Theatre in Philadelphia: Musicals & Plays Hitting the Stage in Summer 2022
Learn more about must-see theatre performances taking place in the city of Philadelphia this summer.

Attention, theatre buffsđ After a long hiatus, live performances are finally back! Now is the perfect time to get your fill of all the plays and musicals you may have missed out on over the past two years. Whether you want to see a new play at a local community theater or a popular musical at a gorgeous concert venue, the city of Philadelphia has something to offer every theatre lover and their family.
Here are some of our favorite musicals and plays premiering on Philly stages this summer:
June 2022
Cirque du Soleil Crystal
June 24 – 26, 2022
Wells Fargo Center – 3601 S Broad Street, Philadelphia

Expert ice skaters and gravity-defying acrobats wow audiences with goosebumps-inducing stunts at this Cirque du Soleil performance on ice.
By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
June 10 – 26, 2022
Stagecrafters Theater – 8130 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia
Vera Stark, aspiring film actress, is determined and talented. The time is 1933, and the place is Hollywood, USA, and Vera is Black. What awaits this young, ambitious woman is a string of roles as slaves, maids, cooks, and mammies. Public recognition of her contribution to the arts emerges only after several decades in the business, when she is invited to appear on a popular TV talk show, and years later, when she becomes the subject of a movie retrospective and an academic symposium. This life story of an actress of color in America is bitter, but also wildly humorous â a full-blown satire that takes on old-time Hollywood, latter-day pop culture, and private and public hypocrisies.
Into the Woods
Running through July 3, 2022
Arden Theatre Company – 40 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia

One of Sondheimâs most beloved musicals returns to the F. Otto Haas stage with a magical radiance. Into the Woods explores the journey to the fairy talesâ happy ending â and the responsibilities that come with happily ever after.
NoĂ«l Coward’s Blithe Spirit
Running through July 3, 2022
Walnut Street Theatre – 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
To gather background for his new book, novelist Charles Condomine and his second wife, Ruth, invite the extremely eccentric medium, Madame Arcati, to perform a sĂ©ance. But Charlesâ spiritual skepticism vanishes when the ghost of his deceased ïŹrst wife, Elvira, accidentally materializesâbut only to him. Elviraâs still in love and wants Charles back, and is not about to let a little thing like death stand in her way! From the delightfully wicked mind of NoĂ«l Coward comes Blithe Spirit, where love and marriage devolve into laughter and mayhem â and âTill Death Do Us Partâ no longer applies.
July 2022
To Kill A Mockingbird
July 12 – 24, 2022
Academy of Music – 240 South Broad Street, Philadelphia

All rise for Academy AwardÂź winner Aaron Sorkinâs adaptation of Harper Leeâs Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork. The New York Times Criticâs Pick TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is âthe most successful American play in Broadway history.” (60 Minutes). New York Magazine calls it âa real phenomenon. Majestic and incandescent, itâs filled with breath and nuance and soul.â With direction by Tony AwardÂź winner Bartlett Sher, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD â âthe greatest novel of all timeâ (Chicago Tribune) â has quickly become âone of the greatest plays in historyâ (NPR). Emmy AwardÂź-winning actor Richard Thomas will play the role of Atticus Finch in the National Tour.
August 2022
Dear Evan Hansen
August 16 – 28, 2022
Forrest Theater – 1114 Walnut Street, Philadelphia

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing heâs always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. DEAR EVAN HANSEN is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it.
The Lion King
August 16 – September 10, 2022
The Academy of Music – 240 South Broad Street, Philadelphia

More than 100 million people around the world have experienced the phenomenon of Disneyâs THE LION KING, and now you can, too, when this best-loved musical returns to Philadelphia. Winner of six Tony AwardsÂź, including Best Musical, this landmark musical event brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway. Tony AwardÂź-winning director Julie Taymor brings to life a story filled with hope and adventure set against an amazing backdrop of stunning visuals. THE LION KING also features some of Broadwayâs most recognizable music, crafted by Tony AwardÂź-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice. There is simply nothing else like THE LION KING.
Featured Image: Photo by Matthew Murphy. Image Credit: Kimmel Center Cultural Campus
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