From “Hamilton” to “Hamlet,” the coming months have numerous options for live theater and musicals. The lineup includes both touring productions (“Jagged Little Pill,” “Tootsie”) and homegrown shows (“Glensheen,” “Shane”).
Here’s a look at what’s on tap.
‘Hamilton’
Opens April 4: Since its Off-Broadway debut in 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop musical “Hamilton” had enjoyed massive commercial and critical success. It tells the story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton with a cast of nonwhite actors. It received a record-breaking 16 Tony nominations and won 11, including best musical. It also received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A filmed version of the Broadway production is available for streaming on Disney+. Through May 6: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; $349-$119; hennepintheatretrust.org.
‘Hamlet’
Opens April 8: The Guthrie has quite a history with William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. The company first staged it in 1963 with direction from the theater’s founder, Sir Tyrone Guthrie. Further productions took place in 1978, 1988 and 2006, when it closed the theater’s original location on Vineland Place. The current production is part of the Guthrie’s 60th anniversary season. Through May 21; Guthrie Theater, 818 S. Second St., Minneapolis; $80-$20; 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org.
‘What I Learned in Paris’
Opens April 18: Presented in partnership with Portland Playhouse, Pearl Cleage’s “What I Learned in Paris” follows a group of campaign workers in Atlanta after the mayoral race of 1973. It explores race and gender through the monologues of young Black feminists on the threshold of self-actualization. Through May 14; Penumbra Theatre Company, 270 N. Kent St., St. Paul; $45-$20; 651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org.
‘We Shall Someday’
Opens April 19: Theater Latte Da presents the world premiere of this new musical by Harrison David Rivers and Ted Shen. Using three actors, the show examines “the roots of resistance and resilience (that) run deep in three generations of a Black family grappling with inequality, violence and oppression.” Through May 14; Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis: $63-$35; 612-339-3003 or latteda.org.
‘An American Tail’
Opens April 25: Don Bluth’s 1986 animated film, about a family of mice who emigrate from Russia to the United States for freedom, was a smash hit that inspired a number of sequels, video games, books and now a live musical. Children’s Theatre Company commissioned this world premiere production in association with Universal Theatrical Group. Through June 18; Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis; $89-$15; 612-874-0400 or childrenstheatre.org.
‘The Defeat of Jesse James’
Opens April 29: Written by Jeffrey Hatcher with music and lyrics by Chan Poling – the same team behind the History Theatre’s hit “Glensheen” – this new musical serves as a mixture of a rock concert and Wild West show. It follows Jesse James as he re-enacts his dramatic rise and fall, with a grand finale that takes place in Northfield. Through May 28; History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul; $70-$15; 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com.
‘Murder on the Orient Express’
Opens May 13: Agatha Christie’s famous novel, which was inspired by the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, has been adapted numerous times for radio, TV and film. Christie’s estate asked playwright Ken Ludwig to adapt the novel into a play, which premiered at New Jersey’s McCarter Theatre in 2017. Through July 2; Guthrie Theater, 818 S. Second St., Minneapolis; $80-$20; 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org.
‘The Courtroom: A Reenactment of One Woman’s Deportation Proceedings’
Opens June 3: Arranged by Tony nominee Arian Moayed, “The Courtroom” explores and examines the U.S. immigration system using excerpts from courtroom transcripts. It recounts the hearings of an immigrant from the Philippines on a K3 Visa who faced deportation once she inadvertently registered to vote in Chicago and voted after receiving a registration card. Through July 2; Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave., Minneapolis; single tickets go on sale soon; 612-822-7063 or jungletheater.com.
‘Next to Normal’
Opens June 7: Written by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, this Theater Latte Da musical follows a mother with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her family. It was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won three, including best original score. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Through July 16; Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis: single tickets go on sale soon; 612-339-3003 or latteda.org.
‘Jersey Boys’
Opens June 16: The Four Seasons scored a string of hits in the ’60s, including the chart-toppers “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man” and “Rag Doll.” In 1975, the band returned to the charts with the disco-era hits “Who Loves You” and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).” They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, but the Four Seasons’ origin story wasn’t well known to the public, nor were any members beyond lead singer Frankie Valli. That all changed with this jukebox musical, which tells the group’s history via four “seasons,” each narrated by a different member of the band. Through Feb. 24; Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, 501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen; $105-$55; 952-934-1525 or chanhassendt.com.
‘Into the Woods’
Opens June 17: The second collaboration between writer/director James Lapine and composer Stephen Sondheim, “Into the Woods” opened on Broadway in 1987 and ran for nearly two years. It draws from a handful of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, including “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.” It has been produced many times since, including a second Broadway revival that opened last summer. Through Aug. 13; Guthrie Theater, 818 S. Second St., Minneapolis; $80-$20; 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org.
‘Tootsie’
Opens June 20: The 1982 film “Tootsie” was one of the biggest hits of that year and earned 10 Oscar nominations and a win for Minnesota-born Jessica Lange. It tells the story of a talented actor with a bad reputation who decides to try posing as a woman to find work. The musical adaptation debuted in Chicago in 2018 and opened on Broadway the following year, where it ran until the pandemic shutdown in March 2020. It earned 10 Tony nominations and two wins. Through June 25: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; $139-$40; hennepintheatretrust.org.
‘Glensheen’
Opens July 8: Hatcher and Poling’s “Glensheen” tells the true-crime story of the 1977 murder of Elisabeth Congdon and her personal care attendant, Velma Pietila, in Duluth’s Glensheen mansion. It is a comedy, but the murder victims are treated with respect and compassion in the show. This will be the History Theatre’s seventh production of the popular musical, which debuted in 2015. Through July 23; History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul; $74-$15; 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com.
‘Shane’
Opens July 15: Set in 1889 Wyoming, “Shane” tells the tale of the title character, a mysterious stranger who rides into the lives of a family of homesteaders. Playwright Karen Zacarias, who was commissioned by the Guthrie, puts a new spin on the story by reimagining the homsteaders as a Latino family and Shane as the son of a Cuban slave. Through Aug. 27; Guthrie Theater, 818 S. Second St., Minneapolis; $80-$20; 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org.
‘Jagged Little Pill’
Opens Aug. 8: This jukebox musical uses songs from Alanis Morissette, including tracks from her multi-platinum 1995 album of the same name. Work started on the musical in 2013, but it didn’t debut on Broadway until the fall of 2019. It earned 15 Tony nominations, including a win for best book by former Minnesotan Diablo Cody. The New York Times called it “redemptive, rousing and real … ‘Jagged Little Pill’ stands alongside the original musicals that have been sustaining the best hopes of Broadway.” Through Aug. 13: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; tickets are currently only available to subscribers, single tickets will go on sale at a later date; hennepintheatretrust.org.
