MADISON, Wis. — A lot of new shows are coming in "hot" to Madison. Overture Center for the Arts released its 2025-26 lineup, jam-packed with Wisconsin premieres, Broadway hits, unique speakers and more. 

First up in the center's Broadway series is "The Book of Mormon," which runs from Oct. 24 to 26, 2025, followed by "Some Like It Hot," which will run from Nov. 11 to 16, 2025. 

"I loved 'Some Like It Hot' when I saw it on Broadway," Tim Sauers, Overture Center's co-CEO and Chief Artistic Experiences Officer, said. "It's fun with a kind of jazz score. They took the movie of 'Some Like It Hot' and they made some changes for the contemporary world ... It's stunningly beautiful." 

"Hamilton" will kick off 2026 at Overture Center, running from Jan. 6 to 18. (Joan Marcus)

"Hamilton" will kick off 2026 at Overture Center, running from Jan. 6 to 18. 

The Wisconsin premiere of "Kimberly Akimbo," which is a five-time Tony winner, then comes to Madison from Feb. 10 to 15, 2026. March will bring yet another Wisconsin premiere to Overture Center when "Back to the Future: The Musical" runs in Madison from March 10 to 15, 2026. 

"'Back to the Future' is going to be a really popular show that people have been asking for," Sauers said. 

Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" also heads to Madison in 2026, running from May 12 to 17. (Daniel Boud)

Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" also heads to Madison in 2026, running from May 12 to 17. 

Over the summer, "Water for Elephants" will make its Wisconsin debut at the Overture Center from June 16 to 21, 2026. "The Great Gatsby" rounds out the season, and the summer, from July 28 to Aug. 2, 2026. 

"['The Great Gatsby'] is so beautiful. I saw it in New York last season; it's such a beautiful, beautiful show. It's a great story and it's going to be visually stunning," Sauers said. "I love that show so much." 

"The Great Gatsby" rounds out the season, and the summer, from July 28 to Aug. 2, 2026. (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerna)

"I love the variety of our Broadway [lineup]," Sauers said. "'The Great Gatsby' and 'Some Like It Hot' are kind of the traditional extravaganza type of Broadway show, and then you have 'Back to the Future.' I'll be curious to see what they do with the car on the road. It just went out this season so that's kind of cool. And Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' is a big anniversary tour for them, so this is a really big tour that they're putting out for the first time ... And of course, who doesn't like 'Hamilton?'" 

Broadway subscriptions are available now. Single show tickets will be available at a later date. 

Offered as a season-option, "Riverdance 30 – The New Generation" will be in town from April 14 to 16, 2026. 

"Clue," "MJ The Musical" and "Wicked" round out the current theater season. 

Overture Center also released its lineup for the Overture Presents Series. 

Sauers said the series aims to cater to as many people as possible. 

"I feel like we have a really great pulse on our audience and the audience's interests. I kind of like to build on that..." Sauers said. "We look at a variety of kinds of shows for people because we have so many different kinds of audiences. And of course, we're always looking at the highest quality." 

The series will feature the following titles next season: 

• "Compagnie Hervé KOUBI: Sol Invictus," Sept. 27, 2025
• "Matthew Morrison: Rhythms & Revelations," Oct. 16, 2025
• "An Evening with David Sedaris," Oct. 22, 2025
• "Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Asking for Trouble," Oct. 24, 2025
• "Mariachi Rock Revolution," Oct. 30, 2025
• "Cirque Mechanics: Tilt!," Nov. 1, 2025
• "Lightwire Theater: A Very Electric Christmas," Nov. 28, 2025
• "The Reset," Jan. 3, 2026
• "Bill Blagg: Family Magic," Jan. 10, 2026
• "Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis," Jan. 27, 2026
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ™ Part 2 in Concert with the Madison Symphony Orchestra," Jan. 31, 2026
• "Step Afrika!'s The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence," Feb. 4, 2026
• "The Simon & Garfunkel Story," Feb. 7, 2026
• "Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo," Feb. 26, 2026
• "Drum TAO," March 10, 2026
• "One Night of Queen performed by Gary Mullen and The Works," March 21, 2026
• "Billy Goats Gruff," April 11, 2026
• "Take 6," April 25, 2026

The lineup for Fringe Festival was also announced Thursday night. The festival inspired by Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is the world's largest arts festival, hosting thousands of shows each year.

The 2024-25 season was the "micro-festival's" first run in Madison, featuring a handful of shows. The festival will only continue to grow.

"Next year, we're going to have a full-on Fringe Festival," Sauers said. "It's going to be two days, using all of the venues in the building. We're going to turn our lobby into a place for food and drink and have live entertainment in there. It's going to be a cool, two-day festival in the building." 

The festival will feature the following titles next season, all of which have been at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before: 

• "Dinosaur World Live," Feb. 28, 2026
• "Caitlin Cook: The Writing on the Stall," Feb. 28, 2026
• "The Naked Magicians," Feb. 28, 2026
• "Baby Wants Candy," Feb. 28 to March 1, 2026
• "Shamilton," Feb. 28 to March 1, 2026
• "Earthlings: Revisited by Jeanne C. Wilkinson," Feb. 28 to March 8, 2026

Overture Center will bring back its Cabaret Series next season, too. 

Since the early 2010s, the series has brought both Broadway and jazz artists to Madison for intimate performances. This year, Sauers said is Broadway-heavy. Patti Murin is known for her rendition of Elsa in Disney's Broadway production of "Frozen." Claybourne Elder was recently in "Company," and Kyle Taylor Parker has been in "Kinky Boots." 

The series will feature the following titles next season: 

• "Claybourne Elder: If the Stars Were Mine," Nov. 6, 2025
• "Kyle Taylor Parker: Juke Joint Jubilee," Jan. 15, 2026
• "Patti Murin: Once Upon a Stag," April 23, 2026

Overture Center also released its lineup for the Up Close Series, featuring the following titles from up-and-coming artists next season:

• Royal Wood, Nov. 7, 2025
• Layale Chaker, Jan. 16, 2026
• Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner, April 24, 2026

The National Geographic Live Series will also return to Overture Center for 2025-26. Sauers said every show is a near-sellout every time. 

The series will feature the following titles next season: 

• "A Pirate's Life with Archaeologist Lisa Briggs," Nov. 4, 2025
• "Wild Cats Revealed with Filmmaker Sandesh Kadur," Jan. 20, 2026
• "The Untold Story of Sharks with Marine Biologist Jess Cramp," March 3, 2026

Additionally, Overture Center released dates for the Duck Soup Cinema Series. The series will host shows on Nov. 22, 2025, Feb. 21, 2026 and June 13, 2026.