The 2025/26 MainStage season features: The Addams Family, a quirky musical comedy feast perfect for “spooky season”; Annie, the beloved classic all ages will love this holiday season; Once, the Tony Award-winning story about love, music, and what connects us all; and Cats, the fantastical Broadway hit reimagined with circus and vintage burlesque elements. Plus, our 2026 Youth Spotlight Show is the magical Sondheim classic Into the Woods.
*Snap snap* Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family—a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before—keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the entire family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents. Inspired by the popular TV and film series, The Addams Family musical is a spooky good time for all ages and a hilarious send-up of family quirks, being true to oneself, and celebrating love in all its forms.
When big-hearted Annie, a child at the callous Miss Hannigan's orphanage for girls, is adopted by billionaire Oliver Warbucks, she gets a taste for how the other half lives in the Big Apple. "The sun'll come out tomorrow" in this beloved Broadway musical that takes Annie on an adventure as she realizes her big dreams, stands strong against her wrongdoers, and never forgets her humble beginnings. An inspiring story that will make your holidays sparkle, Annie proves that oftentimes all a child needs is the love of true family and friends—plus a faithful pup named Sandy!
From the very first note, Once pulls you in and doesn’t let go. Set in Dublin, an Irish busker and a Czech immigrant meet and instantly find connection through their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, sparks and chords fly, and their chemistry leads to a new level of songwriting they couldn’t reach alone. Their friendship quickly evolves into a beautiful but complicated love story, underscored by a bevy of gorgeous melodies, emotionally charged pleas, and passionate collaboration.
Based on the 2007 film, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, "Falling Slowly," this Tony Award-winning musical reminds us of the power of music, the intricacies of relationships, and the chances you take for a love that only happens Once.
Get ready for the poetry and magic of Cats to land on the Berkeley Playhouse stage! This dream-like spectacle blends the mesmerizing movement of many dance and acrobat styles with the vintage intrigue of an old vaudeville stage, turning Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical into an unforgettable variety show of feline mischief and mystique.
Winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Cats explores the hijinks and heart of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. With hit songs like “Memory,” fantastical costumes and makeup, and newly-infused elements, this long-running Broadway classic is now a modernized tail for all ages—whiskers included.
Spotlight Show (performed by actors in grades 7-12)
Classic Grimm fairy tales are brilliantly weaved together in one of Stephen Sondheim’s most beloved musicals. One night, a baker encounters a witch, who places a curse upon his family that prevents them from having children. To lift the spell, he and his wife must venture into the woods to gather various items to appease the witch’s demands. Along their journey they meet Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood, and other classic fairytale characters. As each seeks their own desires in the woods, adventure ensues, magic and mystery surrounds, and together they learn to “be careful what you wish for.”
