Weather 
Around the BroadwayWorld is our monthly snapshot of the biggest stories making waves across the global theatre community. In this October 2026 edition, touring productions are out in force. We bring you an exclusive first look at Aliya Grace as Betty Boop in the BOOP! THE MUSICAL North American tour, set for 50 weeks on the road, plus exclusive performances from the MAYBE HAPPY ENDING tour. OPERATION MINCEMEAT is everywhere, with exclusive photos of its touring cast, a review calling the tour an absolute smash, and a chat with Robert Hastie about the musical’s Canadian premiere at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre.
School stages made headlines too. A Texas high school senior is suing her district under Title IX after being removed from the role of Seymour in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, and students and parents in Watertown, Wisconsin rallied after their superintendent blocked a FLASHDANCE production. Calgary Opera dropped a TOSCA singer over a Palestinian flag at curtain call, and PADDINGTON THE MUSICAL is heading to Sydney’s Capitol Theatre in 2027.
Johnny Galecki talks playing Tennessee Williams in Lookingglass Theatre Company’s KOWALSKI, Telly Leung discusses directing Nick Adams in DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS at Theatre Raleigh, and Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme preview their new holiday spectacular. Our critics catch two world premieres: SMALL TOWN, featuring John Mellencamp’s songs, at Ogunquit Playhouse, and the thrilling LIKE FATHER at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre.
Elsewhere, Emily Skinner and Laiken Jules rehearse ‘Hard Knock Life’ for Goodspeed’s 50th anniversary ANNIE, Signature Theatre’s MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG company sings ‘Old Friends,’ and you’ll find plenty more from across the BroadwayWorld.
Exclusive
|
Sam Anctil | Tour Washington, D.C.’s National Theatre is currently home to the North American tour of Maybe Happy Ending,by Tony Award-winners Will Aronsonand Hue Parkdirectedby Tony Award-winner Michael Arden. BroadwayWorld is very excited to bring you two exclusive performances of ‘When You’re In Love’, featuring Huynh and Kwon, and ‘Sentimental Person’, featuring Gonzalez, performed at the beautiful Laurie Beechman Theatre. Watch in this video! |
 |
Michael Major | Tour Watch a first look at the BOOP! The Musical North American tour, starring Aliya Grace as Betty Boop. The tour recently launched in Rochester, NY and will be on the road for 50 weeks. |
Editor’s Picks: Top News Stories
 |
Joshua Wright | Appleton, WI Students, parents, and community members in Watertown, Wisconsin rallied outside their school district offices this week after the interim superintendent blocked Watertown High School from staging Flashdance as its spring 2027 musical. |
 |
Joshua Wright | Australia – Sydney PADDINGTON The Musical, the seven-time Olivier Award-winning musical, will open in Sydney in 2027. The production features music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher and direction by Luke Sheppard. |
 |
Joshua Wright | Dallas A Texas high school senior who was removed from the role of Seymour in her schools production of Little Shop of Horrors is suing her school district in federal court. She alleges the district discriminated against her because she is female. |
 |
Joshua Wright | Opera Calgary Opera has removed bass Gabriel Sanchez-Ortega from the remainder of its run of Tosca after he displayed a Palestinian flag during the curtain call of the productions opening night on October 16. |
Interviews
 |
Chloe Rabinowitz | Chicago The Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki has returned to his first love, the stage, taking on the role of legendary playwright Tennessee Williams in Lookingglass Theatre Company’s Kowalski. Read BroadwayWorld’s interview with Galecki. |
 |
Melissa Heckscher | Tour BroadwayWorld talks with Burbank native Travis Roy Rogers about making his professional debut on tour, finding unexpected layers in his character, and the hit show’s spectacular rain-soaked rumble. |
 |
Marina Kennedy | New Jersey We had the opportunity to interview Sohm Kapila, who plays the pivotal role of Rekha in ‘A Beat of Our Own.’ |
 |
David Clarke | Philadelphia Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme return with a brand-new holiday spectacular. The queens discuss their creative partnership, a raunchy Christmas storybook, and why their annual tradition means more than ever. |
 |
Joshua Wright | Raleigh Director Telly Leung discusses DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS at Theatre Raleigh, starring Nick Adams, his return to the company after directing YELLOW FACE, and the immersive BITE ME Bar pre-show experience. |
 |
Elizabeth Armstrong | Toronto BroadwayWorld spoke with Hastie ahead of Operation Mincemeats Canadian premiere to discuss the record-breaking musical and its journey from a 77-seat fringe venue to selling out large theatres around the world. |
 |
Tyler Hinton | Utah BroadwayWorld was given an exclusive look at Pioneer Theatre Companys new professional production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, including interviews with the stars and director/choreographer. |
Reviews
 |
Joseph Harrison | Atlanta A thrilling, darkly funny new musical, LIKE FATHER at the Alliance Theatre pairs an electrifying score with a gripping story and powerhouse performances in a world premiere that lives up to the hype. |
 |
R. Scott Reedy | Boston What did our critic think of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at The Huntington? |
 |
Rachel Weinberg | Tour Operation Mincemeat is an absolute smash. I adore this inventive and fun musical. Its extremely original, and its the kind of show that gives me hope for the future of new one-of-a-kind musicals like it. Written by David Cummings, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zo Roberts, Operation Mincemeat tells the true story of the MI5 mission to turn the tide of World War II. Members of the British intelligence agency devised a plan to have a corpse wash up on the tides of Spain, outfitted with fictitious documents detailing Britains plan to invade Sardinia diverting Nazi troops away from Sicily. |
 |
Harker Jones | Los Angeles THE MUSIC MAN offers cheer and romance and, dare I say it, hope, and that is something we always need. |
 |
Andrew Child | Los Angeles A musical about disenfranchised teenage boys in warring gangs in the middle of the twentieth century has an impossibly high standard to measure up against in the department of subject matter. |
 |
Steve Feeney | Maine If memory serves, John Mellencamp last performed in Maine about a decade ago. Now, his songs have a new way to live on in the form of a musical having its world premiere at the Ogunquit Playhouse. |
 |
Linda Hodges | San Francisco / Bay Area What did our critic think of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Broadway San Jose? |
Videos
 |
Joshua Wright | Atlanta Alliance Theatre has shared a trailer for LIKE FATHER, a new coming-of-age musical about a family confronting its past after a true-crime podcast exposes their story. The production is now running at the Atlanta theatre. |
 |
Michael Major | Connecticut Watch Emily Skinner, Laiken Jules, and the cast of Goodspeed Musicals’ 50th anniversary production of ANNIE rehearse ‘Hard Knock Life’ before performances begin in later this month. |
 |
Joshua Wright | Tour Mystic Pizza: A New Musical, based on the 1988 film, is now on its national tour, currently playing Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul through October 11, 2026. |
 |
Joshua Wright | Washington, DC Signature Theatre has shared a video of ‘Old Friends’ from its current production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, featuring Melanie Field, Jason Gotay, and Jake Loewenthal. |
Photos
 |
Rachel Stone | Central Pennsylvania EPAC’s production of the Tony Award-winning rock musical by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater runs through October and features a creative team including costume designer Maya Burdick and scenic designer Andrue Morgan. |
 |
Joshua Wright | Indianapolis Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical CATS opens at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis, running through November. The production features the iconic song ‘Memory’ and showcases the feline characters in their Jellicle Ball celebration. |
 |
Marissa Faith Curley | Los Angeles LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT is set to open the second show of its 2026/2027 season, the Southern California regional theatre premiere of the Tony Award winning Best Musical, DEAR EVAN HANSEN. |
 |
Michael Major | Tour Take an exclusive first look at theNorth American tour cast of Operation Mincemeat! The photos feature Mariah Copeland, Katie Kleiger, Luke Antony Neville, Erin Ramirez, and Jake Bentley Young. |
