Image Credit: Carly Piersol, our Best Broadway Musicals Photographer
A Broadway revival is any new Broadway production of a play or musical after the original run of the Broadway show has closed. Usually there will be a new creative team – new director, new choreographer, new actors – and sometimes there will even be changes made to the music or book. You can see these shows on stage right now!
Cabaret, with music by John Kander, book by Joe Masteroff, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, comes to the August Wilson Theatre after a hit run on the West End. This will be the fourth time the show has been revived on Broadway. Eddie Redmayne stars as the Emcee with Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles and Ato Blankson-Wood as Cliff in the musical set at the Kit Kat Club in Berlin as the Nazis are coming into power. The Guardian said, “Eddie Redmayne is electric…[the show is] an evening of flamboyance, menace and magnatism.”
Chicago won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 1997 and has been running on Broadway ever since. Set in 1920s Chicago, this musical follows Roxie Hart, her cellmate Velma Kelly, and lawyer Billy Flynn. It’s a tale full of murder, deception, greed, and the “Razzle Dazzle” of show business. It also features dancing in the style of the legendary Bob Fosse and was made into the Oscar-Winning film of the same name starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere. The film adaptation has become one of the most successful movie musicals. The New York Times called the revival “musical heaven.”
The Wiz, with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, book by William F. Brown, and direction from Schele Williams, plays at the Marquis Theatre. This retelling of The Wizard of Oz first premiered on Broadway in 1975 at the Majestic Theatre, where it ran for four years. The show was first revived in 1984 at the Lunt-Fontannce, and this production marks only the second time it has been revived on Broadway. TheaterMania said, “The score to the 1975 musical is still as vibrant as ever…the cast is outstanding.”
Once Upon a Mattress plays at the Hudson Theatre starting July 31, 2024 after its hit run at New York City Center Encores. Sutton Foster and Michael Urie star as Princess Winnifred and Prince Dauntless in this update on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea. It was first performed on Broadway in 1959, revived in 1996, and this is the first time it’s been back on Broadway nearly thirty years! Lear deBessonet directs this production, and it was adapted by Amy Sherman-Palladino, known for The Marvelous Mrs. Maiseland Gilmore Girls. The Observer said, “Foster musters every talented inch into her limber frame, rubber face, and iron lungs to generate waves of zany ecstasy.”
Sunset Boulevard, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, book and lyrics by Don Black & Christopher Hampton, and direction from Jamie Lloyd, comes to Broadway’s St. James Theatre in September 2024 after a hit run on London’s West End. This production stars Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond, a famous silent film actress who is trying to revive her career. Tom Francis plays ambitious screenwriter Joe Gillis, who teams up with Desmond to try and make it big in Hollywood. Time Out London’s 5-star review said “this is truly awesome stuff…theatre has rarely felt so alive with possibility.”
Pirates of Penzance comes to Roundabout’s Todd Haimes Theatre in April 2025 starring Ramin Karimloo and David Hyde Pierce. With direction from Scott Ellis and choreography by Warren Carlyle, this new adaptation by Rupert Holmes reimagines the Gilbert & Sullivan classic. This time the pirate ship lands in New Orleans and the music is filled with jazz and blues.
The Who’s Tommy was revived on Broadway in 2024 for the first time since its original run in 1993. After a hit run in Chicago, this iconic musical featuring music from the Who’s 1969 album “Tommy” ran at the Nederlander Theatre featuring songs like "Pinball Wizard" and "The Acid Queen." The Chicago Sun-Times said, “’Tommy’ dazzles at every turn…[it] remains the pulsing roller coaster of a show it was when it premiered in 1992."
Merrily We Roll Along ran on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre after a sold-out run off-Broadway at New York Theater Workshop. Maria Friedman directed this production starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez that The New York Times called “perfectly cast…it’s a hit.” It originally premiered on Broadway in 1981 and follows three friends - composer Franklin Shepard, lyricist Charley Kringas, and novelist Mary Flynn - and their relationship over 20 years.
Appropriate, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lila Neugebauer, ran at the Belasco Theatre after a hit run at Broadway’s Hayes Theatre and at the off-Broadway Signature Theatre. It won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2024. Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll starred in this dark comedy about a family reuniting after the death of their patriarch and finding something disturbing amongst his many belongings. They are forced to reckon with their past, their inheritance, and their relationships going forward. The Guardian said “[Sarah Paulson] is astonishing in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s funny yet moving Broadway debut about a complicated family reunion.”
An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen ran at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre starring Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli in a new adaptation by Amy Herzog and direction by Sam Gold. Strong plays a small-town doctor who alerts the town to a hidden danger, and then finds himself in the crosshairs when those in power – and his own brother – stand against him. An Enemy of the People first premiered in 1883 and has been revived several times on Broadway.
Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov is beloved by audiences and actors alike. Ian McKellen, Laurence Olivier, Cate Blanchett, Peter Dinklage, Simon Russell Beale, William Hurt, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, and many others have all starred in productions of the play. This time it was revived at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre in a new translation by Heidi Schreck and direction from Lila Neugebauer. The star-studded cast included Steve Carell, Alison Pill, Alfred Molina, William Jackson Harper, Anika Noni Rose, and Jayne Houdyshell.
Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street was revived for the third time at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, Thomas Kail directed this production that included a 26-player orchestra and originally starred Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster later took on these roles. Entertainment Weekly called the show a “chef’s kiss of a revival of one of Sondheim’s greatest works.”
Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley won the Pulitzer and the Tony Award for Best Play when it first debuted off-Broadway and transferred to the Walter Kerr Theatre in 2005. Now it comes back to Broadway for the first time at the American Airlines/Todd Haimes Theatre directed by Scott Ellis and starring Amy Ryan and Liev Schreiber as Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn. New York Magazine called the play “a nearly flawless work…a play, a production, an experience to last you a lifetime.”
Spamalot, with book by Eric Idle, music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, lyrics by Eric Idle, was revived for the first time on Broadway in 2023/2024 after its original hit run from 2005 to 2009. Directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, the musical is based on the beloved Monty Python film of the same name and played at the St. James Theatre. The cast included Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy, James Monroe Igleheart as King Arthur, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as the Lady of the Lake, Ethan Slater as Prince Herbert, Jimmy Smagula as Bedevere, Michael Urie as Brave Sir Robin, Nik Walker as Sir Galahad, and Taran Killam and Alex Brightman as Lancelot.
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by Ossie Davis starred Leslie Odom, Jr. as Purlie, a preacher trying to buy back his local church. Running at the Music Box Theatre and directed by Kenny Leon, this is the first time Purlie Victorious has been back to Broadway since the original production in 1961. Variety called the show “a delightful romp…the entire cast is terrific…Odom electrifies as Purlie.”
Funny Girl returned to Broadway in 2022 for the first time since its original opening night in 1964. With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and book by Isobel Lennart, this musical originally starred Barbra Streisand in the lead role of Fanny Brice, and she later went on to star in the film adaptation. This production starred Beanie Feldstein and then Lea Michele as Fanny Brice, Jane Lynch and then Tovah Feldshuh as Mrs. Brice, Ramin Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, and Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan.
Parade, with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Alfred Uhry, was revived on Broadway in 2023 for the first time since its world premiere in 1998. Starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, Parade follows Leo and Lucille Frank after Leo is accused of a horrible crime. The New York Times called this production “the best-sung musical in many a New York season…this revival recalls an era of big casts, big stories and big talent – a time when musicals actually felt like events.”
Camelot was revived on Broadway for the fourth time at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. With book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, the original production starred Julie Andrews and Richard Burton as Guenevere and Arthur. This revival starred Andrew Burlap as Arthur, Phillipa Too as Guenevere, and Jordan Donica as Lancelot Du Lac.
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window written by Lorraine Hansberry and directed by Anne Kauffman ran at the James Earl Jones Theatre on Broadway after its hit run at BAM in Brooklyn. This revival follows a group of friends in the 60s in Greenwich Village and centers on the strained marriage of Sidney and Iris Brustein. The Washington Post said this show “is receiving the vibrant airing it deserves…Hansberry develops a layered manifesto, about the urgency of abandoning political neutrality and disrupting the status quo.”
A Doll’s House ran at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre starring Jessica Chastain as Nora and Arian Moayed as Torvald. This popular play by Henrik Ibsen has been seen thirteen times on Broadway, and this new revival was adapted by playwright Amy Herzog with direction from Jamie Lloyd.
Dancin’ ran at the Music Box Theatre and featured the iconic choreography of Bob Fosse with direction from Wayne Cilento, who appeared in the original production in 1978.
Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg played at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater after a Tony Award winning run at the Helen Hayes Theater in 2022. Following a baseball team’s star center fielder when he comes out of the closet, this play examines friendships and prejudices through the lens of America’s favorite pastime. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Jesse Williams reprised their respective Tony Award winning and Tony nominated roles in this production directed by Scott Ellis.
The Piano Lesson by August Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1990 as well as the Tony Award for Best Play. LaTanya Richardson Jackson directed the 2022 revival, which starred Samuel L. Jackson as Doaker Charles, John David Washington as Boy Willie, and Danielle Brooks as Berniece. The play follows a pair of siblings who argue over what to do with their family’s heirloom piano, and this is the first time it was revived on Broadway since the 1990 production, when Samuel L. Jackson understudied the role of Boy Willie.
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller has been revived many times – this latest marks its fifth time on Broadway, following a hit run on the West End. Starring Wendell Pierce and Sharon D Clarke who portray the roles of Willy and Linda Loman respectively, this production marks the first time on Broadway that this story is told from the perspective of an African American family. It ran at the Hudson Theatre, and The New York Times called it “a powerful revival.”
The Music Man played at the Winter Garden Theatre and began performances in December 2021. This production directed by Jerry Zaks, with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, and choreography by Warren Carlyle is the third Broadway revival of this beloved musical and starred Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster as fast talking con artist Harold Hill and town librarian, Marian.
Topdog/Underdog was revived on Broadway in 2022 for the first time since the original production in 2002. Written by Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by George C. Wolfe, the play was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This production stars Corey Hawkins and Abdul-Mateen II with direction by Kenny Leon. Topdog/Underdog is a darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity and tells the story of two brothers, Lincoln (Hawkins) and Booth (Abdul-Mateen II), names given to them as a joke by their father. Haunted by the past and their obsession with the con game, three-card monte, the brothers learn the true nature of their history.
1776 ran at the American Airlines Theatre with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards, book by Peter Stone, and direction by Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus. This is the second time this award-winning musical was revived on Broadway, and it follows John Adams and the founding fathers as he tries to persuade the Continental Congress to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Into the Woods ran at the St. James Theatre with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. This revival – the third time the show was revived on Broadway – was directed by Lear deBessonet, and it intertwines the plots of fairy tales like Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Sleeping Beauty. Variety called it “sensational.”
Company ran at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre through July 2022 and starred Patti LuPone and Katrina Lenk in a revival of the musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth. Directed by Marianne Elliot, the production of Company followed New Yorker Bobbie (Lenk) on her 35th birthday as all of her friends keep asking her, “Why aren’t you married?” Time Out New York’s 5-star review called it, “the most satisfying Broadway revival of a Sondheim show in history.” This is the fourth time Company has been produced on Broadway.
American Buffalo by David Mamet ran on Broadway in 2022 and starred Laurence Fishburne, Sam Rockwell, and Darren Criss. It originally opened on Broadway in 1977 and follows three hustlers in a story about greed, loyalty, and the American dream. American Buffalo was also adapted into a film starring Dustin Hoffman.
Macbeth ran on Broadway in 2022 and starred Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga. Directed by Sam Gold, Macbeth tells the story of a couple’s obsession with power, and their guilt after doing the unthinkable in this tale of malice, matrimony and murder.
Plaza Suite by Neil Simon ran on Broadway in 2022 for the first time since its premiere in 1968. This play revival directed by John Benjamin Hickey starred real life couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick as they portrayed three different couples in this play about love and marriage.
Oklahoma! won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2019. Directed by Daniel Fish, this adaptation was set in a community hall and served chili and cornbread to the audience at intermission. Ali Stoker won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Ado Annie, and the production also featured Will Brill, Rebecca Naomi Jones and Damon Daunno. The other musical revival on Broadway that season was Kiss Me, Kate.
Once On This Island won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2018. Michael Arden directed this production which starred Lea Salonga, Alex Newell, Isaac Cole Powell, Hailey Kilgore, and Quentin Earl Darington. Once On This Island is a mythical coming of age story about love, colonization, grief and distance. The musical is currently being adapted for Disney Plus. Other revivals on Broadway in the same season included Carousel starring Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry and My Fair Lady starring Luaren Ambrose and Harry Hadden-Paton.
Hello, Dolly! won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2017 – also winning the awards for Best Actress (Bette Midler), Best Actor (Gavin Creel) and Best Costume Design (Santo Loquasto). Jerry Zaks directed this revival about widowed matchmaker Dolly Levi and her attempt to find a match for the very rich Horace Vandergelder. Hello, Dolly! has been revived four times, and has also been turned into a Hollywood movie starring Barbra Streisand that was nominated for Best Picture.
The Color Purple won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2016. John Doyle directed this musical that follows Celie, an African American teenager living in rural Georgia. The production starred Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, and Danielle Brooks in their Broadway debuts, and Cynthia Erivo won a Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Celie. The musical is also being adapted into a film directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Oprah Winfrey. Other revivals on Broadway in the same season included She Loves Me, Fiddler on the Roof, and Deaf West’s Spring Awakening.
West Side Story opened on Broadway in February 2020 with direction by Ivo van Hove and choreography by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, but this reimagined revival was closed due to the pandemic and will not be returning to the stage.
West Side Story, available to watch now on Disney Plus, is directed by Steven Spielberg with screenplay by Tony Kushner. It is based on the famous Broadway musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents. Steven Spielberg was nominated for Best Director in the 2022 Academy Awards for this film adaptation.
In the Heights, available to watch now on HBOMax, by Quiara Alegria Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda and directed by John M. Chu is based on the Broadway musical from 2008 about the Washington Heights neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City.
Dear Evan Hansen, available to watch on Amazon Prime, opened in 2016, won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and continues to be one of the most popular musicals on Broadway. With music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the same team behind The Greatest Showman and La La Land, this mega-hit speaks directly to any teenager who feels lost, misunderstood, or like they just don’t fit in.
The Prom: A group of down-on-their-luck Broadway stars shake up a small Indiana town as they rally behind a teen who just wants to attend prom with her girlfriend. Based on the Broadway musical and featuring actors like Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Keegan-Michael Key, and Ariana DeBose, Variety called it “an old-fashioned, newfangled blast.”
Check out Encores! at New York City Center. Broadway audiences delight in the Encores! program each season. Its mission is to revive iconic and lesser-known musicals from the Broadway canon and give them a new life with the best New York talent. Recent highlights have included The Most Happy Fella, A Chorus Line, Me and My Girl, Sunday in the Park with George and The Tap Dance Kid.
Porgy and Bess has been revived seven times after its original premiere in 1935. The most recent Broadway theatre revival played at the Richard Rodgers Theatre and won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. It was directed by Diane Paulus and starred Norm Lewis, Joshua Henry, Phillip Boykin, and Audra McDonald who won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical.
The Glass Menagerie has had seven different productions after its original premiere in 1945. The most recent revival was in 2017 at the Belasco Theatre. It was directed by Joe Mantello and starred Sally Field (who was nominated for a Tony), Madison Ferris and Finn Wittrock.
Show Boat has been revived six times since its premiere in 1927. The most recent production played at the Gershwin Theatre from 1994 to 1997 and won Best Revival of a Musical. It was directed by Hal Prince and starred Mark Jacoby, Gretha Boston and Rebecca Luker.
Other shows that have had many revivals include Peter Pan (5), Guys and Dolls (5), West Side Story (5), and The Threepenny Opera (6).
Looking to see long-running hits like The Lion King or Wicked? Or exciting new musicals like Six or MJ The Musical about Michael Jackson? Check out our article on Top Broadway Shows!
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