Sneak Peak at San Diego Broadway Season 47

I love being able to see shows from San Diego Broadway, and next year’s 47th season looks like it’s going to blow the rest of them out of the water!

Although season 46 just passed its midway mark with Chicago, they’ve announced the lineup for the 2024-25 season and it really looks like they mean it when they say it’s going to be the best one yet.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the pre-season brunch for an inside look at what to expect. Broadway SD hosted the event at the iconic and legendary Hotel del Coronado, which I had never had a chance to experience for myself before.

Check out our experience at the luncheon and the hotel below, then keep reading for a little more info about the upcoming shows!

Kimberly Akimbo

The company of KIMBERLY AKIMBO. Photo by Joan Marcus

Kimberly Akimbo might be a newer musical, but it’s already secured itself 5 Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical. It’s about growing up and growing old, though in no particular order. Kimberly is about to turn 16, and her family recently relocated to a new suburban town in New Jersey. In what The New Yorker calls a “howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show,” Kim’s got to navigate her family’s dysfunction while also figuring out both a rare genetic condition and dealing with her first crush. She’s also facing potential felony charges, but that’s neither here nor there — she’s determined to find happiness against all the odds.

Featuring the Tony Award-winning score by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home), a Tony Award-winning book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire (Shrek), direction by Tony-nominated director Jessica Stone, and choreography by Danny Mefford (Dear Evan Hansen), this show is sure to make you laugh, cry, and experience every emotion in between.

October 8-13, 2024.

Back to the Future

Roger Bart and Casey Likes in BACK TO THE FUTURE. Photo by by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Yes, that is right! If you didn’t already know, the beloved 1980’s movie Back to the Future is now a Broadway musical! This one’s also garnered some awards, including the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, four WhatsOnStage Awards — also including Best New Musical—, and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical. Just like in the film, Marty McFly accidentally sends himself back to 1955 in a time machine built by Doc Brown, where he accidentally changes the course of time.

Made better is the fact the stage show was adapted by the film’s creators, Bob Gale (Back to the Future trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump). It’s also directed by Tony Award-winner John Rando, with original music by multi-Grammy winners Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and Alan Silvestri (Avengers: Endgame.)

January 14-19, 2025.

Some Like It Hot

The Original Broadway Company of SOME LIKE IT HOT. Photo by Marc J. Franklin

Some Like It Hot is another Tony Award-winning musical that also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. It takes place in Chicago during Prohibition and tells the story of two musicians who flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. They hop on a cross-country train for the adventure of a lifetime while the gangsters chase them.

Some Like It Hot has also won more theater awards than any other show in the upcoming season, so it’s really not going to be one you’ll want to miss.

January 28-February 2, 2025.

Wicked

Celia Hottenstein as Glinda and Olivia Valli as Elphaba in the National Tour of WICKED. Photo by Joan Marcus

If you’ve never heard of the Broadway sensation that is Wicked, you’ve definitely been living in the Land of Oz. This iconic show looks at the life of the Wicked Witch Elphaba long before Dorothy was ever a blip on the radar. She meets and befriends Glinda, though the two are forced to decide who is “good” and who is “wicked” because of societal implications.

Since the current season also had a fantastic rendition of The Wiz, the upcoming version of Wicked is sure to blow our minds. The show also has a long run in San Diego, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch it!

February 5-March 2, 2025.

The Niel Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise

Nick Fradiani as Neil Diamond. Photo by Julieta Cervantes

A Beautiful Noise tells the uplifting and true story of Neil Diamond, who went from a simple Brooklyn kid to a chart-busting, show-stopping icon. He’s sold over 120 million albums, was inducted in the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and had more sold-out concerts than Elvis.

The musical offers an inspiring and energy-filled musical memoir that shows the untold true story of how he became a star. If it’s anything like the Tina Turner musical, it’s sure to be a showstopper in its own right.

May 27-June 1, 2025.

Moulin Rouge

The cast of the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

Yes! Yes! Yes! Moulin Rouge is officially heading to Broadway San Diego! This 10-time Tony Award-winner offers us a splendor of romance, glitz, and glamor unlike any other show out there. It exists in a world where Bohemians and aristocrats bond over a shared love of electrifying enchantment. It brings Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film to life, remixed into a new musical mash-up.

The show has a book by Tony Award-winner John Logan, with music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award-winner Justin Levine and choreography by Tony Award-winner Sonya Tayeh.

June 24-July 6, 2025.

Shucked

Ashley D. Kelley and Grey Henson in SHUCKED. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Shucked is brand new to the stage, but it’s already gotten itself a Tony Award for a show about… corn. Although, truthfully, not much else is known about the plot apart from it being a “corn-fed, corn-bread American musical” that “is sure to satisfy your appetite for great musical theater.”

It also features a book by Tony Award-winner Robert Horn (Tootsie), a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and is directed by Tony Award-winner Jack O’Brien (Hairspray.)

August 12-17, 2025.

Want to catch a show?

You can buy individual tickets for shows at BroadwaySD.com, or you can also become a season ticket holder with packages starting at $328 for seven shows. Becoming a season ticket holder is the only guarantee to see all seven shows, as they may sell out due to popularity.

See you at the Civic!

Have you ever seen any of these shows live? Even if not, which one are you the most excited for? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!

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