Blumenthal’s CEO takes us behind-the-scenes of the new PNC Broadway Lights Season

Blumenthal Arts just unveiled its 2026-’27 PNC Broadway Lights Season and it’s jam-packed with tantalizing offerings. We spoke to Tom Gabbard, Blumenthal’s President and CEO, to find out more about season highlights, special behind-the-scenes stories, and a few of the benefits subscribers enjoy.

 

(Blumenthal Arts President & CEO Tom Gabbard)

 

What to expect (spoiler: Broadway hits, fan faves and more!)

 

In some ways this season features the type of shows many people know Blumenthal for, Gabbard said, from hot shows like “Buena Vista Social Club” and “Oh, Mary!” to returning musicals people know and love like “Jersey Boys” and “The Wiz.”

 

“But what's really new is we have returning titles that have been entirely redone - that have been given an entirely new look and feel - that are already beloved,” Gabbard said. “So, ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ this is an all-new production. Visually, it hearkens back to the original Hal Prince production that had this opulence that people loved about it, but now the technology has changed and so it's possible to create that look in a much more sustainable way than it originally was.

 

There’s also a brand-new version of “Beauty and the Beast,” which was Disney’s very first Broadway musical back in 1994. Over the years, Disney has become a major producer on Broadway with shows including “The Lion King,” “Frozen,” “AIDA,” and more.

 

“They've learned a lot,” Gabbard said, “and so they have taken the opportunity to create an all-new production. It even has a new song in it.”

 

And there’s more to look forward to! Expect regional and Charlotte premieres, like the Tony-winning musical comedy “Death Becomes Her,” the long-awaited “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” and the brand-new national tour of “Dirty Dancing.”

 

How a 5-Time Tony Award-winning show was born

 

Gabbard is not only a big fish in Charlotte. He’s well-known in international theater circles too, stretching from Broadway to London’s West End. He’s a successful producer, lifetime Tony Awards voter and member of the Board of Governors for The Broadway League - the national trade association for the Broadway industry.

 

And he had a front row seat as work began on “Buena Vista Social Club,” the Tony Award-winning show inspired by the hit 1997 album of the same name.

 

 

“It's been such a privilege for me to be a part of the journey of that show,” Gabbard said.

 

He’s been tracking the project’s development since December 2019, when he was invited to Havana with members of the creative team. They visited the original Buena Vista Social Club -- which closed in 1959 and was turned into a house, following the Cuban Revolution. From the 1930s to the ‘50s, the space was a hotspot for Afro-Cuban music. Gabbard got to see a concert there and visit the studios where the legendary album was recorded.

 

He was there as the creative team started to dig into the project. Producer Orin Wolf (“The Band’s Visit”) had acquired the rights to use the Buena Vista Social Club name and catalog of songs, but exactly how that would be turned into a Broadway musical was still unknown.

 

“So, we were there just to really immerse ourselves in that culture, and that tradition and [learn] who some of these people are,” Gabbard told Blumenthal’s Blog.

 

Gabbard was there for “Buena Vista Social Club’s” opening night on Broadway, too, and got to see it win five awards live at last year’s Tony Awards’ ceremony.

 

This spring, the show also earned a 2026 Grammy for Best Musical Theater album.

 

“You know, part of why this show works is because these guys really did their homework and they created something that's an entirely original story but uses the beloved music of Buena Vista Social Club, and its authenticity is part of the magic.”

 

Mounting a show just for Charlotte audiences

 

Gabbard was also there when UK-based Mischief Theatre opened its production of “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” on Broadway in 2023. Blumenthal had penciled in this comic gem for Charlotte dates, but the show didn’t end up going on national tour.

 

 

“And that was a huge disappointment,” Gabbard said, “because I feel like it's one of the strongest that these guys in London ever developed.” (Mischief Theatre has created multiple shows full of madcap backstage misadventures, including “The Play That Goes Wrong,” which Charlotte audiences loved in 2019.)

 

At the Broadway opening of “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” Gabbard sat nearby Tom McCoy and his wife, Cathy Rigby. Yes, that Cathy Rigby: the former Olympic gymnast and actress, who famously portrayed Peter Pan more than 3,000 times on Broadway and national tour for decades.

 

McCoy and Rigby produce a very well-regarded theater series in southern California at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, Gabbard said.

 

“We've been friends for many years and I saw that they mounted a production of this last November … and so I reached out and said, you know, we've talked about doing something over the years. How about this?”

 

Blumenthal will essentially be remounting La Mirada’s production, using their sets, costumes and director but the show will be cast exclusively for Charlotte.

 

With one notable exception - Rigby, who played the show’s narrator in California will also star in it here!

 

It’s not the first time Blumenthal has produced a show especially for Charlotte. That happened last season too with the immensely popular “Immediate Family,” written by Paul Oakley Stovall and directed by Phylicia Rashad.

 

“We have been really trying to dabble in doing some producing ourselves really as a way to enlarge the variety of things that are offered and particularly things that otherwise would not be seen at this high-quality level,” Gabbard said.

 

Benefits of subscribing

 

Some years Blumenthal has offered two subscription series when an abundance of shows were touring, but this year, the number of high caliber touring shows fit better as one package.

 

That amplifies the value of a season subscription, Gabbard said, “because rather than having those season ticket holders spread between two series, there [is] just one. So, the competition for the best seats will be even higher.”

 

Subscribers get priority access to the best seats and prices before single tickets go on sale to the public.

 

They also can swap out up to 4 shows for any other events happening in Blumenthal Arts’ theaters. Subscribers can choose from all sorts of shows, including Broadway Extras, jazz, comedies and concerts.

 

“That is incredibly powerful because people have an opportunity to curate their season and that's really critical,” he said, especially during a season that varies so much between musicals to plays to light and darker themed stories. 

 

“We really honor that they're giving us that many evenings,” he added.” And if they give us that many evenings, then we want them to have control over how they choose to spend it in our theaters.”

 

Lights, Camera, Action!

 

Looking for more insider info on the 2026-’27 PNC Broadway Lights Series? Check out “Blumenthal Arts Presents: Charlotte On Stage and Beyond,” now streaming on Blumenthal’s YouTube Channel.

 

Kristen Miranda pulls back the curtain on the full line up of shows coming to Charlotte next season in this hour-long special.

 

It’s filled with exclusive interviews from many of the shows’ creators, updates from Blumey Awards alums following their dreams on Broadway and beyond, and a sneak peek at Blumenthal’s immersive arts HQ, Blume Studios. You can also see the many ways Blumenthal’s educational and community programs make a real difference for people of all ages in our region.

 

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