Artistic Director Michael Ritchie announced Center Theatre Group’s 54th season at the Ahmanson Theatre featuring three new Broadway hits, a powerful drama coming from London via Broadway, four fan favorites plus one production to be announced at a later date.
“The 2020 – 2021 season at the Ahmanson is packed with nine shows, bringing back a sampling of our favorite productions and artists while also introducing our audiences to some exciting new work,” said Ritchie.
“Among the new offerings is the stunningly beautiful epic directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes, The Lehman Trilogy, which follows nearly two centuries in the lives of an immigrant family and their namesake business that both defined and threatened to destroy the American dream. This production took London by storm and is poised to do the same to Broadway when it opens in March so we are thrilled to be one of only two other US venues to present this masterpiece of a production in the 2020 – 2021 season.
“We are proud to present two current Broadway hits making their Ahmanson debuts with Anaïs Mitchell and Rachel Chavkin’s truly original telling of an ancient Greek myth, the 2019 Tony-winning Best Musical Hadestown, and Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin’s powerful new adaptation of the American classic To Kill a Mockingbird directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher.
“We welcome back Bob Martin and Casey Nicholaw, who collaborated on The Drowsy Chaperone when it made its US premiere at the Ahmanson in 2005. Bob and Casey return with their newest production, a big-hearted Broadway musical, The Prom.
“We will also welcome back three fan favorites from the 2018 – 2019 season with the Tony-winning musicals Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away and Ain’t Too Proud all presented as part of the Encore! Series, allowing subscribers to choose one of the three encore productions and giving them the first opportunity to add the other productions if they wish. Also making a return is the legendary long-running hit Les Misérables which last played the Ahmanson in 2011.
“These eight productions will be joined by an additional title to be announced later, to form a season bursting with dramas and musicals and offering a lot to love at the Ahmanson.”
For more information, visit www.centertheatregroup.org
Shows
Dear Evan Hansen | December 1, 2020 – January 23, 2021
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.
Les Misérables | January 26 – February 28, 2021
Cameron Mackintosh presents the new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables, 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 awe struck. “Les Miz is born again!” (NY1).
Hadestown | March 2 – April 4, 2021
Welcome to Hadestown, where a song can change your fate. Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, this acclaimed new show by celebrated singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and innovative director Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) is a love story for today…and always. Hadestown intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.
To Kill A Mockingbird | April 29 – June 6, 2021
All rise for Academy Award® winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork. The New York Times Critic’s Pick To Kill A Mockingbird is “the most successful American play in Broadway history. It has not played to a single empty seat” (60 Minutes). Rolling Stone gives it 5 stars, calling it “an emotionally shattering landmark production of an American classic,” and New York Magazine calls it “a real phenomenon. Majestic and incandescent, it’s filled with breath and nuance and soul.” With direction by Tony Award® winner Bartlett Sher, To Kill A Mockingbird — “the greatest novel of all time” (Chicago Tribune) — has quickly become “one of the greatest plays in history” (NPR).
Come From Away | June 9 – July 4, 2021
Broadway’s Come From Away is a Best Musical winner all across North America!
This New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.
On 9/11, the world stopped.
On 9/12, their stories moved us all.
The Prom | July 6 – August 8, 2021
Everyone’s invited to the joyous Broadway hit that New York Magazine calls “smart and big-hearted” and The New York Times declares a Critic’s Pick! The Prom is a new musical comedy about big Broadway stars, a small town, and a love that unites them all. The Prom features direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (Mean Girls, The Book of Mormon), a book by Tony Award winner Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone) and Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (Aladdin), music by Tony Award nominee Matthew Sklar (Elf) and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin.
Ain’t Too Proud | August 11 – September 5, 2021
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations is the electrifying new smash-hit Broadway musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The winner of the 2019 Tony Award® for Best Choreography, it’s a thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal during a decade of civil unrest in America. Set to the beat of the group’s treasured hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” Ain’t Too Proud tells the unforgettable story of the legendary quintet that Billboard Magazine named the greatest R&B group of all time.