Buffalo Theater: Ten shows set for the big stage in coming year

By Mike Desmond

There was a large crowd in Shea’s Buffalo Wednesday, not to see a show but to learn what Broadway shows will be strutting their stuff on the Mainstage next theater season while outside “mobilization” has begun on a major addition to the century old landmark.

Shea’s President and CEO Brian Higgins calls the expansion “transformational” and mention of the additional bathroom facilities in the new wing drew cheers from the audience.

The shows range across the centuries, from “Six,” an Encore musical look at the six wives of Henry VIII, to the future of Hogwarts’ most famous alumnus in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

Higgins said the crowd for the announcement and for the actual shows proves “Buffalo loves Broadway.”

Presenting Partner Albert Nocciolino said there was a lot to choose from: “We were fortunate that every theater on Broadway is filled and that thousands and thousands of people, over 14 million people, saw a Broadway show last year in New York. And, then, of course, they find their way out on the road and we’re the benefactor of that.”

Nocciolino says it’s a mix of new and old: “We also like to try to find a family show so we can develop new audiences.”

The rundown:

That probably explains the Rodgers and Hammerstein “The Sound of Music” on the list for the holiday season. The cast of Letchworth Central School’s current production of the show was on the Shea’s stage Wednesday night to sing music from the musical classic.

Mixed with the list is an adaptation from a novel, “The Great Gatsby,” one-time local resident F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic look at the Roaring Twenties.

There’s also a musical with the cast playing a lot of individual parts in a show about one of the most bizarre episodes of World War II, “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical,” a version of the story of the dead body in a British military uniform floated ashore in Spain to convince Nazi Germany of a fake planned invasion.

One show is coming from a new local resident, Orin Wolf, who has moved his theater production company here, along with a warehouse full of costumes.

When his “Buena Vista Social Club” opens in September, it will be coming off a month of preparations in Shea’s for its road tour, bringing money to the Downtown economy and to Shea’s as the performers and tech crew prepare for the opening curtain, right in the Theatre District.

Wolf says “Buena Vista” is both international and local: “It’s obviously very culturally specific. It’s about Cuba and it’s about Cuban music. But, what makes Cuban music work and why that album was such a trendsetter is that it was popular all over the world.”

He continued, “So, I guess the only thing that’s new about it is that it really is for everybody, which is really at the heart of what Broadway is.”

Crews will also be working on technical aspects of the Harry Potter show over a different month-long stay next year.

The Shea’s stage will also show off a personal life story, showcasing “Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen,” a musical look at growing up and growing musically in a legendarily tough part of Manhattan.

Hollywood also has its place on the Shea’s stage with the musical adaptation of “Death Becomes Her,” a look at poisonous relationship and chemicals.

Along with shows new to Shea’s, there’s also the Encore series,  with “Beetlejuice,” “Jersey Boys” and “Six.”

These are shows with long and notable stories on stages and, perhaps, personal histories to those in the seats.

Higgins says the public wants the entertainment experience.

“Buena Vista is big, bold and beautiful. People are looking for those kinds of experiences. Alicia Keys is a story about self-discovery, about inspiration. And everybody’s looking for a little bit of self-discovery and inspiration these days.

“So, you know, Gatsby is a page-to-stage adaptation. There’s something in this season for everybody, and Shea’s has a tradition of inviting everybody into this magical space. And, as I said before, whether you are 80 or eight years old, everybody’s transformed in this space and these shows bring out the best in people.”

The 2026-2027 Shea’s Mainstage schedule

2026

• Buena Vista Social Club September 12-17
• Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen October 27-November 1
• The Great Gatsby November 10-15
• The Sound of Music December 8-13

2027

• Death Becomes Her February 16-21
• Beetlejuice March 5-7
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child March 31-April 2
• Jersey Boys May 18-23
• Six June 8-13
• Operation Mincemeat June 22-27