What to know about seeing summer musicals 'Grease,' 'Matilda,' 'Wizard of Oz' in Austin

Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read
The Zilker Summer Musical is a decades-long tradition in Austin. Audiences fill the hillside with blankets hours in advance, before the show starts around dusk.
The Zilker Summer Musical is a decades-long tradition in Austin. Audiences fill the hillside with blankets hours in advance, before the show starts around dusk.

Several buoyant musicals will keep Austin audiences humming this summer.

This year's Zilker Summer Musical, presented for free at the Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater, will be "Matilda the Musical," the raucous romp based on Roald Dahl's book about an imaginative, rule-breaking child called Matilda Wormwood.

Meanwhile, Impact Austin, which trains young performers to act, sing and dance, will stage two musicals, "Grease," the musical about 1950s teens, and "The Wizard of Oz," the children's classic, at the University of Texas as part of Summer Stock Austin.

If you attended the Heller Awards for Young Artists at the Long Center for the Performing Arts on April 19 you likely saw some of this summer's performers already. Two of the Heller winners will perform in June in New York. Kyra Carr, who played Officer Lockstock in Hendrickson High School's "Urinetown," and Langston Lee, who could be seen as Dmitry in Rouse High's "Anastasia," were selected to participate in the national Jimmy Awards for high school musicals on Broadway.

Brr, it's cold in here: Summer Stock Austin stages 'Bring It On' at UT

Zilker Summer Musical 2023: How to attend, what you can bring

After a hit run on London's West End, "Matilda the Musical" opened on Broadway in 2013. It ran for 1,555 performances in New York and won five Tony Awards. Zach Theatre staged the Austin premiere in 2019.

The Zilker Hillside Theater has presented free entertainment across from Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park since the 1930s. Full Broadway-style musicals were added in the 1950s.

"Matilda" plays at 8:15 p.m. Thursday through Sunday from July 7 to Aug. 12. The park setting is exquisite, but be forewarned, it can get hot. Some audience members will arrive early enough for a cool dip in Barton Springs before the show.

From 2017: What’s the real temperature at Barton Springs Pool? Hint: It’s not 68 degrees

The musicals are free, but performers solicit donations during intermission to offset production costs. It is customary for audience members to arrive early to lay out a blanket or set up chairs in designated sections of the hillside. Full-height chairs are allowed only in the ADA area or at the top of the hillside. No pets, glass containers, alcohol or smoking are allowed. You can bring in outside food and drinks, including a cooler, and food and beverages will be for sale at concessions.

Information: zilker.org/hillside.

Summer Stock Austin 2023: What to expect, ticket costs and more

Summer Stock Austin, working with Texas Performing Arts, presents "The Wizard of Oz" from July 22 through Aug. 6 at the McCullough Theatre on the UT campus. Based on a story by Frank Baum, this version includes music from the 1939 classic movie, such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Ding, Dong! The Witch is Dead."

In rotation with this first show is "Grease," which plays July 28-Aug. 6 at the McCullough. The 1971 musical about the kids at Rydell High ran for 3,388 performances on Broadway, then was adapted into a movie with John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John in 1978. "Grease 2," starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield, followed in 1982, and a new origin story, "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies," is streaming now on Paramount+.

At a date to be announced, Summer Stock Austin also will show the locally made "Dance Hall: The Movie Musical," promoted as "the legend of 'Brigadoon,' the setting of 'Footloose' and the mystery of the 'Twilight Zone,'" and "a warm-hearted musical film about experiencing life, dealing with loss, and dancing the night away with those we care about." The group also will screen their two previous short movie musicals at Pease Park on May 12.

The musicals in the park are free to attend. "Grease" and "The Wizard of Oz" are $25 to $50.

Information: impactarts.org/ssa-2023

What happened at the high school musical awards

Langston Lee (above left), who could be seen as Dmitry in a number from Rouse High's "Anastasia" during the Heller Awards at the Long Center on April 19, not only won best lead performer (male), but also was selected to advance to the national Jimmy Awards for high school musicals in New York City. Many of the young performers seen in the awards show will be on Austin stages this summer.

While you're thinking about seeing musicals performed by young actors this summer, plan ahead to catch the Broadway-style shows staged by more than 30 Central Texas high schools during the next school year. Recently, this year's musicals were celebrated during the lavish, high-energy Heller Awards at the Long Center with songs performed from eight nominated shows, along with many more outstanding numbers.

The list of awards is long, but here's a representative sampling:

  • Best Production: "Pippin," McCallum Fine Arts Academy

  • Best Direction: "Urinetown," Hendrickson High School

  • Best Ensemble: "Urinetown," Hendrickson High School

  • Best Lead Performer (Female): Anabelle Crawford, "The Drowsy Chaperone," Vista Ridge High School

  • Best Lead Performer (Male): Langston Lee, "Anastasia," Rouse High School

  • Best Supporting Performer (Female): Kyra Carr, "Urinetown," Hendrickson High School

  • Best Supporting Performer (Male): Jack Stratton, "The Drowsy Chaperone," Vista Ridge High School

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How to attend Zilker Summer Musical 2023, Summer Stock Austin