Segerstrom Center’s 2026-27 Broadway Season Features Six Local Premieres Plus Returning Favorites

Paul Hodgins
46 minutes ago
5 min read

Standouts include the recent Broadway sci-fi hit and multiple Tony Award winner, ‘Maybe Happy Ending.’

Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen in the original Broadway production of "Maybe Happy Ending." Photo courtesy of SCFTA/Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ 2026-27 Broadway series, announced today, includes six Orange County premieres among its 11 musicals that will be presented during the Costa Mesa venue’s 40th-anniversary season. The series also includes the return of some perennial favorites, including one beloved Disney musical with a special Orange County connection.

“We always try to look for what’s new, what’s coming,” said Casey Reitz, president and CEO of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, who has an extensive background in New York theater. “What can we get to our audiences as quickly as we can? And we always kind of lean a little more into shows that I think will be pleasing for the whole family.”

“Beauty and The Beast,” which launches the Broadway season, is Disney’s first North American touring version of the show in more than 25 years. This production will reunite members of the original Broadway creative team to present a reimagined 30th anniversary production. Led by director/choreographer Matt West, the show features updated technology, costumes and sets. It retains its classic songs by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.

(Seal Beach native Susan Egan made her Broadway debut as Belle in the original production, which premiered on April 18, 1994, at the Palace Theatre. Her performance was a breakout success that cemented her as a Broadway leading lady and established the blueprint for future Disney stage princesses.)

Reitz has a special soft spot for “Beauty and the Beast.” “It’s actually the first Broadway show I ever saw in New York City, along with ‘Chicago.’ That was my first foray into musicals.” Reitz said he’s curious and excited to see how the ‘90s classic will be reimagined.

Enchanted objects in "Disney's Beauty and the Beast." Photo courtesy of SCFTA/Matthew Murphy

One of the season's highlights is “Maybe Happy Ending.” Set in a near-future Seoul, it’s a sci-fi musical starring two obsolete "HelperBots" that explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and human emotion. The show was a surprise hit, praised for its "Pixar-like" emotional depth and innovative staging. At the 2025 Tony Awards it tied for the most nominations and won six awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score.

“I just love that show,” Reitz said. “I saw it on Broadway a year ago, and it’s funny and charming and clever. And it’s innovative. Just great. It’s a different kind of show; the pitch is a little challenging. It’s a cross of things that are tried and true and (more experimental) elements.”

Other musicals in the Broadway series are playing in Orange County for the first time:

“The Outsiders,” adapted from S.E. Hinton’s seminal novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic film;
“Water for Elephants,” based on the bestselling novel about a young man who jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus;
“The Buena Vista Social Club,” a multiple Tony winner that brings the iconic 1997 Grammy-winning album and the lives of its legendary Cuban musicians to life;
“The Great Gatsby,” a 2024 musical based on the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald;
“Death Becomes Her,” based on the darkly comic 1992 film, with direction and choreography by Tony winner Christopher Gattelli.

Production photos from “The Outsiders,” “Water for Elephants,” “The Buena Vista Social Club,” “The Great Gatsby” and “Death Becomes Her.” Photos courtesy of SCFTA/Matthew Murphy

“Jersey Boys,” “The Who’s Tommy,” "Waitress” and “The Book of Mormon” round out the season. The first three are part of the Curtain Call Series; “The Book of Mormon” is a bonus option for subscribers. The Curtain Call Series is a specialized Broadway subscription package designed for theater fans who want to see popular returning blockbusters.

“There’s a lot of literary-based shows going on this season,” Reitz said. “‘Great Gatsby’ and ‘Water for Elephants’ and ‘The Outsiders.’” Reitz thinks that success with such material is “all about how to tweak the familiar. A successful book-based show “tries to (give) people something that … changes their horizons a little bit.”

The Segerstrom Center has reported healthy ticket sales for several recent Broadway shows. But musical theater's six-year recovery from the pandemic has been uneven, outperforming some high-culture art forms like opera yet lagging behind the massive growth seen in the pop music touring industry.

While Broadway reached a milestone in the 2024-25 season by achieving its highest-ever gross revenue, it has struggled with a significantly lower rate of shows successfully recouping their investments. Despite record-high grosses, the cost of mounting musicals has increased, with new productions costing between $20 and $25 million.

Since the end of the pandemic, “there’s only been four new musicals that have made their money back on Broadway,” Reitz said. “Three of them were based on preexisting (material).”

Meanwhile, touring Broadway shows have demonstrated strong resilience, often performing more robustly than regional and nonprofit theaters. But season ticket subscriptions continue to lose popularity at many theaters, and theatergoers are increasingly waiting until the last minute to buy tickets. The average advance sales window has shrunk from several months to as little as seven to 10 days for some titles.

Regarding trends at the Segerstrom Center, “I think we’re definitely seeing younger audiences in the last few seasons,” Reitz said. “That’s one of the things Broadway has done a great job with: continuing to try to reach younger audiences. And people are starting to grow up with their Broadway shows. As they age, they’re willing to see a wider variety of things. (After) the pandemic, the older audience didn’t come back in as much, but we’re replacing them.”

Rietz says producing a new musical is always a consideration, but he acknowledged that the economics of such an undertaking are more daunting than ever.

“We would love to co-produce new musicals. But the world has changed so dramatically in the last few years. The cost (of producing a world premiere) has more than doubled. Not long ago, it was $10 million. Now it’s easily more than $20 million. So you have to do partnerships now. They’re the way to go.”

PHOTO 1: Jennifer Simard and Christopher Sieber in "Death Becomes Her." Photo courtesy of SCFTA/Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. PHOTO 2: Des McAnuff, left, and Peter Townshend at the opening of "The Who's Tommy" in 2019 at Segerstrom Center. Photo courtesy of SCFTA/Doug Gifford. PHOTO 3: From the touring production of "Waitress." Photo courtesy of SCFTA/Marie-Andrée Lemire. PHOTO 4: Production photo from "The Jersey Boys." Photo courtesy of SCFTA