Broadway Across America, Milwaukee 2019–2020

The Marcus Center announces a dynamite season

Be prepared. Milwaukee is not throwing away its shot. Not waving through a window. Rather, the heat is on. The Marcus Center's 2019–2020 Broadway Across America season is loverly and couldn't possibly go wrong. (Insert The Band's Visit reference here; I'm exhausted). 

But really, the Marcus Center just announced its next season, and while there's been plenty of buzz over the promise of Hamilton making its way to Milwaukee, there are other killer shows in the lineup that already have me itching for fall. 

DEAR EVAN HANSEN
September 24–29, 2019

Synopsis 
"A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. DEAR EVAN HANSEN is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it."

My two cents
I find it impossible not to fall for the original cast recording of Dear Evan Hansen. The things Ben Platt does with his voice... Good luck not crushing hard. So excited to experience this one! 




HAMILTON
October 22–November 17, 2019

Synopsis
"HAMILTON is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now."  

My two cents
You can read about how much I love Hamilton here. It's really cool that Milwaukee has secured this masterpiece for almost a month — the problem is, tickets are going to disappear. Honestly, now that Milwaukee has its Hamilton dates set, I'd use the potential lull in supply/demand to snag tickets in Chicago. The Milwaukee run will sell out with or without your single ticket purchase.




THE BAND'S VISIT
November 26–December 1, 2019

Synopsis
"In an Israeli desert town where every day feels the same, something different is suddenly in the air. Dina, the local café owner, had long resigned her desires for romance to daydreaming about exotic films and music from her youth. When a band of Egyptian musicians shows up lost at her café, she and her fellow locals take them in for the night. Under the spell of the night sky, their lives intertwine in unexpected ways, and this once sleepy town begins to wake up."   

My two cents
I haven't seen this show or listened to the music. But any musical that starred Green Bay native Tony Shalhoub on Broadway and won the Tony for Best Musical is a must-see in my book. 





THE LION KING
February 5–March 1, 2020

Synopsis 
"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 the Milwaukee!"

My two cents
If you're a Lion King alum thinking "been there, done that," think again. I kinda felt that way the last time I saw this show in Milwaukee, but walked away feeling like it really, truly, never gets old. I, for one, am looking forward to experiencing that sense of Lion King wonder all over again.




THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
March 17–22, 2020

Synopsis 
"What would happen if Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had an illegitimate Broadway baby? You’d get THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, Broadway & London’s award-winning smash comedy! Welcome to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), it’s 'TONS OF FUN FOR ALL AGES' (HuffPost) and 'COMIC GOLD' (Variety) – sure to bring down the house!"

My two cents
I've had my eye on this one for a while and am crazy-thrilled that Milwaukee gets to welcome this wild romp of a murder-mystery. 




MY FAIR LADY
April 14–19, 2020

Synopsis
"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?"

My two cents
Confession: I thoroughly enjoy the movie My Fair Lady. I found the touring show, the last time it came to Milwaukee while I was in college, to be a little dull. Could it be solved with better seats? New staging? Fresh costumes? Maybe! I'm excited to give it a go.




MISS SAIGON
June 16–21

Synopsis
"Experience the acclaimed new production of the legendary musical MISS SAIGON, from the creators of Les Misérables. This is the story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim who is orphaned by war and forced to work in a bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris, but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon." 

My two cents
My parents raised me on a handful of big Broadway musicals, and Miss Saigon is one of them. The score is soaring, moving, entrancing. The story is, admittedly, a downer. What do you expect from the creators of Les Miserables? But I am jumping out of my skin at the chance to finally see this show firsthand. 

In a nutshell, I don't remember the last time I've been this excited about what's coming to the Marcus Center. Fingers crossed that the touring productions and the acoustics inside the venue hold up their end of the bargain.