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Ben Jacoby (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and Brent Thiessen (Thoroughly Modern Millie Canadian Premiere) will join stars Jessica Vosk and Kelli Barrett in the Broadway production of the new musical, Beaches. Ben Jacoby will portray Michael Barron and Others opposite Kelli Barrett’s Bertie, and Brent Thiessen, reprising his role from Theatre Calgary, will make his Broadway debut as John Perry and Others opposite Jessica Vosk’s Cee Cee Bloom.
Tickets are now on sale for the Broadway production of Beaches, A New Musical, set to begin previews on Friday, March 27, ahead of an official Opening Night on Wednesday, April 22, at the Majestic Theatre (245 W. 44th Street). The musical will play a limited New York engagement through Sunday, September 6, 2026, before embarking on a multi-city National Tour.
Based on the New York Times bestseller that became a blockbuster film, written by Iris Rainer Dart, Beaches brings to the stage one of the most iconic friendships in popular culture – made famous on screen by Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. This sweeping, emotional, and joy-filled new musical follows the vivacious Cee Cee and elegant Bertie, who meet as children and become fast friends. From pen-pals to roommates to romantic rivals, Cee Cee and Bertie’s oil-and-water friendship perseveres through even the most tragic trials. With a touching vulnerability, Beaches exemplifies the triumph of the human spirit and the bonds of friendship. The new musical features a book by Iris Rainer Dart & Thom Thomas, music by Mike Stoller and lyrics by Dart. The musical was developed in collaboration with David Austin.
Co-Directed by Tony nominee and Emmy Award winner Lonny Price (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill; Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close) and Matt Cowart (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill – Assoc Dir), the musical will be choreographed by Jennifer Rias (A Doll’s House, Dear Evan Hansen – Assoc.), with orchestrations by Tony Award winner Charlie Rosen (Moulin Rouge). The Broadway scenic design is by Drama Desk Award winner James Noone (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill), costume design by Tracy Christensen (Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close), lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington (Chicago, Waitress), sound design by Tony Award winner Kai Harada (Merrily We Roll Along), projection design by Tony Award Nominee David Bengali (Water for Elephants), and wig, hair & make-up design by J. Jared Janas (Buena Vista Social Club). Casting is by The TRC (Tara Rubin Casting) Company, Peter Van Dam, CSA. Joseph Thalken serves as Music Supervisor and Paul Staroba serves as Music Director. The Production Stage Manager is Thomas Recktenwald (Cabaret, The Music Man) and Alchemy Production Group (Come From Away) serves as General Manager.
Additional casting & production team, and dates & cities for the national tour, will be announced at a later date.
Beaches, A New Musical is produced by Jennifer Maloney-Prezioso, Douglas McJannet for Arden Entertainment, Alison Spiriti & Justin Sudds for Right Angle Entertainment, and Ryan Bogner & Tracey McFarland for Broadway & Beyond Theatricals with Crossroads Live producing the national tour. The musical celebrated its international premiere in 2024 at Theatre Calgary in Alberta, Canada, starring Vosk and Barrett. The production won 13 regional awards, including the BroadwayWorld Calgary Award for Best Musical, the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Lead Performance for Jessica Vosk, and the Calgary Theatre Critics Award for Outstanding Performance for Kelli Barrett.
Biographies:
Ben Jacoby (Michael Barron and Others). Broadway: Barry Mann in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. National Tour: Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera. Off-Broadway: Mark Livingstone in The Streets of New York (Irish Rep) and Odysseus in Penelope, Or How The Odyssey Was Really Written (York Theatre, Cast Album). Recent regional credits include Anna Deavere Smith’s world premiere Love All (La Jolla Playhouse), Thomas Andrews in Titanic (Ogunquit Playhouse), Dr. Pomatter in Waitress (Ogunquit, La Mirada, Pioneer), Lancelot in Camelot (Pittsburgh CLO), Younger Brother in Ragtime (Sacramento Music Circus) and more. Television: “When They See Us” (Netflix); “Madame Secretary,” “The Good Wife” (CBS).
Brent Thiessen (John Perry and Others), a proud Canadian, makes his Broadway debut as John Perry in Beaches, opening this spring at The Majestic Theatre. Having created the role with Emmy-winning director Lonny Price and Matt Cowart for the show’s international premiere, Brent brings a dynamic emotional and vocal range to a history of collaborations with world-class creators and many of North America’s leading arts organizations. Brent worked with Tony winner Jerry Mitchell as part of the original Broadway touring company of Pretty Woman and became the first Canadian to perform the lead role of Edward Lewis in the stage adaptation of the blockbuster film. Recently, Brent led an all-star cast for Broadway at Music Circus as Prince Topher in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and joined a celebrated company of Broadway veterans for Sondheim’s Putting It Together in Salt Lake City. Before moving to New York in 2019, Brent built an extensive career across Canada. Following his breakout performance as Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, Brent was cast as Trevor Graydon in the Canadian premiere of Thoroughly Modern Millie (directed by Michael Lichtefeld). Other Canadian credits include Doctor Craven in The Secret Garden (directed by Stafford Arima), an acclaimed run as Buddy in Elf, and the opportunity to commemorate Canada’s 150th anniversary with the iconic sketch comedy series Royal Canadian Air Farce. When he is not performing, Brent loves spending time outdoors, especially in the water, on a tennis court, enjoying a bike ride, or taking a long walk with his wife, Jennifer. Brent is currently working on his debut Broadway EP, set for release later this year.
