Broadway San Jose has music, murder
‘Cher Show,’ ‘Six,’ ‘Moulin Rouge’ among highlights
A hearty six-pack of popular entertainment is in store for South Bay theatergoers as part of Broadway San Jose’s 2024-25 season at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.
The season, announced March 12, gets underway in a spirit of skullduggery. “Clue” (Oct. 29-Nov. 3), the bumptious mystery-comedy based on the 1985 film that was in turn based on the popular board game, brings audiences into the twists and turns of murder in Boddy Manor.
That’s followed by a new production of “Shrek the Musical” (Dec. 17-22), directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford. The adaptation of the classic animated film features book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and a buoyant score by composer Jeanine Tesori.
“The Cher Show,” the award-winning 2018 jukebox musical built around the life and music of the multitalented diva, is scheduled for March 1823, 2025, in a production that divides responsibility for the central character among three singing actors to embody her at different stages of her life.
The number of women onstage then doubles with the Bay Area return of “Six” (April 22-27, 2025), the smash musical about the wives of Henry VIII that had packed seats at Broadway SF’s Orpheum Theatre last year.
The season concludes with two bestselling musicals of recent years. “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” based on director Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film, is scheduled for July 8-20, 2025, in a production staged by director Alex Timbers.
Finally, the Tony Award-winning “MJ: The Musical” (July 29-Aug. 3, 2025) brings the pop masterpieces of Michael Jackson’s career to the South Bay stage in playwright Lynn Nottage’s bio-musical, directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon.
About the show’s February touring engagement in San Francisco, Chronicle critic Lily Janiak wrote, “‘MJ’ isn’t a glorified Wikipedia entry wheezing from subhead to subhead. It’s an assured locomotive, propelled by multiple narrative engines.”
Add-on productions not included in subscriptions will be announced at a later date.
For subscriptions, priced at $280 to $695, call 866-395-2929 or visit www.broadwaysanjose.com.