Broadway in Austin
Broadway in Austin lifts curtain on new season lineup, including To Kill a Mockingbird
It's hard to top last year's Broadway in Austin announcement and the revelation that Hamilton was making its local debut. During its short Austin run, Hamilton was the talk of the town, endearing an entire city with its $10 tickets and even an appearance by creator Lin Manuel Miranda, who reportedly sat front row in the audience one night.
But dang it if they're not going to try anyway.
On Tuesday, February 18, Broadway in Austin revealed its 2020-21 season announcement, and it's full of Broadway hits and new musicals. The shows return to Bass Concert Hall on the University of Texas campus beginning early this fall.
Leading the lineup is Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, heading to Austin September 8-13. Featuring more than 20 of the singer's hit songs, the musical tells the story of Summer and how she broke through barriers to become an icon of the disco era.
Just in time for holiday family fun, Road Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory heads to Austin December 8-13, a show Entertainment Weekly called "Broadway's big treat." (Oh, puns.) It features songs from the original film as well as "a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score."
Another film adaptation, Tootsie, heads to Austin on January 12-17, 2021. For the uninitiated, Tootsie tells the story of Michael Dorsey, famously depicted by Dustin Hoffman in the movie, "a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime."
To Kill a Mockingbird, reimagined for Broadway by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), has been among the buzziest shows in recent memory, and it makes its Austin debut February 9-14, 2021. As CBS notes, "[To Kill a Mockingbird is] the most successful American play in Broadway history. It has not played to a single empty seat.” It's hard to imagine this won't be the season's hottest ticket.
Tina Fey's Mean Girls, which she adapted for Broadway from her iconic film by the same name, tells the story of Regina George, Cady Heron, and their fellow frenemies. The musical features music by composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and director Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). The mean girls head to town March 23-28, 2021.
This year's season option, which is not part of the season ticket option, but can be added for an additional fee, is Wicked, the now classic tale of Elphaba, Glinda, and the other residents of Oz. It returns to Austin April 21-May 9, 2021.
Closing out the 2020-21 season is Hadestown, which won eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the 2020 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. 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," notes a release. It plays Bass Concert Hall on June 1-6, 2021.
Season subscription packages go on sale at 11 am on February 18, with prices beginning at $239. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date. For more information or to purchase season tickets, go here or call Broadway in Austin at 800-731-SHOW (7469), from 9 am-5 pm, Monday through Friday.