Since its humble beginnings in a tent nearly 75 years ago, Music Circus has been a summer-only tradition in Sacramento. So when the venerable musical theater company announced its first show of the 2025 season, “Footloose,” would open in March, there were probably a lot of locals scratching their heads. 

In a shift that began last fall but has only been fully realized this year, Broadway at Music Circus now offers theater in the round, year-round. For the 2025 season, this translates to a March-December calendar instead of June-September and eight shows on the docket instead of the usual six.  

The opportunity to expand to a year-round schedule came about with the closing of Sacramento Theater Company, which had shared Broadway at Music Circus’ theater campus at 15th & H streets since the early 1950s, according to Klier. “The understanding had always been that Music Circus would happen in the summer months and the remaining months would be dedicated to STC’s season,” he says.

When STC fell on hard times and ceased operations, Klier says, it became Broadway Sacramento’s obligation to program the shared site year-round. “The Pavilion was built in 2003 thanks to a City of Sacramento bond measure, as was the renovation to the neighboring (STC) building,” he says. “There is a pact with the city that there will be professional theatre on that site for most of the year.”

For patrons, the expanded schedule is a good thing, with more shows to choose from and the ability to enjoy Music Circus across the seasons. For Broadway Sacramento, Klier says, the change is bittersweet. “To lose a partner arts organization in our community is extremely sad, and there were a lot of folks displaced in that change,” he says. Still, he says, he embraces the opportunity to grow. 

That growth also means new challenges for Broadway Sacramento, which already had its work cut out. Within its unique two-pronged structure, the company not only produces Music Circus shows at the UC Davis Health Pavilion but also hosts Broadway on Tour productions at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center on L Street. In 2025 alone, four touring titles have completed runs, with three more to go. Interweaving Music Circus and Broadway touring shows on the calendar has always been, as Klier quips, “a giant puzzle.” Now, it’s an even bigger one. 

For Klier, the increased workload raises concerns about overextending his staff. “Our folks were already working too hard, so asking them to do more was very difficult,” he says. Adding staff would seem the natural solution, but prudence dictates that expansion be slow. “We’ve made a modicum of expansion, but we have to be careful not to overcommit ourselves to a payroll the organization can’t sustain,” Klier says. ”As proven with STC’s fate, there’s nothing easy about maintaining a nonprofit theater company.”

Yet there are reasons to be optimistic. Though the numbers are still rolling in, subscriptions for the 2025 season are up, according to Klier. “I don’t know what the percentage is currently, but we’re seeing significant numbers — exciting numbers,” he says. “We still have a ways to go, but it’s looking good, and we hope it continues.”

In addition to its expanded calendar, Music Circus has made another significant scheduling shift for 2025: Opening nights have moved from Tuesdays to Fridays, with more time between shows. Klier believes this move will benefit performers and patrons alike.

“I’m excited about it for a couple of reasons,” he says. “One is that it gives us a little more rehearsal time — two-and-a-half weeks instead of two weeks. That half week is going to make a huge difference to our process, and I’m confident it’s going to improve the product because there’s just no breath in a two-week rehearsal period.” In addition, Klier says, the new schedule creates an opportunity to extend shows based on demand. “By opening on a Friday, we could potentially add four performances at the end of the following week,” he says. 

While creating a mix of shows to please all palates is “impossible,” as Klier says, he hopes this year’s list strikes a balance “between established titles people already love and titles they haven’t seen and don’t know that they love.” To that end, Klier offered his thoughts about the remaining shows for Music Circus’ 2025 season. (“Footloose,” the season opener, ended its run on March 27.)

April 11-17: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”

“We’ve produced it a number of times, and it’s important to me that it be different this time, and it will be. The costumes we’re employing, the casting choices we’ve made — all the ingredients that are shaping up are really exciting. ‘Joseph’ will be helmed by Glenn Casale, our master director who knows our theater better than anyone else. He brings shows to life for us like few others can.”

May 30-June 5: “Million Dollar Quartet”

“Million Dollar Quartet” is a premiere for Music Circus. It is an incredible story. We presented the tour (through Broadway on Tour) a few years back, and it was met with great enthusiasm. When you talk about the meeting of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis at Sam Phillips’ studio in Memphis, the synergy between those music legends is nothing short of incredible. In the round, in the intimate setting the Pavilion affords us, I think it will be like no other production our audience has seen.”

June 20-26: “Hello, Dolly!”

“It’s a classic. I can’t announce the cast yet, but I’m really excited about who’s playing the lead role. I think she is, for theater fans, going to be a real treat to see. Very big production values are being planned to support her. And ‘Dolly’ is as good as musical comedy gets, at least in my view. That score, the source material — all of it comes together in such a delicious package.”

July 11-17: “West Side Story”

“‘West Side Story’ is similar — a legendary score that every musical theater aficionado wants to see, knows from start to finish. It’s an incredibly moving story and is so masterfully realized, and I’m excited by the team that’s come together for it. The cast that has signed on is first-rate, and I think they’ll breathe new life into the story.” 

August 1-7: “In the Heights”

“‘In the Heights’ is a show I didn’t know I loved when we first produced it at Music Circus. It was so powerful that we brought it back. Thankfully, the team that created it for us before has been reunited, and I think it will be every bit as electric as it was back in 2019.”

August 22-28: “Hair”

“‘Hair’ was a big risk for us when we produced it in 2015. We weren’t sure how our audience would react to it. And it was an event. I think it brought new people to the theater, and it is arguably the best rock score ever composed for musical theater. Again, bringing together the right people to tell the story is essential to what we do, and I’m confident we’ve done that with the team that’s come together for another ‘Hair.’”

December 5-11: “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas”

“This is another premiere for Music Circus. We’ve produced it a number of times for Broadway on Tour. It’s a huge production that will fill the entire space with a heartwarming story that I think will appeal to audiences of all ages.”

For more information about Music Circus, visit https://www.broadwaysacramento.com.

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