The 2023-2024 Broadway season is almost here on the Kimmel Cultural Campus, and it is one of our BIGGEST seasons yet! But did you know that some of your favorite Broadway shows were once movies on the big screen? Or that others have gone from the stage to the screen with their own film adaptations? Though nothing can beat seeing a live performance on stage, the below list will bring the music home and get you ready for the shows coming to Philly this year.
Mean Girls
October 3 - 8, 2023 | Miller Theater
The high school experience takes a cinematic form in 2004's Mean Girls, the iconic Linsday Lohan teen comedy written by Philly native Tina Fey. With its iconic lines and hilarious performances, Mean Girls was a smash hit with long-lasting appeal. In 2018, Fey adapted the story for Broadway alongside her husband Jeff Richmond, who composed the music. After a successful two-year run on Broadway, audiences are now eagerly anticipating the release of a movie adaptation of the musical starring Reneé Rapp (who had a run as the ultimate mean girl Regina George on Broadway). You can catch the original film now on Paramount+ and see the movie musical when it premieres in theaters in early 2024!
WICKED
November 1 - 26, 2023 | Academy of Music
Since 1900, L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has inspired a multitude of famous film works such as The Wizard of Oz (1939), The Wiz (1978), and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) as well as one of the most renowned musicals in Broadway history, WICKED. Debuting in 2003 at the Gershwin Theater, WICKED tells the tale of the unlikely friendship between Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda the Good Witch long before the arrival of Dorothy Gale. This musical has entranced audiences for 20 years with its magical score by Stephen Schwartz. Finally, this spectacular tale is set to hit the big screen with a feature film adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey arriving in theaters in 2024. In the meantime, you can watch the original 1939 film starring Judy Garland on Amazon Prime!
Mrs. Doubtfire
February 6 - 18, 2024 | Academy of Music
Who could forget the 1993 smash comedy hit Mrs. Doubtfire? Starring the late Robin Williams, Mrs. Doubtfire tells the hilarious tale of a divorced father performing crazy antics to spend time with his three kids. The film was one of the highest-grossing films of that year and has grown to become a cult-classic comedy. With its popularity among audiences on the big screen, Mrs. Doubtfire moved to the Broadway stage in 2021 starring Philadelphia native Rob McClure. Watch the original 1993 film on Disney+ now, and grab your tickets to see the tour when it comes to Philly in 2024!
Disney's Frozen
March 21 - April 7, 2024 | Academy of Music
As one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, Disney's Frozen dazzled audiences of all ages with its musical tale of love, magic, and sisterhood with a star-studded cast including Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and just a few short years later in 20178, Disney brought a stage version to Broadway. The musical features the same beloved characters and songs that audiences love so much, as well as a few new tunes to enjoy. Be sure to relive the magic by watching the original film (and its sequel!) on Disney+ before it comes to the Academy of Music stage.
Funny Girl
July 16 - 28, 2024 | Academy of Music
Inspired by the life of stage star and comedian Fanny Brice, Funny Girl first took Broadway by storm in 1964 starring Barbra Streisand before being taken to the silver screen for Streisand's debut film role alongside Omar Sharif in 1968. A grand tale of fame and romance, the film was the highest-grossing film of 1968 and earned Streisand an Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2022, the first Broadway revival of Funny Girl debuted at the August Wilson Theater and saw Beanie Feldstein, Julie Benko, and Lea Michele play the iconic title role over its almost 1.5 year run. See the original film on Amazon Prime before the national tour comes to the Academy of Music in summer 2024.
MAMMA MIA!
August 6 - 11, 2024 | Academy of Music
One of the most feel-good films of all time, MAMMA MIA! makes everyone want to dance, jive, have the time of their lives to the classic music of hitmakers ABBA. The jukebox musical first appeared on London's West End in 1999 before making the move to Broadway in 2001. After years of love on the stage, the musical made its way to the screen in a hit film starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and more in one of the highest-grossing movie musicals of all time. Enjoy the film and its sequel on Amazon Prime and then grab your favorite dancing queens to see the original stage production when MAMMA MIA! returns to Philadelphia in August 2024!
Maybe don’t have time to sit down and watch a movie? No problem! Take the music with you in two Spotify playlists we’ve compiled just for you highlighting these shows and many more from both stage and screen, and screen to stage!