‘Hamilton’ returns to lead Smith Center’s 2024-25 Broadway series

Las Vegas Review-Journal

9 months ago

Warren Egypt Franklin, Desmond Sean Ellington, Elijah Malcomb and Pierre Jean Gonzalez in "Hami ... — Warren Egypt Franklin, Desmond Sean Ellington, Elijah Malcomb and Pierre Jean Gonzalez in “Hamilton.” (Joan Marcus)

Kyle Ramar Freeman as Lion, Avery Wilson as Scarecrow, Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, Phillip Johnson Richardson as Tinman in “The Wiz.” (Jeremy Daniel)

Morgan Scott in “The Cher Show.” (Meredith Mashburn Photography)

Paul Alexander Nolan and Alex Joseph Grayson appear in a scene from “Parade.” (Joan Marcus)

The company of “Kimberly Akimbo.” (Joan Marcus)

(L-R) Joomin Hwang, Rachel Webb, Bobby “Pocket” Horner, Lorna Courtney and Virgil Gadson in “& Juliet.” (Matthew Murphy)

Britney Coleman as Bobbie (center) and the North American Tour of “Company.” (Matthew Murphy)

Roger Bart (Doc Brown) and Casey Likes (Marty McFly) in “Back to the Future: The Musical.” (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

Rob McClure stars in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” (Joan Marcus)

Reynolds Hall is becoming known as the room where “The Room Where It Happens” happens.

The musical phenomenon “Hamilton” is headlining The Smith Center’s 2024-25 Broadway Las Vegas Series, marking its third trip to the venue. (A fourth series of performances scheduled for fall 2020 was a casualty of COVID-19.)

“It’s just such an amazing piece,” Smith Center president and CEO Myron Martin says of the story of the Ten-Dollar Founding Father, which can be seen from May 20 to June 1, 2025.

In addition to “Hamilton,” the 10-musical season includes touring versions of current Broadway hits “Back to the Future: The Musical,” “& Juliet” and “Kimberly Akimbo.”

The current season will barely be over before the next one begins, with “Peter Pan” ending its run June 23 and “Mrs. Doubtfire” moving in July 30.

“You put it all together,” Martin says, “and this may go down as our biggest and best season yet.”

Here’s a look at the shows:

“Mrs. Doubtfire” (July 30-Aug. 4)

Rob McClure continues his Tony-nominated role as Daniel Hillard, the struggling actor who, following a messy divorce, poses as a Scottish nanny to stay in his children’s lives.

“Company” (Aug. 20-25)

This revival of the Stephen Sondheim classic about love and relationships in New York was nominated for nine Tony Awards in 2022, winning five including Best Revival of a Musical. “It’s an important piece of musical theater,” Martin says, “so any conversation about this season without some mention of ‘Company,’ I think, would be wrong.”

“The Cher Show” (Sept. 17-22)

Cher is such a force of nature, it takes three actresses to play her in this jukebox musical featuring 35 of her biggest hits. “The Cher Show” was booked for the 2020-21 Broadway Las Vegas Series that ultimately was lost to the pandemic. “Her relationship with Las Vegas is so important and it goes back so far,” Martin says. “I thought that The Smith Center had to find a way to bring that show to Las Vegas, just to honor her history in our town.”

“Back to the Future: The Musical” (Oct. 23-Nov. 3)

This is heavy! Audiences can head back in time to Hill Valley, California, in 1985 and 1955 as the beloved movie comes to the stage with new songs to complement the hits from the original.

“Shrek the Musical” (Nov. 26-Dec. 1)

Creators Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire have revisited and reimagined the musical that previously played The Smith Center in 2013.

“Kimberly Akimbo” (Feb. 4-9, 2025)

Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire also are behind the reigning Tony winner for best musical. It’s the story of Kimberly, a lonely 15-year-old girl who suffers from a genetic disorder that makes her look like a senior citizen, as she adjusts to a new town.

“The Wiz” (April 1-6, 2025)

This revival won’t even begin its Broadway previews until next month, but Martin couldn’t wait to book it, sight unseen. He was able to see the original cast of the 1975 sensation during a school trip to Manhattan. “I bought the LP. That’s what we did back then,” Martin says. (That’s a record album, kids.) “And I played it and played it and played it. I can’t believe I didn’t break it, I played it so much. It had such an extraordinary impact on me as a Broadway lover and as a musician and as an actor.”

“Hamilton” (May 20-June 1, 2025)

If you had trouble getting tickets to the musical’s extended runs in 2018 and 2022, maybe the third time will be the charm.

“Parade” (June 10-15, 2025)

The 1913 trial and subsequent lynching of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank, who was convicted of raping and murdering a 13-year-old employee despite protestations of his innocence, may seem an unlikely topic for a musical. Yet it’s the reigning Tony winner for best revival of a musical. “‘This is written so beautifully,” Martin says. “I believe at the end of the season, it will be one of the shows that people talk about the most.”

“& Juliet” (June 24-29, 2025)

Speaking of unlikely musicals, whoever decided to pair Shakespeare’s most famous leading lady with the music of Swedish songwriter and producer Max Martin certainly was thinking outside the box. “& Juliet,” written by “Schitt’s Creek” Emmy winner David West Read, imagines a world in which Juliet didn’t end her life because of Romeo. The story is paired with the seemingly impossible number of Martin’s hits from the likes of Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys to Katy Perry and even Bon Jovi.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on X.