Particle Fever: A World-Premiere Musical About the Large Hadron Collider

Overview

Somebody has written a musical about the Large Hadron Collider, and it is premiering in La Jolla.

Particle Fever runs February 17 through March 21, 2027 at La Jolla Playhouse's Mandell Weiss Theatre. It's a world premiere, adapted from the acclaimed documentary about the search for the Higgs boson, and the team behind it is not a group of unknowns:

• Book by David Henry Hwang — Tony Award winner, Yellow Face
• Music and lyrics by Bear McCreary — Emmy winner, Outlander — and Zoe Sarnak, a Larson Award winner
• Directed by Leigh Silverman — two-time Tony nominee, Suffs
• Choreography by Mayte Natalio

The Playhouse's own synopsis: "More than 10,000 scientists from around the world joined forces to build the Large Hadron Collider and solve one of the universe's greatest mysteries. If successful, the result would forever change how we understand our own existence."

And the line that tells you what kind of show it's trying to be: "Particle Fever is a love letter to curiosity itself; to the awe and wonder that drive us to ask the biggest questions."

Here's the thing worth knowing before you book, because it determines what you're buying a ticket to.

This is a world premiere still in development, and the Playhouse says so outright. That means two things. First, the show you see in February is not the show you'd see in March — new musicals change substantially across a run, sometimes nightly, as the creative team works. Second, the cast hasn't been announced and the running time is provisional.

That's a feature if you want it to be. La Jolla Playhouse has produced 132 world premieres and sent 37 productions to Broadway. Seeing a new musical here, before anyone has decided what it is, is the Playhouse's entire reason for existing — and it's how people got to see things years before New York did.

If you'd rather see a finished show, book later in the run. If you'd rather see it raw and cheap, that's what First Look is for.

What You Need to Know

• Show: Particle Fever — a world-premiere musical
• Dates: February 17 – March 21, 2027
• First Look (previews): February 16–21 matinee, at a reduced price
• Where: Mandell Weiss Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093 — on the UC San Diego campus
• The room: a 492-seat proscenium theatre
• Running time: approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, no intermission (the Playhouse notes this is provisional)
• Recommended for ages 12 and up — contains adult themes and some strong language
• Box office: (858) 550-1010

Ways to Pay Less

The Playhouse doesn't publish a standard ticket price for this show, and it warns that "prices will rise as show dates approach." But it runs an unusually deep set of discount programs, and most people don't know about them.

• 30 & Under — $30 all-in ($25 ticket plus a $5 fee), Area 2 seating, promo code CULTUREFIX, limit two.
• Military — $30 all-in, Area 2, limit two, with military ID at Will Call.
• UC San Diego students — $15, Area 2, promo code TRITON, limit two.
• Rush — 50% off for full-time students, active military and seniors 62+. Buy in person, arrive an hour before the performance, two per valid ID.
• Area 3 seats run $30 to $45 all-in, for anyone.
• First Look previews are priced lower than the main run.
• Groups of ten or more save up to 35%.
• UC San Diego faculty and staff get a discount with promo code UCSD.

If you're under 30, that $30 flat rate is the single best theatre deal in the county — a world premiere from a Tony-winning writer for less than a cinema ticket and a drink.

Free Extras Worth Planning Around

• Talkback Tuesdays — March 2 and March 9, after the 7:30 p.m. performance. A discussion with performers and Playhouse staff. For a show about physics, written while it's still being built, this is the one to book.
• Discovery Sunday — March 14, after the 1 p.m. matinee. A moderated discussion with guest speakers.
• Both are free with your ticket — you just have to book the right date.

Access

• ASL-interpreted Access Performance: Saturday, March 6 at 2 p.m. Access performances include ASL interpretation and real-time captioning on individual devices, in a relaxed environment.
• Audio description is available by request, with at least seven business days' notice, by calling (858) 550-1010. It's offered after opening night and not during First Look previews.
• A Sensory Friendly Guide for the Weiss Theatre is published on the Playhouse site.
• A golf cart from the parking structure can be pre-requested on the same number, available from 90 minutes before curtain.
• Patron Services runs Tuesday to Saturday, 12–6 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday — so make access requests midweek.

Getting There and Parking

• Park in the Theatre District Parking Structure, 9135 S Scholars Drive, directly across from the Playhouse.
• Buy parking with your ticket for $6 through the link in your pre-show email — it arrives 24 hours before the performance. Subscribers park free the same way.
• Pay on site and it costs more: $2.25/hour after 5 p.m. and at weekends, to a $9 maximum. Weekdays before 5 p.m. it's $4.50/hour, up to $36 — so a matinee is where this bites.
• Accessible parking is free with a Disabled Person placard or plates.
• Concessions open 60 minutes before curtain — beer, wine, cocktails, soft drinks and snacks. Drinks with lids can come into the theatre; food can't.
• Note the on-site restaurant, James' Place, closed in August 2026, so plan dinner elsewhere.

Why It's Worth the Trip

La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, revived on the UCSD campus in 1983, and won the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1993. Its productions have collected 42 Tony Awards between them. Jessica Stone took over as Artistic Director in November 2025, succeeding Christopher Ashley.

So this is not a fringe experiment. It's a major regional house putting serious resources behind a new musical about particle physics, with a creative team who have Tonys and Emmys on their shelves.

It will either work or it won't, and that's the point of going. La Jolla is where you find out first.

For more of what's on, browse our full event calendar — and if La Jolla is a neighborhood you're curious about, our La Jolla neighborhood guide covers it.