Photo: Matthew Murphy
It was announced today that the smash hit musical of the season, MJ, will launch a coast-to-coast North American tour at Broadway In Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre on July 15, 2023, and will play in 17 major cities (and more than 60 engagement weeks) in its first season, while MJ continues its Broadway run at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York City.
The musical’s producer, Lia Vollack, commented about today’s announcement, “We are thrilled by the Broadway response to MJ, and that we are already deep in preparations to bring this exhilarating show to Chicago and across the United States. Chicago is a premier theater and music destination, and we are excited to be able to begin this journey in one of the Nederlander Organization’s most beautiful venues.”
The Broadway in Chicago engagement will have its official opening night on July 26, 2023. Additional tour engagements and complete cast will be announced at a later date. The North American tour, led by the first company of MJ outside of New York City, will include a recently announced two-week engagement at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, NC from Sept 26 – Oct 8, 2023.
MJ features a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and a score made up of some of the best-loved, top-selling songs in recording history. Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph the tour.
The creative team for the tour will be the same as on Broadway, including Scenic Design by Tony and two-time Emmy Award winner Derek McLane, Lighting Design by six-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz, Costume Design by Tony and Emmy Award winner Paul Tazewell, Sound Design by two-time Tony Award nominee Gareth Owen, Projection Design by two-time Tony Award nominee Peter Nigrini, and Hair & Wig Design by two-time Emmy Award nominee Charles LaPointe.
The creative team also features Musical Supervision by David Holcenberg, Orchestrations and Arrangements by David Holcenberg and Tony Award winner Jason Michael Webb.
MJ is produced on Broadway and on tour by Lia Vollack, John Branca and John McCain.