In 2020, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” (Jan. 7-19) returns with new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler (“Hamilton”) based on the original choreography by Gillian Lynne, followed by “Mean Girls” (Jan. 28-Feb. 9), which is powered by a creative quartet that includes book writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (“Legally Blonde”), and director Casey Nicholaw (“The Book of Mormon”). It follows the misadventures of a teen learning to adapt to life in the social jungle of suburban Illinois after a childhood spent in Africa.

The season begins with the return of “The Lion King” (Oct. 3-27), which opened the renovated Opera House 15 years ago. The imaginative adaptation of the animated Disney hit will be followed by “Come From Away” (Nov. 5-17), based on the true story of 7,000 airline passengers stranded after 9/11 in a small Canadian town.

From Tsarist Russia to the Serengeti, from Newfoundland to New Jersey, Broadway in Boston’s 2019-2020 season, announced Monday night, is a mix of recent Broadway hit musicals and old favorites at the newly renamed Citizens Bank Opera House and the Emerson Colonial Theatre.

The action shifts to the Colonial for a new production of “Fiddler on the Roof” (Feb. 25-March 8), the haunting story of family, tradition, life and love, followed by “Jersey Boys” (March 18-22), the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and featuring some of their biggest hits.


“The Band’s Visit” (March 24-April 5), winner of the 2018 Tony Award for best musical, comes to the Opera House for the story of an unexpected encounter between a group of Egyptian musicians and the residents of a small Israeli town that affirms the power of music to connect us.

“Chicago” currently the longest-running musical on Broadway, returns to the Colonial (May 5-10) with its satiric look at corruption and the notion of “celebrity criminals,” delivered through the magical choreography of Bob Fosse, with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. At the Opera House, “Anastasia” (July 7-19) reunites the creative team behind “Ragtime,” with a new book by Terrence McNally (“Master Class”) and a score by Stephen Flaherty (composer) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics), takes us on an epic adventure set in 1920s Paris with a young woman determined to uncover the mystery of her past buried in the ruins of the Russian empire.


The season winds up in August at the Opera House when “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” (Aug. 4-16) celebrates the life and musical hits of the Boston-born disco diva.

Subscriptions are on sale at 866-523-7469 or www.broadwayinboston.com. Single show on-sale dates will be announced later.

Terry Byrne can be reached at trbyrne@aol.com.