Beaches the Musical to Launch a National Tour with an Eye Towards Broadway

Beaches the Musical, which had its international premiere at Theatre Calgary last year, will launch a pre-Broadway national tour in the fall of 2026. Casting and complete production team for the tour will be announced at a later date. Kelli Barrett and Jessica Vosk starred in the Theatre Calgary production.

The musical is based on the book by Iris Rainer Dart that inspired the movie starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey.

Producer Jennifer Maloney-Prezioso said in a statement, “It is a great honor to bring Beaches the Musical to theatres around the country on our pre-Broadway tour. We can’t wait to share this love story about friendship with U.S. presenters, Broadway, the West End and audiences around the globe.”

Beaches follows two friends through 30 years of camaraderie, laughter, sorrow and love. It features music by Grammy Award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mike Stoller—one half of legendary songwriting duo Lieber and Stoller—with lyrics by Dart. The book is by Dart and Thom Thomas, developed in collaboration with David Austin.

The international premiere included scenic design by James Noone, costume design by Tracy Christensen, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Kai Harada, projection design by David Bengali and wig/makeup design by J. Jared Janas. Joseph Thalken serves as music supervisor with Katie Coleman as music director and Charlie Rosen as orchestrator. Emmy winner and Tony nominee Lonny Price directs, with co-direction by Matt Cowart and choreography by Jennifer Rias.

The musical premiered at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in 2014 and was mounted again in 2015 at Chicago's Drury Lane Theatre.