Curtain up! Here are the plays, musicals opening soon on Broadway

Bill Canacci, Liz Johnson and Ilana Keller, NorthJersey.com
·9 min read
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Start spreading the news, the spring Broadway season is underway, with 17 shows opening through Thursday, April 27.

There are some big productions coming, including "New York, New York," inspired by the MGM movie, featuring music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. The movie, starring Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro, was a box office bomb. Will the musical be a hit? The show has certainly spent money advertising on TV.

Others to watch for include a Stephen Sondheim revival, a new musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and a critically acclaimed work that reinvents a Shakespeare masterpiece.

The 76th annual Tony Awards take place Sunday, June 11, at the historic United Palace in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. Nominees will be announced on Tuesday, May 2.

Here's a look at what's new on the Great Bright Way:

On with the shows!

Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as Lucille Frank in "Parade," opening Thursday, March 16, on Broadway.
Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as Lucille Frank in "Parade," opening Thursday, March 16, on Broadway.

Pictures From Home: Based on the landmark photo memoir by Larry Sultan, Nathan Lane, Zoë Wanamaker and Danny Burstein star in this play by award-winning director Bartlett Sher. Press materials say the show evokes memories of childhood, parenthood, and the hard-won wisdom that comes with both. Runs through Sunday, April 30, Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St. Tickets start at $65; 833-274-8497, picturesfromhomebroadway.com.

A Doll's House: Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain stars in this reinvention of Henrik Ibsen’s 19th-century classic tale. Adapted by Amy Herzog, this new production aims to make freshly relevant a story that shocked audiences and brought forth a new era of theater. Runs through Sunday, June 4, Hudson Theatre, 141 W. 44th St. Tickets start at $70; 855-801-5876, thehudsonbroadway.com.

Parade: Life imitated art on Tuesday, Feb. 21, when the Broadway musical "Parade," about a notorious antisemitic incident of 1915, provoked antisemitic demonstrations outside the theater where the show was having its first preview. Needless to say, the show goes on. Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond play Leo and Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice and devotion. Runs through Sunday, Aug. 6, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W. 45th St. Tickets start at $74; 212-239-6200, paradebroadway.com.

"Bob Fosse's Dancin' " opens March 19 on Broadway.
"Bob Fosse's Dancin' " opens March 19 on Broadway.

Bob Fosse's Dancin': A full-throated, full-bodied celebration of dancers and dancing, this Tony Award-winning show has been reimagined for the 21st century. Featuring 120 minutes of wall-to-wall dance, "Dancin' " is directed by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento, one of the stars of the original Broadway production. The show first opened on March 27, 1978, running for 1,774 performances. It won two Tony Awards, including Best Choreography. Opens Sunday, March 19, Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St. Tickets start at $104; 212-239-6200, dancinbway.com.

Bad Cinderella: In the kingdom of Belleville, the fields are idyllic, the prince is charming, and the townsfolk are ravishing. Only one stubborn peasant stands in the way of absolute perfection: Cinderella. To the flawless residents and royals of Belleville, this damsel IS the distress. This new show, direct from London, features music from Andrew Lloyd Webber. Will it play for 35 years like "Phantom"? How about 18 years like "Cats"? Opens Thursday, March 23, Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 45th St. Tickets start at $74; 212-239-6200, badcinderellabroadway.

Sweeney Todd: For the first time since 1980, Broadway audiences will experience Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning score as it was performed in the original production, with a 26-player orchestra. Tony Award-winning director Thomas Kail ("Hamilton") helms the return of this musical thriller starring Tony and Grammy nominee Josh Groban, and Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford as Mrs. Lovett. Also in the show is Little Egg Harbor native Gaten Matarazzo. Opening Sunday, March 26, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St. Tickets start at $89; 877-250-2929 or or sweeneytoddbroadway.com.

A scene from the London production of "Life of Pi."
A scene from the London production of "Life of Pi."

Life of Pi: Based on the popular novel, get ready for an epic journey of endurance and hope. After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, a 16-year-old boy named Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them. Nature is harsh. Who will survive? Opens Thursday, March 30, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th St. Tickets start at $49; 212-239-6200, lifeofpibway.com.

Shucked: A better example of our divided nation would be hard to come by: a neurotic New York comedy writer and two country music superstars. Throw in a farm and America’s favorite vegetable — corn — and you have a musical comedy about how tearing down, rather than putting up, walls could be the best way to preserve our way of life. Opens Tuesday, April 4, Nederlander Theatre’s 208 W. 41st St. Tickets start at $59; 212-921-8000 o shuckedmusical.com.

Fat Ham: The Hamlet of this play is "Juicy," a queer undergrad of color (Marcel Spears) whose family barbecue in North Carolina is a fraught affair because — see if this rings a bell — his uncle happens to have murdered his father and married his mother. "Fat Ham" got attention, and rave reviews, when it ran in Philadelphia and then off-Broadway at the Public Theater. In 2022, it took home a Pulitzer Prize. Now in previews, it opens Wednesday, April 12, American Airlines Theatre, 227 W. 42nd St. Tickets start at $79; 833-274-8497 or fathambroadway.com.

Lerner & Loewe's Camelot: A fresh take on the classic tale, featuring a book by Academy- and Emmy-winning writer Aaron Sorkin, based on the original book by Alan Jay Lerner, the music of Lerner and Frederick Loewe, and direction by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher. The musical featuring King Arthur, Queen Guenevere and Sir Lancelot is about the quest for democracy, the striving for justice, and the tragic struggles between passion and aspiration, lovers and kingdoms. Opens Thursday, April 13, Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater, 150 W. 65th St. Tickets start at $39; 212-239-6200, CamelotBway.com.

Annaleigh Ashford stars in the revival of "Sweeney Todd."
Annaleigh Ashford stars in the revival of "Sweeney Todd."

Peter Pan Goes Wrong: This international sensation from Mischief (the gang behind "The Play That Goes Wrong") is a highly physical comedy "packed with finely-tuned and inspired slapstick, delivered with split-second timing and ambitious daring." The play sees the Cornley Drama Society back on stage battling technical hitches, flying mishaps and cast disputes as they attempt to present J.M Barrie’s much-loved tale. But will they ever make it to Neverland? Previews begin Friday, March 17, opens Wednesday, April 19, closes Sunday, July 9, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th St. Tickets start at $84; 212-239-6200, pangoeswrongbway.com.

The Thanksgiving Play: When a troupe of well-meaning theater artists attempt to put on a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving school pageant, things get messy. "This delicious play skewers everything right, wrong and woke in America," a news release states. Directed by Tony Award-winner Rachel Chavkin, the show stars D’Arcy Carden, two-time Tony winner Katie Finneran, Scott Foley and two-time Emmy Award nominee Chris Sullivan. Previews begin Saturday, March 25, opens Thursday, April 20, closes Sunday, June 4, Second Stage's Hayes Theatre, 240 W. 44th St. Tickets start at $39. 212-541-4516, 2st.com.

Prima Facie: In this one-woman play, a superstar attorney's clients are men accused of sexual assault. But an unexpected event makes her examine her role, and that of the legal system. Jodie Comer, the Emmy and Bafta Award-winning star of TV’s "Killing Eve" makes her Broadway debut after a sold-out run in London. Previews begin Tuesday, April 11, opens Saturday, April 23, closes Sunday, June 18, Golden Theatre, 252 W. 45th St. Tickets start at $22; 212-239-6200, primafacieplay.com.

Good Night, Oscar: Sean Hayes returns to Broadway in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright’s new play. It’s 1958 and Jack Paar is hosting “The Tonight Show.” He’s booked his favorite guest, a pundit as hilarious as he is unpredictable: Oscar Levant, who once famously proclaimed, “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity, and I have erased that line.” Previews begin Friday, April 7, opens Monday, April 24, closes Sunday, Aug. 27, Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th St. Tickets start at $109; 212-239-6200, goodnightoscar.com.

Colton Ryan and Anna Uzele star in "New York, New York."
Colton Ryan and Anna Uzele star in "New York, New York."

Summer, 1976: Starring Laura Linney, this world premiere by Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn is about connection, memories, and the small moments that can change the course of our lives. Over one fateful summer, an unlikely friendship develops between Diana, a fiercely iconoclastic artist and single mom, and Alice, a free-spirited yet naive young housewife. As the Bicentennial is celebrated across the U.S., these two young women in Ohio navigate motherhood, ambition and intimacy. Previews begin Tuesday, April 4, opens Tuesday, April 25, closes Sunday, May 28, Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th St. Tickets start at $84; 212-239-6200, manhattantheatreclub.com.

New York, New York: Inspired by the MGM movie, the musical features music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and additional lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It is 1946, the war is over, and a resurgent Big Apple is beginning to rebuild. As steel beams swing overhead, a collection of artists has dreams as big and diverse as the city itself. Among them is New York native Jimmy Doyle, a musician looking for his “major chord” in life: music, money, love. The odds are against him getting all three until he meets a young singer just off the bus from Philly, who is destined for greatness. Previews begin Friday, March 24, opens Wednesday, April 26, St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44th St. Tickets start at $59; 888-985-9421, newyorknewyorkbroadway.com.

The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window: Welcome to 1960s Greenwich Village, where loudly proclaimed progressive dreams wage war with reality. This razor-sharp tragi-comical satire invites us into the apartment of Sidney and Iris Brustein, and the diverse and passionate social circle that inhabits it. This sold-out and highly acclaimed BAM production of Lorraine Hansberry’s play stars Oscar Isaac (making his Broadway debut) and Rachel Brosnahan, Limited engagement will begin performances on Tuesday, April 25, opens Thursday, April 27, James Earl Jones Theatre, 138 W. 48th St. Ticket prices not available yet; 212-239-6200, thesignonbroadway.com.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Broadway: plays and musicals opening soon in New York