Broadway reopening continues, with ‘Hamilton,’ ‘Wicked,’ ‘The Lion King,’ and more

Four blockbuster musicals resume performances tonight, and one new show begins previews, continuing the wave of Broadway reopenings.

Four Broadway heavyweights — Wicked, Chicago, The Lion King, and Hamilton — will resume performances tonight, kicking off a wave of reopenings that will continue throughout the fall. The shows were some of the first to announce dates when former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Broadway could reopen at 100 percent capacity on September 14.

However, some shows had other plans: Springsteen on Broadway reopened to a full-capacity audience July 26. Pass Over became the first new play to perform on Broadway August 4. And Hadestown and Waitress both resumed performances September 2, putting them all ahead of the initially planned reopening date. 

Wicked and The Lion King partnered with Hamilton to jointly announce their September 14 reopenings. It's fitting that the projected "grand reopening" date of the industry includes its grandest shows likely to bring back devoted theatregoers and curious tourists alike: Wicked, The Lion King, and Chicago are three of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, having been mainstays on Broadway for two decades. (Only The Phantom of the Opera, which reopens October 22, tops these three in longevity.)

Hamilton is the youngest of the bunch, having only opened in 2015, but it instantly cemented a strong presence on Broadway. It won 11 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize and remains one of Broadway's hottest tickets.

New arrivals to Broadway are joining the long-running shows, too. Award-winning actor, director, and playwright Ruben Santiago-Hudson's Lackawanna Blues begins previews tonight. And on Friday, the pop musical Six begins a new round of previews, taking a fresh start. It completed its initial previews in March 2020 but never opened, as its official opening night was scheduled for the day Broadway shut down.

In addition, beginning Friday, David Byrne brings back his theatrical concert, American Utopia, for a limited run. The show first graced Broadway in 2019, but after being filmed for streaming, the show is getting refreshed for the stage once more.

With tonight's shows, Broadway begins a steady surge of openings and reopenings, with at least one new show kicking off performances every few days at least through November. Check out the full schedule of fall Broadway shows here.