'Water for Elephants,' 'Six' and 'Hell's Kitchen' lead Van Wezel's 2026-27 lineup

It's the most wonderful time of year, well one of them, anyway. It's when Sarasota's arts organizations unveil their upcoming seasons with great fanfare. The idea is to persuade existing subscribers to renew and to sign up new ones before they head back to Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.

Subscriptions are a win-win proposition. Arts patrons get discounts by buying in bulk and cultural groups get money in advance of the season. 

It's hard not to swept up caught in the excitement of the season "reveals" and imagine wonderful evenings out on the town in the not-so-distant future.

Few would argue that the city-owned Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, led by Executive Director Mary Bensel for 18 years, is one of the most important season announcements in town. 

Unlike the Asolo Repertory Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre and Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, the Van Wezel doesn't produce its own theater. It hosts Broadway and other shows that one might otherwise have to jump on a plane to New York or drive to Tampa to see.

Like Asolo Rep, which is producing Peter Rothstein's original docu-musical, "The Day the Circus Came to Town," in what it's billing as "The Greatest Season on Earth," Van Wezel is jumping on the circus bandwagon for its 2026-27 season.

It's offering the circus-themed musical, "Water for Elephants," Feb. 12-14, 2027, so you can bring your Valentine to the big top on the Van Wezel stage.

"Elephants" is one of 10 Broadway shows in the Van Wezel's lineup, which leans heavily into romance and female-driven productions. 

“Broadway continues to be one of the most dynamic parts of our season,” said Bensel in a statement. “This year’s lineup reflects everything our audiences love, from iconic music to power stories."

Kicking off Van Wezel's Broadway lineup on Dec. 1-2 is "The Bodyguard," based on the 1992 film starring Whitney Houston as mostly herself and Kevin Costner in the titular role. The show features such Houston hit songs as "Saving All My Love," "So Emotional" and "One Moment in Time."  

Courtesy image

Those who enjoy the razzle dazzle will welcome the arrival of "Six," the hit Broadway musical about the wives of King Henry VIII (March 16-21), and "The Wiz," a revival of the soulful take on "The Wizard of Oz" (Jan. 15-16). 

Sarasota audiences tend to skew older than their Broadway counterparts, but no doubt they'll enjoy reliving the excitement of just starting out in life with several productions long on optimism, innocence and youth. 

They are:

• "Mystic Pizza," a class-conscious tale about the divide between struggling townies and rich preppies inspired by the film that made Julia Roberts a star (Jan. 6-8);
• "Hell's Kitchen," Alicia Keys' award-winning musical about the singer/songwriter's journey from her teen years to stardom (April 13-18);
• "Mamma Mia!," which follows a girl's search for her father as she prepares for her wedding on a Greek island fueled by upbeat ABBA hits (Jan. 6-31);
• "Waitress," Sara Bareilles' beloved musical about a woman in a troubled marriage who finds consolation by making pie and looking for love in all the wrong places (Feb. 23-25);
• "Legally Blonde — The Musical," the enduring celebration of Girl Power whose heroine turns the "dumb blonde" trope on its head (March 29-April 1). 

With its corn-fed tale, "Shucked" (Feb.8-9) seems like it should be set in the Midwest, but the Tony Award-winning musical takes place in the fictional locale of Cob County and travels to Tampa. They grow corn in Florida, right? 

In any event, the corny tale is so packed with humor, sexual innuendo and country music that the small-minded folks it deftly skewers will likely laugh the loudest.

For information about subscriptions to the Van Wezel's Broadway series,  visit VanWezel.org. Individual tickets go on sale in September. 

Buy tickets from the Van Wezel website, not third-party vendors to avoid scams and being overcharged.