2/26/2024
Performances and Artists / Broadway Las Vegas
Every year, as Paul Beard and his team program the Toyota Broadway Las Vegas Series, they dream of a lineup like the one The Smith Center will present from 2024 to 2025.
“They’re all strong titles, and it’s also an incredible mix of shows,” says Beard, programming advisor to The Smith Center. “You’ve got everything from Shrek to Parade, so content-wise, it’s a very broad range of shows. And they’re all quality productions. We’re very proud of the season we’ve put together.”
The 10-show season kicks off July 30 with Mrs. Doubtfire and wraps up in June 2025 with & Juliet. We sat down with Beard to review all 10 titles, which include cherished classics, hit musicals and groundbreaking shows, direct from the Broadway stage,
MRS. DOUBTFIRE
Summary: Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny is headed to Las Vegas in an internationally acclaimed new hit musical critics call “wonderful, heart-warming, and laugh-out-loud funny” (Manchester Evening News) and “a feel-good, family-friendly comedy that delivers” (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on the beloved film and directed by four-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Zaks, Mrs. Doubtfire tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids.
Paul’s take: “The producer, Kevin McCollum (Six, Something Rotten!, Motown: The Musical), is wonderful, and we’ve worked with him on several shows through the years. It has a very talented cast loaded with great actors. It’s funny, entertaining and accessible – a good one to open with.”
COMPANY
Summary: Winner of five Tony Awards®, including Best Revival of a Musical, this revelatory new production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s groundbreaking musical comedy is boldly sophisticated, deeply insightful and downright hilarious. It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man? And isn’t it time to settle down and start a family? As Bobbie searches for answers, she discovers why being single, being married and being alive in the 21st-century could drive a person crazy.
Paul’s take: “We saw it in London and in New York, and it was very strong both times. This production inverts the gender, making Bobby a woman, and it flips the whole premise of the midlife crisis back through her eyes, rather than through the eyes of a male character. It’s a brilliant twist on the show. And, of course, it’s classic Sondheim, the music that everyone loves.”
THE CHER SHOW
Summary: Superstars come and go. Cher is forever. For six straight decades, she has dominated popular culture – breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. The Cher Show is the Tony Award®-winning musical of her story, and it’s packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star and the icon. The Cher Show is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy®, an Oscar®, an Emmy® and enough Tony Award®-winning Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequin shortage in New York City.
Paul’s take: “Our feeling was that Cher as a personality, as a character, had a strong affinity with and connection to Las Vegas, and that her story would resonate with the audience. This seemed like a good time to do that show, and after seeing it ourselves, we determined that it’s of high quality,”
BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL
Summary: Back to the Future, the beloved, cinematic classic, is now a Broadway musical with its destination set for Las Vegas in 2024. When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past and send himself … back to the future.
Paul’s take: “It’s extremely true to the movie, and it’s very heavy on spectacle and special effects. The DeLorean is a star of the show right up there with the cast. I would call this show entertaining and accessible, and we’ll have it for two weeks.”
SHREK THE MUSICAL
Summary: “Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek …” Thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Yes, your favorite ogre is back in the hilarious stage spectacle based on the Oscar®-winning, smash-hit, DreamWorks-animated film.
Paul’s take: “We are excited to have Shrek return. It’s the ideal feel-good, family show to kick off the holiday season.”
KIMBERLY AKIMBO
Summary: A new musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular order), Kimberly Akimbo is the winner of five Tony Awards® including Best Musical. Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. She’s forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush … and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she’s determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.
Paul’s take: “It’s a very clever show, very original. This was a labor of love for pretty much everybody involved, and they turned it into an absolute gem. The subscribers should flock to this one, without knowing exactly what they're going to see. And they're going to come out glowing from having experienced something completely unexpected.”
THE WIZ
Summary: The Tony Award®-winning Best Musical returns to stages across America in an all-new Broadway-bound tour, its first in 40 years. This groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway – from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock and finger-snapping ’70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.
Paul’s take: “The Wiz is a revival. It has a very strong pedigree, including being made into a popular film in the late ’70s, and it’s a good time for it to be reimagined. The dialogue has been updated to feel current, and the soulful songs will still have you dancing in your seat.”
HAMILTON
Summary: A revolutionary story of passion, unstoppable ambition and the dawn of a new nation, Hamilton is the epic saga that follows the rise of the Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honor, love and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton has had a profound impact on culture, politics and education. In addition to its 11 Tony Awards®, it has won Grammys®, Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.
Paul’s take: “Hamilton returns to The Smith Center, so new audiences will have a chance to catch it. We also expect plenty of people will want to see it again, because it’s such a fan favorite. As far as the show goes, it’s about as solid a piece of award-winning American theater as has ever been done.”
PARADE
Summary: Winner of the 2023 Tony Award® for Best Revival of a Musical, Parade finds Leo and Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple, struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice and devotion. Riveting and gloriously hopeful, Parade reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another.
Paul’s take: “We're glad this show's going out, because we really think it's the kind of show people really should experience firsthand. It's a journey. It's one of those shows where you're not the same person when you walk out after the show that you were when you walked in. It takes you to amazing emotional depth in terms of what the characters are experiencing. So we're really proud of this one,”
& JULIET
Summary: Created by the Emmy®-winning writer from Schitt’s Creek, this hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told. & Juliet asks, what would happen if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? Get whisked away on a fabulous journey as she ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love—her way.
Paul’s take: “This might be the cleverest, most entertaining show of the entire season. It's got music from Max Martin, who has helped create hit songs for Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande. It’s great music, great comedy, great storytelling and amazing production quality, all tied together in a beautiful way. It has everything one could possibly want in a show.”