‘If/Then,’ Carole King musical lead Pantages’ 2015-16 season

The Los Angeles premieres of the Broadway hit “If/Then” and the Tony Award-winning “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical” anchor the Pantages Theatre’s 2015-16 season, organizers announced Monday.

The theater also will mark its 85th year with two other L.A. premieres, “Bullets Over Broadway” and “The Illusionists — Witness the Impossible,” as well as the return of four productions: “Annie,” “Dirty Dancing,” “42nd Street” and “Cabaret.”

“Since we first opened our doors to eager audiences in June of 1930, the theater has not only retained its beauty, but has proven time and time again that we maintain the perfect marriage of Broadway’s finest entertainment with the luster of Hollywood’s Golden Age,” read a statement from Martin Wiviott, the Pantages’ general manager.

The season will kick off Oct. 13 with the new U.S. national tour of “Annie,” which will run through Nov. 1.

That will be followed Dec. 8 through Jan. 3 with “If/Then.” The show follows the adventures of a thirtysomething woman who moves to New York. Idina Menzel stars in the Broadway production of the musical, written by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, the team behind the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Next to Normal.” (A spokesman said an announcement on casting for the touring production is months away.)

“Bullets Over Broadway,” based on the screenplay of the 1994 Woody Allen film, will debut at the Pantages on Jan. 5. The comedic musical follows a young playwright who accepts an offer from a mobster looking to please his showgirl girlfriend. The show opened on Broadway in April but slow ticket sales prompted it to close in August.

In time for Valentine’s Day, “Dirty Dancing — The Classic Story on Stage” will return to the theater for the first time in seven years beginning Feb. 2, 2016. The musical follows 17-year-old Frances “Baby” Houseman while she’s on vacation in New York’s Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents. The 1987 film starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

“The Illusionists — Witness the Impossible” will make its L.A. premiere on Feb. 23, 2016. The show debuted on Broadway at New York City’s Marqui Theatre in November.

“Beautiful — The Carole King Musical,” which earned a Tony Award for its Broadway star, Jessie Mueller, will run from June 22 to July 17, 2016. Casting for the touring production has not been announced.

Rounding out the Pantages season will be “42nd Street” (May 31 to June 19, 2016) and “Cabaret” (July 19 to Aug. 7, 2016).

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