St. Paul’s Ordway Music Theater will be presenting a new musical with ‘80s flair and stories.
Titled “Mystic Pizza,” the musical is based the film of the same name, notable for launching the career of Julia Roberts in 1988. It follows three female friends working at a restaurant in small-town Mystic, Connecticut. The musical version was written by Sandy Rustin with an all-female development team and has previously been staged in regional productions in Maine and New Jersey.
The jukebox musical incorporates pop and rock hits from the 1980s and 1990s, with full song and dance productions of numbers like “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Manic Monday,” and “Take My Breath Away.” The week-long staging in St. Paul will include eight shows across six days, including two weekend matinees.
The production of Mystic Pizza will launch the 2026-27 Broadway at the Ordway series, featuring stagings of recent hit musicals like Oh, Mary! and Legally Blonde as well as classics like The Music Man and Waitress. Productions like this often use tools like poster printing and social media to help attract local lovers of theater and music. Ordway President Chris Harrington spoke of his excited about taking this much loved ‘80s story and retelling it in a fresh and joy-filled way.
The St. Paul production of Mystic Pizza will take place from October 6 to 11 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.
