Cleveland’s Playhouse Square announced today that The Outsiders, winner of the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical, is the final title on their seven show KeyBank Broadway Series 2025-2026 lineup.
Today’s announcement capped a months-long reveal which began back in August 2024, when the new musical The Notebook announced that it would launch its national tour at Playhouse Square. Based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film, The Notebook features music by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and a book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter (“This is Us”). Those performances will kick off the new 25-26 KeyBank Broadway Season with performances September 6-27, 2025.
Playhouse Square will also host the national tour launch of Hell’s Kitchen, the new musical from 17-time Grammy® Award winner Alicia Keys, whose new songs and greatest hits about growing up in NY inspire a story made for Broadway. Hell’s Kitchen will play Playhouse Square for three weeks, October 10–November 1, 2025.
As a co-producer on The Outsiders, Playhouse Square received a 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical after the show’s win in June.
“We are incredibly proud of our investment in The Outsiders,” said David Greene, senior vice president of programming at Playhouse Square. “From the very beginning we knew this show was something special. Presenting the first national tour here at Playhouse Square and sharing The Outsiders with Cleveland audiences is a true full circle moment.”
| Show | Dates |
|---|---|
| The Notebook | September 6-27, 2025 |
| Hell’s Kitchen ~ | October 10–November 1, 2025 |
| Stereophonic | January 6-25, 2026 |
| Suffs | February 3-22, 2026 |
| Water for Elephants | March 10-29, 2026 |
| The Outsiders | April 28–May 17, 2026 |
| The Great Gatsby | June 9-28, 2026 |
~ Performances take place at the KeyBank State Theatre
“Hosting two national tour launches back-to-back is a thrilling prospect for not only Playhouse Square but the entire city of Cleveland,” said Greene. “Our audiences will be the first to see these shows outside of Broadway. The cast and crew of each show will spend several weeks calling Cleveland home while they prepare the show for the road. We get to be a part of their story, and we can’t wait to welcome them to Playhouse Square.”
“When the Ohio General Assembly approved dedicated tax credits for theater, that was the crucial final element we needed to attract the best of Broadway to open their national tours right here in Cleveland,” said Playhouse Square President & CEO Craig Hassall. “Now we see this come to fruition with the opening of not just one, but two, national tours at the start of our next season. Audiences will get to see these award-winning shows before they travel anywhere else and this is a great benefit to the Northeast Ohio economy.”
Season tickets for the 2025-2026 KeyBank Broadway Series at Playhouse Square will be available for purchase beginning Wednesday, February 26 at 11:00 a.m. More information can be found at playhousesquare.org/broadway. Season ticket plans range from $165 – $775 per seat, with monthly payment plans available.
Season ticket holders to the KeyBank Broadway Series not only enjoy a savings of up to 55% compared with purchasing shows individually, but also incredible benefits and flexibility in scheduling. Season ticket holders can pay off their packages over a period of time by choosing a monthly payment plan that works for their budget. They also receive exclusive pre-sale access to other shows at Playhouse Square. And should something prevent a season ticket holder from attending a show on their scheduled date, they have the option of exchanging their tickets into another performance that works for them. That means as many as 23 alternative dates for each show on the series!
With more than 40,000 season ticket holders annually, Playhouse Square is the country’s premier market for touring Broadway. No other touring Broadway venue in North America has a larger season ticket holder community than Playhouse Square.
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