August 2019 Highlights on Broadway and Beyond

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

While the engines of the 2019-2020 Broadway season prepare to rev up for an exciting fall on the Great White Way, August already has one or two treats in store for theatre fans in New York City. But before we get to that, this month will also see no less than seven (!!!) Broadway shows coming to a close. So we'd like to take this opportunity to urge you to catch this plethora of productions before it's too late!

AUGUST 11 - Despite winning the "Outstanding Musical" Drama Desk Award alongside rave reviews, your last chance to attend The Prom (at the Longacre Theatre) will be August 11, but with a National Tour set to launch in 2021 and a Netflix movie adaptation in the works for 2020, it will be "Time to Dance" for many years to come! In addition, Michael will be locking himself in that bathroom one last time on August 11, as the teenage crowd-pleaser Be More Chill plays its final performance at the Lyceum Theatre.

The Prom Tickets are available now for performances through August 11.

Be More Chill Tickets are available now for performances through August 11.

AUGUST 17 - One last trip to the "Copacabana"? Catch Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award-winning music legend Barry Manilow as his "In Residence on Broadway" run, simply entitled Manilow Broadway, comes to an end at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on August 17! Expect all the hits from "Mandy" to "Could It Be Magic," as well as tributes to Broadway itself.

Manilow Broadway Tickets are available now for performances through August 17.

AUGUST 18 - A sad day on Broadway as three of last season's new shows take their final bow on August 18: Pretty Woman: The Musical at the Nederlander Theatre, special Tony Award recipient King Kong at the Broadway Theatre and The Cher Show, featuring a Tony Award-winning performance by Stephanie J. Block, at the Neil Simon Theatre! Don't end up wishing you could turn back time!

Pretty Woman: The Musical Tickets are available now for performances through August 18.

King Kong Tickets are available now for performances through August 18.

The Cher Show Tickets are available now for performances through August 18.

AUGUST 24 - Heidi Schreck's profoundly personal and thought-provoking piece What the Constitution Means to Me ends its limited engagement at the Hayes Theater on August 24, so book yourselves in for 2019's most entertainingly informative evening on the Great White Way, where you also get to be a part of the discussion!

What the Constitution Means to Me Tickets are available now for performances through August 24.

And when you've said "Goodbye" to these old friends, prepare to say "Hello!" to a few new ones...

August 8

On August 8, the Broadway transfer of Sea Wall / A Life officially opens at the Hudson Theatre, so find out what the critics think about these two compelling monologues told back-to-back by two uber-talenetd young actors - Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and Tony Award nominee Tom Sturridge - under the direction of Carrie Cracknell. If the previous reviews from the Public Theater are anything to go by, then this production is delivering storytelling at its very best!

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

August 14

Perhaps the biggest theatrical highlight of August is the Broadway transfer of London's hit revival of Betrayal. And that's largely due to the long-awaited Broadway debut of Marvel Cinematic Universe favorite Tom Hiddleston, a Golden Globe and Olivier Award-winning actor in his own right, who takes on the role of Robert in this Harold Pinter classic. He'll be joined on stage by his London co-stars with Charlie Cox (another Marvel star thanks to his portrayal of Daredevil on Netflix) and Zawe Ashton reprising their performances as Jerry and Emma, respectively. Famously told in reverse chronological order, let this talented bunch of Brits enthrall you with this captivating tale of a seven-year extramarital affair. An official opening is set for September 5 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

Betrayal Tickets are available now for performances from August 14 through December 8, 2019.

August 20

As previously reported, Broadway's smash hit musical Waitress will be closing down the diner for good on January 5, 2020, but there's plenty more shifts to look forward to before then, including the Broadway debut of YouTube sensation Colleen Ballinger, best known for "Miranda Sings," and the Broadway return of "Ru Paul's Drag Race" favorite Todrick Hall. These two are going to make the cutest couple as Dawn and Ogie, respectively, and we wish we never ever have to get rid of them! Ballinger and Hall begin performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on August 20 and will remain with the production through September 15, 2019.

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

And now here's a quick run-down of all the highlights Off-Broadway this August...

August 1 - Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell: The Musical, featuring all of Meat Loaf's greatest hits, finally lands in the Big Apple and begins previews at New York City Center on August 1, ahead of an official opening on August 8.

August 5 - The "Shakespeare in the Park" production of Coriolanus officially opens at the Delacorte Theater.

August 15 - Second Stage Theater's New York premiere of Bess Wohl's Make Believe officially opens at the Tony Kiser Theater.

August 21 - The Off-Broadway premiere of L.O.V.E.R., written and performed by Lois Robbins begins previews at the Pershing Square Signature Center.

August 23 - Jaclyn Backhaus' world premiere comedy Wives begins previews at Playwrights Horizons.

August 27 - Red Bull Theater's Off-Broadway premiere of American Moor begins previews at the Cherry Lane Theatre.

August 31 - The Public Works' world premiere stage adaptation of Hercules, based on the 1997 Disney animated classic, begins performances at the Delacorte Theater on August 31 and runs through September 8.

Join us next month when we'll give you the low-down on nine (!!!) new productions, getting ready to begin performances and wow audiences on the Great White Way...