“MJ the Musical,” “Shucked,” “Some Like It Hot,” “Come From Away” and returning favorites “Disney’s The Lion King,” “Annie” and “Chicago” are among the nine shows coming to Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre for its 2024-2025 season, the theater management announced Friday.
Also in the lineup for the Hippodrome Broadway Series presented by CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield are two touring productions that are originating in Baltimore with the help of a state tax credit program created to encourage theater companies to choose Maryland as the base for new touring productions or shows headed to Broadway.
“The Wiz,” presented to kick off the Hippodrome’s 2023-2024 season, was the first production to take advantage of the Maryland Theatrical Tax Credit Program, patterned after a state program designed to encourage producers to film movies and television shows in Maryland. The revival of “The Wiz” was launched at the Hippodrome as the first stop of a pre-Broadway national tour and is scheduled to open at the Marquis Theatre in New York on April 17, with previews beginning March 29.
According to Friday’s announcement from Ron Legler, president of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, home of the Hippodrome, the next two shows using the state tax credit are:
The North American tour launch of the Broadway hit “& Juliet,” a musical comedy by the writer from “Schitt’s Creek” that “flips the script on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet” by asking “what would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo?” and the North American tour launch of “Life of Pi,” “an epic tale of perseverance and hope” based on the 2002 best-selling novel by Yann Martel and featuring “jaw-dropping visuals, world-class puppetry and exquisite stagecraft.” “Life of Pi” tells the story of a boy named Pi who survives on a lifeboat after a shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean with four companions – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger.
“Disney’s The Lion King,” which won six Tony Awards including Best Musical and features music by Elton John and Tim Rice, will be at the Hippodrome for three weeks, a longer run than the other shows and a sign of its power to draw audiences.
“The Hippodrome prides itself on bringing audiences the very best of Broadway to Baltimore,” Legler said in a statement. “Coupled with our world-class house and exceptional hospitality, our loyal subscribers and patrons are guaranteed to be delighted—and they will be among the very first in the nation to experience the all-new touring productions of & Juliet and Life of Pi thanks to the Maryland Theatrical Tax Credit established in 2022.”
The Hippodrome’s eight-show 2024-2025 subscription package includes: “& Juliet,” Sept. 22 to 28, 2024; “MJ the Musical,” the multi–Tony Award-winning musical centered around the making of Michael Jackson’s 1992 Dangerous World Tour, Nov. 12 to 17, 2024; “Life of Pi,” Dec. 7 to 14, 2024; and “Annie,” Jan. 7 to 12, 2025.
“Disney’s The Lion King” will take over the Hippodrome from Feb. 12 to March 2, 2025. It will be followed by “Shucked,” April 1 to 6, 2025; “Some Like It Hot,” May 6 to 11, 2025; and “Chicago,” June 3 to 8, 2025. The 2024-2025 season option is “Come from Away,” a musical about 7,000 plane passengers who were stranded in Newfoundland after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, on April 18 and 19, 2025.
According to the Hippodrome, current subscribers are invited to renew their subscriptions starting Jan. 26 and will receive an email message with more information. Patrons seeking new eight-show subscriptions for the upcoming season can join the Hippodrome’s wait list to be among the first in line, with new subscription packages going on sale in the spring of 2024. The eight-show package prices begin at $310.
Purchasing is available online at BaltimoreHippodrome.com/Season; by phone at 800-343-3103 on Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and in person at the Hippodrome Box Office, located at the corner of Eutaw and Baltimore streets. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on performance dates from 11 a.m. to curtain time.
Individual ticket sale dates will be announced throughout the year. Groups of 10 or more should contact Groups@BaltimoreHippodrome.com or call 888-451-5986.
