If you’re visiting New York this summer and looking for sources of entertainment, Broadway has you covered.
At least 18 shows are opening in March and April in preparation for the Tony Awards on June 8. These upcoming productions feature Broadway originals and newcomers, celebrities, and “stars-to-be.” From plays to musicals to revues, here’s a list of shows to check out in the city this summer!
- Glengarry glen ross
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David Mamet’s classic play returns to Broadway for the fourth time at the Palace Theatre. Tony-winning director Patrick Marber (Leopoldstadt) directs this production, with TV and film stars Kieran Culkin (Succession, A Real Pain), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Little Women), and Bill Burr (Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian) leading the cast as Richard Roma, Shelly Levene, and Dave Moss, respectively.
Glengarry Glen Ross follows a group of cutthroat salesmen as they strive to become the best sellers in the office. When someone robs the office, the men stop at nothing to ensure their authority, no matter the ethics or cost. Mamet’s play famously explores toxic masculinity, capitalism, and the notion of success.
You can catch this production at the Palace from March 31 to June 14.
- Boop! The Betty Boop musical
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One of the most beloved cartoon characters makes her Broadway debut at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 5. With rave reviews from its out-of-town tryout in Chicago, BOOP! features direction and choreography from Tony-winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde) and a book by Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).
26-year-old Jasmine Amy Rogers makes her Broadway debut playing Betty Boop. She’s already earning critical and audience praise from the show’s previews, with many citing her triple-threat talent and accuracy to the character. The show follows Betty as she ventures into New York City from her black-and-white cartoon world.
Faith Prince (Guys and Dolls), Ainsley Melham (Aladdin), and Angelica Hale (America’s Got Talent) also star in Mitchell’s production. BOOP! officially opens on April 5 at the Broadhurst.
- John Proctor is the villain
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If you’ve ever read Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in high school and interpreted its plot through a modern lens, you’ve lived the plot of John Proctor is the Villain in real life! Kimberly Bellflower’s new play is set in a contemporary high school classroom, where students protest their teacher’s perspective of Miller’s play. They fight for their right to take their own path in life.
The play debuts on Broadway with direction from Tony-winner Danya Taymor (The Outsiders). Broadway alum Sadie Sink (Stranger Things, The Whale) stars as Shelby Holcomb, one of the students in Bellflower’s class. The play opens April 14 at the Booth Theatre.
- Steven Sondheim’s old friends
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After its hit run in the West End, Matthew Bourne and Julia McKenzie’s musical revue comes to Broadway this spring. The concert is a tribute to the iconic composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who passed in 2021. More than 40 of Sondheim’s songs are featured in musicals like Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along, Company, and West Side Story.
Tony winners and industry legends Bernadette Peters (Sunday in the Park with George, the 1982 film of Annie, Into the Woods) and Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Mulan, the 1992 film of Aladdin) headline the revue. Broadway stars Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone, The Prom), Gavin Lee (Mary Poppins, The Spongebob Musical), and Kyle Selig (Mean Girls: The Musical, Water for Elephants) join Peters and Salonga, among others.
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends opens at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on April 8.
- Floyd collins
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Originally opening off-Broadway in 1996, Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza, Days of Wine and Roses) and Tina Landau’s (The Spongebob Musical, Redwood) musical arrives on Broadway this season. The production stars Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, The Great Gatsby), Jason Gotay (Bring It On!), Marc Kudisch (Thoroughly Modern Millie), and indie folk musician, Lizzy McAlpine.
Floyd Collins tells the true story of cave explorer Floyd Collins and the media frenzy after his entrapment underground. The musical follows Collins, his family, and the press as they attempt to save him from his cave.
Presented by the Lincoln Center, the musical opens at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on April 21.
- The picture of Dorian Gray
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Oscar Wilde’s famous novel comes to the Broadway stage after a successful run in the West End. Written and directed by Kip Williams, Wilde’s story of beauty and society is told as a one-woman show performed by Emmy-winner Sarah Snook (Succession).
Snook won an Olivier Award last for her performance as 26 characters in this production. The production combines both theatrical and video elements to make the transitions between characters cohesive.
The Picture of Dorian Gray plays a limited engagement at the Music Box Theatre, opening March 27.
- just in time
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Just In Time tells the life of Bobby Darin, the famous jazz singer with hits like “Beyond the Sea,” “Mack the Knife,” and “Splish Splash.” Developed and directed by Tony-winner Alex Timbers (Beetlejuice, Oh, Hello! On Broadway), the musical stars Broadway icon Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Glee), fresh off his Tony win for Best Actor in a Musical in Merrily We Roll Along.
Playing at the Circle in the Square Theatre, the house will transform into a nightclub with a large jazz band. Joining Groff are Joe Barbara (A Bronx Tale), Emily Bergl (You, Gilmore Girls), and Erika Henningsen (Mean Girls: The Musical, Hazbin Hotel).
Timbers’ production opens on April 23.
- pirates! The Penzance musical
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Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic comic opera returns to Broadway this spring for the first time in over 40 years. Tony-winner Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) adapted Sullivan’s classical score to New Orleans jazz and blues, a fresh take on Victorian-era music.
The musical stars Ramin Karimloo (The Phantom of the Opera, Anastasia), Jinkx Monsoon (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Chicago), and David Hyde Pierce (Spamalot, Here We Are). The story follows Nicholas, an apprentice to a band of pirates, who falls in love with the daughter of a major general. After completing his apprenticeship, he unwillingly joins the pirates after learning his leap-year birthday prolongs his sentence.
Presented by Roundabout Theatre, Pirates! opens April 24 at the Todd Haimes Theatre.
If you’re planning a NYC trip this summer, consider seeing one (or all) of these must-see shows. If you’re not planning a NYC trip this summer, I suggest you figure it out — these shows aren’t ones to miss!