Jonathan Pryce, Marisa Tomei & Mary-Louise Parker

September 2019 Highlights on Broadway and Beyond

Check out our guide to the biggest theatrical events of the month...

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

As the temperatures begin to dip in the coming months, things are really starting to heat up on the Great White Way. No less than ten new Broadway productions begin performances in New York City this September in what promises to be quite an eclectic fall on Broadway.

 

Andrew Polec & Christina Bennington in Bat Out of Hell, Tom Sturridge in Sea Wall and Jake Gyllenhaal in A Life
(Photos by Little Fang Photo / Richard Hubert Smith)

But before we get to all these exciting new additions, as always, we'd like to take this opportunity to encourage you to check out a couple of shows that face the final curtain this month, before it's too late. At New York City CenterJim Steinman's wild, whacky and spectacular musical Bat Out of Hell, featuring the greatest hits of Meat Loaf, will rock out one last time on September 8. And at the other end of the theatrical spectrum, the Broadway premiere of Sea Wall/A Life - a compelling and deeply emotional evening of storytelling courtesy of Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and Tony Award nominee Tom Sturridge - plays its final performance at the Hudson Theatre on September 29.

Bat Out of Hell: The Musical Tickets are available now for performances through September 8, 2019.

Sea Wall/A Life Tickets are available now for performances through September 29, 2019.

 

Colleen Ballinger & Todrick Hall
(Photos courtesy of Boneau/Bryan-Brown

Finally, fans of "Miranda Sings" star Colleen Ballinger and "Ru Paul's Drag Race" favorite Todrick Hall need to get themselves down to the diner (aka the Brooks Atkinson Theatre) post-haste, because these two YouTube sensations are scheduled to end their limited runs in the hit musical Waitress on September 15!

Waitress Tickets are available now for performances through January 5, 2020.

And now, without further ado, let's take a look at all the theatrical treats ahead this month...


September 5

Zawe Ashton, Charlie Cox & Tom Hiddleston in Betrayal in London
(Photo by Marc Brenner)

On September 5, it's time for three exceptional British talents to face the New York critics as Harold Pinter's classic Betrayal officially opens at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Having earned rave reviews in London earlier this year, we have a feeling that this acclaimed West End production will enjoy equal levels of success on this side of the pond. And that will be largely thanks to the Broadway debuts of Golden Globe and Olivier Award winner Tom HiddlestonCharlie Cox, and Zawe Ashton, as well as the UK's Olivier Award-winning director extraordinaire Jamie Lloyd. Experience Betrayal in its purest form!

Betrayal Tickets are available now for performances through December 8, 2019.


September 6

Brian Cox
(Photo courtesy of Polk & Co.)

It's been over five years since All The Way (starring Bryan Cranston) conquered Broadway and nabbed the Tony Award for "Best Play" and the wait for a sequel is finally over! Get ready for the next chapter in the LBJ plays because Emmy and two-time Olivier Award winner Brian Cox has been passed the baton and will play President Lyndon B. Johnson in Robert Schenkkan's second offering in the saga: The Great Society. Bringing to life LBJ's years through the rise of the Civil Rights Movement and the horrors of Vietnam, performances begin on the stage of the Vivian Beaumont Theater on September 6.

The Great Society Tickets are available now for performances from September 6 through November 30, 2019.

 

Derren Brown
(Photo by Seamus Ryan)

Also on September 6, if you're in the mood for something a little different... and completely mindblowing... then why not check out Derren Brown: Secret, which begins performances at the Cort Theatre ahead of an official opening on September 15. The UK's supreme mentalist and illusionist has been wowing audiences across the pond for years and with a talent like his, it was only a matter of time before an American invasion was on the cards. His Off-Broadway debut at Atlantic Theater Company back in the spring of 2017 went down a storm and now it's time for Mr. Brown to share his "secret" on the Great White Way... All will be revealed...

Derren Brown: Secret Tickets are available now for performances from September 6, 2019 through January 4, 2020.


September 10

Eileen Atkins & Jonathan Pryce in The Height of the Storm in London
(Photo by Hugo Glendenning)

The last time Broadway audiences had the opportunity to see British stage and screen legends Jonathan Pryce and Dame Eileen Atkins was back in 2006, but at long last, thanks to Manhattan Theatre Club, this duo of acting royalty will be treading the boards again in New York City from September 10. The American premiere of Tony Award nominee Florian Zeller's The Height of the Storm plays the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, officially opening on September 24, and might well turn out to be the acting master class of the fall.

The Height of the Storm Tickets are available now for performances from September 10 through November 17, 2019.

 

Ato Blankson-Wood in Slave Play at New York Theatre Workshop
(Photo by Joan Marcus)

Another new play beginning previews on September 10 is Jeremy O. Harris' celebrated drama Slave Play at the Golden Theatre. Already the recipient of the Rosa Parks Playwriting Award, the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, The Lotos Foundation Prize in the Arts and Sciences and the 2018 Paula Vogel Award, we have a feeling that Slave Play might just become the surprise hit of the season. This hard-hitting exploration of the themes of race, sexual attraction and relationships is not for the faint of heart, as audiences can expect nudity, sexual content, sexual violence, and racially violent language, and Broadway once again proves itself a frontrunner in pushing the envelope and not shying away from controversial topics.

Slave Play Tickets are available now for performances from September 10, 2019, through January 5, 2020.


September 13

freestyle love supreme at the Greenwich House Theater
(Photo by Matthew Murphy)

Conceived by Lin-Manuel MirandaThomas Kail and Anthony Veneziale, freestyle love supreme begins previews at the Booth Theatre on September 13, combining elements of improvisational theatre and hip-hop, accompanied by a live band. The core line-up of the Broadway production features Andrew Bancroft (aka Jelly Donut), Arthur Lewis (aka Arthur The Geniuses), Bill Sherman (aka King Sherman), Chris Sullivan (aka Shockwave), Anthony Veneziale (aka Two-Touch), and Utkarsh Ambudkar (aka UTK), and if that wasn't enough, producers have also promised suprise guest appearances throughout the Broadway run from the likes of Tony Award winners James Monroe Inglehart and Daveed Diggs, Tony Award nominee Christopher Jackson, multiple Emmy Award winner Wayne Brady, and even Lin-Manuel Miranda himself. So, get yourselves down to the Booth... you never know who's going to show up!

freestyle love supreme Tickets are available now for performances from September 13, 2019 through January 5, 2020.


September 14

Willl Hochman & Mary-Louise Parker in The Sound Inside at Williamstown Theatre Festival
(Photo by Carolyn Brown)

On September 14, Tony, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Mary-Louise Parker returns to the Broadway stage, reprising her acclaimed performance from Adam Rapp's The Sound Inside. The production premiered at Williamstown Theatre Festival last summer to great acclaim and Parker reunites with her co-star Will Hochman and Tony Award-winning director David Cromer to bring this scinitillating two-hander to audiences at Studio 54. Find out what happens when a teacher-student relationship takes a troubling turn...

The Sound Inside Tickets are available now for performances from September 14, 2019 through January 12, 2020.


September 19

Ian Barford
(Photo courtesy of Polk & Co.)

The first of the two Broadway productions beginning previews on September 19 is the Steppenwolf Theatre production of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Tracy LettsLinda Vista. Starring Ian Barford, the production kicks off Second Stage Theater's Broadway season at The Hayes Theater and promises a generous helping of comedy, as 50-year-old divorcé Wheeler faces his midlife crisis (and the dating game) with reckless abandon.

Linda Vista Tickets are available now for performances from September 19 through November 10, 2019.

 

Marisa Tomei in The Rose Tattoo at Williamstown Theatre Festival
(Photo by Daniel Rader)

The second production to begin performances on September 19 is Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of Tennessee WilliamsThe Rose Tattoo at the American Airlines Theatre. The production was previously well-received at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the summer of 2016 and Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei now reunites with director Trip Cullman to once again portray one of Williams' fieriest characters in Serafina Delle Rose.

The Rose Tattoo Tickets are available now for performances from September 19 through December 8, 2019.


September 20

Kristin Stokes, Chris McCarrell & Jorrell Javier in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical
(Photo by Jeremy Daniel)

Longing for a new musical? Dying to treat the kids? Then, the Broadway premiere of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is just what the doctor ordered. Based on the best-selling novel by Rick Riordan, performances begin at the Longacre Theatre on September 20. Take Harry Potter and Greek Mythology, mix them together and this delicious family-friendly smoothie is the result. Oh, and there's an original rock score to boot! Ready to experience the power of the gods on the Great White Way?

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical Tickets are available now for performances from September 20, 2019 through January 5, 2020.


September 27

The London company of The Inheritance
(Photo by Marc Brenner)

And that brings us to the last new Broadway production coming to you this month. On September 27, the 2019 Olivier Award-winning two-part, epic drama The Inheritance begins performances at the Barrymore Theatre (with Part 2 beginning October 11). Playwright Matthew Lopez blew audiences and critics away at London's Young Vic and Noel Coward Theatres last year and now this New York-centric marvel of a play will be embraced by New York audiences. This certainly feels like destiny and we're sure The Inheritance, which centers around a group of young gay men in Manhattan in this post-AIDS era, will be a frontrunner in next year's Awards season. Don't miss out on this unprecedented theatrical event!

The Inheritance - Part 1 Tickets are available now for performances from September 27, 2019 through March 1, 2020.

The Inheritance - Part 2 Tickets are available now for performances from October 11, 2019 through March 1, 2020.


And what's happening Off-Broadway this September, you ask? We got you covered... And remember your final chance to experience Public Works' world premiere musical adaptation of Disney's Hercules at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park is September 8!

September 4 - The New York Theatre Workshop production of runboyrun & In Old Age and the Atlantic Theater Company production of Sunday both begin previews, ahead of official openings on September 23.

September 8 - Two official openings: Red Bull Theater's Off-Broadway premiere of American Moor at the Cherry Lane Theatre and the Off-Broadway premiere of L.O.V.E.R. at Pershing Square Signature Center.

September 11 - The Second Stage Theater/WP Theater world premiere co-production of Our Dear Dead Drug Lord begins previews at the McGinn/Cazale Theater, ahead of an official opening on September 24.

September 13 - The world premiere of Heroes of the Fourth Turning begins performances at Playwrights Horizons.

September 14 - Roundabout Theatre Company's much-anticipated world premiere musical Scotland, PA begins performances at the Laura Pels Theatre.

September 16 - The world premiere comedy Wives officially opens at Playwrights Horizons.

September 17 - A star-studded revival of Little Shop of Horrors, starring Jonathan GroffTammy Blanchard Christian Borle, begins performances at the Westside Theatre, whilst Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of The New Englanders begins performances at New York City Center.

September 18 - Another eagerly anticipated world premiere musical: Ross Golan's The Wrong Man begins performances at MCC Theater.

September 20 - An Off-Broadway revival of Dublin Carol begins performances at Irish Repertory Theatre.

September 24 - The New York premiere of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori's musical Soft Power begins performances at the Public Theater.

September 28 - The Atlantic For Kids world premiere musical The Big One-Oh! begins performances at the Linda Gross Theater.


So, that's a lot to be excited about this month, theatre fans! Check back with us for next month's round-up of theatrical treats, including the Broadway premiere of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical!!!

 

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