Grab your tickets to the shows everyone is talking about.
June 20, 2024 – What's a trip to New York City without a Broadway show? As a theater fan, I binge on Broadway every time I visit. With so much out there, it can be hard to find the best fit, especially when you’re paying a premium price. I tend to favor revivals of the classics or fully original new shows not based on obvious source material, but we all have our own tastes. And of course, you often have to consider not only your own tastes, but those of your fellow theatergoer (this is why I often selfishly go alone).
Now that the Tony Awards were just given out, the hottest tickets on Broadway this summer just got a lot hotter. I have not seen all of them, so can’t personally recommend, but they’re all in high demand, with audiences clamoring for tickets. And if you can’t get tickets to these, remember there are always great standbys to catch that have been playing for some time. Some of my favorites on the boards right now include Hadestown, Six and Wicked.
Act fast because Appropriate closes on June 30 and recently won Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play and Best Actress in a Play for Sarah Paulson. It is a gripping family drama that centers on the Lafayette siblings who reunite in their late father's Arkansas plantation house. As they prepare to sell the estate, they uncover disturbing relics of their father's past, including a photo album of lynchings, which forces them to confront their family’s dark history.
The current Broadway revival of Cabaret brings a fresh and immersive experience to this classic musical. Directed by Rebecca Frecknall, the production stars Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee and Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles, taking audiences back to Berlin's Kit Kat Club in 1929. The show is staged in-the-round at the August Wilson Theatre, which has been transformed to resemble an intimate nightclub, enhancing the immersive atmosphere with pre-show performances by musicians and dancers.
Hell's Kitchen features the songs of Alicia Keys and is loosely inspired by her own experiences. The story follows 17-year-old Ali, played by Maleah Joi Moon (who just won the Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical) navigating life in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Ali's journey is marked by a complex relationship with her protective single mother, Jersey, and an evolving mentorship with her piano teacher, Miss Liza Jane .
The Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" has received significant acclaim for the nuanced portrayal of its complex story and just came off major Tony wins for Best Musical Revival and acting awards for Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe. The musical follows the disillusionment of Franklin Shepard, a successful Hollywood producer, by moving backwards in time from 1976 to 1957, showcasing how he loses his ideals and friendships with his best friends and close collaborators. But this is another one to get to quickly, as it closes on July 7.
Fresh off its win for the coveted Best New Musical Tony Award is The Outsiders, an adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s classic novel and the subsequent Francis Ford Coppola film. Set in 1967 Tulsa, Oklahoma, the story revolves around Ponyboy Curtis and his gang, the Greasers, as they navigate class conflicts and their struggles for identity and belonging against the wealthier Socs. Danya Taymor also won a Tony Award for her direction of the musical.
Set in a 1970s recording studio following a rock band on the brink of superstardom, Stereophonic won this year’s Best New Play Tony. Written by David Adjmi and directed by Daniel Aukin, the play captures the intense creative process of the band, highlighting their struggles with artistic, romantic and drug-related conflicts. The production features original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, adding an authentic rock feel to the story. Critics have praised the play for its detailed portrayal of the band's dynamics and the immersive experience it provides.
Suffs created a good deal of buzz before it opened on Broadway this year. Set against the backdrop of the early 20th century, it explores the intense and multifaceted fight for women's suffrage in the United States. It follows key figures like Alice Paul, Carrie Chapman Catt and Ida B. Wells as they navigate political and personal conflicts in their quest for equality. The show highlights their struggles, including the internal divisions by race, class, and strategy within the movement .