My most recent post on the new theater season focused on shows coming to the Boston Theater District. However, there are many great theaters surrounding the Boston area that also have Broadway-caliber performances that stop by. The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory in Worcester, Massachusetts has become one of my new favorite places to watch live theater and their new season lineup was just announced. Here is what is coming for their 2025-2026 Broadway Series.
1. Six
What It’s About: From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st century girl power!
Why I Want to See It: This is one show I was lucky to see when it came to Boston last December and with its relatively quick runtime and catchy songs that are fun to bop to, I cannot wait to see this again!
Playing at the Hanover Theatre: October 14th-19th 2025
2. Chicago
What It’s About: In the whirlwind of Chicago’s Jazz Age, two of the Cook County Jail’s most notorious murderesses, vaudeville star Velma Kelly and chorus girl Roxie Hart, become fierce rivals as they compete for headlines amidst a media frenzy.
Why I Want to See It: Another show I’ve seen in Boston in recent years, Chicago is such a timeless classic it’s no wonder it’s still running on Broadway. The songs transport me back to the 20s and I love petty women, so it’ll be fun to see this show again.
Playing at the Hanover Theatre: January 9th-11th 2026
3. STOMP
What It’s About: The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms.
Why I Want to See It: I was introduced to STOMP in either an elementary or middle school music class where we watched one of their performances and then used untraditional instruments to create our own songs. The fact that that memory still sticks out to me just tells you how integral it was to my music education. While not a traditional Broadway musical, it’s a spectacle of theater that I am still intrigued by.
Playing at the Hanover Theatre: February 20th-22nd 2026
4. The Music Man
What It’s About: Meredith Willson’s six-time Tony Award winning musical comedy The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize this, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef.
Why I Want to See It: There is so much to love about this classic tale of conning and falling in love. I have yet to see this put on at a professional level, but if Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster have taught us anything, it’s that people will come to see Harold Hill. This is the show I am probably the most excited to see.
Playing at the Hanover Theatre: May 15th-17th 2026.
The Hanover Theatre will also have a fifth show for their annual Broadway Series, however that will be kept a surprise until its announcement on September 22nd, 2025. It is said to be a classic, family-friendly comedy.
Even though I am familiar with a lot of these shows, I am still excited to get the opportunity to see them again. New actors and sets could be coming, or even just the chance to revisit the material. Sometimes you may only get one chance to see a live show but now I have the opportunity to see them at least one more time.
