The fall Broadway season features a star-studded plethora of shows to entertain all theatergoers. Some talents include Jim Parsons, Robert Downey Jr., Rachel Zegler, Kit Connor, Audra McDonald, Nicole Scherzinger, and many more.
Several musical adaptations of films are premiering this fall. Elf: The Musical, a beloved Christmas story about an elf named Buddy, opens on Nov. 17. Death Becomes Her, a dark comedy about eternal life, opens soon after on Nov. 21.
Many original musicals are debuting as well. The biographical musical A Wonderful World opens on Nov. 11 and tells the tale of jazz musician Louis Armstrong. Maybe Happy Ending, a scientific-fiction story about the love between two robots, opens on Nov. 12. Tammy Faye, centered around the life of televangelist Tammy Faye Messner, premieres on Nov. 14 and features music written by Elton John.
Subsequently, Swept Away, a musical based on the true story of survivors of a shipwreck in 1888, opens on Nov. 19. To cap off the season, All In: Comedy About Love debuts on Dec. 11, composed of several rom-com stories told by renowned comedians such as John Mulaney and Chloe Fineman.
Following the success of last season’s musical revivals, such as Merrily We Roll Along and Cabaret, this fall features no shortage of classic show returns. Sunset Boulevard opened on Oct. 20 and follows the character Norma Desmond’s struggle with her fall from stardom due to old age.
Moreover, Gypsy, debuting on Dec. 19, tells the tale of stage mom, Madame Rose, and her two daughters. The show will open at the Majestic Theatre, a venue that has not been used since the classic musical The Phantom of The Opera left Broadway.
Play lovers should not fear, as their hopes will most definitely be exceeded this season. McNeal, starring Robert Downey Jr., opened on Sep. 30 and deals with complex themes such as alcoholism, plagiarism, and the progression of AI. “It blurred reality and fantasy, so at a certain point, I couldn’t really tell what was real,” said Editor-in-Chief Hannah Wurzburger.
Oh Mary!, a comedy/farce that follows Mary Todd Lincoln in the days leading up to President Lincoln’s assassination, opened on July 11th. However, it is still technically part of the fall season. Comedy Yellow Face, which grapples with the intricacies of race, opened on Oct. 1. Left on Tenth, a show inspired by Delia Ephron’s memoir, opened on Oct. 23. Cult of Love, a show that follows a chaotic family Christmas, opens on Dec. 12. Lastly, the comedy Eureka Day, opening on Dec. 16, describes a vaccination debate in an elementary school.
Although many more play revivals are coming this spring, one show you can catch this season is Our Town. The play follows the lives of townspeople in the imaginary town of Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire, set between 1901 and 1913.
This fall has an abundance of shows for all theater lovers to enjoy and an all-star roster with captivating performances.