Theater News

Broadway-Bound Gotta Dance, With Music by Matthew Sklar and Marvin Hamlisch, to Open in Chicago

Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell to direct and choreograph.

A scene from the Gotta Dance documentary.
A scene from the Gotta Dance documentary.
Gotta Dance & NBA Entertainment)

Broadway-bound musical Gotta Dance, based on the 2008 documentary of the same name, will have its world premiere this year at Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre. The production begins performances on December 13 and will run through January 17, with plans to head to Broadway in spring 2016.

The show's creative team includes a book by Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (Aladdin) and Tony Award winner Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), original music by Tony Award nominee Matthew Sklar (Elf) and the late Marvin Hamlisch, and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), with direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots).

Gotta Dance tells the remarkable true story of a group of expert dancers tasked with getting professional basketball’s first-ever senior-citizen dance team performance-ready.

"The real-life senior dancers at the core of Gotta Dance simply blew me away," said producer Dori Berinstein (who also produced and directed the 2008 documentary) in a statement. "With heart, soul, gusto, guts and some hot dance moves…they refused to accept ‘no’ for an answer and, instead, overcame endless obstacles and misperceptions to realize their dreams. Aside from being so very cool…they are endlessly inspiring."

For tickets to the Chicago production and for more information, click here.

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