Beaches (musical)
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Thom Thomas
By: Iris Rainer Dart
| Beaches | |
|---|---|
 2026 Broadway production poster | |
| Music | Mike Stoller |
| Lyrics | Iris Rainer Dart |
| Book | Iris Rainer Dart Thom Thomas |
| Basis | Beaches (1985) By: Iris Rainer Dart |
| Premiere | February 8, 2014: Signature Theatre |
| Productions | 2026 Broadway |
Beaches is a stage musical with music by Mike Stoller, lyrics by Iris Rainer Dart, and a book by Dart and Thom Thomas. It is based on Dart's 1985 novel of the same name.
The show tells the story of two women, Cee Cee Bloom and Bertie White, lifelong friends who begin as pen pals and navigate life together through its trials and tribulations. The title comes from the beach in Atlantic City where the two girls first meet as children.
The show includes the Grammy Award-winning song "Wind Beneath My Wings", written by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley, made famous by Bette Midler in the 1988 Disney film version of the story.
The musical opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on April 22, 2026 to negative reviews.
The show had its world premiere at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia beginning February 8, 2014 and running through March 29, directed by Eric D. Schaeffer. In its original production, the show's music was written by David Austin.[1][2]
The show next moved to Chicago again directed by Schaeffer, where it was performed at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre from July 2 until August 16, 2015.[3] Book writer Thom Thomas died in December 2015, halting further progress on the show.[4]
Nearly a decade later, in 2024, the show was re-tooled with new music by Mike Stoller, orchestrations by Charlie Rosen, and a revised book by Dart. The show opened at Theatre Calgary on May 18 running until June 16, 2024, co-directed by Lonny Price and Matt Cowart.[5][6]
In 2025, it was announced this production of the show would transfer to Broadway for a limited run, opening on April 22, 2026 and closing on September 6, before embarking on a national tour.[7]
Characters
- Cecelia Carol "Cee Cee" Bloom - a street-smart singer and actress from the Bronx
- Roberta "Bertie" White - a waifish book-smart girl and eventual lawyer from San Francisco
- John Perry - a love interest for both Cee and Bertie and eventual husband of Cee Cee
- Leona Bloom - Cee Cee's brassy, overbearing stage mother
- Rose White - Bertie's stuffy, high society mother
- Michael Barron - a lawyer and Bertie's eventual husband
- Nina Barron - Bertie and Michael's daughter
- Janice Carnes - Bertie's caretaker
Original casts
| Character | World Premiere (2014) | Chicago (2015) | Calgary (2024) | Broadway (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cee Cee Bloom | Alysha Umphress | Shoshana Bean | Jessica Vosk | |
| Bertie White | Mara Davi | Whitney Bashor | Kelli Barrett | |
| John Perry | Matthew Scott | Travis Taylor | Brent Thiessen | |
| Michael Barron | Cliff Samuels | Jim DeSelm | Nathan Gibb Johnson | Ben Jacoby |
| Leona Bloom | Donna Migliaccio | Nancy Voigts | Jamie Konchak | Sarah Bockel |
| Cee Cee Bloom (teen) | Gracie Jones | Samantha Pauly | Jillian Hubler-McManus | Bailey Ryon |
| Bertie White (teen) | Maya Brettell | Olivia Renteria | Katie McMillan | Emma Ogea |
| Rose White | Helen Hedman | Kelly Anne Clark | Emily Dallas | Lael Van Keuren |
Musical numbers
2024 Canadian Production
|
Critical Reception
The show's Broadway run received largely mixed to negative reviews, with many publications criticizing the weak score and low budget staging. Laura Collins-Hughes for The New York Times stating "Bertie’s impending death is the frame for the story of their friendship, the telling of which is distractingly sloppy"[8], whilst Adam Feldman for Time Out called it "mostly...just banal and inconsistent, particularly in Bertie’s material."[9].