Top theatre to see in New York in December

Read our picks for must-see Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre in December 2023, including the year's last fall Broadway productions and holiday-themed shows.

Gillian Russo
Gillian Russo

The year is drawing to a close, but plenty of New York shows are opening in December before 2023 is up. The last shows of the fall season make their debuts just in time for the holiday season, when tons of visitors flood New York to see the decorations and, of course, see shows. And with the holidays in full swing, December is filled with Broadway and Off-Broadway shows that celebrate the magic of the winter season. Check out all the top holiday shows in New York.

Whether you're planning your holiday vacation to the city or are a local looking to squeeze in some more theatregoing before the year ends, check out our list of Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre to see in December 2023.

Appropriate

Holidays are all about spending time with family, and the family reunion in Appropriate will make you grateful that yours (hopefully) isn't quite as dysfunctional. Sarah Paulson, Elle Fanning, and more star in Pulitzer finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's drama about secrets and tensions that boil over when siblings reunite to settle their late father's estate.

Get Appropriate tickets now.

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How to Dance in Ohio

Dance on over to the Belasco Theatre to see this celebratory new musical. Seven autistic young adults prepare for a formal dance at their counseling center, achieving coming-of-age milestones and developing their social skills along the way. The musical is based on the same-named, award-winning documentary, and the whole lead creative team and all seven autistic lead actors are making their Broadway debuts.

Get How to Dance in Ohio tickets now.

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Prayer for the French Republic

Following a multi-award-winning Off-Broadway premiere two years ago, Joshua Harmon's Prayer for the French Republic makes its Broadway debut. Seventy years apart, a French Jewish family and its descendants face the same questions and fears of anti-Semitism, showing how history repeats.

Get Prayer for the French Republic tickets now.

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Megan Hilty in Concert

Wicked and Smash star Julianne Hough is ringing in the holidays in style. In her four-night-only concert series at the upscale Paradise Club, right in the heart of Times Square, Hilty will perform a festive concert perfect to ring in the holiday season. Food and drink are also on offer at this unique event, presented by TodayTix.

Get Megan Hilty in Concert tickets now.

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Nutcracker Rouge

This 21+ Christmas show is more naughty than nice. Nutcracker Rouge puts a sexy spin on the beloved Nutcracker tale, with the wonders of the Land of Sweets unfolding through burlesque dance, acrobatics, music, and more. Watch the spectacle unfold all around you as the actors perform on and above the stage, and indulge in themed sweet treats and drinks fit for a sugar plum fairy.

Get Nutcracker Rouge tickets now.

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The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute continues The Metropolitan Opera's annual tradition of presenting abridged, English-language operas around the holidays to bring in family audiences. The opera starts off like many classic fairytales, with a prince sent by a queen to rescue a princess in distress. He's helped along in his quest by the titular charmed instrument, which turns sadness into joy when he plays it. Once he rescues the princess, however, the two realize her captor is actually kind and wise, and it's the queen that needs to be defeated.

Get The Magic Flute tickets now.

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The Night of the Iguana

No one's life is the same after a group of people are stuck at a cheap Acapulco hotel during one stormy night. And what a cast there is under that roof in the latest revival of Tennessee Williams's classic play. Tim Daly, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Lea DeLaria, Austin Pendleton, and Jean Lichty star under the direction of Tony Award winner Emily Mann.

Get The Night of the Iguana tickets now.

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I Need That

If you need to see Danny DeVito on stage, this is your last chance, because I Need That closes December 30. The Emmy Award-winning actor stars as Sam, a widower with a hoarding problem that he needs to fix — or else get evicted. In this show about finding the treasure amid the trash, DeVito stars alongside his daughter, Lucy DeVito, and Ray Anthony Thomas.

Get I Need That tickets now.

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Some Like It Hot

Some like it hot, and hot is what they've got for you — but only through December 30. See the four-time Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of the classic Billy Wilder film, with old-fashioned musical comedy flair and a fresh story update. When musicians Joe and Jerry escape the mob by going undercover with an all-female swing band, they learn a thing or two about their truest selves.

Get Some Like It Hot tickets now.

Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG

I Can Get It For You Wholesale

That title sounds like music to a holiday gift-buyer's ears, no? Well, don't trust Harry Bogen if he says it to you. The lead character of this rarely revived classic, last seen on Broadway in 1962, is a Garment District worker who will do anything — and betray anyone — to get to the top. The revival runs through December 17.

Get I Can Get It For You Wholesale tickets now.

Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG

Photo credit: The Magic Flute at The Metropolitan Opera. (Photo courtesy of production)

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