The Bushnell announces 2026-2027 Broadway season lineup

The Bushnell broadway Series 2026-2027 season — Image via The Bushnell

The Bushnell has unveiled the eight musicals that will comprise its 2026-2027 Broadway Series, featuring a mix of Tony Award-winning hits, literary adaptations, and high-energy musical comedies.

The eight-show season kicks off this fall, bringing a diverse range of productions to Hartford. The schedule includes:

The Great Gatsby: A dazzling musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel.
Mamma Mia!: The long-running global phenomenon powered by the hits of ABBA.
BOOP! The Musical: An effervescent new comedy centered on the iconic cartoon flapper.
Hell’s Kitchen: The energizing, semi-autobiographical musical from 15-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys.
Maybe Happy Ending: A fresh, original love story exploring connection in a high-tech world.
Waitress: The sweet and sassy fan favorite featuring music by Sara Bareilles.
Operation Mincemeat: The hilarious and improbable true story of a high-stakes World War II deception.
The Outsiders: The thrilling coming-of-age hit based on the novel by S.E. Hinton.

The upcoming series is sponsored by The Hartford, which serves as the lead sponsor, alongside supporting sponsors Webster Bank and the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation.

See the Message Center below for Connecticut’s top events in March — from Hartford Wolf Pack games to shows at Fairfield Theatre Company — Celebrate Connecticut with our latest local merch, perfect for showing your state pride!

Current season ticket holders will receive renewal packages this week and have the option to renew online immediately. New subscriptions will be made available to the public in early summer.

Prospective subscribers can join a waiting list by visiting the theater’s website or contacting the box office. Single-performance tickets are slated to go on sale later this summer.

The Bushnell noted that all dates, titles, and performers are subject to change. For more information, patrons can visit bushnell.org or call the box office at (860) 987-5900.

The 2025-2026 Broadway Series

The Great Gatsby

September 29 – October 4, 2026

The Party’s Roaring in Hartford!

The Great Gatsby is a “Broadway extravaganza that explodes with life and energy” (Entertainment Weekly). Based on the classic American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Tony Award®-winning new musical is an unforgettable journey of love, wealth and tragedy that brings the Roaring Twenties to life on stage.

Directed by Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), this story of extravagance and longing features choreography by Dominique Kelley (“So You Think You Can Dance”), a book by Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones) and a jazz- and pop-influenced original score by Jason Howland (Little Women) and Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square).

Mamma Mia!

October 20-25, 2026

A mother. A daughter. 3 possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget!

Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship, and identity is beautifully told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago.

For over 25 years, people all around the world have fallen in love with the characters, the story, and the music that make Mamma Mia! the ultimate feel-good show.

BOOP!® The Musical

November 10-15, 2026

“What’s not to love about Betty Boop?” (Chicago Tribune)

For almost a century, the Betty Boop® character has won hearts and inspired fans around the world with her trademark looks, voice, and style. Now, in BOOP!® The Musical, Betty’s dream of an ordinary day off from super-celebrity in her black-and-white world leads to a “bright and bubbly” (Time Out New York) adventure of color, music, and love in New York City. “A show-stopping rainbow of joy” (The Daily Beast), BOOP! is the new Broadway musical-comedy extravaganza that’s fun for everyone –bringing heart, laughter, and a whole lot of Boop-oop-a-doop to the stage!

Tony Award®–winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Hairspray, La Cage aux Folles) brings Fleischer Studios’ Queen of the Screen to life with a score by celebrated multiple Grammy® winner David Foster (“I Have Nothing,” “After the Love Is Gone,” “The Prayer”), lyrics by Tony Award® nominee Susan Birkenhead (Working, Jelly’s Last Jam), and a book by Tony Award® winner Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone, The Prom). BOOP! is the Broadway musical that is perfect for audiences of all ages.

Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen

December 8-13, 2026

Welcome to Hell’s Kitchen, the hit musical from 17-time Grammy® Award-winning Alicia Keys—inspired by her life, her music, and her community.

Your journey begins with Ali, a 17-year-old girl full of fire, searching for freedom, passion, and her place in the world. Along the way, you’ll meet the musical mentor who changes her life, her dynamic family, and the neighborhood that helps her grow. Relatable, raw, and refreshingly fun, Hell’s Kitchen is a celebration of finding yourself, your purpose, and the people who lift you up. More than watching a performance, this experience pulls you out of your seat and has you buzzing when you leave, wondering who to tell about it first. The music—a mix of Keys’ greatest hits and new songs written exclusively for the show—is brought to life through exhilarating choreography. It’s a soundtrack of rebellion, life, and love that speaks to you no matter where you’re from, where you’ve been, or where you’re going. Hailed as a New York Times Critic’s Pick that is, “thrilling from beginning to end –a rare must-see!”

Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen is directed by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Dear Evan Hansen and The Notebook), with choreography by four-time Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown, a book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz, and the music of Alicia Keys.

Feel the energy of this multi-award-winning musical and experience where dreams begin: Hell’s Kitchen.

Maybe Happy Ending

February 16-21, 2027

Don’t miss the totally original new musical adventure that explores what it means to be human. Even if they’re not.

Winner of 6 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Maybe Happy Ending tells the deeply human story of a chance encounter that sparks connection, adventure, and maybe even love. Helmed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Arden (Parade), Maybe Happy Ending has been called “one of the best musicals in years” (USA Today) and even “The best musical in eons!” (Observer).

Waitress

March 30-April 4, 2027

Don’t miss this uplifting and hilarious musical celebrating friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.

Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life, such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie.” When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying encounter with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness.

Brought to life by a groundbreaking creative team, this hilarious hit Broadway musical features original music and lyrics by Grammy® Award winner Sara Bareilles (“Brave,” “Love Song”), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam), original choreography by Lorin Latarro (Mrs. Doubtfire, Chess) and original direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (1776, Jagged Little Pill, Pippin).

“WAITRESS is a little slice of heaven!” says Entertainment Weekly, and is “sweet, sassy and passionate,” according to New York Magazine.

Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical

May 4-9, 2027

The hilarious true story of the secret mission that won WWII.

How did a dead body, a fake love letter, and — of all people — Ian Fleming turn the tide of WWII? Olivier Award winner for Best New Musical and a 2025 Tony winner, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical is the best-reviewed show in West End history with 113 five-star reviews, and named the #1 Broadway Show of 2025 by Entertainment Weekly.

It’s 1943, and the Allies are on the ropes. Luckily, they’re about to gamble our futures on a stolen corpse. Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, it’s the fast-paced, hilarious true story of the secret mission that won WWII.

The Outsiders

June 1-6, 2027

The winner of four 2024 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, Ponyboy Curtis, his best friend Johnny Cade and their Greaser family of outsiders’ battle with their affluent rivals, the Socs. The Outsiders navigates the complexities of self- discovery as the Greasers dream about who they want to become in a world that may never accept

them. With a dynamic original score, The Outsiders is a story of friendship, family, belonging…and the realization that there is still “lots of good in the world.”

Adapted from S.E. Hinton’s seminal novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic film, this thrilling new musical features a book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine, music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Tony Award® winner Justin Levine, music supervision,

orchestration, and arrangements by Justin Levine, choreography by Rick Kuperman & Jeff Kuperman, and direction by Tony Award® winner Danya Taymor. Entertainment Weekly says, “The Outsiders has the power to inspire an entire generation.”

Be the first to see Broadway’s smash-hit Oh, Mary! as it launches its National Tour here in Hartford September 19-23, 2026.

And Celebrating 20 years – Jersey style, the original Broadway sensation Jersey Boys returns to Hartford March 9-14, 2027

Don’t miss

• ‘Gilmore Girls’ star Scott Patterson bringing rock-fueled tour to Toad’s Place in New Haven
• Mohegan announces sale of Connecticut Sun, team to relocate to Houston in 2027
• Hartford Stage unveils 2026–27 season featuring ‘Dracula,’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ and more

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April events at Fairfield Theatre Company

4/3 – Stop Making Sense
4/3 – Morningside
4/6 – Britishmania
4/8 – Matt Pryor & The Salton Sea
4/10 – Residual Groove
4/11 – Lotus
4/11 – North Country Band
4/14 – Shadowgrass
4/15 – Fantastic Cat
4/16 – Leo Kottke
4/17 – Bad Animals
4/17 – Ryan Montableu Band
4/18 – Anders Osborne
4/19 – The Queens Meet The Kings
4/21 – Davy Knowles
4/22 – Afternoon of Jazz
4/23 – Bob Margolis Blues Band
4/24 – Save Ferris
4/25 -Alison Brown
4/26 – Thee Sinsters & The Altons
4/30 – Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

Click here for more information & order tickets.

April events at PeoplesBank Arena

4/3 – Cardi B, click here to purchase tickets
4/4 – Hershey Bears vs Hartford Wolf Pack, click here to purchase tickets
4/10 – Providence Bruins vs Hartford Wolf Pack, click here to purchase tickets
4/15 – Bridgeport Islanders vs Hartford Wolf Pack, click here to purchase tickets
4/17 – Springfield Thunderbirds vs Hartford Wolf Pack, click here to purchase tickets
4/18 – Romeo Santos & Prince Royce, click here to purchase tickets
4/23 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents The Greatest Show on Earth, click here to purchase tickets
4/24 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents The Greatest Show on Earth, click here to purchase tickets
4/25 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents The Greatest Show on Earth, click here to purchase tickets
4/26 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents The Greatest Show on Earth, click here to purchase tickets

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