‘Elf,’ ‘Les Mis,’ ‘Hairspray’ among Music Theatre Wichita’s 2026 season

A turn-of-the-20th-century matchmaker.

An overgrown Santa’s elf who ends up in New York.

A Russian dairyman weathering changes in his country and his family.

A Baltimore teen pining to be among the “nicest kids in town” on a 1960s TV dance show.

And a French convict who seeks redemption amid a revolution.

Those are some of the characters Music Theatre Wichita audiences can expect on stage next summer.

“I would say the 2026 season has some of musical theater’s most iconic characters,” artistic director Brian J. Marcum said. “It’s a blockbuster season that includes great musical comedies and heart-wrenching dramas as well.”

The schedule, announced prior to the performances of this week’s “Newsies,” includes “Hello Dolly,” “Elf,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Hairspray” and “Les Misérables.”

Along with the season announcement is a homegrown “Holiday Extravaganza” that will take place in Decembers of 2025 and 2026.

“Hello Dolly,” which kicks off the season, was previously produced by MTW in 2015, 1994, 1985 and 1973.

Marcum choreographed the 2015 version, under the direction of former MTW impresario Wayne Bryan, and was a performer in the 1994 edition.

“Elf” makes its first appearance for MTW in July. Marcum, who was associate choreographer for the musical based on the Will Ferrell comedy when it opened on Broadway in 2010, will direct.

“I’m excited to be able to bring that to the Wichita audiences in July. It’ll be fun,” he said. “The story is so sweet, and it’s always freezing in Century II, so it’s perfect.”

Having Marcum directing ‘Elf’ continues a trend of Broadway lineage from the 2025 season, said Angela Cassette, managing director.

“One of the things we’ve learned this year with ‘Crazy for You’ and ‘Newsies’ (which included original Broadway cast and crew) is that it’s so fun for the resident ensemble and the audience to take somebody who was there from the start of the creation of a show and carry that whole through-line,” she said. “The fact that we have that with Brian on ‘Elf,’ who was there from the beginning, is that we can see the whole history and what works best today. It’ll be fun for the audiences and really good for the resident ensemble.”

Next year will be the fifth time MTW will stage “Fiddler,” which Marcum said will include the original Jerome Robbins choreography.

“It’s not easy, but it’s a beautiful, beautiful show,” he said.

“That’s one of those shows that’s timeless because it’s about parents and children, about generations. It does not stop being powerful and relevant,” Cassette added. “It’s really stood the test of time.”

“Hairspray” returns for the third time, after MTW staging in 2017 and 2007.

“It’s such a fun, iconic show with iconic roles,” Marcum said. “The story is always relevant, and it’s nice to bring to our audiences as well. It’s a fun, uplifting show.”

“Les Mis” will return for the third time, after performances in 2008 and 2013.

“We couldn’t get it for the longest time because it’s always been on the road,” he said. “The tour is closing and they reached out to us to do it.”

Season ticket prices will see a slight increase from 2025, Cassette said.

In addition to announcing the summer ’26 season, MTW is making plans for a “Holiday Extravaganza” scheduled for December at the Mary Jane Teall Theatre in Century II.

“It’ll have lots of sparkle, the same kind of quality elements you’re used to seeing from Music Theatre Wichita performances,” Marcum said. “And it’s going to be a community-based show the same way we did a few years back” in mid-pandemic 2020, when a MTW-produced holiday revue aired on KPTS.

“We’re really excited to get a tradition going,” Cassette said.