< The Latest 2025-01-22T18:25:27+0000
The Pasadena Star-News | Wed 01/22 10:25am PST | Brady MacDonald
Broadway-style musicals have returned to Disney theme parks and cruise ships everywhere around the globe except for Disneyland, where the Hyperion and Fantasyland theaters remain without a permanent production four years after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the venues.
The Hyperion Theater hosted a brief summertime run of “Rogers the Musical” in 2023 and the Fantasyland Theatre was home to “Tale of the Lion King” through January 2024, but neither venue is putting on stage productions as they did for decades.
The Hyperion Theater sits unused while the Fantasyland Theatre serves as a flex space for seasonal events.
ALSO SEE: What’s next for Disneyland’s Hyperion and Fantasyland theaters?
Launching a Broadway-caliber stage show and keeping the production running on a daily basis is expensive — a cost Disneyland executives have seemingly decided is not worth the return on investment at the moment.
No new Broadway-style shows are planned in 2025 for the Hyperion or Fantasyland theaters or during the 70th anniversary celebration running through summer 2026.
What new productions at other Disney parks could fill the Hyperion at Disney California Adventure? What shows playing on Disney cruise ships could Disneyland bring to the Fantasyland Theatre?
Let’s take a closer look at seven Broadway-style shows playing now or coming soon to Disney theme parks and cruise ships around the world that could work at the Anaheim theme parks.
One simple solution would be to bring “Frozen – Live at the Hyperion” back to the DCA theater where it played for four years before the pandemic closure of the parks in 2020.
A Broadway-style production of “Frozen — A Musical Spectacular” is playing now aboard the Disney Wonder and Disney Fantasy and will be offered on the Disney Destiny when the new cruise ship begins sailing in November 2025.
An equally simple solution would be to bring back “Rogers the Musical” for another limited run or make it a permanent production.
Disneyland teased a possible return of the Marvel show on the Hyperion Theater marquee shortly after the show closed: “That’s the thing about endings … they can be rewritten.”
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is launching the new “Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure” this summer that promises to be an update to the “Voyage of the Little Mermaid” that ran for years in the same theater.
Another stage production of Disney’s “Little Mermaid” was developed exclusively for the Disney Wish cruise ship.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will get a second new Broadway-style show this summer — this one themed to Disney Villains.
“Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” will star Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent as they break through the Magic Mirror and take the stage to prove why they are so misunderstood. Dozens of Disney evildoers will join the delightfully wicked finale.
Disney Live Entertainment spent the last two years developing musical numbers, set designs and special effects for the new “Villains” musical.
The first stage adaptation of Disney’s “Moana” debuted in December aboard the Disney Treasure cruise ship.
The new “Tale of Moana” includes performances of “How Far I’ll Go,” “You’re Welcome,” “We Know The Way” and “Warrior Face” from the Grammy-Award winning soundtrack.
The puppet designers who worked on Disney’s Tony Award-winning musical “The Lion King” on Broadway created larger-than-life puppetry for the new “Moana” musical.
A new Broadway-style production of “Hercules” will debut on the Disney Destiny when the ship sets sail in November.
The lively retelling of the Greek gladiator’s heroic tale promises to stay true to the story, music and spirit of the Disney film.
A new Broadway-style production with an original storyline and a familiar cast of Disney and Pixar characters will debut on the Disney Adventure when the ship departs on its maiden voyage in December.
“Remember” stars Wall-E as he tries to restore Eve through the power of music, hope and memories after she is unexpectedly rebooted.
Wall-E gets help from “Coco,” “Aladdin” and “Little Mermaid” characters in the heartfelt tale of love and longing.
The Disney on Broadway concert series plays at Epcot each year during the International Festival of the Arts seasonal event at the Florida theme park.
Broadway stars sing Disney numbers from Tony Award-winning shows like “The Lion King” and “Newsies.”
This year’s concert series in January and February also features musical numbers from “Aladdin,” “Frozen,” “Tarzan” and “Mary Poppins.”
Disney World guarantees priority seating for visitors who book a dining package.