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JUST ANNOUNCED: @KimmelCenter 20/21 #Broadway Season in #Philadelphia – from Eliza Doolittle to Carole King to the Temptations – this season has a hit for everyone to enjoy, w/ the largest subscription season in our history! Visit kimmelcenter.org for info. #ArtHappensHere
Press Contacts:
Lauren Woodard
215-790-5835
lwoodard@kimmelcenter.org
Lisa Jefferson
267-765-3723
ljefferson@alliedglobalmarketing.com
FROM BROADWAY TO BROAD STREET,
THE CURTAINS WILL RISE AGAIN
THE KIMMEL CENTER CULTURAL CAMPUS
AND THE SHUBERT ORGANIZATION PRESENT
2020/21 BROADWAY PHILADELPHIA SEASON
SHOWCASING LARGEST SUBSCRIPTION SEASON
IN KIMMEL CENTER HISTORY,
WITH 14 BLOCKBUSTER PRODUCTIONS AND A COMBINED
49 TONY AWARD® WINS
2020/21 Season Highlights include 4 Philadelphia premieres
– Pretty Woman: The Musical, The Cher Show,
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations, and Hadestown –
Highly anticipated return of Disney’s The Lion King
Re-imagining of 1776, in Philadelphia ahead of Broadway run
FOR IMMEDIATE RELAESE (Philadelphia, PA, March 19, 2020) – From Broadway to Broad Street, the curtains will rise again!The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus and The Shubert Organization announced the 2020/21 Broadway Philadelphia season today, reminding the community to be hopeful in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020/21 season features a dazzling lineup of Tony Award®-winning productions, the most recent Broadway hits, and beloved returning classics. The upcoming season boasts a combined 49 Tony Awards® and 47 Drama Desk™ Awards, as well as four brand-new national touring shows making their Philadelphia premieres – Pretty Woman: The Musical, The Cher Show, Ain’t Too Proud, and Hadestown – and the highly anticipated return of Disney’s The Lion King.
Broadway Philadelphia is presented collaboratively by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Organization, with productions at the Academy of Music, Forrest Theatre, and the Merriam Theater. The full 2020/21 season includes: Pretty Woman: The Musical (October 27 – November 8, 2020, Academy of Music); My Fair Lady (November 17 – 29, 2020, Academy of Music); 1776 (December 8 – 20, 2020, Forrest Theatre); Hairspray (December 29 – January 3, 2021, Merriam Theater); The Cher Show (January 5 – 17, 2021, Academy of Music); Blue Man Group (January 26 – 31, 2021, Merriam Theater); Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (February 2 – 14, 2021, Academy of Music); Ain’t Too Proud(March 16 – April 4, 2021; Academy of Music); Anastasia(March 16 – 21, 2021; Merriam Theater); RENT: 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour (April 9 – 11, 2021, Merriam Theater); Oklahoma!(May 4 – 16, 2021, Forrest Theatre); Disney’s The Lion King (May 26 – June 20, 2021, Academy of Music); Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida(July 14 – 18, 2021, Academy of Music); and Hadestown (July 27 – August 8, 2021, Academy of Music).
Hamilton will return as part of the following season, however, the dates and venue will be announced at a later date. Subscribers will have guaranteed first access to purchase Hamilton tickets. Guests are encouraged to sign up for Kimmel Center Cultural Campus weekly e-newsletter to receive updates as they become available.
“In the midst of the uncertainty now surrounding us due to COVID-19, we want to give our community something to look forward to. Our announcement offers hope for a future of togetherness and connection with great art, both on our Broadway stages and beyond,” said Anne Ewers, President & CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “We will once again enjoy those live events that inspire and elate us, those performances that make us laugh and unite us with others for a common experience. We hope to foster optimism within the City of Philadelphia and beyond, as well as with the artists and theater communities that make each season happen. Once these challenging times are behind us, may we truly appreciate the opportunities we share together through the power and healing of the performing arts.”
“As the preeminent performing arts center in the region and hub for diverse programming & expression, it is our pleasure to present the latest Tony Award®-winning blockbuster shows in Philadelphia, straight from Broadway!” said Frances Egler, Senior Director of Programming and Presentations. “This year’s lineup is delightfully varied – from 8-time Tony winner Hadestown; to sweeping, reimagined classics like Oklahoma! and My Fair Lady; to Disney’s masterpieces The Lion King and Aida. Female power reigns in this 100th anniversary year of the women’s right to vote – with Carole King’s Beautiful, The Cher Show, Pretty Woman, and Anastasia. To new and returning subscribers and theater fans alike, we can’t wait to welcome you to the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus this year!”
“We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to bring another remarkable season of Broadway to Philadelphia,” said Philip J. Smith, Chairman of The Shubert Organization, Inc.
“As a nonprofit arts organization, our Cultural Campus is home to over 2,000 events per year – from FREE monthly programs, city-wide conversations like the LGBTQ State of the Union, FREE Plaza exhibitions like virtual reality swings, and arts education programs. All in all, our visitors generate a total citywide economic impact of more than $544 million per year,” said Crystal Brewe, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications. “The fans have spoken! This new Broadway season is our largest season yet, with more opportunities than ever to bring our returning subscribers and new visitors from around the region to the Avenue of the Arts, thereby supporting our region and the health of arts in Philadelphia.”
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Tickets
2020/21 Broadway Philadelphia subscription packages on the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus are on sale now. Subscribers save up to 25% off single ticket prices and are offered a variety of exclusive event invitations, perks, and privileges, including the first opportunity to select the best seats in the house and the option to renew their seats each year. Additional subscriber benefits include free exchanges, priority ticket access, payment plan options, and more.
8-show packages are available now and include Tuesday through Sunday performances of Pretty Woman: The Musical; My Fair Lady; 1776; The Cher Show; Ain’t Too Proud; Oklahoma!; Disney’s The Lion King; and Hadestown.
Subscription packages range from $280.00 to $1,078.00 and are available online at kimmelcenter.org/broadway20-21 or by calling 215-893-1955. For the second consecutive year, subscription packages include a Wednesday matinee option. New this season, subscribers have the flexible option to swap one of the shows in their subscription package for a season extra of their choice.
Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling (215) 790-5883 or 866-276-2947. Visit online at kimmelcenter.com/groupsales or telecharge.com/groups.
Single tickets for individual productions will go on sale at a later date.
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2020/21 BROADWAY PHILADELPHIA SHOW OVERVIEWS
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL
October 27 – November 8, 2020 • Academy of Music
After an incredible run on Broadway, Audience Choice Award-winner Pretty Woman: The Musical is now on tour! One of Hollywood’s most beloved stories of all time, Pretty Woman: The Musical is brought to life by a powerhouse creative team representing the best of music, Hollywood, and Broadway. Featuring direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde), an original score by Grammy® winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance (“Summer of ’69”, “Heaven”), and a book by the movie’s legendary director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J.F. Lawton, Pretty Woman: The Musical will lift your spirits and light up your heart. “If you love the movie, you’ll love the musical!” (BuzzFeed News).
Featured in the musical is Roy Orbison and Bill Dee’s international smash hit song “Oh, Pretty Woman,” which inspired one of the most beloved romantic comedy films of all time. Pretty Woman the film was an international smash hit when it was released in 1990. Now, 30 years later, Pretty Woman: The Musical still “Dazzles!” (Deadline) and is “Big romance and big fun!” (Broadway.com). “Irresistible! A romantic fantasy. A contemporary fairy tale,” says The Hollywood Reporter. Pretty Woman: The Musical delivers on all the iconic moments you remember. Get ready to experience this dazzling theatrical take on a love story for the ages.
Are you ready to fall in love all over again?
Atlantic Records’ Pretty Woman: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) is produced by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance and is now available on all DSPs.
MY FAIR LADY
November 17 – 29, 2020 • Academy of Music
From Lincoln Center Theater that brought you The King & I and South Pacific, comes “a sumptuous new production of the most perfect musical of all time” (Entertainment Weekly), Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY. Director Bartlett Sher’s glowing production is “thrilling, glorious and better than it ever was” (New York Times). “Every so often a revival comes along that reminds you how indispensable great theater can be” (NY1).
Boasting such classic songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” and “On the Street Where You Live,” MY FAIR LADY tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed?
1776
December 8 – 20, 2020 • Forrest Theatre
They knew they would make history, but not what history would make of them. Fed up with living under the tyranny of British rule, John Adams attempts to persuade his fellow members of the Continental Congress to vote in favor of American Independence and sign the Declaration. But how much is he willing to compromise in the pursuit of freedom? And to whom does that freedom belong?
Direct from the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, visionary director Diane Paulus reexamines a pivotal moment in American history in a re-imagining of the Tony Award®-winning musical 1776, prior to its Broadway engagement at Roundabout Theatre Company.
HAIRSPRAY
December 29 – January 3, 2021 • Merriam Theater
“If life were everything it should be, it would be more like HAIRSPRAY. It’s irresistible!” – The New York Times
You Can’t Stop the Beat! HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award®-winning musical comedy phenomenon that inspired the blockbuster film and live television event, is back on tour! Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Featuring the beloved score of hit songs including “Welcome to the 60’s,” “Good Morning Baltimore,” “It Takes Two,” and incorporating “Ladies Choice” from the musical film adaption, HAIRSPRAY is “fresh, winning, and deliriously tuneful!” (The New York Times).
This all-new touring production will reunite Broadway’s award-winning creative team led by Director Jack O’Brien and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell to bring HAIRSPRAY to a new generation of theater audiences. Don’t miss this “exhilaratingly funny and warm-hearted musical comedy” (The New Yorker).
THE CHER SHOW
January 5 – 17, 2021 • Academy of Music
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!
BLUE MAN GROUP
January 26 – 31, 2021 • Merriam Theater
More than 35 million people around the world have experienced the smash hit phenomenon that is BLUE MAN GROUP, and now it’s your turn! BLUE MAN GROUP returns to Philadelphia for a limited engagement on their new North American tour. It’s everything you know and love about BLUE MAN GROUP – signature drumming, colorful moments of creativity, and quirky comedy – the men are still blue but the rest is all new! Featuring pulsing, original music, custom-made instruments, surprise audience interaction, and hilarious absurdity, join the Blue Men in a joyful experience that unites audiences of all ages.
BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL
February 2 – 14, 2021 • Academy of Music
Long before she was Carole King, chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein, Brooklyn girl with passion and chutzpah. She fought her way into the record business as a teenager and, by the time she reached her twenties, had the husband of her dreams and a flourishing career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock ‘n’ roll. But it wasn’t until her personal life began to crack that she finally managed to find her true voice.
BEAUTIFUL – The Carole King Musical tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation.
Featuring a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, including “I Feel The Earth Move,” “One Fine Day,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “You’ve Got A Friend,” and the title song, BEAUTIFUL has a book by Tony® Award-nominee and Academy® Award-nominated writer Douglas McGrath, direction by Marc Bruni, choreography by Josh Prince, and took home two 2014 Tony® Awards and the 2015 Grammy® for Best Musical Theater Album. BEAUTIFUL is currently playing to sold out crowds at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway, through October 27, 2020.
ANASTASIA
March 16 – 21, 2021 • Merriam Theater
Inspired by the beloved films, the romantic and adventure-filled new musical ANASTASIA is on a journey to Philadelphia!
From the Tony Award®-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.
ANASTASIA features a book by celebrated playwright Terrence McNally, a lush new score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics), with direction by Tony Award® winner Darko Tresnjak.
AIN’T TOO PROUD
March 16 – April 4, 2021 • Academy of Music
AIN’T TOO PROUD is the electrifying new smash-hit Broadway musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The winner of the 2019 Tony Award® for Best Choreography, it’s a thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal during a decade of civil unrest in America. Set to the beat of the group’s treasured hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” AIN’T TOO PROUD tells the unforgettable story of the legendary quintet that Billboard Magazine named the greatest R&B group of all time.
RENT 25TH ANNIVERSARY FAREWELL TOUR
April 9 – 11, 2021 • Merriam Theater
For a quarter of a century, Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece RENT has inspired us to choose love over fear and to live without regret. Its immeasurable emotional impact has forever changed the world of musical theatre.
RENT follows a year in the lives of a diverse group of artists and friends struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. This powerfully resonant phenomenon has become more than a musical – it’s a cultural touchstone, a rite of passage and a source of joy and strength for millions. The extraordinary RENT fan community spans every continent and every generation – including many born over a decade after the show opened on Broadway.
Whether you’ve never seen RENT or have completely lost count, you can’t miss it this time around – the 25th Anniversary “Farewell Season of Love” is your FINAL CHANCE to experience this illustrious touring production.
Come join us to celebrate 25 years of “La Vie Bohème.” 13,140,000 minutes of the one and only RENT.
OKLAHOMA!
May 4 – 16, 2021 • Forrest Theatre
“How is it that the coolest new show on Broadway is a 1943 musical?” says The New York Times. This is OKLAHOMA! as you’ve never seen or heard it before—reimagined for the 21st century, and now the Tony Award® winner for Best Revival of a Musical. Funny and sexy, dark and jolting, this acclaimed production of OKLAHOMA! “lets us experience Rodgers and Hammerstein’s greatness anew.” (The New Yorker).
Stripped down to reveal the darker psychological truths at its core, Daniel Fish’s production tells a story of a community circling its wagons against an outsider and the frontier life that shaped America. Upending the sunny romance of a farmer and a cowpoke, this OKLAHOMA! allows the classic musical –and our country – to be seen in a whole new light. “This production shocked me and moved me,” raves Frank Rich of New York Magazine.
“This is the OKLAHOMA! that was there all along.” The Daily Beast raves “Forget your traditional idea of OKLAHOMA! Daniel Fish’s daring, brilliant, utterly absorbing re-interpretation is dark and different—brilliantly so.”
DISNEY’S THE LION KING
May 26 – June 20, 2021 • Academy of Music
Giraffes strut. Birds swoop. Gazelles leap. The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. This is Disney’s THE LION KING, making its triumphant return to Philadelphia!
More than 100 million people around the world have experienced the awe-inspiring visual artistry, the unforgettable music, and the uniquely theatrical storytelling of this Broadway spectacular – one of the most breathtaking and beloved productions ever to grace the stage.
Winner of six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, THE LION KING 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 the extraordinary work of Tony Award®-winning choreographer Garth Fagan and 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.
Elton John and Tim Rice’s AIDA
July 14 – 18, 2021 • Merriam Theater
A LOVE STORY WRITTEN IN THE STARS.
The New Yorker says, “Disney’s Done it Again!”
The winner of four Tony® Awards® returns to the stages of North America!
With a Grammy® and Tony Award®-winning score by the legendary Elton John and Tim Rice and a revised book by Tony Award®-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, the hit Broadway musical AIDA returns to the stage in a thrilling new production. The producers of THE LION KING and FROZEN have reunited the original Tony Award®-winning design team of Bob Crowley (scenery and costumes) and Natasha Katz (lighting) to reinterpret their designs in the retelling of this passionate and timeless story for today’s audiences.
Directed by Schele Williams, choreographed by Camille A. Brown and musical supervision by Tony Award®-winning Jason Michael Webb, AIDA is a compelling tale of star-crossed lovers belonging to feuding nations, torn between their conflicted loyalties to their countries and to each other. With its stirring contemporary score and its powerful love story, AIDA reveals that we have the power to change history, but only when we make brave choices and embrace our destiny.
HADESTOWN
July 27 – August 8, 2021 • Academy of Music
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.
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The Shubert Organization
The Shubert Organization is America's oldest professional theatre company and the largest theatre owner on Broadway. Since the dawn of the 20th Century, Shubert has operated hundreds of theatres and produced hundreds of plays and musicals across the country. Shubert currently owns and operates seventeen Broadway theatres, six off-Broadway venues, and the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. Under the leadership of Philip J. Smith, Chairman, and Robert E. Wankel, President, Shubert continues to be a leader in the theatre industry. Notable productions and co-productions include Cats, Sunday in the Park with George, Dreamgirls, The Heidi Chronicles, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Amadeus, Children of a Lesser God, The Grapes of Wrath, Ain’t Misbehavin’,Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spamalot, The Elephant Man, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, School of Rock, Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, and more. Shubert Ticketing sells millions of tickets each year through its Telecharge interface and private-label solutions—via a range of online distribution channels, box offices and call centers, and hundreds of third-party agents. Shubert’s ticketing brands offer unparalleled distribution and marketing to the theatre industry and beyond: Telecharge for retail ticket sales; Broadway Inbound for group sales and the travel industry; and Entertainment Benefits Group for corporate markets. The Shubert Foundation, sole shareholder of The Shubert Organization, Inc., is dedicated to sustaining and advancing live performing arts in the United States, providing $32 million in grants in 2018 to not-for-profit theatres and dance companies. The Shubert Archive is a special project of The Shubert Foundation.
The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region’s diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1 million guests per year and includes the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Academy of Music, and the Merriam Theater- representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. We are home to eight esteemed Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region’s most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially-responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region’s young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.
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For a PDF version of this announcement, click here.