Reimagined MOVIN' OUT To Open Asolo Repertory Theatre 2025 – 2026 Season

Asolo Repertory Theatre has announced its new, expanded 2025-2026 season.

including: The bold reimagining of the rock musical Movin' Out (November 13 – December 28, 2026), the return of the acclaimed All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (playing at The Historic Asolo Theater December 3 – December 19, 2025), the new Pulitzer Prizing-winning drama Primary Trust (January 7 – February 11, 2026), the thrilling murder mystery Agatha Christie's The Mirror Cracked (January 21 – March 14, 2026), the U.S. Premiere of The Unfriend, the beloved classic Fiddler on the Roof (April 14 – May 24, 2026) the story of the Mother of Rock ‘n Roll Marie and Rosetta (playing in the Cook Theatre May 6 – May 31, 2026) and the rolling world premiere of Lauren Gunderson's Lady Disdain (June 6 – June 27, 2026).  

Peter Rothstein, Asolo's Producing Artistic Director states, “I'm thrilled to share this dynamic collection of stories with our community, and to welcome some of the most celebrated artists of our time to create work on the Asolo stage—artists such as Twyla Tharp, Billy Joel, E. Faye Butler and Lauren Gunderson.”  

MOVIN’ OUT will kick off Asolo Rep’s 2025-26 season and introduce fresh artistic elements while preserving the heart-pounding energy, stunning choreography, and timeless music that made MOVIN’ OUT a cultural phenomenon. 

Premiering on Broadway in 2002, MOVIN’ OUT garnered critical acclaim for its innovative blend of rock music and theatrical storytelling. The show was widely praised for its dynamic choreography by Twyla Tharp, which seamlessly integrated Billy Joel's hits into a narrative about love, loss, and the American experience. The production earned two 2003 Tony Awards, including one for Twyla Tharp (Best Choreography) and one for Billy Joel and Stuart Malina (Best Orchestrations), along with 10 Tony nominations including Best Musical. Its success was a testament to its groundbreaking fusion of music, dance, and theater, marking it as a standout production of the early 2000s. 

Originally conceived by Twyla Tharp, whose unparalleled contributions to dance have earned her acclaim worldwide, Tharp will once again bring this revival of MOVIN’ OUT into a new era, reimagining how the characters interact with the music. 

"Reimagining a story, like revisiting a timeless piece of music, is an opportunity to see it anew—not just through a fresh lens, but through the evolving lens of who we are today,” said Twyla Tharp.  “It's about exploring the past with the wisdom of experience and letting the talent of the present shape the narrative for a new generation. In a space like Asolo Repertory Theatre, we can nurture that process and connect deeply with a community that shares our passion for transformation and storytelling." 

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2025 – 2026 SEASON  

Movin' Out   

November 13 – December 28, 2025  
Previews November 13 – November 20   
Open November 21  
Mertz Theatre  

Music and Lyrics by Billy Joel  
Conceived, Directed, and Choreographed by Twyla Tharp  

All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914   

December 3 – December 19, 2025  
Previews December 3 – December 4   
Open December 5  
Historic Asolo Theater  

By Peter Rothstein  
Vocal Arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach  
Directed by Peter Rothstein  
Music Direction by Erick Lichte   

The Western Front. Christmas. A German soldier sets down his rifle and steps into No Man's Land, singing “Silent Night”. Thus begins an extraordinary night of fellowship, music, and peace, told in the words and the songs of the men who lived it. Peter Rothstein's salute to unsung heroes of The Great War returns to the Historic Asolo Theater after a sell-out run last season.

Primary Trust

January 7 – February 11, 2026   
Previews January 7 – 8   
Open January 9  
Mertz Theatre  

By Eboni Booth  
Directed by Chari Arespacochaga   

One of the most awarded off-Broadway premieres of 2024, Eboni Booth's absorbing, funny, and ultimately profound new play is about a middle-aged man scraping by in small town America. Kenneth spends his days working in a quiet bookstore and his evenings sipping Mai Tais at the local tiki bar, but when he loses his job, he's forced to confront a world he's long avoided. A deceptively ordinary story about the extraordinary possibility inside each of us.  

Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd  

January 21 – March 14, 2026  
Previews January 21 - 22  
Open January 23  
Mertz Theatre  

By Agatha Christie  
Adapted by Rachel Wagstaff  
Directed by Michael Donald Edwards  

A Hollywood film star and her entourage descend upon a quaint English village to film an epic period drama. But when the glamorous opening reception ends in a chilling murder, everyone becomes a suspect, leaving Agatha Christie's beloved sleuth, Miss Marple, to untangle a web of ambition, deceit, and stage fright. One of the Queen of Mystery's most celebrated novels finally makes it to the stage in this new adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff.  

The Unfriend

February 18 – March 22, 2026  
Previews February 18 - 29   
Open February 20  
Mertz Theatre  

By Steven Moffat  
Directed by Peter Rothstein  

From the writer of television's Dr. Who, Sherlock, and Dracula comes a hilarious new play about an unwanted house guest. After twenty years of marriage, Peter and Debbie are enjoying a cruise and a break from their annoying teenagers, when they meet an eagerly friendly, but perhaps dangerous, fellow passenger named Elsa. Before you know it, she's taken up residence in their suburban home. Asolo Rep stages the US premiere of this hugely entertaining and satirical look at the terrifying lengths we go just to be nice.

Fiddler on the Roof

April 14 – May 24, 2026  
Previews April 14 - 16   
Open April 17  
Mertz Theatre  

Based on Sholem Aleichem's stories, by special permission of Arnold Perl   
Book by Joseph Stein  
Music by Jerry Bock  
Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick  
Produced on the New York Stage by Harold Prince  
Original New York Stage Production Directed & Choreographed by Jerome Robbins  
Directed by Peter Rothstein  
Choreography by Danny Pelzig   

This beloved classic has delighted audiences across the globe for over six decades. Tevye, the village milkman, is trying to provide his wife and their five daughters with a life filled with prosperity, faith, and tradition. But a revolution is on the horizon and everything they have come to cherish hangs in the balance. One of the most beloved musicals of all time makes its long-awaited debut on the Asolo Rep stage.  

Marie and Rosetta

May 6 – May 31, 2026  
Previews May 6 - 7   
Open May 8  
Cook Theatre  

By George Brant  
Featuring the Music of Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight  
Directed by E. Faye Butler   
Music Direction by Abdul-Hamid Royal-Garrett Johnson Esq.   

A huge influence on Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash and Jimi Hendrix, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a legend in her time, adding fierce guitar and swing to traditional gospel music, becoming the mother of Rock ‘n' Roll. Marie and Rosetta chronicle her first rehearsal with a young protégée, Marie Knight, as they prepare to embark on a tour that would establish them as one of the great duos in music history.  

Rolling World Premiere

Lady Disdain

June 6 – June 27, 2026  
Previews June 6 – June 11   
Open June 12  
Mertz Theatre  

By Lauren Gunderson  
Directed by Sean Daniels   

There's much ado about something in this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud new romantic comedy from Lauren Gunderson. Lady Disdain is a fast-paced, razor-sharp riff on the deliciously dramatic world of Fantasy Romance novels (yes, those ones—you know them, you love them). Beatrice and Benedict, rival audiobook narrators with voices made for swooning and tempers made for sparring, are locked in a battle of wits, words, and wildly inconvenient attraction. Asolo Rep will present this rolling world premiere from one of America's most celebrated and funny playwrights.