Playhouse Square books ‘Phantom,’ ‘Bullets’

Staff report

CLEVELAND

Playhouse Square’s 2015-16 KeyBank Broadway Series will include a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” and the national launch of “Bullets Over Broadway.”

Season tickets, which include seven productions, are now available. Call 216-640-8800 or go to PlayhouseSquare.org/broadway. Packages range from $70 to $630 each with monthly payment plans available.

Here is the lineup:

“Bullets Over Broadway” (Oct. 6-18): Written by Woody Allen, with original direction and choreography by Susan Stroman and based upon the screenplay of the film by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath. “Bullets” is the story of a young playwright who, in desperate need of financial backing for his next show, accepts an offer he can’t refuse from a mobster looking to please his showgirl girlfriend.

“A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder” (Nov. 3-15): “Gentlemen’s Guide” tells the hilarious story of Monty Navarro, a distant heir to a family fortune, who sets out to jump the line of succession by any means necessary. All the while, he’s got to juggle his mistress, his fiancee and the constant threat of landing behind bars.

“If/Then” (Feb. 9-21, 2016): This contemporary Broadway musical is about living in New York today — and all the possibilities of tomorrow. With unforgettable songs and a deeply moving story by the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning creators of “Next to Normal,” the musical simultaneously follows one woman’s two possible life paths, painting a moving portrait of the lives we lead, as well as the lives we might have led.

“Beautiful — The Carole King Musical” (April 5-17, 2016): Long before she was Carole King, chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein, Brooklyn girl with passion and chutzpah. She fought her way into the record business as a teenager and, by the time she reached her 20s, had the husband of her dreams and a flourishing career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock ’n’ roll. But it wasn’t until her personal life began to crack that she finally managed to find her true voice.

The musical features an array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil.

“Matilda the Musical” (May 3-22, 2016): It’s the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Based on the novel by Roald Dahl.

“Steel Magnolias” (May 21-Aug. 21, 2016): It’s the 1980s, in Louisiana. At Truvy’s beauty shop, through clouds of hair spray and over the buzz of blow dryers, six Southern spitfires gather each week to chat and support each other through thick and thin.

“The Phantom of the Opera” (June 15-July 10, 2016): Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production features a new scenic design by Paul Brown, and a cast and orchestra of 52.