New York theatergoers joyfully returned to Broadway in 2022 after a closure of 18 months. 2023 promises to be even more jubilant. With the many openings scheduled for this spring along with continuing and long-running shows, theatergoers have a robust selection of plays and musicals to enjoy.
How to Keep on Top of Broadway News
Some shows have limited runs. Others are still in previews with official openings planned in time for Tony Award consideration. The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards® on June 11 will take place at Harlem’s historic United Palace Theater. Tickets are available on Telecharge, or watch on CBS, livestream, or on demand at Paramount+.
To keep abreast of theater news, schedules and special deals, sites like The Broadway Collection, The Broadway League, Telecharge, Broadway Box, Playbill and Today Tix are updated regularly.
Download the TKTS app for real-time listings at the Theater Development Organization’s discount, day-of ticket booths at Father Duffy Square just north of Times Square, or at their Lincoln Center location.
Museum of Broadway - HAIR © Darren Cox
For a refresher on everything Broadway, the new Museum of Broadway, just steps from Times Square, is an interactive celebration of the history, behind-the-scenes views and Broadway’s game changers. On display are hundreds of rare costumes, props and artifacts dating from 1732 to today.
Here is the latest roundup of ongoing, new or soon-to-open shows.
A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical © Julieta Cervantes
A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical
A fun jukebox musical for fans of Neil Diamond, A Beautiful Noise follows the singer-songwriter over 50 years from his earliest days in Brooklyn along the path to his astronomical rise as musical superstar. Through the lens of conversations with his therapist, the artist’s trials and successes are illustrated through the Neil Diamond songbook with favorites like “Sweet Caroline,” “America” and “Cracklin’ Rosie.”
Broadhurst Theatre, www.abeautifulnoisethemusical.com
Jessica Chastain from A Dolls House © Giampaolo Sgura
The well-known Henrik Ibsen drama, in a new version by Amy Herzog, stars Academy Award ® winner Jessica Chastain. Shocking when it appeared in the late 1800s, the play is now as relevant as ever. The play’s limited run has been extended through June 4.
Hudson Theatre, www.adollshousebroadway.com
Aladdin - Michael Maliakel & Shoba Narayan © Matthew Murphy
One of two Disney super shows currently on Broadway, Aladdin is celebrating its tenth year. A great introduction to live theater for viewers of all ages, the musical is the consummate tour of adventure mixed with song. You’ll recognize larger-than-life Genie’s “You’ve Never Had a Friend Like Me” and Aladdin’s “I Can Show You The World.”
New Amsterdam Theatre, www.aladdinthemusical.com
& Juliet © Matthew Murphy
Created by the writer of “Schitt’s Creek,” jukebox musical-comedy & Juliet asks the question, what would Juliet do if she reinvented her life without Romeo? Is Romeo totally out of the picture? You’ll have to see this musical to find out. Pop hit after hit (28 in total!) will keep you smiling and rooting for Juliet with anthems like “Since U Been Gone,” “Baby One More Time,” “It’s My Life” and “Roar.” Lorna Courtney is fabulous as the rambunctious Juliet with a fun, unusual pop turn by opera singer Paolo Szot.
Stephen Sondheim Theatre, www.andjulietbroadway.com
Bad Cinderella © Emilio Madrid
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new West End musical about a feisty Cinderella has finally arrived on Broadway. Set in Belleville where everyone is beautiful, Cinderella stands out in more than one way.
Imperial Theatre, www.badcinderella.com
Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ © Julieta Cervantes
With Tony Award-winning choreography by Bob Fosse, Dancin’ returns to Broadway after its original 1978 run. Reimagined for the 21st century, the show is 120 minutes of wall-to-wall dance and songs selected by Fosse.
The Music Box Theatre, https://dancinbway.com
The Book of Mormon © Joan Marcus
Do you love South Park? Then this play-cum-musical is a must for you. A little offensive and a lot crazy, the show irreverently tells the tale of two Mormon missionaries who have been given their first “conversion” assignments far far away from their home towns. It’s hard to believe the show opened over a decade ago – The Book of Mormon won 11 Tony Awards in 2011.
Eugene O’Neill Theatre, www.bookofmormonbroadway.com
Chicago © Jeremy Daniel
Kander and Ebb’s utterly contemporary-feeling musical has been running for over 26 years. No matter how many times you see Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly and their murderous cohorts sing about what landed them in jail, the show is as fresh and sexy as ever. If you can, try to imagine Joel Grey, the original Mr. Cellophane, when you watch the razzle dazzle. The choreography by Bob Fosse is legendary. You’ll be singing “All That Jazz” when you leave the theater.
Ambassador Theatre, www.chicagothemusical.com
Funny Girl © Matthew Murphy
No, it’s not Barbra Streisand on stage in this beloved musical. Tony-nominated actress Lea Michele is perfectly cast as Fanny Brice, marking a return of Funny Girl to Broadway after its debut 60 years ago. The story is an uplifting one: Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side, dreams of life on the stage and succeeds. Tovah Feldshuh plays Fanny’s supportive mother. The book is legendary Broadway, newly revised by Harvey Fierstein. Closes September 3.
August Wilson Theatre, www.funnygirlonbroadway.com
Hadestown with Lillias White © Matthew Murphy
You might want to brush up on your Greek mythology before seeing Hadestown. Winner of the 2019 Tony Award for Best Musical, the unusual, haunting musical by Anaïs Mitchell tells the story of two couples with disparate love themes. Hades rules the underworld from which Persephone escapes each spring to bring forth flowers above. Orpheus is a songwriter in search of the perfect tune who meets Eurydice, a soul lost in other ways. On-stage musicians present a rollicking New Orleans type score perfect for narrator Hermes, currently played by Tony Award winner Lillias White.
Walter Kerr Theatre, www.hadestown.com
Hamilton © Joan Marcus
The show that shattered all records and changed theatrical history is as glorious as ever. Rap, hip hop, ballads, deceit and ambition all mix together in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking musical about the life of Alexander Hamilton. If you didn’t know much about Hamilton and his relationship with Aaron Burr before this play arrived on Broadway or streamed on the Disney Channel, you certainly will by the end of this show. Creative staging, stunning costumes and rapid-fire lyrics add to the show’s brilliance. Hamilton won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Musical and has been playing to packed houses ever since.
Richard Rodgers Theatre, www.hamiltononbroadway.com
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child © Matthew Murphy
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The wizardry is back, now in one extended performance, filled with special effects you might have thought possible only in film. In this latest chapter of E. K. Rowland’s Harry Potter series, your favorite characters have grown up with their own children to worry about. The rest of the Hogwarts entourage is there, too, along with some new characters. See it twice – once from an orchestra seat and once from the mezzanine where you’ll be gifted with a different view of the spectacular set changes and magic. The play won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Play and continues to delight children of all ages into its fifth year.
Lyric Theatre, www.harrypotteronstage.com/us.com
Kimberly Akimbo © Joan Marcus
A touching, bittersweet story about a teenager with a rare ailment, Kimberly Akimbo tells a tale of teen angst mixed with an unusual premise: Kimberly ages at an accelerated pace and has a limited time to live. Played by Victoria Clark who appears as an “elderly” teenager through brilliant acting and vocals, Kimberly encounters a bevy of issues from making friends to family relations. The rest of the cast is hilarious – from her quirky pregnant mother to the very “Jersey” aunt fixated on committing mischief which sometimes lands her in jail. Despite all, happiness prevails.
Booth Theatre, www.kimberlyakimbothemusical.com
Leopoldstadt © Joan Marcus
Originally produced in London, Tom Stoppard’s semi-autobiographical story follows one extended family from pre-Nazi, lavish life in the Leopoldstadt quarter in Vienna in 1899 through the traumas of the holocaust and the Diaspora that follows. The many characters flow in and out, developing and growing through the 50-year span of the drama’s three sections. The 19th play by Stoppard on Broadway, this Olivier Award winner is a masterpiece of theater. Closing July 2.
Longacre Theatre, www.leopoldstadtplay.com
The Lion King © Brinkhoff Mogenburg
The second of Disney’s gargantuan Broadway hits currently running, The Lion King is a visually striking depiction of the story of the animals living in Pride Land. The characters – Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumba — are familiar from the animated movie of the same name. The show’s standout “Circle of Life” song and procession will stay with you long after you’ve left the theatre. Entering its 26th year, The Lion King is a musical you should see more than once. Opened in 1997, The Lion King was the winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1998.
Minskoff Theatre, www.lionking.com
MJ © Matthew Murphy
Popular among Michael Jackson fans worldwide, MJ follows the career of the “King of Pop” while focusing on the making of Jackson’s “Dangerous World” tour. The dancing is spectacular and the songs from the Jackson Five through Michael Jackson’s solo days will have you rocking in your seat. Myles Frost, the first actor to play Michael Jackson in the play won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.
Neil Simon Theatre, www.MJTheMusical.com
Moulin Rouge © Matthew Murphy
An over-the-top, musical interpretation of Baz Luhrmann’s film about decadent literary and nightclub life in Paris, Moulin Rouge is a wondrous romp through the Bohemian lifestyles of its characters. Replete with more than 70 songs that will test your knowledge of pop music, the show rocks with dance, costuming, and superb staging in both the Moulin Rouge and the city beyond. There’s a reason Moulin Rouge won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2020. See it again and again.
Al Hirschfeld Theatre, www.moulinrougemusical.com
Parade © Joan Marcus
Parade moves to Broadway after last year’s successful run at City Center. The story about a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the hills of Georgia turns into a test of faith, humanity, justice and devotion when Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime. Starring Ben Platt. Closes August 6.
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, www.paradebroadway.com
The Phantom of the Opera © Matthew Murphy
No matter if you’ve been mesmerized by this musical once or five times, the chandelier scene will still have you gasping out loud. A thriller about an opera singer and the masked phantom who yearns to be with her, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musically rich Phantom of the Opera has been a perennial favorite since 1988. After several extensions due to popular demand, this is your last chance to see the 1988 Tony winner for Best Musical — it closes April 16.
Majestic Theatre, www.thephantomoftheopera.com
Pictures from Home © Julieta Cervantes
Broadway powerhouses Nathan Lane, Danny Burstein and Zoë Wanamaker star in this three-person based on a visual memoir by photographer Larry Sultan. Lane’s son, played by Burstein, documents the life of his parents through ongoing photographic visits much to the annoyance of his curmudgeonly dad. The issues of growing older, evinced by all characters, with doubts and delusions about self-importance or lack of confidence present a haunting portrait of family life and independence. Closes April 30.
Studio 54, www.picturesfromhomebroadway.com
Six © Joan Marcus
Six is a rocking musical-concert telling the stories of the six wives of Henry VIII. The transplant from the West End will have you repeating the show’s “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” chorus over and over again. Which glitter-studded wife deserved to be the king’s favorite? You’ll have to judge yourself. The pop musical is the 2022 winner of the Tony for the Best Original Score Written for the Theatre.
Brooks Atkinson Theatre, www.SIXonBroadway.com
Some Like It Hot © Marc J Franklin
Do you remember Tony Randall, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe in the award-winning movie of the same name? No matter if you don’t. This is a must-see, very current update of the film about two musicians witness to a mob hit in gangster-infested Chicago. Forced to take on a disguises as females to join an all-girl band led by the feisty Sweet Sue, Joe/Josephine and Jerry/Daphne travel cross-country where confusion reigns supreme as unexpected love interests intrude. Christian Borle J. Harrison Ghee are perfect comic foils who tap dance and sing their way through this madcap tale. Adrianna Hicks is superb as Sugar. With sets as vibrant and flawless as the choreography, this musical is a sure-bet for a Tony Award.
Shubert Theatre, https://somelikeithotmusical.com
Wicked © Joan Marcus
Who doesn’t love the Wizard of Oz? Wicked takes another look at the Man Behind the Curtain story in a prequel about two school chums who grow up to be Glinda the Good Witch and gloriously green Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. It’s a good time to see the show again and refresh your memory – another retelling of the original story; The Wiz is scheduled for the yellow brick road early next year.
Gershwin Theatre, www.wickedthemusical.com
March
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street © Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The newest version of beloved Stephen Sondheim musical about the “demon barber of Fleet Street” stars Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford.
Lunt-Fontanne Theatrehttps://sweeneytoddbroadway.com
Life of PI © Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Originally from the West End and based on the beloved book (and movie) by Yann Martel, the Olivier Award-winning story of survival tells the saga of a cargo ship sinking in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a boy named Pi left stranded with a tiger.
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, www.lifeofpibway.com
April
Shucked © Emilio Madrid
What do you get when you pair a semi-neurotic, New York comedy writer with two music superstars from Nashville? A hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans everywhere can’t get enough of: corn.
Nederlander Theatre,www.shuckedmusical.com
CAMELOT © Joan Marcus
Lincoln Center’s updated take on the beloved Lerner & Lowe classic features your favorite characters, King Arthur, Queen Guenevere and Sir Lancelot. Who will ever forget, “Camelot” or “If Ever I Would Leave You?” If you’re not familiar with them, now’s your chance. Philippa Soo plays Guenevere.
Vivian Beaumont Theater, https://www.lct.org/shows/camelot/
Peter Pan Goes Wrong © Jeremy Daniel
The Original Mischief Company arrives for 16 ½ weeks to show off what happens when they try to produce a version of the Wendy and Peter story. From the creators of The Play That Goes Wrong, the show is filled with acrobatics, nonsense, and farce.
Ethel Barrymore Theatre, www.pangoeswrongbway.com
Fat Ham © Joan Marcus
The Pulitzer Prize winning drama about Black masculinity and queerness is based loosely on Hamlet. Through June 25.
American Airlines Theatre, www.fathambroadway.com
Courtesy The Thanksgiving Play
When a troupe of well-meaning theater artists attempt to put on a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving school pageant, things get messy. The Thanksgiving Play skewers everything right, wrong and woke in America.
Helen Hayes Theatre,www.2st.com
New York New York © Paul Kohlnik
Set in 1946, New York, New York follows the lives of artists and dreamers in a resurgent New York, set to a playlist of new songs and big band classics. Music and lyrics by the talented team of Kander and Ebb, with additional lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
St. James Theatre, www.newyorknewyorkbroadway.com
Good Night, Oscar © Liz Lauren
Jack Paar hosts shockingly funny character actor and pianist Oscar Levant on The Tonight Show. What transpires will provide late-night show fodder for generations to come. The limited engagement stars Sean Hayes through August 27.
Belasco Theatre,www.goodnightoscar.com
Prima Facie - Jodie Comer © Helen-Murray
The legal drama export from the West End with themes of sexual violence stars Jodie Comer as a defense attorney.
Golden Theatre, https://primafacieplay.com/broadway/
June
Once Upon a One More Time © Emilio Madrid
An original musical featuring Britney Spears’ anthems “Oops I Did It Again,” “Toxic” and more. The story “flips the script” on favorite fairytale icons Cinderella, Snow White, Little Mermaid who meet up for their book club.
Marquis Theatre, https://onemoretimemusical.com
July
Immersive musical Here Lies Love has guests following actors and dancing through an innovative stage set-up. Based on the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution of the Philippines, Here Lies Love features music by Grammy/Oscar/Tony winner David Byrne and Grammy winner Fatboy Slim. The musical was originally staged at the Public Theater in 2013.
Broadway Theatre, www.herelieslovebroadway.com
TBD
Back to the Future Roger Bart as Doc Brown © Sean Ebsworth Barnes in London production
Back to the Future: The Musical
Playing concurrently in London, Back to the Future: The Musical is the theatrical version of the classic Michael J. Fox film. Teenager Marty McFly is sent back to 1955 in a DeLorean transformed into a time machine by his friend Doc Brown. To return to the present (or the future as it were), Marty must make sure his teenaged parents fall in love.
Winter Garden Theatre, www.backtothefuturemusical.com/newyork.com
Courtesy Summer, 1976
Emmy-winner Laura Linney stars in this story of two women living in the time of the Bicentennial. One is an artist and single mother, the other is a housewife with visions of independence. Written by David Auburn, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for the play Proof.
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com
Merrily We Roll Along
A revival of Stephen Sondheim’s celebrated musical starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez.
Hudson Theatre
