The lights come up on the stages of San Francisco as seven glamorous musicals prepare to perform for the Bay Area.
BroadwaySF has announced that the musical lineup for the 2024-25 season will contain “Wicked,” “Kimberly Akimbo,” “Some Like It Hot,” “Back to the Future: The Musical,” “Parade,” “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical,” and “& Juliet.”
The musicals will be shown in the Orpheum and Golden Gate Theaters in San Francisco.
“It’s neat to have such high-quality performances be so accessible,” said Jax Manning, a Carlmont sophomore who saw a touring cast of “Hamilton” at BroadwaySF.
“Wicked” is a show that has recently been in the public eye because of its planned movie adaptation featuring pop singer and actress Ariana Grande.
The musical, set up as a prequel to Dorothy’s arrival in the Land of Oz, follows the story of Elphaba and Glinda. The two girls navigate their complicated friendship as they begin a journey that ends with them being known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
According to Playbill, Grande has been cast to play Glinda in the movie. However, despite Grande’s popularity as a singer and experience in acting, some doubt her place in a Broadway-style adaptation.
“I don’t like it when they give pop singers Broadway roles because they haven’t really earned them,” Manning said.
Another musical that has caused quite a stir is “Back to the Future: The Musical,” which begins touring in 2024, according to its website, and will reach San Francisco in February 2025, according to BroadwaySF.
The iconic movie is now being set up for the big stage, as Marty McFly’s journey to return to the present and leave the past behind is told through song and dance.
According to Nipun Nair, a software engineer who most recently saw “The Lion King” in 2023 with his family, the combination of acting and song is what makes musicals so unique. For Nair, musicals embody a type of in-person entertainment that needs to be preserved.
“I didn’t know what to expect for my first musical. But when I saw it, it was amazing,” Nair said.
Georgia Kelly, a Carlmont senior, shares Nair’s enjoyment of musicals. Having gone to BroadwaySF to see “Hamilton” and “Six,” Kelly said the audiences’ engagement and excited chatter prior to the show were her favorite parts.
“It’s different from just watching it at home because you get to experience everyone else’s excitement,” Kelly said.
Outside of BroadwaySF’s theaters and enthusiastic audiences, San Francisco’s location also makes the performances accessible to many in the Bay Area.
“It’s really nice that we can get a taste of Broadway over here instead of having it be only in New York,” Kelly said.
