Broadway Spring 2020 Preview - The Plays

Check out our guide to the nine new plays and revivals opening on the Great White Way this spring...

This spring sees a whole host of famous faces treading the Broadway boards. Some might consider themselves regular stage veterans, whilst others haven't been seen on the Great White Way in several years. Some are even making their Broadway debuts this spring. And the selection of plays they will be featured in is an optimal mix of tried and tested masterpieces from such greats as Edward Albee, Neil Simon, and David Mamet, and fresh, new works ready to stage their Broadway premieres.

So, here's our comprehensive guide to spring 2020 for those of you who love a compelling drama or a laugh-out-loud comedy...

Plaza Suite

For the first time since 1996, real-life married couple Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will appear on the Broadway stage together as they are set to star in a much-anticipated revival of Neil Simon's 1968 comedy Plaza Suite. Broderick and Parker will play three different couples who all stayed in Suite 719 in New York City's Plaza Hotel at different times in this hilarious examination of love and marriage. Directed by Tony Award winner John Benjamin Hickey, the production, which is currently playing a pre-Broadway run at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre, begins previews at the Hudson Theatre on Broadway on March 13, ahead of an official opening on April 13 and a limited 17-week engagement.

Plaza Suite Tickets are available now for performances from March 13 through July 12, 2020.

American Buffalo

Another eagerly awaited, star-studded revival this spring is American Buffalo, which begins performances at Circle in the Square on March 24, with an Opening Night set for April 14. David Mamet's three-hander was first staged in 1975 and has proven so popular that this production marks the play's fourth Broadway outing. For the occasion, producers have managed to enlist a trio of heavy-hitters - in the form of Tony Award winner Laurence Fishburne, Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell, and Emmy Award winner Darren Criss - to tell this story of three small-time hustlers, a valuable buffalo nickel, and the pursuit of the American Dream. In the confines of one of Broadway's smallest venues, this is a perfect opportunity to experience these widely acclaimed actors up close and personal.

American Buffalo Tickets are available now for performances from March 24 through July 12, 2020.

The Minutes

Ever since Tracy Letts's Tony Award-winning 'Best Play' August: Osage County took Broadway by storm in 2007, any new works by the gifted writer/actor have always become an 'event' both on and off-Broadway. The Minutes, a 2017 comedy about small town politics and an explosive town council meeting, is no exception. But this time, Letts will also star in one of his own plays for the first time ever on Broadway. And aside from his usual Steppenwolf Theatre Company collaborators, Letts has also brought in some added star power with Golden Globe nominee Armie Hammer and Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller. Previews begin at the Cort Theatre on February 25, ahead of an official opening on March 15.

The Minutes Tickets are available now for performances from February 25 through June 14, 2020.

Birthday Candles

Roundabout Theatre Company brings us a New York premiere this spring in the form of Noah Haidle's Birthday Candles, which was previously staged at the Detroit Public Theatre in spring 2018. The exciting news is that Roundabout has managed to entice a television superstar back to the New York stage for the occasion, as taking on the central role of Ernestine Ashworth is 9-time Golden Globe nominee and the Emmy Award-winning star of "Will & Grace," Debra Messing. The new play, which follows Ernestine through a multitude of Birthday celebrations from her 17th to her 101st, also features stellar support from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" star Andre Braugher and "Veronica Mars" favorite Enrico Colantoni. Previews begin at the American Airlines Theatre on April 2, ahead of an official opening on April 21.

Birthday Candles Tickets are available now for performances from April 2 through June 21, 2020.

Hangmen

The first British import on our list comes to us from the creative genius of one Martin McDonagh, perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated screenplays of "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" and "In Bruges." His dark comedy Hangmen, which is set in the North of England in 1965, asks the question: what does Britain's (second most) famous executioner do now that hanging has been abolished? The play celebrated its world premiere at London's Royal Court Theatre in 2015 and has since enjoyed a West End run (winning the 2016 Olivier Award for 'Best New Play') and an Off-Broadway premiere courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company in 2018. For its Broadway premiere at the Golden Theatre from February 28, "Game of Thrones" and "The Full Monty" favorite Mark Addy reprises the role of Harry, the executioner in question, alongside new additions to the cast which include Tony Award nominee Tracie Bennett and "Downton Abbey" & "Legion" star Dan Stevens, who returns to Broadway after a 7-year absence. Opening Night is set for March 19.

Hangmen Tickets are available now for performances from February 28 through July 18, 2020.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Time for another 20th century classic! Marking its fourth Broadway revival since its 1962 premiere, this production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has assembled a 24-karat cast under the direction of two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello. Playing the iconically toxic couple of Martha and George are two-time Tony & three-time Emmy Award winner Laurie Metcalf and two-time Golden Globe & three-time Olivier Award nominee Rupert Everett, respectively. Supporting them as the unsuspecting younger couple drawn into their bitter feud are Olivier Award winner Patsy Ferran as Honey and "Looking" star Russell Tovey as Nick. Previews begin at the Booth Theatre on March 3, ahead of an official opening on April 9. In our eyes, Metcalf was born to play the coveted role of Martha and could well see even more accolades heading her way come Awards Season this year.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Tickets are available for performances from March 3 through August 2, 2020.

The Lehman Trilogy

The second British import on our list is the 5-star National Theatre production of The Lehman Trilogy, which begins previews at the Nederlander Theatre on March 7. Directed by Sam Mendes, who recently scooped 'Best Director' at both the Golden Globes and BAFTAs for his efforts on "1917," The Lehman Trilogy is told in three parts, but presented toegther as one whole piece of theatre. Exploring western capitalism through the microcosm of a single immigrant family, the play sprawls across generations with actors Simon Russell Beale, Ben Miles and Adam Godley portraying the famous Lehman brothers, as well as their sons and grandsons. The production has already wowed New York audiences at the Park Avenue Armory, but now this British trio are reprising their Olivier-nominated roles for the Broadway premiere. Opening Night is set for March 26.

The Lehman Trilogy Tickets are available now for performances from March 7 through June 28, 2020.

How I Learned to Drive

Manhattan Theatre Club's spring offering comes in the form of one of the most gripping and hard-hitting dramas of recent memory. Paula Vogel's 1997 masterpiece How I Learned to Drive was showered with accolades following its Off-Broadway premiere, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and yet the impactful play has never been staged on the Great White Way... until now! What makes this Broadway premiere at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre even more special is the fact that the original stars and director have reunited for the production. Tony Award winner Mary-Louise Parker and Tony Award nominee David Morse reprise their original roles of Li'l Bit and Uncle Peck, more than two decades later, and Mark Brokaw helms this new production, exploring the deep impact on a young girl as a result of a sexual relationship with her aunt's husband. Previews begin on March 27, ahead of an official opening on April 22.

How I Learned to Drive Tickets are available now for performances from March 27 through June 7, 2020.

Take Me Out

The final production on our Spring Preview rundown is an eagerly awaited revival of Richard Greenberg's Tony Award-winning 'Best Play' Take Me Out, presented by Second Stage Theater at The Hayes Theater on Broadway from April 2. Take Me Out centers on mixed-race baseball star Darren Lemming, who comes out as gay and is faced to confront the deep-rooted homophobic and racist culture of a hyper-masculine institution. The cast is led by "Grey's Anatomy" star Jesse Williams, making his Broadway debut as Darren, and he's joined by an all-male cast that includes five-time Emmy-nominated star of "Modern Family," Jesse Tyler Ferguson and "Suits" star Patrick J. Adams (also making his Broadway debut). Opening Night is set for April 23.

Take Me Out Tickets will be available soon. 

Check out our guide to the nine new musical productions on the Great White Way this spring here...