct. 1-Nov. 10): Based on a true story, this comedy follows one man’s journey from comic books to the silver screen.

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical (Nov. 12-17): Dr. Seuss’ classic tale of the Grinch whose heart is two sizes too small features songs first heard on the animated television special, including “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” With a set featuring Dr. Seuss’ illustrations, Max the Dog narrates while the Grinch tries to steal Christmas from The Whos.

Some Like It Hot (Dec. 10-15): The New York Times called it “a super-sized, all-out song-and-dance spectacular!” Set in Chicago during Prohibition, the play follows two musicians as they skip town after witnessing a mob hit. They embark on a life-changing trip on a cross-country train. It’s won four Tony Awards including Best Choreography and Best Costumes.

The Cher Show (Jan. 14-19, 2025): This Tony Award-winning musical tells Cher’s life story through three actors playing her as a kid starting out, a glamorous pop star and the icon she is now. It features 35 of her hits and “enough Tony Award-winning Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequin shortage in New York City.”

A Beautiful Noise (Feb. 11-16, 2025): Created with Neil Diamond himself, it tells the story of his journey as a kid from Brooklyn to superstar with a massive catalog including the hits “America,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Forever in Blue Jeans.”

MJ the Musical (Feb. 25-March 2, 2025): This tells the story behind the making of Michael Jackson’s 1992 Dangerous Tour. Created by director-choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, the musical has won multiple Tony Awards.

Disney’s The Lion King (April 2-20, 2025): This beloved musical is an overall spectacle from its sets and costumes to its music crafted by Tim Rice and Elton John.

Mystic Pizza (April 29-May 4, 2025): Based on the 1988 rom-com starring Julia Roberts, this new musical follows three young women working in a pizza shop navigating life and love. It features 1980s songs including “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Hold On.”

Shucked (June 3-8, 2025): Deemed “flat-out hilarious” by the Wall Street Journal, this musical with a score by songwriting team Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally is set in Cob County, a locale known for its love of corn. There’s also a Tampa tidbit in the plot that sets conflict in motion.