A mix of familiar classics and new favorites comprises the Marcus Center's newly announced 2017-18 touring Broadway musical theatrical season.
The season will open on Oct. 3 with the beloved and groundbreaking rock musical "Rent." The show – the winner of four Tonys in 1996, including Best Musical, telling the story of a group of poor artists living in New York City coping with relationships, addiction, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and more – will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a nationwide tour, hitting Milwaukee through Oct. 8.
"School of Rock" will follow from Nov. 21 through Nov. 26. The stage adaptation of the hit 2003 Jack Black musical comedy follows a slacker who tricks his way into becoming the substitute teacher at an uptight prep school, educating the kids on rock 'n' roll and creating a band rather than teaching the typical curriculum. The adaptation – featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and a book by "Downton Abbey" scribe Julian Fellowes – hit the Broadway stage in 2015 and received four Tony nominations in 2016, including Best Musical.
"Waitress," one of its fellow 2016 Best Musical nominees, will follow "School of Rock," hitting the stage from Jan. 2-7. The show, featuring music and lyrics from popular singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, is an adaptation of the late Adrienne Shelly's critically acclaimed indie dramedy about a small-town waitress whose unhappy marriage gets upended by a pregnancy and an unexpected romance with the neighborhood doctor.
Completing this run of three film-to-stage adaptations in a row is "Finding Neverland," stopping at the Marcus Center from Feb. 20-25. Based on the Best Picture nominated Marc Forster drama, the musical serves as a loose, whimsical biography of "Peter Pan" author J.M. Barrie. The original 2015 Broadway production featured Matthew Morrison of "Glee" fame in the lead role, with Frasier himself Kelsey Grammer as both producer Charles Frohman and Captain Hook.
Following "Finding Neverland" will be "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder," running at the Marcus Center from May 1 to 6. The dark musical comedy – a winner of four Tony awards at the 2014 show, including a Best Musical win over the likes of "Aladdin" and "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" – tells the story of a devious turn-of-the-century gent who decides to make his path to the family inheritance a little quicker by axing the remaining relatives in front of him.
The Marcus Center season returns to the world of film adaptations with "An American in Paris," the stage version of the beloved 1951 Best Picture-winning Vincente Minnelli musical of the same name. Gene Kelly may not be around for this new Broadway-approved, Tony-winning show, but the classic music and lyrics from George and Ira Gershwin will definitely be in attendance.
The season will come to a close with the classic musical epic "Les Miserables." Based on Victor Hugo's novel, the show has seen many forms – on stage and on screen – in almost all cases receiving acclaim, awards and large audiences crowding to see and hear some of its iconic sequences. The show will run from March 27 through April 1.
To learn more about ticket packages and showtimes, visit the Marcus Center's website.
