The Wharton Center at Michigan State University is unveiling its Broadway slate for the coming season.
The schedule kicks off in September with A Beautiful Noise, built around the music of Neil Diamond. Center Executive Director Eric Olmscheid says the show includes all of Diamond’s big hits.
“We see him kind of telling stories of his life,” he explained. "We flash back and see those moments come to life with the cast recreating them. It is a really fun and joyful show.”
In December, the revival of The Wiz arrives. Olmscheid says this retelling of The Wizard of Oz was back on Broadway last year for the first time since the original 1975 production, adding “it won the Tony Award when it was originally on Broadway for Best Musical, and this new production is for a new era and a new day.”
Coming in January of 2026 will be the musical based on the movie Back To The Future. Olmscheid reminds us the movie, while not a musical, did include some hit songs.
“It gives you all of the elements that you want, including, of course, the DeLorean flying at the end…and by flying, meaning at 88 miles an hour on a small, tiny stage!” he said. “It’s really a recreation of the movie in a really heartfelt way.”
Another Best Musical Tony Award winner, Kimberly Akimbo, will be at the Wharton Center in March of 2026.
"It’s about 16-year-old Kimberly, who moves to a new community, and facing the challenges of a dysfunctional family and facing a really rare medical condition. It’s a really beautiful teenage coming of life story.”
Olmscheid is continuing to devote one slot every season to a non-musical. This time, it’s the comedy Clue coming in April of next year. The show is based on the mystery board game and the movie of the same name.
“There are multiple endings that are woven into the script itself, so it’s not like night one has a different ending than night two,” Olmscheid explained. "Like the film, where you get a couple of false endings or maybe this could have happened, there’s a similar set of theatrics around that in the play as well.”
The final show in the Wharton Broadway season package is & Juliet in June of 2026.
Olmscheid says it picks up Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet story line as if Juliet, rather than dying, writes her own story with her own conclusion. The pop music score includes hits like Since U Been Gone.
“All the music is from the radio,” Olmscheid said. “Max Martin is the musical genius behind it all. They brought together this fun, upbeat retelling of a different story.”
The Wharton Center is also planning two special events that will bring a couple of favorites back to East Lansing. These shows are not part of the season ticket package.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast returns this October, celebrating the 30th anniversary production of the show.
The other special engagement will be Hadestown next January. Another Tony winner, Hadestown was one of the first shows at Wharton after the COVID-19 shutdowns. It's still running on Broadway while also touring around the country.
Wharton Center Broadway season ticket packages are available starting March 3, and patrons can add either or both Beauty and the Beast and Hadestown if they choose. Tickets for individual shows will go on sale at a later date.
WHARTON CENTER'S 2025-26 BROADWAY SERIES:
A Beautiful Noise: September 16-21, 2025
The Wiz: December 9-14, 2025
Back To The Future, The Musical: January 13-18, 2026
Kimberly Akimbo: March 10-15, 2026
Clue: April 7-12, 2026
& Juliet: June 23-28, 2026
WHARTON CENTER SPECIAL EVENTS:
Disney's Beauty and the Beast: October 14-19, 2025
Hadestown: January 30-February 1, 2026
The MSU Wharton Center is a financial supporter of WKAR.
