‘Once Upon a One More Time’ to open on Broadway in May 2023

The new musical features the songs of Britney Spears.

It’s Britney, Broadway! The new jukebox musical Once Upon a One More Time will come to the Marquis Theatre this summer, making it one of the first shows to play in the 2023-24 Broadway season. Performances begin on May 13 ahead of a June 22 opening night.

Once Upon a One More Time mashes up two popular properties: the song catalog of Britney Spears and fairytale princesses. Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and more wish for a new story for their reading group — and suddenly, a fairy godmother brings them Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique.

Empowered by the trailblazing feminist book, the princesses discover new possibilities for their lives besides waiting around for a prince to bring them happily ever after. This story, written by Jon Hartmere, is set to Spears’s Grammy Award-winning, chart-topping hits including “Toxic,” "...Baby One More Time," "Oops!...I Did It Again," “Womanizer,” and “Circus.”

Once Upon a One More Time has been in the works since 2017, and Spears herself attended an early 2018 presentation. The official world premiere was set for 2019 at the Nederlander Theatre in Chicago, but that production was postponed to 2020 and ultimately canceled amid the pandemic.

The show was then set to open directly on Broadway in 2022, but changed course once again and had its pre-Broadway world premiere with Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. A Washington Post review of that production called Once Upon a One More Time “an evening of buoyant delight.”

Keone and Mari Madrid direct and choreograph the production. The creative team also includes creative consultant David Leveaux, set designer Anna Fleischle, costume and hair designer Loren Elstein, lighting designer Kenneth Posner, sound designer Andrew Keister, and projection designer Sven Ortel.

Once Upon a One More Time Broadway casting has yet to be announced. The D.C. cast for Once Upon a One More Time included Briga Heelan as Cinderella, Justin Guarini as Prince Charming, Emily Skinner as Stepmother, Aisha Jackson as Snow White, Brooke Dillman as The O.F.G. (Original Fairy Godmother), Mimi Scardulla as Stepsisters Belinda, Tess Soltau as Stepsister Betany, Ashley Chiu as Sleeping Beauty, Raymond J. Lee as Clumsy, Wonu Ogunfowora as Rapunzel, Ryan Steele as Prince Erudite, Morgan Weed as Princess and the Pea, Lauren Zakrin as Little Mermaid, and Michael McGrath as the Narrator. Adrianna Weir and Mila Weir shared the role of Little Girl.

Once Upon a One More Time will join two other Broadway musicals that include Britney Spears songs: & Juliet and Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Once Upon a One More Time, however, is the only one to exclusively feature Spears's music.

When is Once Upon a One More Time on Broadway?

Once Upon a One More Time is on Broadway beginning on May 13, 2023. The musical will play the Marquis Theatre.

Photo credit: The cast of Once Upon a One More Time in D.C. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)