Arts Alive San Antonio

BY JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor

The Majestic Theater, home of Broadway musicals in San Antonio, has been silent for far too long, but the sound of music will be back in just a few months when the new 2021-22 Broadway Across America season makes its debut here with the beloved classic “My Fair Lady.” Then it’s off to a full schedule of famous shows to make up for the year that was lost due to COVID-19 shutdowns and tour cancellations.

The top draw may still be “Hamilton,” the Lin-Manuel Miranda’s retelling of the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, reinterpreted for the stage in the music of today, a blend of hip-hop, jazz, R.&Band Broadway. Miranda wrote the script (book), the music and the song lyrics. The exuberant choreography wasconceived by Andy Blankenbuehler. Based on the biography by Ron Chernow – itself, a highly praised work – the musical won lots of prestigious awards, including the Tony, Grammy and the British Olivier Award, and topped it all with a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  

Other newer musicals of the season are “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,” “Mean Girls,” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.  Donna Summer and Carole King hardly need an introduction, and musicals full of their respective songs were obviously destined to be successful.  Though both were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, King has garnered literally all honors and awards a singer/songwriter can get, including being inducted twice in the afore-mentioned hall of fame, as a songwriter and as a singer. She’s considered the most successful female songwriter of all time. In 2013 King received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize and in 2015 she was a Kennedy Center honoree. “Beautiful” is one show we are not going to miss!

You may remember that Donna Summer, who died of cancer in 2012, had a song titled “Mean Girls,” but the eponymous musical coming to the Majestic next summer is something completely different. The show is based on the film “Mean Girls” written by Tina Fey, who also wrote the book for the musical. The story revolves around high-school dramas and rivalries. Nothing heavy, though. It’s a lighthearted show with a happy ending.

New productions of older shows are also included, starting with “My Fair Lady” and the award-winning, spectacular new production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” that premiered in London in 2017 – and won the Olivier Award for best revival.

Here’s the lineup:

My Fair Lady, Sept. 21-26, 2021

Disney’s The Lion King, Oct. 21-Nov. 7, 2021

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dec. 7-12, 2021

Hamilton, Jan. 5-16, 2022

Tootsie, March 1-6, 2022

Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, April 19-24, 2022

Jesus Christ Superstar, July 5-10, 2022

Mean Girls, Aug. 9-14, 2022

Rent and Beautiful are called “season options” and are not included in the season subscription. Those tickets must be purchased separately.

Rent, March 18-19, 2022

Beautiful, June 10-12, 2022

Also, the 7-show package does not include “Hamilton” but as a season subscriber you’ll have priority access to “Hamilton” tickets. To subscribe: www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com/SubscriberTerms