^{The cast of Freak The Mighty (2026) at Cleveland Play House. Photo by Roger Mastroianni.}

Are you curious about the upcoming world premiere musical, Freak The Mighty? Learn more with our list of Five Things to Know about Freak The Mighty:

1. It started as a book — Freak The Mighty is based on the 1993 beloved, best-selling, award-winning young adult novel of the same name by Rodman Philbrick. The book has been translated into eight languages, sold over two million copies, and is taught in middle schools across the country. It was also adapted into a film, The Mighty (1998), starring Kieran Culkin and Sharon Stone. 

^{Freak The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, book cover by David Shannon.} 

2. It's a co-production —  The world premiere musical Freak The Mighty is a co-production between Seattle Rep and Cleveland Play House. What is a co-production? Theater (in all its grand glory) can be expensive to produce, and by sharing costs, theaters can bring larger, more spectacular shows to their stages. Co-productions also encourage theaters to work together and connect and build larger communities—all around a win-win!

^{The cast and creative teams of Cleveland Play House's production of Freak The Mighty at first rehearsal! Photo courtesy of Cleveland Play House.}

3. The show centers the humanity of the characters — As the Disability Justice movement has grown, so has the demand for Access Consultants—especially in the arts. Freak The Mighty Access Consultants Talleri A. McRae and Sofiya Cheyenne have been integral to the development of the show, and have facilitated at-times difficult conversations around disability, including language, tone, lighting, and beyond to help create a truly magnificent show that doesn't display disability as entertainment, but instead centers the people at the heart of this play. During our interview with Talleri and Sofiya, Talleri detailed some of their work on this production: 

“Access consultancy definitely includes looking at language and sensitivities from our audience. We've had a great opportunity to work with the casting team…for authentic casting, with the writing team about language, supporting cast members with their access needs, the marketing teams for both Cleveland Playhouse and Seattle Rep, and working with audience members.”

^{The cast of Come From Away (2025) at Seattle Rep. Photo by Bronwen Houck.} 

4. It's from the Tony Award-winning producers of Come From Away, Junkyard Dog Productions — Freak The Mighty "...pulses with high‑energy ensemble numbers, intimate ballads, and propulsive, contemporary orchestrations—evoking the emotional sweep of Come From Away while forging its own distinct, soaring sound." (Cleveland Play House). So if you are hankering for another musical with a big heart launching from the Seattle Rep stage (like Come From Away did in 2015), don't miss your chance to see our Freak The Mighty world premiere (previews begin July 30)!

5. Audiences and critics are already calling Freak The Mighty a must-see musical — Cleveland audiences have raved that "Freak The Mighty officially replaced The Wizard of Oz as my favorite musical" and "it’s [a musical] I know I’ll keep coming back to," while critics have called it "brilliant" (Mark Horning) and said that "[Freak The Mighty] certainly has what it takes to make it to Broadway. If it does, it’ll be worth bragging that you saw it here first." (cleveland.com)

So there you have it—five incredible reasons to see this exciting new coming-of-age musical for all ages. Single tickets for Freak The Mighty go on sale to the public today!

See Freak The Mighty at Seattle Rep, July 30–September 6, 2026. 

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