‘Wicked’ good: 2 Oz-centric musicals to headline Kansas City’s upcoming theater season
PNC Broadway in Kansas City and the Kansas City Repertory Theatre have just released their 2025-26 schedules, and the city’s preeminent year-round theater seasons share an unplanned connection.
Before the national tour of “Wicked” concludes the Broadway in Kansas City slate with a three-week run, Ozians (or Wickedites) can revisit that musical’s inception at KC Rep’s season-ending “The Wizard of Oz.”
“That’s fun,” Broadway in Kansas City’s Amy Hamm said when told of the scheduling quirk. “We ought to try to work together. That’s very cool.”
Likely fueling public interest in both shows will be the second installment of the two-part “Wicked” movie extravaganza, the latest of which will have come out months earlier.
Before their mutual trips to Oz, Broadway in Kansas City and the KC Rep will offer a wide variety of other hits to entice theater-goers.
The nine-show Broadway season will include five musicals that are still running on the Great White Way: “Wicked,” “Hamilton,” “Book of Mormon,” “& Juliet” and “The Great Gatsby.” It’ll be the third time at the Music Hall for “Hamilton” and the sixth time for “Wicked” dating to 2008.
“& Juliet” and “The Great Gatsby” will join “Kimberly Akimbo,” “Stereophonic” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” in making their Kansas City premieres. Also coming to town will be Disney’s 30th anniversary edition of “Beauty & The Beast.”
“I feel like we’ve done such a nice job of bringing shows directly from Broadway and also mixing them in with the hottest shows that we’ve had off of Broadway in the last many years,” said Hamm, who is president and executive director of the American Theatre Guild.
The guild is a Kansas City-based nonprofit that presents national tours of Broadway musicals in performing arts centers nationwide. It collaborates on the local series with Broadway Across America, another presenter of touring shows.
Hamm, who has seen every show to open on Broadway in the past two years, is particularly excited about “& Juliet,” a new take on “Romeo & Juliet” that incorporates songs by Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and others.
“It’s had a great, long run on Broadway,” she said. “It’s still doing amazing business. And I think it is one of the most fun shows I’ve ever seen.”
“Stereophonic,” which is set in a music studio in 1976 as a rock band records a new album, is categorized as a play, not a musical, but includes 14 original songs. It closed on Broadway in January after its original 14-week limited run was extended several times by popular demand.
Like the Broadway series, KC Rep will offer a mix of new and old in 2025-26 — and with “The Wizard of Oz” and “Dracula,” both new and old.
“This ‘Wizard of Oz’ will have all of the hallmarks of a traditional production, including all the famous songs and much-loved characters,” said Stuart Carden, KC Rep’s artistic director. “But our fresh approach on the production is that music and music-making is going to be centered throughout.
“All of the characters will be actors/musicians, so Dorothy will be playing an instrument, the Cowardly Lion will be playing an instrument, the Tin Man.”
Then during the Halloween season, the “Dracula” interpretation is set during its traditional 19th century timeframe but tells the story from a non-traditional point of view — Van Helsing, a woman who has disguised herself as a man. Kansas City actor/writer/director Vanessa Severo is co-writer and co-director with Joanie Schultz, associate artistic director of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
On the newer end of the spectrum is “One of the Good Ones,” which also puts a new twist on a familiar story. The comedy written by TV veteran Gloria Calderón Kellett borrows from the plot of the 1967 movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” with a Latina woman bringing her boyfriend home to meet her parents. Carden says it is “written in a sit-com style.”
In addition, KC Rep will offer the musical “The Color Purple” — with a cast of local and national artists — as its season opener along with its annual holiday production of “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.”
PNC Broadway in Kansas City 2025-26 season
“The Book of Mormon,” Sept. 16-21, Music Hall: The story of two mismatched missionaries spreading the gospel won nine Tony Awards in 2011, including for best musical. It previously played at the Music Hall in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
“Beauty & The Beast,” Oct. 28-Nov. 2, Music Hall: Disney has assembled a new adaptation for the 30th anniversary production of the Broadway musical based on the 1991 animated film and the 18th century fairytale.
“& Juliet,” Nov. 18-23, Music Hall: Created by David West Read, an Emmy-winning writer from “Schitt’s Creek,” this jukebox musical features pop anthems and asks the question, “What if Juliet hadn’t ended it all over Romeo?” It has been running on Broadway since 2022.
“Kimberly Akimbo,” Jan. 20-25, 2026, Kauffman Center: A musical about a lonely teen who has a condition that causes her to age rapidly, “Kimberly Akimbo” ran on Broadway from November 2022 through April 2024, winning five Tony Awards.
“Hamilton,” Feb. 18-March 1, 2026, Music Hall: It has been 10 years since Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical took Broadway by storm, winning 11 Tony Awards, and it’s safe to say “Hamilton” already is a classic. It received an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018.
“The Great Gatsby,” March 17-22, 2026, Music Hall: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Great American Novel” from 1925 has been turned into a musical (with a jazz- and pop-influenced original score) that opened on Broadway in April 2024 to mixed reviews. Kansas City will be one of the first stops on the musical’s initial national tour.
“Stereophonic,” April 7-12, 2026, Kauffman Center: The New York Times described “Stereophonic” as “a fiery family drama, as electrifying as any since ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’” Winner of five 2024 Tonys, including for best play, it features original music by Will Butler of Arcade Fire.
“Mrs. Doubtfire,” June 2-7, 2026, Kauffman Center: Based on the 1993 Robin Williams film, “Mrs. Doubtfire” provides lots of laughs to go with music as it tells the story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids. It played on Broadway during 2021-22.
“Wicked,” Aug. 12-30, 2026, Music Hall: This musical telling the backstory of the witches from “The Wizard of Oz” was a sensation on Broadway and more recently on the big screen. “Wicked: For Good,” the second of the two-movie adaptation, comes out in November.
Tickets: Seats are automatically renewed for current season members. New season memberships are available at broadwayinkc.com. Single-show tickets will go on sale in late summer or early fall.
Kansas City Repertory Theatre 2025-26 season
“The Color Purple,” Sept. 2-21, Spencer Theatre: Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and Steven Spielberg’s 1985 movie were turned into a musical featuring gospel, jazz and blues. It opened on Broadway in 2005, was revived there in 2015 and became the basis for a 2023 movie musical.
“Dracula,” Oct. 14-Nov. 2, Copaken Stage: This retelling of Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale is from the female perspective and includes a major mystery while offering danger and desire but also humor and humanity.
“Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol,” Nov. 22-Dec. 27, Spencer Theatre: The holidays wouldn’t be the same in Kansas City without KC Rep’s annual production of this classic, which it has been staging since 1981. Gary Neal Johnson returns for his 25th year as Scrooge and 42nd year as part of production.
“One of the Good Ones,” Feb. 17-March 8, 2026, Copaken Stage: Gloria Calderón Kellett, who was executive producer, co-creator and co-showrunner on the recent Emmy-winning Netflix sitcom “One Day at a Time,” created “One of the Good Ones.” The comedy made its world premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse in March 2024.
“The Wizard of Oz,” May 5-24, 2026, Spencer Theatre: This musical version of the “We’re not in Kansas anymore” story is a collaboration with the PigPen Theatre Co. of New York. It will feature the movie’s original music delivered by an on-stage band and a cast of actors/musicians.
Tickets: Season-ticket renewals and sales starting at $170 are now available. Single-show tickets will go on sale July 15. More information at kcrep.org or 816-235-2700.
This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
