All the types of comedy on Broadway

From stand-up to satire to slapstick to situation comedy, and plenty more in between, there are plenty of laughs to be had at Broadway plays and musicals.

“Something for everyone – a comedy tonight!” That catchy song snippet from A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum takes on a different dimension when you consider that comedy isn’t a one-joke-fits-all kind of thing. Anything but.

Comedy is a genre that spans a wide spectrum. As the song notes, it can be appealing, appalling, convulsive, repulsive, and there’s a pretty good chance that liars, lovers, and clowns are involved.

When you’re in the mood to laugh and lighten up – whether at a musical, a farcical play, or a solo show – Broadway has got you covered in the comedy department. And that’s no joke.

Learn about the different types of comedy shows on Broadway right now, and get comedy tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Slapstick comedy

Don’t come expecting subtlety, folks. This breed of freewheeling comedy, along with farce, is writ large and designed to be played likewise – even extra-large.

The Play That Goes Wrong

This slapstick show isn't on Broadway, but it enjoyed a two-year Broadway run from 2017-19 and is now at the Off-Broadway venue New World Stages, located steps from Broadway theatres. This show by the British Mischief Theatre Company follows a troupe of actors trying to stage a murder mystery. Key word is trying. As the title might suggest, wild and hilarious mishaps happen almost constantly.

Get The Play That Goes Wrong tickets now.

Oh, Mary!

Oh, Mary! imagines what Mary Todd Lincoln was doing in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln's assassination. In comedian Cole Escola's zany play, Mary is a hard-drinking, sharp-witted, over-the-top woman with an all-consuming desire to be a cabaret star. She freewheels around the stage in a giant hoop skirt like a hurricane, and that's to say nothing of the other hilarious characters on stage. Drama and plenty of wild comedy ensue in this critically acclaimed, very irreverent historical comedy.

Get Oh, Mary! tickets now.

Situation comedy

It’s not just the stuff on TV. In this kind of comedy, the humor revolves primarily around the involvement of the main characters in a predicament or tricky set of circumstances. Cue the laugh track!

The Roommate

At first glance, Jen Silverman's play appears like a riff on The Odd Couple: Recent divorcee Sharon takes a brash roommate from the Bronx into her now-cavernous Iowa home. What could go wrong as these women from different worlds collide? Plenty, but lots also goes right as the women develop an unlikely bond, explore their desires, and get a second chance at life.

Get The Roommate tickets now.

All In: Comedy About Love by Simon Rich

Ah, love. Sometimes it's fun, and sometimes it's so trying, it's funny. The ups and downs of love are turned into humor in All In: Comedy About Love by Simon Rich, adapted from the titular playwright's short stories. If there's any doubt about how much you'll laugh, look at the cast, stacked with modern comedy titans: John Mulaney, Jimmy Fallon, Aidy Bryant, Chloe Fineman, Fred Armisen, Hank Azaria, and Renée Elise Goldsberry are just a few.

Get All In: Comedy About Love by Simon Rich tickets now.

Satire

Some comedies set out to lampoon the way things are – and to turn stereotypes inside out. Those shows are satires, and they take all kinds of forms.

The Book of Mormon

This irreverent and often profane show by Avenue Q's Robert Lopez and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone follows the classic contours of an old-fashioned Broadway musical comedy. Then, it updates and expands the form with its own did-they-really-go-there daring. The Book of Mormon about two naive Mormon missionaries dispatched to spread their faith in a religion-averse Ugandan community. What could possibly go wrong?

Get The Book of Mormon tickets now.

Musical comedy

Musicals tell stories through songs and dance, and they cover every conceivable theme: an unlucky-in-love queen of comedy in Funny Girl, a teen getting old before her time in Kimberly Akimbo, girl power stories in Six, & Juliet, and Once Upon a One More Time. Each, of course, comes with its share of humor. But below, discover musicals where the main motive is to crack you up.

Death Becomes Her

The 1992 Meryl Streep/Goldie Hawn movie is cartoonishly grotesque and over-the-top, and the Death Becomes Her musical takes everything up a notch to max comic effect. When frenemies Madeline and Helen both take a potion to achieve eternal youth, their lush new looks quickly become the source of body horror, here executed with slapstick stunt work amid catchy tunes and an endless stream of one-liners.

Get Death Becomes Her tickets now.

Back to the Future

Sure, the DeLorean-turned-time machine’s special effects get oohs and ahhs in this sci-fi fueled musical comedy. That said, the tale of Marty McFly, a teen who goes back in time and almost prevents his future parents from falling in love, is a lot of fun, and it's packed with cheeky '50s and '80s references. Plus, the fact that the entire plot hinges on a life-changing kiss makes Back to the Future the most romantic comedy on Broadway.

Get Back to the Future tickets now.

Stand-up comedy

Comedians have a knack for churning life experiences – even dark, outrageous, and serious ones – into laughs. There are no stand-up comedy shows on Broadway right now, but lots of famous ones have appeared there, like Alex Edelman's Just For Us and Mike Birbiglia's The New One. Learn more about why stand-up comedy and theatre have more in common than you may think.

Top image credit: The Book of Mormon on Broadway. (Photo courtesy of production)