A butterfly that crosses borders, a family that pursues a dream and an immigrant who fights to keep his story alive. That is the essence of “Monarch: A Mexican-American Musical,” the musical that comes to Off-Broadway to connect with New York audiences through a story of identity, family and hope.
Through July 26, 2026, the production will be presented at the Cullum Theater at the American Theater for Actors, as part of the Midtown International Theater Festival in Manhattan, offering four performances of a play that celebrates the Mexican-American experience.
Inspired by the journey of the monarch butterfly—which travels thousands of miles between Mexico and the United States every year—the musical uses this natural migration as a metaphor for the millions of people who have left their homeland in search of new opportunities.
The story follows Luis, a Mexican man who worked as a tour guide at a monarch butterfly sanctuary until economic difficulties lead him to emigrate north with his wife to give their newborn daughter a better future.
Twenty years later, Luis has become a beloved worker in his community, but his life changes when he faces a situation that puts everything he has built at risk. In the midst of this crisis, memories of the sanctuary where he met his wife return to remind him of his roots, his dreams, and the strength that led him to start over.
More than a story about migration, Monarch is a celebration of the bonds that remain regardless of distance: family, traditions, music and cultural identity that accompany those who build a life far from their country of origin.
With orchestral music that combines Mexican and Latin rhythms, the musical is sung in English with some passages in Spanish, creating a bridge between generations and cultures.
Since its first workshop in Los Angeles in 2022, the production has toured venues in the United States and Mexico, including the Los Angeles Theater Center, Creative Cauldron in Washington, DC, Open Jar Studios in New York, the Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City and Paine Hall at Harvard University. In Washington, DC, it received three Broadway World Awards, including Best Musical.
Now, Monarch arrives in New York, a city built by immigrant stories and where many viewers will be able to recognize part of their own family on stage.
“We wanted to write something that celebrated the joy, pain and resilience of Mexican immigrants,” explain its creators Mayu Molina Lehmann and Alfonso Molina, responsible for the book, lyrics and music of the work.
For those who love musicals, enjoy stories with Latin roots or are simply looking for a different theatrical experience, “Monarch: A Mexican-American Musical” is an invitation to get excited and celebrate stories that cross borders.
When: July 24-26, 2026
Where: Cullum Theatre, American Theater for Actors, Manhattan
Duration: 90 minutes with intermission
Language: English with passages in Spanish
Information: https://www.monarchthemusical.com/buy-tickets
