Upcoming Beaches, A New Musical dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Beaches is no longer on Broadway
Beaches, A New Musical closed at the Majestic Theatre on May 24, 2026, after 28 previews and 38 regular performances. It had opened on April 22 and was scheduled to run until September 6 before launching a national tour. The early closing followed soft ticket sales during previews and largely negative reviews. As of the closing announcement, the producers said a national tour was still planned for 2027, with cities and dates to be announced.
The musical adapts Iris Rainer Dart's 1985 novel, the source of the 1988 Disney film with Bette Midler. It follows two women over a lifetime: Cee Cee Bloom, a street-smart singer from the Bronx, and Bertie White, a reserved, bookish girl from San Francisco who becomes a lawyer. They meet as children on the beach in Atlantic City, stay close as pen pals and friends through marriages and careers, and face Bertie's illness together. The score includes "Wind Beneath My Wings," the Grammy-winning song by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley that Midler made famous in the film.
A decade of development
The Broadway version was the third incarnation of the show. Each stage of development changed the creative team:
- 2014, Arlington, Virginia: the world premiere at Signature Theatre, directed by Eric D. Schaeffer, with music by David Austin.
- 2015, suburban Chicago: a run at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre, again directed by Schaeffer. Co-book writer Thom Thomas died that December, and the project stalled.
- 2024, Calgary: a retooled version at Theatre Calgary with new music by the veteran songwriter Mike Stoller, orchestrations by Charlie Rosen and a revised book by Dart, co-directed by Lonny Price and Matt Cowart.
The Calgary production is the one that transferred to New York.
The Broadway production at the Majestic
The show began previews at the Majestic Theatre on March 27, 2026. The Majestic, at 245 West 44th Street, is one of Broadway's largest houses at 1,681 seats per the Shubert Organization, and it was the longtime home of The Phantom of the Opera. Beaches followed the revival of Gypsy, which played the Majestic from late 2024 to August 2025.
- Cast: Jessica Vosk as Cee Cee Bloom, Kelli Barrett as Bertie, Ben Jacoby as Michael Barron and Brent Thiessen as John Perry, with Samantha Schwartz and Zeya Grace as the young Cee Cee and Bertie.
- Creative team: book by Iris Rainer Dart and Thom Thomas, music by Mike Stoller, lyrics by Dart, direction by Lonny Price and Matt Cowart, and choreography by Jennifer Rias.
- Design: scenery by James Noone, costumes by Tracy Christensen, lighting by Ken Billington and sound by Kai Harada.
How critics received it
Most major reviews were mixed to negative, and the criticism clustered around the score and the production's look rather than the cast.
- The storytelling: The New York Times called the telling of the friendship "distractingly sloppy," and Time Out New York found it largely banal and inconsistent, especially in Bertie's material.
- The staging: Deadline called it a mostly forgettable endeavor and faulted the sets, and The Guardian said the design leaned too heavily on projections.
- The book: Entertainment Weekly argued that staying close to the novel stunted Bertie's development, while The Guardian found the book often funny but emotionally thin on the way to the climax.
- The star: both Entertainment Weekly and The Guardian praised Jessica Vosk's performance as Cee Cee. TheaterMania was a notable exception to the trend, with a glowing review.
Trade coverage of the closing, including The Hollywood Reporter's, connected it to the show being passed over in the 2026 Tony Award nominations.
If the tour reaches your city
The planned 2027 national tour had no published route as of the Broadway closing. If it goes ahead, it will most likely play the performing arts centers that host Broadway subscription seasons, usually for a week or two per city. Those houses are wider and deeper than the Majestic, which changes the best seats.
- Center orchestra, middle rows: the best choice for a show driven by two lead performances and big solo numbers.
- Front mezzanine, center: the best value, and a good angle for a design built around projections, which read best from straight on.
- Extreme side seats: projected scenery can distort or wash out at sharp angles, so avoid the far sides of wide halls.
Touring Broadway shows usually sell to a venue's subscribers first, so single tickets for the best seats can be scarce until close to the date. Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee.
Similar shows playing now
Fans of a big-voiced, emotional musical have other options on Broadway and on the road. Browse the planned Musicals hub and the Broadway guide for current shows, or see the Death Becomes Her page for another musical built on a well-known film. For a sense of how a show's life continues after New York, The Phantom of the Opera page follows that musical's tour after its own Broadway closing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Beaches still on Broadway?
No. Beaches, A New Musical closed at the Majestic Theatre on May 24, 2026, months earlier than its planned September 6 closing.
How many performances did Beaches play on Broadway?
It played 28 previews and 38 regular performances between March 27 and May 24, 2026.
Is there a Beaches national tour?
When the Broadway closing was announced in May 2026, the producers said a national tour was still planned for 2027, with cities and dates to be announced.
Who starred in Beaches on Broadway?
Jessica Vosk played Cee Cee Bloom and Kelli Barrett played Bertie, with Ben Jacoby and Brent Thiessen in the leading male roles.
Is "Wind Beneath My Wings" in Beaches the musical?
Yes. The score includes the Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley song that Bette Midler made famous in the 1988 film, alongside new songs by Mike Stoller and Iris Rainer Dart.