Wharton Center’s Broadway series opens Sept. 16. Here’s what you should see and why

Wharton Center will launch its 2025-2026 Broadway season on Sept. 16 with “A Beautiful Noise.”

In advance of the season kickoff, LSJ contributing arts writers offer their takes on each show in the season.

Ken Glickman has written for the LSJ since 1982, writing about music, theater, business and other topics. Bridgette Redman is a second-generation journalist who started reviewing theater in 2005.

‘A Beautiful Noise’

Sept. 16-21, 2025

Glickman’s take: Although I’m not partial to jukebox musicals in general, the appeal of Neil Diamond and his oh-so-popular songs make this show appealing. Some jukeboxes, like “Jersey Boys,” have been good. Will Diamond’s life make a good story, or will it be just a glittering concert of Neil Diamond’s music?

Finale: If you are a Neil Diamond fan, and there are plenty of them, this will be wonderful celebration of his music. If not, you may want to pass.

Redman’s take: Boomers can probably sing along to every number whether they are Neil Diamond fans or not. Mostly ignored by the Tony voters, “A Beautiful Noise” grossed over $1 million at the box office in the week BEFORE it premiered.

Finale: With Nick Fradiani (“America’s Got Talent” and “American Idol”) in the lead role, Wharton launches its season with a safe, feel-good hit teeming with nostalgia.

‘Beauty and the Beast’

Oct. 14-19, 2025

Glickman’s take: This stylish and beautiful musical was Disney’s first Broadway show, and it was a stunner. It’s traditional, old-fashioned and classic.

Finale: Everyone knows the story and the music. This will be a well done professional show. If you have young children, it’s a no-brainer. Go.

Redman’s take: The musical is a “tale as old as time,” and appealing to children for whom the story is fresh and new. Every season needs a family show to introduce the magic of theater to the youngest set. “Beauty and the Beast” shimmers with magic that has lost none of its luster over the decades.

Finale: With its timeless themes, familiar characters and a theatrical stage magic that never overshadows the story, it’s still a great way for the entire family to experience together the joy of live theater.

‘The Wiz’

Dec. 9-14, 2025

Glickman’s take: “The Wiz” is an historic show – one of the first all-Black musicals. It won lots of Tonys (1974) but has never been a favorite of mine. I only remember the catchy funky song, “Ease on Down The Road.” This new production looks to be creative with great costumes. I may have to look beyond the miserable movie with Michael Jackson.

Finale: Not sure of this one, but I’m guessing it will be fun and entertaining. I say give it a try.

Redman’s take: The movie version flopped despite its star-studded cast (Diana Ross was a bit long in the tooth for Dorothy), but the stage version was a shining success that captured seven Tony awards (including best musical) with its all-Black cast. The 50^th anniversary touring version is an all-new, reimagined production that has had critics quelling.

FINALE: Coming to Wharton Center a few weeks after the movie release of the second half of “Wicked,” it may appeal to fans who can’t get enough of an Oz whose looks and sounds are truly technicolor.

‘Back to the Future’

Jan. 13-18, 2026

Glickman’s take: It’s a great movie, but this musical did not do well on Broadway. Everyone talked about the great technical effects and not much about the music. Lifting this original story onto the Broadway stage is a tall order.

Finale: I’ll give this one a pass.

Redman’s take: “Back to the Future” was the first show I ever saw on Broadway. It took me back to the ’80s — apparently my teenage closet doubled as the costume shop and my hairstylist moonlighted for the cast. The musical is all about spectacle, special effects and nostalgia and not much about storytelling.

Finale: Anyone who remembers the movies with fondness will giggle through a musical that stays overly true to its source material.

‘Hadestown’

Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2026

Glickman’s take: “Hadestown” is a stunner. There were many skeptics who thought you couldn’t take the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice into a Broadway musical, until they saw it for themselves. The New Orleans-style music is great and the story is compelling. It was at Wharton only a few years ago; it’s worth seeing again.

Finale: See it for sure!

Redman’s take: Heartbreaking, poetic, political and absolutely true to the heart and spirit of the classic Greek myth, “Hadestown” carves out a permanent place in your heart. Even with Hermes warning the audience that this was a sad tale and knowing how the myth and the musical ended, I found myself convinced that this time, the ending would be different.

Finale: Get your ticket for this one. It will do more than entertain you. It will feed your soul.

‘Kimberly Akimbo’

March 10-15

Glickman’s take: Here’s a modern musical. Quirky, fun and lots of heart.  “Kimberly Akimbo” won tons of awards and praise. It has never been to Wharton and is probably the star of the season. My only concern is with the star. It requires a brilliant actress who can go from young to old effortlessly. Let’s hope Anne Morrison, the actress who will play the role, is up to snuff.

Finale: The one to see this season.

Redman’s take: “Kimberly Akimbo” may be Wharton Center’s biggest risk this season, but it is also its biggest gem. Based on the play of the same name, David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori teamed up to create a musical about a teenage girl with a disorder that makes her age rapidly. It’s weird. It’s absurd. It’s filled with family dysfunction. It will make you laugh the way “Hadestown” makes you cry. Despite its Broadway success (it won the Best Musical Tony in 2023), it might be a bit of a dark horse for Wharton Center because non-theater people don’t know it the way they do Neil Diamond or Disney.

Finale: “Kimberly Akimbo” represents the best of what theater can be and demonstrates why musicals transcend the stereotype of being just a fluffy art form.

‘Clue’

April 7-12, 2026

Glickman’s take: Kudos to Wharton Center for booking this non-musical show. Based on a board game (of all things), it is a farce known for its British humor.

Finale: Let’s give it a try. It should be fun.

Redman’s take: Musicals are only a fraction of live theater’s magic. Following the haunting “Life of Pi” last year, “Clue” is a farce that finally hits all the right notes after several attempts of turning the board game into a stage play. Not your Agatha Christie-style drawing room murder that plays out on community theater stages, “Clue” raucously pays tribute to the 1985 film by putting familiar characters (Miss Peacock, Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum) on stage in a fast-paced romp with multiple endings.

Finale: It’s a great way to drag all those “I hate musicals” folks to Wharton Center.

‘& Juliet’

June 23-28, 2026

Glickman’s take: This fresh, poppy, upbeat musical is a big hit on Broadway and features hip, up-to-date music. This will be a crowd pleaser and attract a far younger crowd than usual.

Finale: Along with “Kimberly Akimbo,” this show is a sure winner. Buy your tickets now.

Redman’s take: The season starts with a bow-wrapped present to boomers and ends with an upbeat invite to millennials and their younger siblings. In a season sandwiched by jukebox musicals, “& Juliet” puts Shakespeare’s oft-maligned wife (he left her his second-best bed) center stage as she begs her husband to give the teenage Juliet more agency. When my son and I saw it on Broadway, we were delighted by the Easter eggs for Shakespeare lovers in a musical completely accessible to those who have never heard there was once a Bard in Stratford.

Finale: My son suggested the Max Martin songs may date the show, but for now, it is a fun, feminist journey that gives young folks a reason to dance.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Wharton Center’s Broadway series opens Sept. 16. What to see and why