Throughout the spring and summer months, some Canadian tourists exploring New York may, without realizing, be closer to home than they thought.
Beaches, a musical based on the best-selling novel that was made into a blockbuster film, premiered at Theatre Calgary in 2024, and in the spring of 2026, it will mark the first time a show originally produced at Theatre Calgary makes the jump to Broadway.
Theatre Calgary Artistic Director Stafford Arima is excited to see a work developed on a Calgary stage make the journey to Broadway.
“When I became the Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary in 2017, it was important for me to find a special project that had the potential to move from Theatre Calgary to Broadway. Beaches was that project,” he said via media release.
“One of the highlights of Theatre Calgary’s 23-24 season was watching the development of this new musical unfold in our rehearsal rooms and on our stage.”
Arima said it was no surprise that Beaches had touched audiences in a meaningful way.
“It is with that same sense of excitement and pride that I am ecstatic to see this production continue its journey on Broadway, where even more audiences will have the chance to enjoy this timeless story of friendship,” he said.
It was an honour all around, with show producer Jennifer Maloney-Prezioso saying that it was great to have had the international premiere of Beaches the Musical at Theatre Calgary.
“As we prepare for our Broadway premiere of Beaches this spring, it’s clear that the time we had at Theatre Calgary was an instrumental part of building the show we will be opening on Broadway,” she said.
“Our entire team has the utmost respect and admiration for Stafford Arima and his extensive experience and knowledge of new musicals.”
Maloney-Prezioso credited Theatre Calgary’s infrastructure, onstage and off, that accommodated the size, scale and scope of the vision for the show
“We gratefully carry our time at Theatre Calgary with us,” she said.
