Upcoming Broadway Shows for 2024

The Hills of California, written by Jez Butterworth and directed by Sam Mendes, will play at the Broadhurst Theatre starting September 11, 2024 after its hit run in London on the West End. During a particularly hot summer in the 1970s, the Webb sisters return to Blackpool to visit their dying mother. As they wait for their final sister to join them and reminisce about their childhood – when their mother was trying to turn them into a music group – old wounds come to the surface. Time Out London said, “Jez Butterworth’s first play in seven years unfurls with the richness and depth of a well-crafted novel…the performances are uniformly tremendous.”

Why You Should Be Excited About The Hills of California: Jez Butterworth is an award-winning playwright whose previous works Jerusalem, The River, and The Ferryman were embraced by Broadway audiences. Sam Mendes directs – Mendes is an acclaimed theater director known for The Lehman Trilogy, The Ferryman, and the 1998 and 2014 productions of Cabaret, but he is perhaps best known for his film work, directing the films American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre.

Yellow Face, written by David Henry Hwang and directed by Leigh Silverman, plays at the Todd Haimes Theatre starting September 13, 2024. Daniel Dae Kim, known for his performances in the tv shows Lost, Hawaii Five-O, and Angel, plays DDH, a fictionalized stand-in for the playwright David Henry Hwang. After DDH protests a production of Miss Saigon which features yellowface casting (white actors using makeup and playing Asian characters), he accidentally casts a white actor in his own show. The Guardian called it “a probing political satire on racial identity” and “wickedly funny.”

Why You Should Be Excited About Yellow Face: This is the first time Daniel Dae Kim will appear on Broadway since his debut in The King and I as The King of Siam. And David Henry Hwang is a popular playwright known for the works M. Butterfly, Chinglish, Soft Power, and Aida.

Our Town by Thornton Wilder is directed by Kenny Leon and comes to the Barrymore Theatre starting September 17, 2024. This iconic play tells the story of a small town, with the stage manager narrating the goings-on if its inhabitants. Children grow up, people get married, people die, and most of all, people live. The cast includes Jim Parsons, Katie Holmes, Zoey Deutch, and Ephraim Sykes.

Why You Should Be Excited About Our Town: Our Town is a classic play often performed in high schools and regional theaters across the country. This new production directed by Kenny Leon has a great cast, and people are eager to see this work in a new light.

Left on Tenth will play at the James Earl Jones Theatre starting September 26, 2024. Julianna Margulies and Peter Gallagher star in the play written by Delia Ephron, based on her best-selling memoir. This story about second chances, falling in love, and unexpected detours is heartwarming and inspiring – just be sure to bring a Kleenex! Publishers’ Weekly said of the book, “Readers will be swept away by this triumphant story.”

Why You Should Be Excited About Left on Tenth: With all the charm of a romantic comedy, this sweet and hopeful play has a starry cast and is all about finding love later in life and what you do with life takes an unexpected turn.

Romeo and Juliet comes to Circle in the Square Theatre September 26, 2024 starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler. With music by Jack Antonoff, movement by Sonya Tayeh, and direction from Sam Gold, this production will bring a new generation to the timeless classic. Get tickets now to see these star-crossed lovers!

Why You Should Be Excited About Romeo and Juliet: This is the classic play for a new audience. Featuring popular young actors and music by Jack Antonoff, this production should especially appeal to young theater fans.

Sunset Boulevard, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, and direction from Jamie Lloyd, comes to the St. James Theater beginning September 28, 2024. Nicole Scherzinger stars as Norma Desmond in this musical about a movie star struggling to reignite her career and a screenwriter trying to break into Hollywood. The production won seven Olivier Awards in its run on the West End, and The New York Times said, “Nicole Scherzinger is captivating…a career-defining performance.”

Why You Should Be Excited About Sunset Boulevard: Critics have already raved about the London production, and early word says that director Jamie Lloyd and star Nicole Scherzinger are giving audiences a Sunset Boulevard that they’ve never seen before.

A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical comes to Studio 54 in October 2024. Celebrating the music, life, and career of Louis Armstrong, Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart – best known for his performance as the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway – plays the iconic Armstrong in this show conceived by Christopher Renshaw and Andrew Delaplaine with a book by Aurin Squire. Renshaw directs and Rickey Tripp provides choreography. The musical features songs like “What a Wonderful World” and “When You’re Smiling.” The Chicago Tribune said, “Iglehart is just fabulous in ‘A Wonderful World.’”

Why You Should Be Excited About A Wonderful World: Musicals celebrating the life of an artist have a history of doing well on Broadway – Jersey Boys, A Beautiful Noise, and Tina are just a few recent examples – and this musical stars James Monroe Iglehart, known to Broadway audiences for his Tony Award-winning role of the Genie in Aladdin.

Maybe Happy Ending starring Darren Criss and Helen J Shen will play on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre starting October 16, 2024. Criss stars as Oliver, a retired robot who loves jazz records. When he meets another robot, Claire, both of their lives will change forever. BroadwayWorld called it “marvelous…not to be missed…it’ll leave you both eager and afraid to assess your own relationship to love.”

Why You Should Be Excited About Maybe Happy Ending: Original musicals are a rare thing on Broadway, and Maybe Happy Ending has a totally original story. And Darren Criss and Helen J Shen star as the two leads!

Death Becomes Her heads to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre October 23, 2024 after its hit run in Chicago. Based on the classic film from 1992, this musical comedy stars Megan Hilty (Smash), Jennifer Simard (Company), Christopher Sieber (Spamalot, Company), and Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child). Hilty and Simard star as two lifelong frenemies who get a new lease on life when they meet a mysterious woman with a magical potion that promises to bring back their youth and beauty. BroadwayWorld says, “you’ll die from laughter…move over Witches of Oz. There’s a new pair of Broadway-Bound divas looking to stage a wicked fight for supremacy eight shows a week.”

Why You Should Be Excited About Death Becomes Her: The musical is an adaptation of a popular movie, and its popular pre-Broadway run in Chicago is already generating a lot of buzz. Add to that a talented cast including Megan Hilty, who hasn’t been seen on Broadway since 2016, and Jennifer Simard, and you’ve got the makings of a great night out!

Swept Away comes to Broadway in October 2024 after hit runs at both Berkeley Rep in California and Arena Stage in Washington DC. With music by the Avett Brothers, book by John Logan, and direction from Michael Mayer, this musical follows two brothers who leave home to find themselves on the high seas, only for the bonds of brotherhood to be tested after an untimely shipwreck. SFGate called it, “a riveting, foreboding ride.”

Why You Should Be Excited About Swept Away: In addition to the popular cast, Swept Away features music by the Avett Brothers and has proved very popular with audiences at both Berkeley Rep and Arena Stage. And it has some truly impressive set design!

Tammy Faye, with music by Elton John, lyrics by Jake Shears, book by James Graham, and direction by Rubert Goold, plays at the Palace Theatre starting in October 2024 after a hit run in London. The musical is set in the 1970s and follows Tammy Faye Bakker, the wife of pastor Jim Bakker, as they build their nationwide following through their televangelist program on cable tv. Katie Brayben reprises her role in a production The Guardian called “infectious in its music, exhuberant in its performances and gloriously kitsch in its aesthetic…it reaches a delirious kind of excellence.”

Why You Should Be Excited About Tammy Faye: The musical has already had a hit run in London. Add to that the music by Elton John and a popular Broadway cast including Christian Borle and Michael Cerveris!

Eureka Day, written by Jonathan Spector and directed by Anna Shapiro, will play at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre starting in the Fall 2024. Set during an administrative meeting at an elementary school, the board must reevaluate its own values and priorities surrounding their vaccine policy during a mumps outbreak. Variety said of the London production, “The ever-increasing roars of laughter of recognition at the nonstop online accusations, whataboutery, age-old squabbles, pure viciousness and inevitable Nazi name-calling drown everything out to such hilarious effect that the scene’s lights-out first act ending is greeted not just with rampant applause but cheers.”

Why You Should Be Excited About Eureka Day: First and foremost, it’s very funny. It has already had popular runs both off-Broadway and in London, and the Broadway production includes a starry cast with Amber Gray, Jessica Hecht, Bill Irwin, and Thomas Middleditch.

Gypsy will play at the Majestic Theatre (previously home to the long running hit The Phantom of the Opera) starting November 21, 2024 in a production directed by George C. Wolfe. This much-revived musical about the ultimate stage mom, Rose, and her attempts to make stars out of her two daughters June and Louise is known for songs like “Rose’s Turn,” “If Mamma Was Married,” “Let Me Entertain You,” and “Some People.” This time Audra McDonald will star as Rose, following in the footsteps of legends like Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, and Imelda Staunton. Get a ticket while you can, this one is sure to

Why You Should Be Excited About Gypsy: Two words: Audra McDonald. She is the only performer to have won Tony Awards in all four acting categories and is equally at home in plays and musicals. She was most recently seen in Ohio State Murders in 2022/2023, but she hasn’t helmed a musical on Broadway since 2016, making audiences even more eager to see her performance!

English, written by Sanaz Toossi and directed by Knud Adams, heads to the Todd Haimes Theatre starting January 3, 2025. It originally premiered off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theatre Company in 2022 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2023. The play follows a group of adults studying for the Test of English as a Foreign Language exam. The New York Times said, “Both contemplative and comic, it nails every opportunity for big laughs as its English-learning characters struggle with accents and idioms. But the laughter provides cover for the deeper idea that their struggle is not just linguistic.”  

Why You Should Be Excited About English: English has already had a successful life on stage and won the Pulitzer, one of the most prestigious writing awards.

Redwood plays at the Nederlander Theatre starting January 24, 2025 after a sold-out run in San Diego at the La Jolla Playhouse. With book and direction from Tina Landau, music by Kate Diaz, and lyrics by Diaz and Landau, Forbes called the musical “a must-see…Listening to Idina Menzel sing is pure joy…I’ve seen the future of Broadway musicals and its name is Redwood.” Idina Menzel plays Jesse, a successful businesswoman who heads to the redwoods after an unexpected and shocking event. What follows is a journey of love, healing, and new horizons.

Why You Should Be Excited About Redwood: Idina Menzel, known for her performances in Rent, Aida, Wicked, and If/Then – and for voicing Elsa in Frozen – comes back to Broadway at last! This musical has already had a successful run in California and is generating lots of buzz.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is set before the events of the TV show, in Hawkins, 1959. Characters you already know and love – Jim Hopper and Joyce Maldonado – are joined by entirely new characters in this prequel that shows us how it all began. Directed by Stephen Daldry and co-directed by Justin Martin with an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Kate Trefry, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is written by Kate Trefry and will play at the Marquis Theatre in March 2025. The Guardian said in its 5-star review, “This is breathtaking theatre with its own arresting imagination…Those familiar with the series will be able to trace storylines back but the production is not just a clever parlour game for fans. If you come at it afresh, it is still irresistible.”

Why You Should Be Excited About Stranger Things: The First Shadow: The TV show remains one of Netflix’s biggest hits, and the stage show took London audiences by storm. With a top-notch creative team and design that is meant to blow you away, this is sure to be an arresting watch.

The Last Five Years finally comes to Broadway in March 2025! This fan favorite musical by Jason Robert Brown (known for Parade and Bridges of Madison County) will be directed by Whitney White and will star Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren as a couple going through ups and downs in the professional and romantic lives. Previous productions have played off-Broadway and in London, and there has also been a film adaptation. Time Out London called it a “magnificently bittersweet musical.”

Why You Should Be Excited About The Last Five Years: Fans are excited to see Adrienne Warren and Nick Jonas star in this musical that already has a huge fan-base. Adrienne Warren won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Tina Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, and Nick Jonas is back on Broadway for the first time since his performance in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 2012.

The Pirates of Penzance stars David Hyde Pierce and Ramin Karimloo in a whole new adaptation of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic by Rupert Holmes. This time the pirate ship docks in New Orleans bringing new sounds of jazz and blues to this story about young love, fast-talking Major-Generals, and Pirate Kings. The show will play at the Todd Haimes Theatre beginning April 4, 2025.

Why You Should Be Excited About The Pirates of Penzance: The Pirates of Penzance is a popular musical comedy, and fans are eager to see two popular actors in the musical - David Hyde Pierce is most known for his portrayal of Dr. Niles Crane on Frasier, but is equally at home on the stage, and Ramin Karimloo most recently played Nick Arnstein in Funny Girl on Broadway.