Broadway Shows SIX. Photo credit Joan Marcus

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The new 2024 season is filled with performances by powerhouse women as well as shows about women. In what might be considered a “who’s who” of top female stars, plays and musicals currently running or soon to open feature Broadway royalty including Sutton Foster, Audra McDonald, Andrea Martin, Ruthie Ann Miles and Patti Lupone. Look for Kristen Chenowith, Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga and Idina Menzel to return in 2025.

Last year saw a record-breaking number of openings prior to the Tonys in June. This year promises an equally robust line-up of new productions as well as re-mounts of familiar titles.

With so many closings and openings planned (and unplanned), a good way to stay current is to sign up for newsletters and ticket offers from sites like www.broadway.org, The Broadway League’s official online info site; www.telecharge.com; www.broadwaybox.com; and www.todaytix.com .

Another great resource is the TKTS app for real-time listings at the Theater Development Organization’s discount, day-of ticket booth at Father Duffy Square just north of Times Square, or at their Lincoln Center location.

Here is the latest roundup of ongoing, new or soon-to-open Broadway shows. Plus, some Off-Broadway faves.

Don’t Miss These Multiple Tony Award Winners

Hell’s Kitchen

Hells Kitchen.
Hells Kitchen. Photo credit Joan Marcus

Alicia Keys’ semi-autobiographical jukebox musical had a sold-out run Off-Broadway at the Public Theater and continues to draw in young and old audiences at its new home on Broadway. Hell’s Kitchen reveals the singer-songwriter’s teenage challenges living in Hell’s Kitchen in the ’90s with her divorced and overbearing mother, played by Shoshana Bean.

Ali shows her spirit and develops her musical prowess through a relationship with a surprising mentor and an older beau. Music and lyrics are by Alicia Keys. Maleah Joi Moon won the 2024 Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. Kecia Lewis won her Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.

Shubert Theatre, www.hellskitchen.com

The Outsiders

The Outsiders - Drive In
The Outsiders – Drive In. Photo by Matthew Murphy

A musical adaptation of the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola movie about hard living in 1967 Tulsa, Oklahoma, The Outsiders pits Greasers Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade and their friends-family of “outsiders” against the entitled Socs and the girl who tries to cross the line. Heroism is brought to life through dramatic sets, staging and a strong songbook. 2024 Tony winner for Best Musical.

Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, www.outsidersmusical.com

Stereophonic

The cast of Titanique
The cast of Titanique_credit_Emilio Madrid

The making of a new album is the storyline for this 2024 Tony winner for Best Play. Musical drama, stress, personal disputes and delays ensue as roles shift. Will the album be released before the band breaks up? Will Brill won the 2024 Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play.

Golden Theatre, www.stereophonicplay.com

Current Broadway Favorites

& Juliet

Broadway NYC & Juliet
& Juliet. Image credit Matthew Murphy

Created by the writer of “Schitt’s Creek,” the 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.” Maya Boyd is the rambunctious Juliet accompanied by opera singer Paulo Szot in a fun, unusual pop turn.

Stephen Sondheim Theatre, www.andjulietbroadway.com

Aladdin

Aladdin Michael-Maliakel-Aladdin-and-Shoba-Narayan-Jasmine
Aladdin Michael Maliakel Aladdin and Shoba Narayan Jasmine. Image credit Matthew Murphy

One of two Disney blockbusters currently on Broadway, Aladdin is now in its eleventh magical year. A great introduction to live theater for audiences of all ages, the musical is a magic-carpet 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  

Back to the Future: The Musical

Casey Likes, Roger Bart and Clock Tower in Back to the Future
Casey Likes, Roger Bart and Clock Tower in Back to the Future – Photo by Hugo Glendinning

Playing concurrently in London (where it won an Olivier Award), Back to the Future: The Musical is the stage version of the 1985 Michael J. Fox film. In cahoots with his friend Doc Brown, played to over-the-top perfection by Roger Bart, teenager Marty McFly travels back to 1955 in a full-size DeLorean that has been turned into a time machine.

Winter Garden Theatre, www.backtothefuturemusical.com/new-york/

The Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon
Book of Morman Chris O’Neill. Image credit 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 Book of Mormon irreverently tells the tale of two Mormon missionaries who have been given their first “conversion” assignments far far away from their hometowns. It’s hard to believe the show opened nearly 15 years ago. The Book of Mormon won nine Tony Awards in 2011.

Eugene O’Neill Theatre, www.bookofmormonbroadway.com  

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Adam Lambert and AuliiCravalho in the KitKat Club
Adam Lambert and AuliiCravalho in the KitKat Club by GinaManning

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club is another transplant from the West End to Broadway. Concurrently playing in both the US and the UK, the immersive re-imagining of Kander & Ebb’s classic musical creates club life in Berlin during Nazi Germany with nightclub spaces, tables, and pre-show entertainment and cocktails. For the full experience, “guests” at the Kit Kat Club can pre-reserve Champagne and dinner at their tables.

August Wilson Theatre, https://kitkat.club/cabaret-broadway/

Chicago

CHICAGO Production
CHICAGO Production. Photo credit Jeremy Daniel

Kander and Ebb’s fabulous, utterly contemporary-feeling musical has been running for more than 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 

The Great Gatsby

The cast of The Great Gatsby
The cast of The Great Gatsby (c) Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

You’ve probably read the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald about 1920s millionaire Jay Gatsby. The lush musical follows Gatsby’s pursuit of his lost love, Daisy Buchanan, with an elaborate score and production that befits the time period.

Broadway Theatre, www.broadwaygatsby.com 

Hadestown 

Broadway 2024
HADESTOWN credit EVAN_ZIMMERMAN

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, a songwriter in search of the perfect tune, meets Eurydice, a soul lost in other ways. On-stage musicians present a rollicking New Orleans-type score perfect for the narrator, Hermes.

Walter Kerr Theatre, www.hadestown.com

Hamilton

HAMILTON Company
HAMILTON Company – (c) Joan Marcus.

The show that shattered all records and changed theatrical history is as glorious and relevant as ever. Rap, hip hop, ballads, deceit and ambition all mix in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genre-breaking 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 as well as a Grammy and an Olivier Award and has been playing to packed houses ever since its transfer from Off-Broadway’s Public Theater.

Richard Rodgers Theatre, www.hamiltononbroadway.com 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Image credit Matthew Murphy

The wizardry shines on Broadway 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 seventh year.

Lyric Theatre, www.harrypotteronstage.com/us.com 

JOB

JOB on Broadway
JOB credit Emilio Madrid

Re-located uptown from its twice-extended, sold-out run Off-Off Broadway, this psychological thriller has surprising twists to keep both the actors and the audience on their toes. The story centers on a Gen Z techie who has lost her job after a viral video scandal and her interaction with a crisis therapist who also has an involvement with the Internet. Limited run through September 29.

Hayes Theatre, www.jobtheplay.com

The Lion King

Lion King on Broadway NYC
The Lion King Circle of Life Cheetah and Giraffes. Image credit Joan Marcus

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. The Lion King opened in 1997 and was the winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1998.

Minskoff Theatre, www.lionking.com 

MJ the Musical

Elijah Rhea Johnson as MJ
Elijah Rhea Johnson as MJ by 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 1992 “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. 

Neil Simon Theatre, www.MJTheMusical.com  

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Moulin Rouge the Musical
Moulin Rouge the Musical. Photo credit 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, outré costumes, 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 

The Notebook

A musical adaptation of the popular novel and film, The Notebook traces the enduring power of love between young Allie and Noah, and older Allie and Noah.

Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, www.notebookmusical.com

Oh, Mary!

The hardest ticket to get Off-Broadway is well on track to being the hardest ticket to get on Broadway. Cole Escola’s campy, hilarious play portrays the life of Mary Todd Lincoln through her desired lens as a cabaret singer just prior to the assassination of her famous husband. An outrageous rewrite of history, the play stars Escola as the boozy, unstable First Lady. Limited run through November 10.

Lyceum Theatre, www.ohmaryplay.com

Once Upon A Mattress

Once Upon A Mattress
Once Upon A Mattress credit Joan Marcus

From its near-perfection run at City Center Encores! and now on Broadway, this revival of Once Upon A Mattress is certain to sell out from the star power of Sutton Foster. Foster shows her comedic (and musical) chops as Princess Winnifred, a free spirit who meets up with a prince played by the equally wonderful Michael Urie.

Hearing Sutton sing “Shy” is what Broadway legends are made of. The musical is a riff on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea.” Limited run through November 30.

Hudson Theatre, www.onceuponamattress.com

SIX

SIX cast
SIX. Photo credit Joan Marcus

SIX rocks the theater with a musical concert-play that sings the stories of the six wives of Henry VIII. Which glitter-studded wife deserved to be the king’s favorite? You’ll have to judge yourself.

The pop musical was the 2022 winner of the Tony for the Best Original Score Written for the Theatre. The transplant from the West End will have you repeating the show’s “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” chorus over and over again. 

Brooks Atkinson Theatre, www.SIXonBroadway.com

Suffs

Anastacia McCleskey Laila Erica Drew and Nikki M. James in Suffs
Anastacia McCleskey Laila Erica Drew and Nikki M. James in Suffs – Photo by Joan Marcus

2024 Tony winner for Best Original Score, Suffs explores the suffrage movement in 1913 for women’s rights. Led with power and commitment by suffragettes or “Suffs,” the fight to vote is a musical with themes that continue to present.

Music Box Theatre, www.suffsmusical.com

Water for Elephants

The cast of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS
The cast of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS – Photo by Matthew Murphy

Life in the circus with a mix of acrobatics, song and story is the subject of this new musical about a traveling company and its crew. Narrative from an older version of one of the members is contrasted with his experiences as a younger participant.

Imperial Theatre, www.waterforelephantsthemusical.com

Wicked

Rachel Tucker and the Company of WICKED
Rachel Tucker and the Company of WICKED. Image Credit Joan Marcus

Who doesn’t love the Wizard of Oz? Now celebrating more than 25 years on Broadway, Wicked takes another look at the Man Behind the Curtain story in a prequel about two school chums who grow up to be popular 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 – the movie version is coming out soon.

Gershwin Theatre, www.wickedthemusical.com 

Coming Soon

The Roommate

Opening September 12 with a limited run through December 15. The new comedy starring Patti Lupone and Mia Farrow feels like The Odd Couple, female-style. Take a Midwestern divorcee and pair her with a native New Yorker and you have the makings of a play with a surprising twist.

Booth Theatre, https://theroommatebway.com/

McNeal

Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play McNeal stars Robert Downey Jr. as a writer with an estranged son and a fascination with AI. Lincoln Center’s new production also features Tony winners Andrea Martin and Ruthie Ann Miles. Opening September 30 with a limited run through November 11.

Vivian Beaumont Theater, https://www.lct.org/shows/mcneal/

The Hills of California 

Summer, 1970s brings three of the four singing Webb sisters together in their childhood home in England to be with their dying mother. Opening September 29.

Broadhurst Theatre, www.thehillsofcalifornia.com

Yellow Face

David Henry Hwang’s comedy about race confusion and complexity comes to the Roundabout Theatre. Opening October 1 with a limited run through November 24.

Todd Haimes Theatre, www.roundabouttheatre.org

Our Town

Opening October 10, a new production of Thornton Wilder’s drama about life in a fictional town in New Hampshire with Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes. Limited run through January 19, 2025.

Ethel Barrymore Theatre, www.ourtownbroadway.com 

Left on Tenth

A romantic comedy about novelist Delia Ephron with a connection from her past starring Juliana Margulies and Peter Gallagher. Opens October 23.

Earl Jones Theatre, www.leftontenthbroadway.com

Romeo + Juliet

The familiar Shakespearean drama opens October 24 at Circle in the Square.

Circle in the Square Theatre, www.romeoandjulietnyc.com

Sunset Boulevard

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical returns to Broadway. The story, based on the 1950 film, focuses on Norma Desmond, a fading movie star who wishes to revive her career with the help of screenwriter Joe Gills. Yes, we’re ready for your close-up, Norma. Opens October 20.

St. James Theatre, www.sunsetblvdbroadway.com

Maybe Happy Ending

Two retired robots called HelperBots meet in this musical with a surprising, evolving relationship. Stars Darren Cris and opens November 12.

Belasco Theatre, www.maybehappyending.com

A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical

The story of trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong takes center stage from the perspective of his four wives with Tony award-winner James Monroe Iglehart. Opens November 14.

Studio 54, https://www.louisarmstrongmusical.com/

Tammy Faye

The much-delayed Broadway production of the Tammy Faye musical about the lives of evangelist Jim Bakker and his wife opens November 14. A transplant from the West End, Tammy Faye features a score by Elton John and Tony award-winners Christian Borle and Michael Cerveris.

Palace Theatre, www.tammyfayebway.com

Death Becomes Her

A musical comedy version of the popular 1992 movie, Death Becomes Her pits “frenemies” against each other in a story of revenge and mystery. Starring Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard and Michelle Williams. Opens November 21.

Lunt-Fontaine Theatre, https://deathbecomesher.com/

Swept Away

Adrian Blake Enscoe and the Company of SWEPT AWAY.
Adrian Blake Enscoe and the Company of SWEPT AWAY. Photo by Julieta Cervantes

Opening November 19, a new musical about the lengths four men will go to in order to stay alive after a storm sinks their whaling ship.

Longacre Theatre, www.sweptawaymusical.com

Eureka Day

A timely play about values and inclusion, Eureka Day is about a California school faced with challenges and hard decisions when an epidemic breaks out. Opens December 16.

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/

Gypsy

A revival of Stephen Sondheim’s beloved musical, Gypsy features Audra McDonald in the lead role as Rose, the stage mother pushing for her daughter’s fame. Opens December 19.

Majestic Theatre, https://gypsybway.com/

Cult of Love

Reminiscent of other family get-together plays like Appropriate and The Thanksgiving Play but very different, the holiday reunion of the extended Dahl family brings up conflicts in the place of Christmas cheer. Opens December 21.

Helen Hayes Theatre, https://2st.com/shows/season-46

Off-Broadway

Blue Man Group

No plot, dialogue, or ripped-from-headlines drama, just a romp and a half orchestrated by three blue-hued alien dudes. This long-running Off-Broadway show and international sensation combine music, paint drums, snacks, high-tech hijinks and unpredictable physical comedy. 

Astor Place Theatre, https://www.blueman.com/

Friends! The Musical Parody 

The unauthorized comedic musical that lovingly pokes fun at TV’s Friends celebrates the adventures of Ross, Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey and Chandler as they navigate the pitfalls of work, life and love in 1990s Manhattan. The show recreates favorite moments from all 10 seasons of the iconic sitcom through an uncensored, fast-paced, music-filled romp. 

Jerry Orbach Theater, https://www.friendsoffbroadway.com/

Gazillion Bubble Show 

A family phenom for your family from the Yang family of bubble virtuosos. “We are so thrilled to be bringing bubbles back to the stage and smiles to our audiences,” says master bubble maker Melody Yang. 

New World Stages, https://gazillionbubbleshow.com/  

Little Shop of Horrors 

The wildly acclaimed Tony-winning musical revival is now a long-running Off-Broadway hit. The story follows a hapless flower shop employee, Seymour, who finds himself trapped under the blood-thirsty fronds of the plant he’s named Audrey II after the girl of his dreams.

West Side Theatre, https://littleshopnyc.com/

The Play That Goes Wrong 

A madcap hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes, this award-winning comedy is bringing down the house—literally—Off-Broadway. It’s opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor where an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything are only some of the hilarious mishaps. Extended. 

New World Stages, https://broadwaygoeswrong.com/

Titanique

The cast of Titanique
The cast of Titanique_credit_Emilio Madrid

A musical celebration that turns one of the greatest love stories of all time into a hysterical and joyful slay-fest. Want to find out what really happened to Jack and Rose on that fateful night? Leave it to Céline Dion to casually hijack a Titanic Museum tour and enchant the audience with her totally wild take, recharting the course of Titanic’s beloved moments and characters with her iconic song catalog. There’s a reason this show has been extended again and again.

Daryl Roth Theatre, https://titaniquemusical.com/

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show 

Children and families are invited to be part of author Eric Carle’s beautifully imagined stories as they come to life at this very special theatrical event. Featuring 75 enchanting puppets and audience participation, the play invites young theatergoers to take a photo with the star of the show: The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

DR2 Theatre, https://hungrycaterpillarshow.com

Author Bio: Traveling has given Meryl Pearlstein a chance to “live” all over the world, something she’s always longed to do. A member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), Meryl is the author of Fodor’s Family: New York City with Kids and a contributor to Splash Magazines, Gayot, TravelAwaits and Real Food Traveler. Meryl’s blog, Travel and Food Notes, www.travelandfoodnotes.com, is a lively companion to her column on www.AllNY.com. Follow her on social media @merylpearlstein.

Meryl Pearlstein

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