'Dear Evan Hansen,' 'Hello, Dolly!' Highlight Broadway in Boston's 2018-2019 Season

Broadway In Boston, Boston's mainstage for Broadway, has unveiled the upcoming 2018-2019 Lexus Broadway Season during its annual spring announcement event at the Boston Opera House. Eleven theatrical productions will take center stage at the Boston Opera House and the Emerson Colonial Theatre. Over 1500 people from around the city gathered for the annual celebration including Broadway In Boston's Season ticket holders, group leaders, arts and business leaders, city officials, partners from around the city, sponsors and the Boston media. Highlights from the day included live performances from cast members of "Dear Evan Hansen," "Roald Dahl's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory," "School Of Rock," and "A Bronx Tale."

Rich in history, Broadway In Boston is proud to be Boston's leading theatrical presenter and producer of Broadway since 1984. For the past 34 years, more than six million theatergoers have experienced over 300 Broadway In Boston productions in many of the city's historic theatres including the Boston Opera House, Emerson Colonial Theatre, and The Wilbur Theatre. Over on Warrenton Street, at the Charles Playhouse, a Broadway In Boston venue, Blue Man Group and Shear Madness continue their impressive, long-standing Boston residencies.

"We are very pleased to announce 23 weeks of Broadway in the upcoming 2018-2019 Season which will include a range of eleven theatrical productions featuring some of the industry's biggest titles direct from Broadway, classics that remain near and dear to our hearts and Boston favorites making their return," said Tivon Marcus, Vice President of Broadway In Boston. "In addition to the Boston Opera House, Broadway In Boston is pleased to resume programming at the Colonial Theatre this Season with three presentations as part of the theatre's exciting new chapter in Boston's theatre district."

Also announced at today's event were charitable donations including $20,000 to the Marilyn Rodman Theatre for Kids program to continue the mission to introduce live theater to as many children as possible throughout Massachusetts who may not otherwise have an opportunity. The funds were collected during the Boston engagement of Waitress from individual pies sold to patrons. In addition, Broadway In Boston announced a donation of $5,000 for the Greater Boston After School Arts Fund. Housed at the Boston Foundation, the Fund was established in 2017 to support proven creative youth development organizations throughout the Boston area that provide out of school arts programming for teens in areas of theater, music, dance, spoken word, literary arts, media arts, and more.

Broadway In Boston's long and storied history at the Colonial Theatre continues this fall when Broadway and London's award-winning smash comedy, "The Play That Goes Wrong," opens the 2018-2019 Lexus Broadway In Boston Season. Also slated for the Emerson Colonial Theatre is the world's best-selling magic show "The Illusionists," the mind-blowing spectacular that showcases the jaw-dropping talents of five of the most incredible Illusionists on earth, followed by "Kinky Boots," Broadway's huge-hearted, high-heeled hit with songs by Grammy� and Tony� winning pop icon Cyndi Lauper.

Eight musical productions are making their way to the Boston Opera House in the upcoming season. Broadway In Boston is kicking off the New Year with a golden ticket when it plays host to "Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Roald Dahl's amazing tale directed by Tony� Award winner Jack O'Brien. The Tony� and Grammy� Award-winning "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical" tells the inspiring true story of King's rise to stardom where she became one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. "School Of Rock," the hilarious new musical based on the film, featuring 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and musical theater's first-ever kids rock band playing their instruments live on stage.

Spring ushers in "A Bronx Tale," an unforgettable story of loyalty and family with a score by Academy� Award winner Alan Menken, directed by Academy� Award winner Robert De Niro and Tony� winner Jerry Zaks and based on Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri's story. Two Cameron Macintosh productions and Boston favorites return - the Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, "Les Mis�rables" and the acclaimed new production of "Miss Saigon." Winner of six 2017 Tony� Awards, including Best Musical and the 2018 Grammy� Award, "Dear Evan Hansen," the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it, arrives in the Summer of 2019. Concluding the 2018-2019 Lexus Broadway In Boston Season is Broadway's most beloved musical, the Tony� Award-winning Best Musical Revival "Hello, Dolly!" starring Broadway legend Betty Buckley as Dolly Gallagher Levi.

The 2018-2019 Lexus Broadway In Boston Season (in date order):

"The Play That Goes Wrong"
Emerson Colonial Theatre
November 7-18, 2018

What would happen if Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had an illegitimate Broadway baby? You'd get "The Play That Goes Wrong," Broadway & London's award-winning smash comedy! Called "A GUT-BUSTING HIT" (The New York Times) and "THE FUNNIEST PLAY BROADWAY HAS EVER SEEN" (HuffPost), this classic murder mystery is chock-full of mishaps and madcap mania delivering "A RIOTOUS EXPLOSION OF COMEDY" (Daily Beast). Welcome to opening night of "The Murder at Haversham Manor" where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can't play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), it's "TONS OF FUN FOR ALL AGES" (HuffPost) and "COMIC GOLD" (Variety)- sure to bring down the house!

"Roald Dahl's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory"
Boston Opera House
January 8-20, 2019

Roald Dahl's amazing tale is now Boston's golden ticket! It's the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film, including "Pure Imagination," "The Candy Man," and "I've Got a Golden Ticket," alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of "Hairspray." Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory...to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with color and confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination. Now's your chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before - get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper!

"Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
Boston Opera House
January 29-February 10, 2019

"Beautiful - The Carole King Musical" tells the inspiring true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack of a generation. Featuring a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, including "I Feel The Earth Move,""One Fine Day,""(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,""You've Got A Friend" and the title song, "Beautiful" has a book by and Tony� Award-nominee and Academy� Award-nominated writer Douglas McGrath, direction by Marc Bruni, choreography by Josh Prince, and took home two 2014 Tony� Awards and a 2015 Grammy� Award.

"School Of Rock"
Boston Opera House
February 12 - 24, 2019

"School Of Rock" is a New York Times Critics' Pick and "AN INSPIRING JOLT OF ENERGY, JOY AND MAD SKILLZ!" (Entertainment Weekly). Based on the hit film, this hilarious new musical follows Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star posing as a substitute teacher who turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. This high-octane smash features 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, all the original songs from the movie, and musical theater's first-ever kids rock band playing their instruments live on stage. Vanity Fair raves, "FISTS OF ALL AGES SHALL BE PUMPING!"

"The Illusionists"
Emerson Colonial Theatre
March 5-10, 2019

Direct from Broadway, the world's best-selling magic show is returning to Boston. This mind-blowing spectacular showcases the jaw-dropping talents of five of the most incredible Illusionists on earth. "The Illusionists - Live From Broadway" has shattered box office records across the globe and dazzles audiences of all ages with a powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever to be seen on stage. This non-stop show is packed with thrilling and sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions.

"A Bronx Tale"
Boston Opera House
April 2-14, 2019

Broadway's hit crowd-pleaser takes you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s- where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he'd love to be. Bursting with high-energy dance numbers and original doo-wop tunes from Alan Menken, the songwriter of "Beauty and the Beast," "A Bronx Tale" is an unforgettable story of loyalty and family. Academy Award� winner Robert De Niro and Tony� winner Jerry Zaks direct this streetwise musical- based on Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri's story- that The New York Times hails as "A CRITICS' PICK! THE KIND OF TALE THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH AND CRY."

"Les Mis�rables"
Boston Opera House
April 16-28, 2019

Cameron Mackintosh presents the new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Sch�nberg's Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, "Les Mis�rables," direct from its acclaimed Broadway return. Featuring the beloved songs "I Dreamed A Dream,""On My Own,""Stars," "Bring Him Home,""One Day More," and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. With its glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, this breathtaking new production has left both audiences and critics awestruck. "LES MIZ IS BORN AGAIN!" (NY1).

"Kinky Boots"
Emerson Colonial Theatre
May 7-12, 2019

"Kinky Boots" is Broadway's huge-hearted, high-heeled hit! With songs by Grammy� and Tony� winning pop icon Cyndi Lauper, this joyous musical celebration is about the friendships we discover, and the belief that you can change the world when you change your mind. Inspired by true events, "Kinky Boots" takes you from a gentlemen's shoe factory in Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan. Charlie Price is struggling to live up to his father's expectations and continue the family business of Price & Son. With the factory's future hanging in the balance, help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola, a fabulous performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos. With direction and choreography by two-time Tony� Award-winner Jerry Mitchell ("Legally Blonde," "Hairspray") and a book by Broadway legend and four-time Tony� Award-winner Harvey Fierstein ("La Cage Aux Folles"), "Kinky Boots" is the winner of six Tony� Awards including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Choreography.

"Miss Saigon"
Boston Opera House
June 12-30, 2019

Experience the acclaimed new production of the legendary musical "Miss Saigon," from the creators of "Les Mis�rables". In the last days of the Vietnam War, 17-year-old Kim is forced to work in a bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For 3 years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he's fathered a son. This new production features stunning spectacle and a sensational cast of 42 performing the soaring score featuring Broadway hits including "The Heat is On in Saigon," "The Movie in My Mind," and "Last Night of the World."

"Dear Evan Hansen"
Boston Opera House
July 10-August 4, 2019

Winner of six 2017 Tony� Awards including Best Musical and the 2018 Grammy� Award for Best Musical Theater Album! A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he's always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. "Dear Evan Hansen" is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it. "One of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history," says The Washington Post. The New York Times calls "Dear Evan Hansen" "a gut-punching, breathtaking knockout of a musical" and NBC News says that the musical is "an inspiring anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond." "Dear Evan Hansen" features a book by Tony� Award winner Steven Levenson, a score by Grammy�, Tony� and Academy Award� winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ("La La Land," "The Greatest Showman"), and direction by four-time Tony� Award nominee Michael Greif ("Rent," "Next to Normal").

"Hello, Dolly!"
Starring Broadway legend Betty Buckley
Boston Opera House
August 6-18, 2019

Tony Award�-winning Broadway legend Betty Buckley stars in "Hello, Dolly!" - the universally acclaimed smash that NPR calls "the best show of the year!" Winner of four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, director Jerry Zaks' "gorgeous" new production (Vogue) is "making people crazy happy!" (The Washington Post). Breaking box office records week after week and receiving thunderous raves on Broadway, this "Hello, Dolly!" pays tribute to the original work of legendary director/choreographer Gower Champion - hailed both then and now as one of the greatest stagings in musical theater history. Rolling Stone calls it "a must-see event. A musical comedy dream. If you're lucky enough to score a ticket, you'll be seeing something historic. Wow, wow, wow, indeed!"