If you look closely at the set of “Mystic Pizza” when it plays in Scranton, you will see Tieisha Thomas’ family photos.
Designers encouraged the actress who plays Leona, a maternal figure who runs the pizza shop, to display the photos to help create an atmosphere.
“It’s been great to see photos of them while I’m on stage, just a little glimpse, kind of like they’re with me as we travel from different cities,” she said.
The musical adaptation of the movie opens the Broadway in Scranton season at the Scranton Cultural Center on Oct. 23-25 with four shows. Tickets start at $59, with additional fees for online purchases.
Tieisha Thomas (COURTESY OF BROADWAY IN SCRANTON)
Kendall Becerra, Lexxi Frilles, Tieisha Thomas, and Chloë Lezotte in “Mystic Pizza.” (COURTESY OF EVAN ZIMMERMAN)
“Mystic Pizza” is a coming-of-age rom-com.
(COURTESY OF EVAN ZIMMERMAN)
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Tieisha Thomas (COURTESY OF BROADWAY IN SCRANTON)
It is based on a 1988 rom-com best known as an early spotlight for Julia Roberts. The show adds ’80s and ’90s pop music hits to the coming-of-age story of three young Portuguese American waitresses at a Connecticut pizza shop navigating friendship, romance and their futures.
“I think you should expect an absolute feel-good night,” Thomas said. “Expect to be entertained from start to finish. If you are a lover of good music, specifically of the ’80s. But if you’re a lover of good music, you’re going to enjoy the show. The renditions of the songs, the arrangements, the acting, the dancing, the energy on stage — it really, truly is electric.”
The numbers include “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Hold On,” “Manic Monday,” “Lost in Your Eyes,” “Mad About You” and “Take My Breath Away.”
Thomas draws on her mother, grandmother and Caribbean heritage to play Leona. “I use their mannerisms, in the way that they approached situations and problems and family discussions, and just those moments that are hard.”
It is the first national tour for each of the three actors playing the waitresses, making Thomas the veteran of the production. She toured nationally with productions of “1776” and “Elf: The Musical.” Her off-Broadway credits include “Hercules” at the prestigious Public Theater in New York City.
She also appeared in a 2022 episode of “Only Murders in the Building,” on Hulu and Disney+.
Thomas had one line in an episode called “Flipping the Pieces,” as an unnamed rider on a subway platform who takes a photo of a key moment. She doesn’t remember the line, but remembers the day as a great experience. The scene was shot in a defunct station used solely as a filming location. Half the space was set up for another show.
“It was crazy to walk into that,” she said.
A staffer stood in for star Selena Gomez for a couple of takes. “We probably ran it three or four times with Selena, and that was that. She was so sweet. I have no complaints, it was such a great, great experience.”
Showtimes are Friday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m.
Tickets are sold at the Cultural Center box office at 420 N. Washington Ave. and online at broadwayinscranton.com. Box office hours are Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The show is recommended for ages 10 and up.
Tickets are already on sale for the next show of the season, December’s tour of “Beetlejuice.”
If you go
What: The musical “Mystic Pizza” opens the Broadway in Scranton season. The coming-of-age story about three Portuguese American waitresses at a Mystic, Connecticut, pizza shop is based on a 1988 movie.
When: Oct. 23-25
Where: Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, 420 N. Washington Ave.
Tickets: Tickets start at $59, plus fees for online purchases, and are available at the box office and broadwayinscranton.com.