Broadway in Chicago’s Summer Concert, 2025/Photo: Broadway in Chicago

This year’s annual Broadway in Chicago Summer Concert in Millennium Park was a grey, warm and humid evening with a large and appreciative crowd, despite the continued threat of a downpour that managed to hold off.

Things got off to a rousing start with “Circle of Life” from “The Lion King,” energetically intoned by veteran South African singer Selloane Nkhela. The Disney favorite returns for a two-month run June 3-July 31, 2027 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

The offbeat “Maybe Happy Ending” was represented by the upbeat duet “Hitting the Road,” wonderfully rendered by Steven Huynh and Claire Kwon, co-stars of the upcoming national tour of this quirky and popular show about Korean robots who fall in love. Or do they? The national tour launches next month and comes to the CIBC Theatre, January 5-17, 2027.

Although transferred to Maria and the von Trapp children in the iconic “The Sound of Music” film, “My Favorite Things” was originally set in the convent in the show as a duet between Maria and the Rev. Mother before Maria even meets the children. Veteran Lisa Howard sang the role of Reverend Mother and Sidney K. Borchers sang Maria and made a good pairing with an even vocal blend. “The Sound of Music” makes a Chicago return to the Cadillac Palace Theatre, December 22-27.

Sam Hartley from the Broadway production of “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical” performed the soliloquy “Dear Bill” with heartbreak and humor. The North American tour of the World War II-set show with a new cast opens next month and arrives September 29-October 11 at the CIBC Theatre.

One of the standout performances of the concert was the epic and mood-shifting duet “Seventeen” from “Heathers: The Musical,” sung by Sara Al-Bazali and Devin Lewis, understudies of the leads as well as ensemble members in New York. The announced but yet to-be-cast national tour begins in May 2027, and hits the CIBC Theatre, June 8-20, 2027.

Recently announced as playing Cousin Kevin in the upcoming national tour of “The Who’s Tommy,” Kyle McFalls traversed an edgy yet detached “Pinball Wizard.” Des McAnuff’s production of “The Who’s Tommy” that originated at the Goodman Theatre starts touring in October and comes to the Cadillac Palace Theatre, February 16-28, 2027.

It’s quite a compliment to the Chicago non-Equity storefront theater Kokandy Productions that an ensemble from their highly-acclaimed production of “Jekyll & Hyde” could perform alongside an evening of New York union talent and be a standout of the evening. Bravo to lead David Moreland and eleven cast mates for an energetic rendition of “This Is the Moment.” Kokandy’s “Jekyll & Hyde” makes its Broadway in Chicago debut at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, September 8-October 25.

The tenth anniversary national tour of “Waitress” will launch next month and will hit the Nederlander Theatre October 13-18. Samantha Lane Scruggs will play the lead and offered a fun and powerful preview of what to expect with two songs: the opening number “What’s Inside”—leading significant and impressive audience participation—and the show’s signature ballad, “She Used To Be Mine.”

It was an interesting but effective choice for the cast of “The Outsiders”—which was still in Chicago during last Monday’s concert—to perform the signature number of Two-Bit and Sodapop rather than that of lead character Ponyboy. Travis Roy Rogers, Corbin Drew Ross, Jaydon Nget, Brandon Borkowsky and Gina Gagliano rendered a strong ensemble rendition of “Hoods Turned Heroes.”

Coby Oram, the just-announced lead of the upcoming twentieth anniversary tour of “Jersey Boys,” was said to be appearing “for the first time as Frankie Valli.” He has a remarkable physical resemblance to a young Valli, to be sure, but that’s where the similarity ends. Though admittedly plagued by feedback and slow accompaniment, his vocal rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” began listlessly, though it improved for the higher, second verse.

The characters Middle Noah and Middle Allie from “The Notebook”—cast members from the national tour—performed one song each. The Chicago Shakespeare Theater-originated show was back in Chicago at the time of the concert. Ken Wulf Clark rendered a sensitive “Leave the Light On” while Alysha Deslorieux was under-reaching for climactic notes in the eleven o’clock number “My Days.”

Brooke Bailey, the lead of the upcoming national tour of “The Bodyguard,” performed the upbeat “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” as the eleven o’clock number of the concert with considerable aplomb in a highlight of the evening. (The tour comes to the Nederlander Theatre April 6-18, 2027.)

So much so that the duet medley performance from “Dirty Dancing,” with understudies from the national tour that was opening two days after this concert, felt like an afterthought. That tour plays September 9-20 at the Nederlander Theatre.

More information on the 2026-27 Broadway in Chicago season is here.