Best Broadway Plays

An Enemy of the People: This revival of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play is newly adapted by Amy Herzog and runs at the Circle in the Square Theatre starring Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli. Strong plays a doctor who must go up against the establishment – and his own brother (Imperioli) – when he discovers something that could put everyone in town at risk. The New York Times called it “crackling and persuasive…[with] a uniformly excellent cast.”

Appropriate: Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate runs at the Belasco Theatre and follows the Lafayette family when they return to their father’s estate in Arkansas after his passing and discover a few surprising objects among his possessions. Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll star in what The New York Times called a “very fine, subversively original new play.”

Mary Jane, written by Amy Herzog and directed by Anne Kauffman, plays at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and stars Rachel McAdams as a mother taking care of her chronically ill child. This acclaimed play ran off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, and Time Out New York called it “exquisite and deeply moving” in a 5-star rave review.

Mother Play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel and directed by Tina Landau, makes its world premiere at the Hayes Theater. Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons, and Celia Keenan-Bolger star in this new play about two teenage children moving into a new apartment under the watchful eye of their opinionated mother.

Patriots, written by Peter Morgan (creator of the TV show The Crown) and directed by Rupert Goold, comes to Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre after a hit run on the West End. Michael Stuhlbarg stars as Boris Berezovsky and Will Keen reprises his Oliver-Award-winning role as Vladimir Putin in this standoff that the Financial Times called a “brilliant, bruising political drama…a play of real political heft about a crisis that concerns us all.”

Stereophonic, written by David Adjmi and directed by Daniel Aukin with music by Will Butler, runs at Broadway’s Golden Theatre after a hit run off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. Following a rock band in the 1970s as they record an album and endure the pressure of fame, success, and their own relationships, The Daily Beast called it, “one of the most original, stunningly designed, and technically dazzling plays in New York.”

Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov with a new translation by Heidi Schreck and direction by Lila Neugebauer runs at Lincoln Center Theater’s Beaumont Theatre. With a star-studded cast including Steve Carell, Alison Pill, Alfred Molina, William Jackson Harper, Anika Noni Rose, and Jayne Houdyshell, this classic play follows Sonya and her uncle Vanya who manage the family farm peacefully until Sonya’s father and stepmother come to town.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Set 19 years after the final book, Harry, Ron and Hermione are back on a new adventure: middle age. Harry is now the head of Magical Law Enforcement at the ministry of magic, Hermione is the Minister of Magic, and Ron owns a store in Diagon Alley. The majority of the play follows Harry and Ginny Weasley’s second son Albus Severus as he starts his journey at Hogwarts. Unlike the rest of his family, Albus is sorted into Slytherin. Thus begins this epic tale of adolescence, magic, friendship, and the struggle to discover one’s true potential. Get immersed in the fantastical world that has dominated modern media for over 20 years. 

Home, written by Samm-Art Williams and directed by Kenny Leon, plays at the Todd Haimes Theatre starting in May 2024. The play follows Cephus Miles who loses the love of his love when she leaves for college and meets another man. The original production by the Negro Ensemble Company premiered in 1979, and this revival is part of the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Refocus Project.

Doubt: A Parable, written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by Scott Ellis, comes to Broadway’s Todd Haimes Theatre starring Amy Ryan and Liev Schrieber. This Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play had its Broadway premiere in 2005 starring Cherry Jones and Brian F. O’Byrne, and it has also been adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The play centers around a nun, Sister Aloysius Beauvier, who suspects that a priest, Father Brendan Flynn, may be having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The New York Times called the original production “tight, absorbing, and expertly acted.”

Prayer for the French Republic: Written by Joshua Harmon and directed by David Cromer, Prayer for the French Republic played at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre after an acclaimed run off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club. The play follows a Jewish couple in Paris in 1944 and their great-grandchildren decades later. The New York Times said this “ambitious new play toggles between a contemporary Jewish family facing growing antisemitism and their relatives during World War II.”

Purlie Victorious: Leslie Odom, Jr. returned to Broadway for the first time since his iconic role as Aaron Burr in the megahit Hamilton. Written by Ossie Davis, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch was directed by Kenny Leon and follows Purlie, a preacher who is on a mission to buy back the town’s church. Entertainment Weekly said, “Ossie Davis' 1961 play has whip-smart dialogue, historical wisdom, and the physical comedy of a top-notch farce.” 

I Need That: Written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, this world premiere at Roundabout Theatre Company’s American Airlines Theatre starred Danny DeVito as Sam, his daughter Lucy DeVito as Amelia, and Ray Anthony Thomas as Foster. When agoraphobic Sam receives a notice from the government demanding he clean up his property or face eviction, he has to decide what is trash, what is treasure, and how to know the difference.

Jaja's African Hair Braiding: Written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White, this world premiere played at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Set in Jaja’s bustling hair braiding salon in Harlem during one sweltering summer day, love will blossom, dreams will flourish, and secrets will be revealed. The New York Times called it “a hot and hilarious workplace sitcom.”

The Shark is Broken: Set against the backdrop of the film Jaws, The Shark is Broken is written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon and directed by Guy Masterson. Ian Shaw stars as his father Robert Shaw, who played the iconic shark hunter Quint in the movie. Watch as Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider navigate behind-the-scenes drama as they wait on a mechanical shark that always seems to be broken. WhatsOnStage says the show is “highly original…packed with wit, insight and pop culture references…it’s also deliriously funny.”

The Cottage: Written by Sandy Rustin and directed by Jason Alexander, this romantic comedy begins when a woman decides to tell her husband and her lover’s wife about their affair. What follows is a hilarious romp that TheaterMania says is “positively delightful…there are few things more pleasant on a steamy New York afternoon or evening than to sit down in a cool theater, turn off your brain, and laugh for two hours straight. The Cottage more than fits the bill.”

Good Night, Oscar: This play written by Doug Wright and directed Lisa Peterson played at the Belasco Theatre after a hit run at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) starred as Oscar Levant on the night he appears as a guest on Jack Paar’s late-night talk show. The Chicago Sun-Times said, “The play, about the one and only Oscar Levant—a great pianist, a great wit, a tortured man with obsessive-compulsive disorder and drug addictions—captures just the right balance of humor and pathos.”

Alex Edelman: Just For Us: Written and performed by Alex Edelman and directed by Adam Brace, Just For Us played on Broadway after hit runs off-Broadway and in London, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Boston, and Washington D.C. Just For Us follows Alex as he infiltrates a group of White Nationalists in Queens after receiving antisemitic tweets online. The Daily Beast says, “This is brilliant comedy…just as hilarious and sharply observed on Broadway as it was off.”

Grey House: Written by Levi Holloway and directed by Joe Mantello, Grey House ran at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre. Starring Laurie Metcalf, Tatiana Maslany, and Paul Sparks, the play follows a couple who seek shelter in a remote cabin after their car breaks down. The Chicago Tribune said, “'Grey House' is a savvy, smart, self-aware new play…and it just happens to be legitimately terrifying.”

Life of Pi: This play won five Olivier Awards in its hit run on the West End before coming to Broadway’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, Life of Pi follows sixteen-year-old Pi after a shipwreck leaves him stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. The Guardian called it “unmissable…a triumph of transformative stagecraft.”

Peter Pan Goes Wrong: This play from Mischief Theatre Company, known for The Play That Goes Wrong, ran at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre after a hit run on the West End. Peter Pan Goes Wrong follows the fictitious Cornley University as they present the play Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie only to see it derailed by amateur acting, onstage rivalries, and technical failures. Time Out London called it “extremely funny [and] joyfully silly.”

Fat Ham: This play by James Ijames and directed by Saheem Ali ran at the American Airlines Theatre after a hit run off-Broadway at the Public Theater. Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Fat Ham follows Juicy, a queer Southern college student whose father shows up at a family barbecue and demands that his murder be avenged. The New York Times called this comedic reinterpretation of Hamlet “an outstanding transformation of Shakespeare’s tragedy into a play about Black masculinity and queerness…more tragic but also more joyous, more comedic, more political, more contemporary.”

Leopoldstadt: After winning the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2020, Leopoldstadt written by Tom Stoppard and directed by Patrick Marber ran at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre. Set in Vienna, the play follows one extended family from 1899 into the 20th century and has a cast of 38 actors. Time Out London says “The play asks what it means to be Jewish, ethnically, spiritually, in the eyes of one’s own community and in the eyes of others… ‘Leopoldstadt’ is a powerful and sincere tribute to a vanished people. Hopefully they can live on for a little longer thanks to the last great play of the last great writer of the twentieth century.”

Prima Facie: Written by Suzie Miller and directed by Justin Martin, Prima Facie ran at the Golden Theatre on Broadway after a hit run in London’s West End. Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, Free Guy, The Last Duel) gave a tour de force performance as Tessa, a young and competitive lawyer at the top of her game. The Guardian said this “one-woman play about a lawyer who specializes in defending men accused of sexual assault, until she is assaulted herself…demands frenetic, non-stop physical and emotional engagement from its lead. Comer delivers…[she] manages to infuse breath-taking emotional drama in every last word.”

The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window: Written by Lorraine Hansberry and directed by Anne Kauffman, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window moved to Broadway’s James Earl Jones Theatre after a hit run at BAM off-Broadway. The play follows a group of friends in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and the strained marriage of Sidney and Iris Brustein, played by Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan respectively. Entertainment Weekly said “this imaginatively-staged, passionately-acted production does justice to [Hansberry’s] political vision.”

A Doll’s House: This new adaptation by Amy Herzog (4000 Miles, Mary Jane) of the classic play by Henrik Ibsen ran on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre, directed by Jamie Lloyd (Betrayal, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Seagull). Starring Jessica Chastain as dissatisfied housewife Nora and Arian Moayed as her husband Torvald, this production sees a new take on the much-revived classic.

Summer, 1976: This play written by David Auburn and directed by Daniel Sullivan had its world premiere at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Starring Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht as Diana, a fiercely iconoclastic artist and single mom, and Alice, a free-spirited yet naïve young housewife, the play follows their relationship over one summer as they navigate motherhood, ambition, and intimacy against the backdrop of the Bicentennial.

The Thanksgiving Play: This play written by Larissa FastHorse and directed by Rachel Chavkin follows a group of well-meaning theater artists as they try to put on a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving play for an elementary school. The Hollywood Reporter said, “it’s very, very funny…the play delivers plenty of uproarious moments.”

Pictures From Home: This play written by Sharr White and directed by Barlett Sher played at Studio 54 starring Nathan Lane, Danny Burstein, and Zoë Wanamaker. Based on the photo memoir “Pictures From Home” by Larry Sultan, this play follows Larry as he photographs, interviews, and remembers his parents; it’s an examination on manhood, fatherhood, and the truths only we can see.

Between Riverside and Crazy: Stephen Adly Guirgis won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2015 when Between Riverside and Crazy premiered off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company. It made its Broadway debut at the Helen Hayes Theater in 2022 with original director Austin Pendleton. The play follows widower and retired policeman Walter “Pops” Washington and his son Junior who has recently been paroled. They struggle to hold on to one of the last great rent stabilized apartments on Riverside Drive amidst old wounds, houseguests, and ultimatums. The New York Times gave the original production a Critic’s Pick and called it “dizzying and exciting…fresh and startling.”

The Collaboration: This play by Anthony McCarten and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah came to Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J Friedman Theatre after a hit run in London. In the summer of 1984, longtime international superstar Andy Warhol and the art scene’s newest wunderkind, Jean-Michel Basquiat, agree to work together on what may be the most talked about exhibition in the history of modern art. Starring Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope as Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, The New York Times said the “play offers bravura performances.”

Take Me Out: This play by Richard Greenberg and directed by Scott Ellis won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Play Revival after playing at the Hayes Theatre, and then it returned to Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, where it ran until February 2023. It follows the fallout of a baseball team after its star player suddenly comes out as gay to his teammates and the press. The play explores sexuality, race, and all the ways men can self-destruct. It starred Grey's Anatomy heartthrob Jesse Williams and Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson in the roles that earned them a Tony nomination and Tony Award respectively. 

The Piano Lesson: After more than 30 years since its Broadway debut, August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize- winning drama The Piano Lesson returned to New York City. This family drama centers around a prized heirloom piano that one sister believes holds the spirits of their ancestors. Her brother is less convinced, hoping to sell the instrument and buy the land their enslaved ancestors once worked. In a Broadway first, Tony Award nominee LaTanya Richardson Jackson was the first woman to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway, also marking her directorial debut. The cast included Samuel L. Jackson as Doaker Charles, John David Washington as Boy Willie, and Danielle Brooks as Berniece.

Death of a Salesman: This American classic by Arthur Miller comes to Broadway after a hit run on London’s West End. Wendell Pierce and Sharon D. Clarke reprise their roles as Willy and Linda Loman and are joined by Khris Davis, McKinley Belcher III, and André De Shields. Directed by Miranda Cromwell (who co-directed the London production with Marianne Elliott), The New York Times called this production “electrifying” and “a beautiful revival.” This powerful interpretation of Miller’s drama illuminates the dark underbelly of the American Dream and its elusive promise of equality and opportunity for all.

Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool: Coming to Broadway after hit runs in Berkeley, Chicago, and Los Angeles, Mike Birbiglia’s one-man show is a coming-of-middle-age story that Theatermania calls “a triumphant return” that “has the audience in stitches, laughing hysterically at the frailty of humanity.” The Old Man & the Pool plays at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater and asks big questions, like, why are we here? What’s next? And what happens when the items at the doctor’s office that you thought were decorative become functional?

Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy marks this 91-year-old playwright's Broadway debut. The play is the first to run at the newly renamed James Earl Jones Theatre with Kenny Leon directing and Audra McDonald starring as writer Suzanne Alexander who returns to her alma mater as a guest speaker who explores the violence in her works. The New York Times has called Adrienne Kennedy “surely one of the finest living American playwrights.”

Topdog/Underdog: Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize winning play premiered in 2001 off-Broadway at the Public Theater before moving to Broadway and being nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. Now it’s back on Broadway at the Golden Theatre in a production directed by Kenny Leon and starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Corey Hawkins as brothers who are haunted by the past and obsessed with a street con game, three-card monte. Variety called the original Broadway production, “an utterly mesmerizing evening of theater.”

Ain’t No Mo’: This play by Jordan E. Cooper and directed by Stevie Walker-Webb played at the Belasco Theatre and asks the incendiary question, “What if the U.S. government offered Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa?” The answer comes in the form of a fast-paced new comedy that The New York Times called “thrilling, bewildering, campy, shrewd, mortifying, scary, devastating and deep.”

Walking With Ghosts: This play by Gabriel Byrne ran at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre after hit runs in the West End, Scotland, and Ireland. Adapted from the memoir of the same name with direction by Lonny Price, Walking With Ghosts follows Gabriel from his time as a young boy in Ireland through his successful stage and screen career. Time Out London said the show is “a lilting, lyrical trip down memory lane” that “more than earns its place on the big stage.”

Cost of Living: This play by Martyna Majok won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2018 and received its Broadway Premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Directed by Jo Bonney, Cost of Living explores the forces that bring people together, the complexity of being cared for, and the ways we all need each other in this world. The New York Times called the off-Broadway production “gripping” and “intensely haunting.”

The Kite Runner: Adapted from the book that spent two years on The New York Times best seller list, The Kite Runner tells the story of one man’s lifelong journey towards redemption. It all starts on a sunny afternoon in Kabul when best friends Hassan and Amir enjoy a kite flying tournament. What starts out as a beautiful day will end in a tragedy that changes the course of both boys’ lives forever. This play involves adult themes including sexual violence, viewer discretion is advised. Following a run on the West End, this Broadway show ran from July - October 2022. 

To Kill a Mockingbird: Reengage with Harper Lee’s classic story, adapted for the stage by Academy Award Winner Aaron Sorkin, directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, with original score by Tony Award winner and Grammy Award nominated Adam Guettel. Scout and her brother Jem are forced to confront the racist realities of their town when their attorney father Atticus is charged with defending a black man unjustly accused of raping a white woman.  This play closed at the Shubert Theatre on January 16, but there is now a national tour of the show that will play in Nashville, Memphis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and more. The Los Angeles Times said, “Sorkin, Sher and an impeccable cast have created something provocatively fresh.”

American Buffalo: This play revival follows three men scheming to get rich quickly. Like a typical crime story, it deals with loyalty, jealousy, and the price of greed. Written by David Mamet, this play has all the hallmarks of his style, quick dialogue that is clever and cuts to the bone. This is the type of play where laughs are spread throughout intense conversations. A star vehicle, this play showcased three familiar names: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Rockwell, and Darren Criss. A perfect Broadway show for the intellectual looking to see a writer make a statement on the American dream. Closed July 10, 2022, but you can read the script here.

Macbeth: In case you only skimmed it in high school, Shakespeare’s Macbeth follows one couple’s mania for power and their intense guilt after committing the unforgivable. This production was directed by Sam Gold (King Lear, Fun Home) and helmed by Mr. James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, who was also joined by Ruth Negga (Loving, Passing), making her Broadway debut. This production ran for a limited fifteen-week engagement and closed July 10, 2022, but you can read the script here.

Plaza Suite: This limited engagement play starred two of New York City's most prestigious residents, Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew Broderick. It was a revival of Neil Simon, Broadway's most prolific comedic writer of the 20th century. The night unfolds as three one-act plays, all set in the Plaza Hotel. All center on the romantic relationships between Parker and Broderick’s characters, the two actors being married in real life. Neil Simon is known for his fast and clever dialogue, and this play left audiences aching from laughter. Closed July 10, 2022, but you can read the script here. 

Hangmen: The year is 1965, and England has just abolished hanging. What will happen to Britain's second-best executioner? This play penned was by the Academy Award Winning writer Martin McDonagh. This was his seventh play to hit the Great White Way and left a lasting impact on audiences. If you love clever dialogue and deliciously dark comedy, you are in for a treat. Closed June 18th, 2022, but you can read the script here.

How I Learned to Drive: This revival of Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize winning play reunited original cast members, Tony Award winner Mary-Louise Parker (Proof, Weeds) and Tony nominee David Morse (The Ice Man Cometh) in a tragically complex play that explores themes of morality, coming of age, and sexual assault. The play follows a young woman both in the 1960s and 70s as well as present day. She explores the relationship with her uncle and his famed driving lessons that changed the course of her life forever. This play is not suitable for all audience as it discusses themes of incest and sexual assault. Closed June 12, 2022, but you can read the script here. 

Birthday Candles: is an original new play from Broadway newbie Noah Haidle. Set on a single set, the play takes place over a woman's entire life, starting on her 17th birthday and ending on her 101st. This star vehicle behind this production is none other than Will and Grace alum Debra Messing. The play is a certified dramedy, as is most of life. It gave hearty laughs and touching cries. Closed May 29, 2022. 

The Minutes: On the surface, a play about the inner workings of a small-town city council meeting may sound boring, but Tracy Lett's The Minutes is anything but dull. It's a hilarious look at politics and how seemingly innocuous questions can reveal the corruption in the smallest levels of government. This type of show will hook you with laughs and then slap you across the face with hard truths. The cast includes playwright Tracy Letts, Broadway musical superstar Jessie Mueller, and Noah Reid, who is making his Broadway debut after his breakout role onPop TV's Schitt's Creek.

POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive: It's never been a better time to be a girl boss on Broadway. Making her Broadway debut, 28-year-old playwright Selina Fillinger's new comedy POTUS focuses on the seven women keeping the president's image intact. When the leader of the free world opens his mouth a little too wide, these women stop at nothing to clean up the mess. A hilarious look at politics, female friendship, and cancel culture. This is the perfect play to see with the girl bosses in your life.