Broadway

This year's Tony Awards nominations have been announced. Unlike the Oscars, where you can easily watch most of the nominated films, the Tony Awards are different. The nominees include multiple shows that have already closed and limited-run shows that not many people will get to see.Luckily, this year, you can still see many of the Tony-nominated performances. Read on to learn about these master performers and why they are worth a trip to Broadway.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/tony-award-nominees" target="_blank">Get tickets to a Tony-nominated show on New York Theatre Guide.</a><h2>Rachel Dratch and Julie White:&nbsp;POTUS</h2>If there's one word to describe Selina Fillinger's play, it's unhinged.&nbsp;SNL&nbsp;alum <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news-features/interviews/rachel-dratch-on-going-from-saturday-night-live-to-potus-on-broadway" target="_blank">Rachel Dratch</a> and Tony winner Julie White play White House bureaucrats charged with cleaning up a president's mess. Their performances are anything but boring: Dratch plays a mousy secretary who steals the show when she trips on acid and starts climbing up the walls.White has the honor of saying the first word in the play, and the wide variety of ways she delivers that vulgar C word (think "see you next Tuesday") in the following two hours is more than enough to earn her that Tony nomination. Dratch and White are both nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play.&nbsp;POTUS&nbsp;is playing a limited engagement through August 14.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/potus-or-behind-every-great-dumbass-are-seven-women-trying-to-keep-him-alive" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;POTUS&nbsp;tickets now.</a><h2>Myles Frost:&nbsp;MJ: The Musical</h2>It's not easy to don the sparkling glove of Michael Jackson, but Frost wears it so well that it's a perfect fit. He has Jackson's dance moves and vocal inflections down, so much so that the audience of&nbsp;MJ&nbsp;acts like they're at an actual Michael Jackson concert. Not only that, but Frost's performance is haunting, showing a Jackson who was beset by trauma and demons yet determined to make a mark through his art. In Frost's hands, the King of Pop lives again. Frost is nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Musical (and he ended up taking home the prize).<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/mj-the-musical" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;MJ The Musical&nbsp;tickets now.</a><h2>Sutton Foster, Hugh Jackman, Jayne Houdyshell:&nbsp;The Music Man</h2>It's no surprise that the stars of&nbsp;The Music Man&nbsp;revival were nominated — they deserve it for the tap number at the end of the show alone! <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/hugh-jackman" target="_blank">Hugh Jackman</a> plays Harold Hill, a grifter who is inspired to change his stripes when he falls in love with Foster's Marian. Jackman turns on the charm as Harold, and it's easy to see why an entire town would willingly give him all their money.As Marian, <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/sutton-foster" target="_blank">Sutton Foster</a> brings her razor-sharp wit, giving this version of the character a probing intelligence without taking away any of her tenderness and romance. Foster and Jackman are nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Musical and Best Leading Actor in a Musical, respectively.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/jayne-houdyshell" target="_blank">Jayne Houdyshell</a> is also nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in&nbsp;The Music Man&nbsp;as the mayor's wife, Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn. Houdyshell's role is fairly small, but she steals the show with her big number. Dressed as the Statue of Liberty, she makes you feel positively patriotic.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/the-music-man" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;The Music Man&nbsp;tickets now.</a><h2>Jaquel Spivey, L Morgan Lee, John-Andrew Morrison:&nbsp;A Strange Loop</h2>In&nbsp;A Strange Loop, Jaquel Spivey is onstage almost the entire time, playing Usher, a gay Black man who is relentlessly harangued by his self-hating thoughts (some of them played by L Morgan Lee and John-Andrew Morrison).&nbsp;A Strange Loop&nbsp;is Spivey's first professional gig, but you can't tell. He gives a sensitive performance, while belting to the rafters. Usher just wants to be loved for who he truly is, and in Spivey's hands, the audience can't help but fall in love.In&nbsp;A Strange Loop, Usher's Thoughts take on different forms, which means the actors playing them have to be multifaceted as well. Lee and Morrison are both hilarious when the show opens as they jazz-hands to "Intermission Song." But Lee, as a caring female stranger, provides a stunning moment of clarity for Usher, while Morrison, as Usher's mother, has us leaning forward in "Periodically", a snapshot of maternal love and disappointment.Spivey is nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, Lee is nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, and Morrison is nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/a-strange-loop" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;A Strange Loop&nbsp;tickets now.</a><h2>Patti LuPone, Jennifer Simard, Matt Doyle:&nbsp;Company</h2>Patti LuPone has outdone herself. As Joanne in&nbsp;Company, she not only gets a standing ovation every night when she belts out "The Ladies Who Lunch", but the production shows LuPone is definitely a team player. She dances in the group numbers and moves furniture around, and she even appears in a memorable dream sequence in the musical that showcases her in a way fans have never seen before.Meanwhile, Simard is dry and hilarious as Sarah, a married woman on a diet. Simard is able to show off her physical humor and wrings out every bit of laughter from the script. Doyle plays Jamie, a gay man with cold feet on his wedding day. In Doyle's hands, you have never heard a "Getting Married Today" quite like this. LuPone and Simard are nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and Doyle is nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. (LuPone and Doyle walked away with trophies at the awards.)<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/company" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;Company&nbsp;tickets now.</a><h2>Jared Grimes:&nbsp;Funny Girl</h2>Eddie Ryan can be a throwaway role in&nbsp;Funny Girl. After all, he's just Fanny Brice's supportive best friend. But in Jared Grimes's expert hands, Eddie is the highlight of the show. When he tap dances, you forget&nbsp;Funny Girl&nbsp;is a musical about Fanny Brice. And when he leaves the stage, you hope he will come back. Grimes is nominated for&nbsp;Best Featured Actor in a Musical.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/funny-girl" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;Funny Girl&nbsp;tickets now.</a><h2>Billy Crystal and Shoshana Bean:&nbsp;Mr. Saturday Night</h2>Billy Crystal may not have a big Broadway belting voice, which in a typical musical could spell trouble. But he's so winning in&nbsp;Mr. Saturday Night&nbsp;as Buddy Young, Jr., a washed-up comic trying to get back into the spotlight, that even his Rex Harrison-like speak-singing reads like a genius character choice. And his scenes with fellow Tony nominee Shoshana Bean are the highlight of the musical.As Susan Young, Buddy's daughter, Bean gives the musical its heart, motivating Buddy to prioritize his family instead of himself for the first time. Crystal is nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Musical and Bean is nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Tony-nominated performances you can see right now

mj dance-1200.jpg

This year's Tony Awards nominations have been announced. Unlike the Oscars, where you can easily watch most of the nominated films, the Tony Awards are different. The nominees include multiple shows that have already closed and limited-run shows that...

New York Theater Guide News | NewYorkTheatreGuide.com

Check out these actors' acclaimed performances for yourself.

Tam Mutu, like many of us, is feeling like the world is a bit surreal at the moment. From contracting Covid-19 back in March to spending time in the hospital to quarantining at home, the <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/moulin-rouge-the-musical-on-broadway" target="_blank">Moulin Rouge! The Musical</a> star hasn't been able to process the past month or so. Mutu was one of the early patients in the theatre community, and he hopes his experience conveys the gravity of the situation."I feel like this is a time for people to come together and not be selfish and to be supportive and to be respectful of everyone and everything," he said. "It's not about you. It's about everyone else and the greater good, and that's the thing everyone is missing and not understanding. I don't want to sound preachy, but in a sense, it's a simple fix. If people just do what they're told and hopefully things will get back to normal maybe a bit quicker. Sadly, I don't think people are taking it as seriously as they should be."Before lockdown began, Mutu was starring as the devilish Duke in Moulin Rouge!, the acclaimed stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's 2001 movie musical, but offstage, Mutu is nothing like his character. In fact, the performer asked as many questions about this writer's isolation, with genuine concern and offers to help or provide company.As a survivor of the novel coronavirus, Mutu also adds that even though symptoms might vary from person to person, the disease itself is no joke.&nbsp;"The pain is unbearable, it really is," Mutu said, adding that he's had the flu several times and this is nothing like it. "I don't think people understand how, if you get it badly, how painful it is. All the people saying, 'Oh, it's a hoax' is actually quite frustrating and you kind of want to bop them on the head and say: 'Listen, you don't really understand what you'e talking about.'"Mutu definitely understands. He started to feel lethargic and run down on Wednesday, March 11, and when he reported his symptoms to company management, he was relieved that the team took action right away and cancelled that Thursday's matinee. That night, all of Broadway followed suit.&nbsp;While there are plenty of rumors circulating about the Covid-19 experience and the virus has shown itself differently in different individuals, Mutu was especially shocked that his symptoms (fever, aches, chills, sweats) came on rather suddenly and lasted for a quite a while, going through phases of severity.&nbsp;However, one night, he noticed his breathing getting bad, likening the experience to "an elephant sitting on my chest." He didn't want to go to the hospital, but as he continued to struggle to get air, he ultimately went, learning there that he had double pneumonia and low oxygen levels.&nbsp;"It was scary to be in the hospital and all around that and the craziness that it is. It was not pleasant at all," he said, adding that he was at New York Presbyterian Hospital during the beginning of the pandemic and it had not hit peak capacity. "All those workers, I commend them massively," he adds. "They're working so hard and being so conscientious and really kind and once this is all settled all down, I'm going to be able to send them something."Mutu recovered in the space of a few days and was sent home to heal on his own to free up a bed for the onslaught of incoming patients. Some of his Moulin Rouge! cast members also contracted the virus after, including <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/aaron-tveit" target="_blank">Aaron Tveit</a> and <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/danny-burstein" target="_blank">Danny Burstein</a>, who also spent time in the hospital.&nbsp;Although he's a native of the UK, Mutu is weathering the storm in New York, but he hasn't been impressed with the government response in either location, and he's particularly worried by the US federal government's crisis management.&nbsp;"In a time of crisis like this, you'd think everyone would be on the same page and just want the best for people and the country. I'm actually amazed how badly it's been dealt with, to be honest," he said. "I do think [Governor] Cuomo has been doing a fabulous job in the sense trying to keep people healthy and getting out the actual facts, rather than the president who is just giving you nonsense most of the time and contradicting himself consistently, which doesn't help at all. That allows people to become too passive with it and think, 'This doesn't affect me. I'm going to do what I want.' And that's what's causing a lot of the problems."As soon as he recovered, Mutu started to get back to exercising and running, as his lungs got stronger, and on one of his runs, "It's Gonna Be Okay" by The Piano Guys came on his headphones. He immediately took inspiration from the song and reached out to his friends and performers to produce an inspiring video.&nbsp;"I put that together just to give a little positive love and light in this time," he said. "I'm not normally like that. You can argue that it was perhaps a bit cheesy, but something just came over me, I want to do something just to show that even though we're not together, we're still all connected and supportive of each other."<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9PgdYEnN1vY?feature=oembed" title="It's Gonna Be OK!" width="500"></iframe></figure>He's been keeping up with his Moulin Rouge! castmates on FaceTime and a group text thread. Amid the uncertainty as to when Broadway will be able to come back, Mutu said he found solace in his show, especially as they know they'll be back as soon as theatres reopen their doors.&nbsp;"We don't know when exactly, but that's like a massive plus to all the cast. I'm very grateful for that," he said. "My heart goes out to all those shows that were opening and now may not be able to come back. It's tragic. It's really sad. I know it's not easy for anybody but that's something that keeps me a little more pepped up and buoyant about my situation. Ultimately we'll have a job at some point which is nice."He and his wife, Kristen Martin, have created little routines for themselves in quarantine, like "cocktail o'clock" at 5 p.m., when they'll make drinks and call friends. They've also gotten into baking and cooking, with banana bread, pizza, and Italian dishes featuring heavily in the menu.&nbsp;Mutu found a renewed love for South Park when he was in the hospital and a marathon came on Comedy Central as he was in and out of sleep in the nights. Now that he's home, he's been watching Ozark and also started Cheers from the start.&nbsp;"It's makes me a bit melancholy, this situation, so it makes me nostalgic. I've been watching things like I Love Lucy, things that make you feel a bit warmer inside," he said. "We went through a phase of watching all the post-apocalyptic movies, Outbreak and Contagion and I was like, come on, we need to stop watching these."Ultimately, Mutu is just grateful to be safe at home and to be on the other side of the virus. When asked if he had anything else to add about how he's spending his time, he immediately extended his thanks to the people on the front lines. &nbsp;"I wanted to say a huge, huge thank you to all the front line people, whether they be doctors and nurses who are working god knows how many hours with probably no breaks and are in the thick of it, along with the delivery people and people in stores, People putting themselves at risk every day," he said. "That's a massive show of being unselfish and wanting people to have be able to live. It's a massive kudos to those people as well and thank you for doing what they're doing and putting themselves at risk every day. I'm very grateful for that and I think everyone should be as well."&nbsp;

Tam Mutu on surviving Covid-19 and why we need to support each other right now

Tam Mutu in Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway - NYC

Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway

Tam Mutu, like many of us, is feeling like the world is a bit surreal at the moment. From contracting Covid-19 back in March to spending time in the hospital to quarantining at home, the Moulin Rouge! The Musical star hasn't been able to process the...

Mutu was starring as the Duke in Moulin Rouge! The Musical pre-pandemic.

It's been nearly 20 years since the residents of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed thousands of foreign plane passengers to their small town and provided for them in the wake of September 11, 2001. It's been 10 years since writers (and real-life couple) David Hein and Irene Sankoff traveled to Gander to interview the town's locals about that experience, gathering the source material for what would become&nbsp;Come From Away. It's been nearly five years since the musical opened on Broadway, making it the longest-running Canadian musical in Broadway history.Now, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the show will be immortalized as a film. A taped performance of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/come-from-away" target="_blank">Come From Away</a>&nbsp;will stream on Apple TV+ starting September 10, making the story available to audiences worldwide. When the film premieres, Hein and Sankoff will be in the very place they were when the Broadway production was about to open: in Gander, celebrating with the locals."There's going to be a special screening of this with all of our friends and people out there who we originally met 10 years ago, and I think it's going to be another dance party," Hein said. The first dance party took place in 2016, when Hein, Sankoff, and the Broadway cast visited Gander to perform a concert version of&nbsp;Come From Away&nbsp;— the first time Gander's residents would see it. The creators were unsure how the locals would react to the musical, but they responded with cheers and the ensuing festivities.At first, "dance party" seems an unusual response to a show born of tragic events. In its 10-year lifespan, however,&nbsp;Come From Away&nbsp;has come to represent kindness, generosity, and human connection — not least of all for Hein and Sankoff. They travel to Gander frequently and consider the locals "practically family."However, they never expected the&nbsp;Come From Away&nbsp;family to grow much larger than that. Hein "thought that maybe Canadian high schools would be forced to do the show as a historical project of some sort," and little else. They never expected even a fraction of the show's success, but it has almost become synonymous with the memory of 9/11 for the creators, and many audiences who have told the creators as much. Sankoff hopes&nbsp;Come From Away&nbsp;continues reaching people that way."I really hope it brings people another memory for that day," Sankoff said. "That's what people who are survivors or family members of people who were lost that day have told us — it doesn't erase that memory, but it gives you something else to think about."As such Sankoff and Hein knew they needed to do something show-related as they approached the tragedy's 20th anniversary. Not to mention, amid the pandemic, even more audiences could use a few hours of hope, and the show's themes resonate even more strongly now for that reason. Hein said a film felt like "the next natural step in expanding our&nbsp;Come From Away&nbsp;audiences and family."&nbsp;&nbsp;"We've said before that there's never a bad time to tell a story about people being good to one another, but particularly right now in the middle of a pandemic, I think it's important to find stories like this that remind us that we're part of a community," Hein said. "To share this story about Newfoundland, but also about where we all were on that day and about how we can all come together again — especially right now, it feels like an important story to keep telling."<a href="https://ticket.newyorktheatreguide.com/booking/calendar?product_id=3481&amp;content_product_id=3481&amp;product_type=show&amp;performance_type=E&amp;venue_id=47106&amp;qt=2" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;Come From Away&nbsp;tickets now.</a><ul></ul>

Writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein on how ‘Come From Away’ resonates 20 years after 9/11

Come From Away

Children under 4 are not permitted in the theatre.

Come From Away on Broadway [3481]

Come From Away on Broadway

It's been nearly 20 years since the residents of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed thousands of foreign plane passengers to their small town and provided for them in the wake of September 11, 2001. It's been 10 years since writers (and real-life couple)...

A filmed version of the Broadway show will begin streaming on Apple TV+ the day before the tragedy's 20th anniversary.

By Ramin KarimlooI'm a bit of a black sheep in the theatre&nbsp;community. I've still never seen&nbsp;The Wizard of Oz&nbsp;or&nbsp;The Sound of Music. I've never heard Judy Garland sing. I don't know what Liza Minnelli sounds like. I love what I do, but my path here was unconventional. My first musical was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/the-phantom-of-the-opera" target="_blank">The Phantom of the Opera</a>. I was in seventh grade, and my class was going into the city to see the show. It was a day off of school, so I signed up to go.As soon as the lights went down, I was enamored. When Colm Wilkinson sang "The Mirror," I was like, who's that? His voice could take your soul out. Then he walked through a mirror, and so for a 12-year-old, how cool is that? At the end of the show, I had a lump in my throat. I wanted to cry, but I didn't because I was the tough guy hockey player. I just want to remember thinking, I want to sign up for that.I waited for him after the show. He was so kind. I said, "How do you do what you do?" He told me he was in rock bands, so I joined a band. Even to this day, when I think of careers I want to parallel, I try to find out what they did to get where they are. I would read interviews in&nbsp;GQ&nbsp;and&nbsp;Esquire&nbsp;with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Daniel Day-Lewis. They would talk about Uta Hagen, so I went to the library and checked out her books.I remember saying to my buddy Scott: "I'm going to be the youngest Phantom." I wanted to do for other people what Colm did for me. I didn't really comprehend that it wasn't an easy goal because I was like, why not? Next thing I know, I'm 26 and putting on the makeup. I remember looking in the mirror and laughing at myself because I thought, It's happening. This is your dream come true.I love the creative process. You're a blank piece of paper, and you're the one holding the pen. Take in all your research and draw the picture you want for the character. But it has to start with you.You can't be lazy. You can't wait for someone to give you the answer. You have to go get it. My whole life had been about instincts. Career choices, investments, life, my marriage. My wife and I got married so quickly. I hardly knew her, but I knew I didn't want to be without her. To this day, we're still together — ups and downs and all.If you have a dream, you have to go out and get it. Find mentors and people whose careers you admire and ask them how they got to be where they are. Don't let anybody tell you it isn't possible.Photo by Jenny Anderson Styled by Drew Jessup Grooming by Austin Thornton

Ramin Karimloo shares how he sees theatre differently

Ramin Karimloo

Funny Girl on Broadway - NYC

Funny Girl on Broadway

"I love the creative process. You're a blank piece of paper, and you're the one holding the pen."

Spoilers for Dear Evan Hansen will appear below.You'll have to excuse my bringing up math so early in our time together — especially because, as a creative type, it's my main enemy and perhaps functionally in direct opposition to the topic we're here to discuss. Nevertheless, in my years of research, it's become clear that being a Theatre Kid&nbsp;is 25 percent buying merch, 25 percent waiting outside (stage) doors, 25 percent belting out lyrics when we hear any word or phrase that even vaguely reminds us of a song, and 25 percent having Really Big Opinions. To do some fast math, I admit I am guilty of 100 percent of the above, as I sit here writing this in a vintage Cats T-shirt humming "It Only Takes A Taste."Furthermore, anyone who has ever met me or seen my living space or happened to stumble upon any of my social media pages knows there's one giant, overpowering, glaring interest of mine that's immediately clock-able: I believe Actresses are our greatest natural resource.&nbsp;Since I was a child, I've been irrevocably fascinated by the work of women. Something about them triggers the empathy sensors in my brain into overdrive such that I can rarely even look at an Actress's performance, on stage or screen, without, as the saying goes, crying/screaming/throwing up. Also, I am gay. For those reasons (extremely&nbsp;Shark Tank&nbsp;voice),&nbsp;I'm in&nbsp;whenever there's a new indie movie or novel or musical or play that boasts a female protagonist and has the word "poignant" in its logline.So four years ago, when I had the opportunity to see&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/dear-evan-hansen" target="_blank">Dear Evan Hansen</a>&nbsp;— a show I understood to be about a teenager and his teenager friends and his teenager love interest — I thought, "This seems like it's simply not for me!" But of course, I saw it anyway for obviously reasons (Theatre Kid, gay), and by the middle of Act 2, I was ready to admit that I was wrong. Not quite about the plot, which is still very much about a teenager, but about its resonance as an overall piece of art. It took me almost all of its 2.25 hours, but I finally realized: If there's one thing I know about teenagers and the stories about them we all love to tell, it's that they have moms. And where there are moms, my friends, there are Actresses.&nbsp;For those unfamiliar or who may just need a refresher,&nbsp;Dear Evan Hansen&nbsp;is about an anxious high schooler who has trouble connecting with people but soon finds himself at the center of a grieving family&nbsp;and&nbsp;the center of viral attention when he gets caught up in a life-changing lie. For me,&nbsp;Dear Evan Hansen&nbsp;is the story of a hardworking mother who tries her best to provide for and connect with her troubled son,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the story of a shattered, grieving mother who must come to terms with a life after the death of her son. Evan's story is merely the center of the Venn Diagram of Heidi Hansen and Cynthia Murphy.Let me clarify right off the bat that I have no qualms with the way the show does (or does not) market itself. What I mean by that is: it's not&nbsp;that&nbsp;Dear Evan Hansen&nbsp;explicitly posits it is&nbsp;not&nbsp;a show about moms. After all, one of its two leading matriarchs, Rachel Bay Jones, won the Tony Award for her performance as Heidi Hansen, the mother of the titular character. It's just that its appeal seems to be, largely, in its exploration of teendom and the mental health issues faced by a generation of young people who live their lives in front of thousands of tiny screen-people they may never know. Well, I'm here to use the 25 percent of my Theatre Kid brain reserved for exactly this kind of thing to tell you my Big Opinion:&nbsp;Dear Evan Hansen&nbsp;is not just a show that features moms, but is actually as much a show about mothering (and those who do it) as it is a show about a boy who loves trees.Upon first viewing, I walked away from the show with this opinion half-baked. I found myself more drawn to and more interested in the stories and arcs of the mother characters than of anyone else, but I figured that was just because I spent the first three years of high school watching&nbsp;Desperate Housewives&nbsp;over and over. Subsequently, I listened to the cast album, as we do, and found myself continually shaken up by the emotional nuances of the mom's songs, specifically Heidi's "So Big, So Small." That's where my theory grew legs.For starters, the show literally opens with the two mothers leading (and later joined by the ensemble in) a very clear "I Want" number called "Does Anybody Have A Map?" Though they don't yet know each other, their vulnerabilities and confusions about parenthood operate in perfect harmony, and they seem to be functionally laying out the greatest question of the piece:&nbsp;"How is a mere human being supposed to be perfect at raising and teaching and understanding and even loving a child when the rules are always changing?"&nbsp;I'm not a mom myself, but I imagine it's a viscerally resonant question to hear so blatantly and a much-needed topic to see explored on a stage. And they never really stop exploring it.While many fans of the show laud the emotional messiness of its main character, the nuances and contradictions in Heidi's and Cynthia's characters feel most revolutionary to me. After they've set the stage, literally and emotionally, with the "What am I doing here?"&nbsp;question, we watch them try to navigate the minefield of loving and accepting anxious, depressed, often cryptic, sometimes downright cruel young men. It is, at its core, a story about the redemptive power of a mother's love, but it is, in its smallest moments, about the revelation that is honesty in motherhood.In other words, it's easy enough to tell a story about how a mom loves their kid. It's really hard to tell a story about how it's sometimes&nbsp;hard&nbsp;for a mother to love her kid, and how some days, it's hard for her to even like him. And that doesn't make her a bad mom. In fact, it makes her a more whole human being.The power of&nbsp;Dear Evan Hansen,&nbsp;to me, is its refusal to be afraid of saying the thing that seems illegal to say: Moms are people, too. They're not perfect, and there's no guarantee they'll do the right thing or even the nice thing. It's already really, really hard to be a woman in the world, so adding a layer parenting on top seems impossible.The show, at once, paints a broad portrait of what it is to be a woman and adds just enough tiny specks of detail to make any parent struggling feel uniquely seen. The scenes where Cynthia struggles to come to terms with her late son's shortcomings are heartbreaking but very, very real to anyone who has ever dealt in grief, and the song "Good For You" wherein Heidi laments her son's narcissism and cruelty while trying to navigate what it means to still be there for him sends a shock to my stomach every time I think of it. More songs about moms in rage spirals, thanks!The universality of these characters lies in their simultaneous stoicism&nbsp;and&nbsp;ability to be adaptive. In their pure, deep love&nbsp;and&nbsp;in their red-hot anger. In their fears&nbsp;and&nbsp;in their vulnerabilities. I've never met two women who were in this exact circumstance, but every woman I know is a shade of Cynthia and a hint of Heidi. Being either of these women seems unthinkable, but being both of them plus one hundred more things is what moms do every day. And we're meant to focus on how the kid turn out rather than how the mom shaped them? I don't think so! Put some respect on moms' names!It's a risky move to make what is, for all intents and purposes, a family musical wherein the parents of the main characters are imperfect, unpolished, and sometimes unhinged. But it's even riskier to keep telling stories that perpetuate stereotypes that hold women and mothers to impossible standards of goodness, kindness, and ultimately, submissiveness. It's one of the few shows I can cite that's&nbsp;about&nbsp;parenthood and gives the mothers as much agency (if not more) than the children they're looking after.It's a musical for children to watch and realize they need to give their mothers grace. It's a musical for mothers to watch and realize it's okay to dabble in absolute fury when necessary. It's a musical for gay Theatre Kids to watch and say, "Oh wow, I thought it was this one thing but actually, it's this other thing! Or maybe, it's BOTH!" It's a musical that mirrors the phenomenon of our ever-changing understanding of our parents, who we likely decided were like&nbsp;this&nbsp;when we were young, but then as we grew older, came to realize were actually like&nbsp;that. It's a musical you should think about whenever you look at your mother or your mother figure and think: "She did all this with no map."It&nbsp;is&nbsp;a show about moms. And that alone is worth celebrating.<a href="https://ticket.newyorktheatreguide.com/booking/calendar?product_id=2885&amp;content_product_id=2885&amp;product_type=show&amp;performance_type=E&amp;venue_id=47128&amp;qt=2" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;Dear Evan Hansen&nbsp;tickets now.</a>Photo credit:&nbsp;Ben Levi Ross and Jessica Phillips in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is actually a revolutionary show about moms, if you’re paying attention

Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway [2885]

Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway

Spoilers for Dear Evan Hansen will appear below.

The show portrays its mother figures as imperfect human beings, a refreshing departure from the norm.

Everybody has a favorite&nbsp;Disney film&nbsp;that they've watched time and time again. So when you see the Disney magic brought to life on a Broadway stage, it's a mesmerizing experience. In recent years, Disney films such as&nbsp;The Little Mermaid,&nbsp;Tarzan,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Newsies&nbsp;have all enjoyed a new lease of life musicals, and there's even more Disney musicals you can see now on Broadway.Disney musicals on Broadway and Disney shows are jam-packed with catchy tunes, colorful costumes, and a lot of heart. Here are all the Disney productions that you can get tickets for in New York right now.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/broadway/disney" target="_blank">Get tickets to a Disney musical on New York Theatre Guide.</a><h2>Aladdin</h2>Bring "A Whole New World" to your next theatre experience with tickets to&nbsp;Aladdin. Follow the young street urchin as he falls in love with Princess Jasmine after a chance encounter.When Aladdin finds a magic lamp with a genie inside, he's granted three wishes, but&nbsp;the path to a perfect ending never runs smoothly.&nbsp;Can Aladdin's new persona, "Prince Ali," be enough to save Agrabah and convince everyone that he is a diamond in the rough?Aladdin&nbsp;is filled with iconic Disney showtunes including "Friend Like Me" as well as new songs written for the show including "Proud Of Your Boy." You'll want to ride a magic carpet to see&nbsp;Aladdin&nbsp;on Broadway.

Get Aladdin tickets now.

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<h2>The Lion King</h2>Set in the magnificent Serengeti plains of Africa, Disney's multi-award-winning musical&nbsp;The Lion King&nbsp;redefines the meaning of Broadway. Join&nbsp;Simba as a young lion cub, born into the royal family of the Pride Lands. In an epic struggle for power between Simba and his uncle Scar, will Simba be able to become King?The Lion King&nbsp;has roared on the world's biggest stages for decades. There are chart-topping Disney songs in&nbsp;The Lion King&nbsp;too, including "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"

Get The Lion King tickets now.

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Disney musicals in New York you can get tickets for right now

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Everybody has a favorite Disney film that they've watched time and time again. See these Disney musicals that delight audiences of all ages.

Disney musicals in New York | NewYorkTheatreGuide.com

Disney musicals will delight audiences of all ages.

Sure, they have superpowers and can battle bad guys with the best of them, but did you know that most of the Marvel Avengers also have theatre chops? Well, the actors that play them, that is.&nbsp;From Broadway to the West End, many of the comic book franchise's biggest stars are also headliners onstage. And whether they're tackling <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news-features/shakespeare-trivia-fun-facts-about-shakespeare-and-his-plays" target="_blank">Shakespeare</a> or battling Thanos onscreen, these actors prove that it takes super talent on all levels.&nbsp;While we're still waiting for some Avengers to make their stage debuts — we're looking at you Thor and Iron Man! — discover some of the stage credits from the Avengers and their friends and foes in our list below.<h2>Avengers on stage</h2><h3>Paul Bettany / Vision</h3>We'd like to use some of Vision's epic powers to see when Paul Bettany is going to make a return to the stage. Before he was playing the robot turned infinity-stone bearing android, he was starting his career onstage. He made his West End debut in the revival of&nbsp;An Inspector Calls, directed by Stephen Daldry, and he also tried his hand at Shakespeare, appearing in&nbsp;Richard III, Romeo and Juliet,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Julius Caesar&nbsp;with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He also starred as Andy Warhol in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/the-collaboration" target="_blank">The Collaboration</a>&nbsp;in London in 2022, and now, he's making his Broadway debut with the show in the fall.<h3>Chadwick Boseman / Black Panther</h3>The late actor made history as the first Black superhero in the Marvel hit&nbsp;Black Panther,&nbsp;playing the titular character, and his final acting project showcased his theatre roots. Boseman starred as the talented trumpeter Levee in the film adaptation of August Wilson's&nbsp;Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,&nbsp;appearing alongside Viola Davis as Ma Rainey. Unfortunately, we'll never get to see Boseman onstage, but this cinematic and theatrical gift will live with us forever.&nbsp;<h3>Don Cheadle / War Machine</h3>It's been two decades since Don Cheadle was last onstage, and with his new Marvel/Disney+ TV series coming out, it will probably be a while longer! Cheadle's last stage credit was in Suzan-Lori Parks's Pulitzer Prize-winning play&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/topdog-underdog" target="_blank">Topdog/Underdog</a>&nbsp;off Broadway in 2001, and before that, he starred off Broadway in&nbsp;Cymbeline&nbsp;in 1989.&nbsp;<h3>Benedict Cumberbatch / Dr. Strange</h3>Benedict Cumberbatch's career onstage is almost as storied and iconic as his film and TV roles. Before he was playing Sherlock or practicing the mystic arts as Dr. Strange, Cumberbatch made his West End debut in 2005 in&nbsp;Hedda Gabler.&nbsp;He also starred in&nbsp;Frankenstein&nbsp;at the National Theatre, swapping the role of the doctor and the creature with Johnny Lee Miller, and&nbsp;Hamlet&nbsp;in the West End in 2015.&nbsp;<h3>Chris Evans / Captain America</h3>The OG Avenger can do it all — and so can his portrayer <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/chris-evans" target="_blank">Chis Evans</a>. Evans retired his vibranium shield and super strength to take an outing on Broadway in Kenneth Lonergan's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/lobby-hero" target="_blank">Lobby Hero</a>, alongside <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/michael-cera" target="_blank">Michael Cera</a>. Evans played the pompous police officer Bill in the Second Stage revival and could often be spotted at Sardi's next door to the theatre after the performance. We're happy to welcome him back to the theatre community any time!<h3>Scarlett Johansson / Black Widow</h3>Scarlett Johansson seems to have a penchant for classic theatre, a far departure from her martial arts wielding onscreen persona Natasha Romanova aka Black Widow. Johansson was last on Broadway starring as Maggie the Cat in Tennessee Williams&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof" target="_blank">Cat on a Hot Tin Roof</a>&nbsp;in 2012, and before that, she played Catherine in the 2010 revival of Arthur Miller's&nbsp;A View from the Bridge.&nbsp;Maybe a Russian drama is next to go along with her Avenger alter ego?<h3>Brie Larson / Captain Marvel</h3>Brie Larson hasn't made very many stage entrances yet, as we're sure her Captain Marvel is very busy protecting all the planets in the galaxy, but that doesn't mean she hasn't taken the opportunities when they come. While she hasn't been on Broadway or in the West End (yet), she did star as Emily in Thornton Wilder's classic&nbsp;Our Town&nbsp;at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2010.<h3>Elizabeth Olsen / Scarlet Witch</h3>Olsen cut her chops in theatre training before she broke out as a movie star and earned the role of the ultimate witch Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel cinematic universe. But Olsen has still found some time to return to the stage, and she was last seen in New York starring as one of Shakespeare's most famous heroines in&nbsp;Romeo and Juliet&nbsp;at <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/classic-stage-company" target="_blank">Classic Stage Company</a> in 2013.<h3>Anthony Mackie / Falcon</h3>Anthony Mackie's theatre resume is jam-packed with off-Broadway productions as well as two high-profile Broadway outings. He made his Broadway debut in August Wilson's&nbsp;Ma Rainey's Black Bottom&nbsp;in 2003, and he starred in Martin McDonagh's&nbsp;A Behanding in Spokane&nbsp;on Broadway in 2010. We hope the Falcon can fly back to Broadway soon!<h3>Paul Rudd / Ant Man</h3>Paul Rudd loves a Broadway outing and has appeared on the Great White Way five times! He was last seen onstage in&nbsp;Grace,&nbsp;opposite Michael Shannon, Kate Arrington, and Ed Asner, in 2012, and before that, he was starring in&nbsp;Three Days of Rain&nbsp;with Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper in 2006. All we're saying is this is the longest Rudd has gone without being on Broadway so we really hope he comes back soon.&nbsp;<h3>Mark Ruffalo / The Hulk&nbsp;</h3>Even as the big, green terrifying-yet-lovable Hulk, Mark Ruffalo proves that he's a consummate actor and performer, and he's returned to the stage to showcase his chops several times over the course of his career. He starred in the original off-Broadway cast of Kenneth Lonergan's&nbsp;This Is Our Youth&nbsp;in 1996 and made his Broadway debut in Clifford Odets's&nbsp;Awake and Sing!&nbsp;In 2006. He was last on Broadway fairly recently in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Arthur Miller's&nbsp;The Price&nbsp;in 2017 and received a Tony Award nomination for his performance.&nbsp;<h2>Avengers friends, family, and lovers on stage</h2><h3>Hayley Atwell / Agent Carter</h3>Hayley Atwell is practically a household for West End fans, and she regularly returns to the stage. She made her theatrical debut in 2005 in&nbsp;Prometheus Bound&nbsp;with David Oyelowo, and she has appeared in productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, and the Donmar Warehouse.&nbsp;<h3>Angela Bassett / Queen Ramonda</h3>There's no question: Angela Bassett is a queen onstage and onscreen. She made her Broadway debut in August Wilson's&nbsp;Ma Rainey's Black Bottom&nbsp;in 1984 and then starred in the same playwright's&nbsp;Joe Turner's Come and Gone&nbsp;in 1988. Most recently, she starred in&nbsp;The Mountaintop&nbsp;alongside Samuel L. Jackson, aka Nick Fury, in 2012.&nbsp;<h3>Bradley Cooper / Rocket</h3>Bradley Cooper is all about making the unexpected, exciting choice. Whether it's voicing the thieving racoon Rocket in&nbsp;Guardians of the Galaxy&nbsp;or appearing on Broadway as the malfigured title character in&nbsp;The Elephant Man, Cooper knows how to keep audiences guessing. Cooper earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the classic play in 2015, and he also starred alongside Paul Rudd and Julia Roberts in&nbsp;Three Days of Rain&nbsp;in 2006.&nbsp;<h3>Michael Douglas / Hank Pym</h3>It's been a little while since Michael Douglas has been onstage, but the Oscar winner and film icon, who plays scientist Hank Pym in&nbsp;Ant Man,&nbsp;started his career in the theatre. He received a Theatre World Award for his performance off Broadway in&nbsp;Pinkville&nbsp;in 1970, and he's also an alumni of the Eugene O'Neill theatre Center in Connecticut and received the organization's prestigious Monte Carlo Award in 2019.&nbsp;<h3>Idris Elba / Heimdall</h3>Just like Idris Elba's powers as Heimdall can open the Bifrost between planets, Elba has worked in theatre on both sides of the pond. He starred off Broadway in&nbsp;Troilus and Cressida&nbsp;in 2001, and a play based on his album,&nbsp;Tree,&nbsp;premiered at The Old Vic in 2019.&nbsp;<h3>Daniel Kaluuya / W'Kabi</h3>Before he was a cinematic darling starring in&nbsp;Get Out&nbsp;and then as the title's character's conflicted best friend in&nbsp;Black Panther, Kaluuya was a regular on the London stage. He most recently starred in&nbsp;Blue/Orange&nbsp;at the Young Vic in 2016, and he has also been seen onstage at the Donmar Warehouse and the Royal Court Theatre.<h3>Martin Freeman / Everett Ross</h3>Martin Freeman is great at scoring iconic roles. Bilbo Baggins? Check. Watson? Check. Avengers? Check. He also has a huge theatrical resume and returns to the stage frequently between film and TV roles. Some notable outings include playing the title role in&nbsp;Richard III&nbsp;in 2014 and starring alongside Tamsin Grieg James Graham's&nbsp;Labour of Love&nbsp;in 2017.&nbsp;<h3>Karen Gillan / Nebula</h3>The Scottish actress is known to Marvel fans as the part-cyborg daughter of Thanos Nebula, and she's also starred in other major franchises like&nbsp;Doctor Who.&nbsp;While she hasn't made many stage outings, she was last seen in London onstage in&nbsp;Inadmissible Evidence&nbsp;at the Donmar Warehouse in 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Danai Gurira / Okoye</h3>When she's not playing one of the best warriors in Wakanda, Danai Gurira is a playwright and performer. Her Broadway playwriting debut Eclipsed&nbsp;(which earned a Best Play Tony nomination)&nbsp;starred her&nbsp;Black Panther&nbsp;co-star Lupita Nyong'o, and she also made her Broadway acting debut in 2009 in August Wilson's&nbsp;Joe Turner's Come and Gone. In&nbsp;There's nothing this actual superhero can't do on stage, off stage, or on screen.&nbsp;<h3>Tom Hiddleston / Loki</h3>While Tom Hiddleston might play the god of mischief and Thor's adopted brother Loki in the Marvel cinematic universe, in real life, he's a dedicated thespian. Hiddleston recently headlined Jamie Lloyd's revival of Harold Pinter's&nbsp;Betrayal&nbsp;in the West End, came with the production to Broadway, and earned a Tony award nomination for his work.<h3>Samuel L. Jackson / Nick Fury</h3>Very few roles are worthy of Samuel L. Jackson's iconic stature. Nick Fury, the founder of the Avengers, is one of them. Martin Luther King Jr. is another. Jackson starred as the civil rights leader in Katori Hall's&nbsp;The Mountaintop&nbsp;in 2012 alongside&nbsp;Black Panther&nbsp;star Angela Bassett. Before that, though, he made his Broadway debut as an understudy in August Wilson's&nbsp;The Piano Lesson&nbsp;in 1990, and he's starring as Doaker Charles in the play's first revival in 2022.<h3>Lupita Nyong'o / Nakia</h3>The women of&nbsp;Black Panther&nbsp;like to stick together onscreen and onstage. Nyongo'o made her Off-Broadway and then Broadway debut in her fellow Wakandan Danai Gurira's&nbsp;Eclipsed.&nbsp;The play presents a vastly different portrait of Africa, centering on the second Liberian civil war, and Nyong'o earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance.&nbsp;<h3>Gwyneth Paltrow / Pepper Potts</h3>Iron Man's very own Pepper Potts has tried her hand onstage and behind the scenes, on Broadway and in London. She made her West End debut in a production of David Auburn's&nbsp;Proof&nbsp;at the Donmar Warehouse in 2002, and she was also a producer on The Go-Go's musical&nbsp;Head Over Heels&nbsp;on Broadway in 2018.<h3>Natalie Portman / Jane Foster</h3>It's been a while since Natalie Portman tread the theatre boards, but she did get her start on Broadway, starring in&nbsp;The Diary of Anne Frank&nbsp;in 1997. We can't wait to see Portman return to the Marvel universe in&nbsp;Thor: Love and Thunder, and we hope she makes her return to the stage again some day!<h3>Cobie Smulders / Maria Hill</h3>Cobie Smulders stars as Nick Fury's right-hand woman in the Avengers franchise, and she made her Broadway debut in the&nbsp;Present Laughter&nbsp;revival in 2017. She also was in the long-running Off-Broadway show&nbsp;Love, Loss, and What I Wore.&nbsp;<h3>Sebastian Stan / Bucky Barnes</h3>Sebastian Stan is a theatre kid at heart. He attended the theatre summer camp Stagedoor Manor and performed in plenty of shows growing up. Before he was playing Captain America's conflicted friend Bucky Barnes, he made his Broadway debut in&nbsp;Talk Radio&nbsp;in 2007. He also starred in the revival of William Inge's&nbsp;Picnic&nbsp;with Roundabout Theatre Company in 2013.&nbsp;<h3>Corey Stoll / Yellowjacket</h3>Corey Stoll must have a thing for playing the villain. He was last onstage off Broadway as&nbsp;Macbeth&nbsp;at Classic Stage Company in 2019, and he's played other Shakespearean villains like Iago in&nbsp;Othello&nbsp;and Brutus in&nbsp;Julius Caesar&nbsp;as part of Shakespeare in the Park. His stage experience certainly lent itself well to his portrayal of the mad scientist/supervillain Yellowjacket in&nbsp;Ant Man.&nbsp;<h3>Tessa Thompson / Brunnhilde</h3>Tessa Thompson must have a thing for sci-fi drama, as she starred in&nbsp;Thor&nbsp;and the HBO series&nbsp;Westworld.&nbsp;But when it comes to her stage work, Thompson is all about modern drama, and she starred off Broadway in Lydia R. Diamond's&nbsp;Smart People&nbsp;at Second Stage in 2016.<h3>Letitia Wright / Shuri</h3>Letitia Wright likes to keep it in the&nbsp;Black Panther&nbsp;family! When she's not starring as the tech wizard/all-around genius in the Marvel franchise, Wright starred in her co-star Danai Gurira's play&nbsp;The Convert&nbsp;at The Young Vic in London. She also starred in Gurira's play&nbsp;Eclipsed, which originated in New York with another&nbsp;Black Panther&nbsp;star Lupita Nyong'o, at the Gate Theatre in London in 2017.<h3>Benedict Wong / Wong</h3>In&nbsp;Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Benedict Wong plays sorcerer and mythical master, Wong. His stage appearances have definitely wowed too, starring in&nbsp;Chimerica&nbsp;at the Almeida Theatre,&nbsp;Hamlet&nbsp;at the Young Vic and&nbsp;The Letter&nbsp;at the Lyric Theatre. He also played the title role in&nbsp;The Arrest of Ai Weiwei&nbsp;at the Hampstead Theatre.<h3>Ben Kingsley / Trevor Slattery</h3>What&nbsp;hasn't&nbsp;Ben Kingsley done in his career? The multi-hyphenate was knighted in 2002 for services to the British film industry. But before his latest Marvel appearance, in which Kingsley channels his life in the arts as Trevor Slattery, Kingsley starred in Royal Shakespeare Company productions for over 15 years.<h2>Avengers enemies on stage</h2><h3>Cate Blanchett / Hela&nbsp;</h3>Cate Blanchett is a bonafide theatre queen— but not an evil queen like she is in&nbsp;Thor&nbsp;as his banished sister the goddess of death. She served as the artistic director of the Sydney Theatre company and appeared onstage several times in her native Australia. She made her Broadway debut in 2017 in&nbsp;The Present, which was originally produced at Sydney Theatre Company, and she's also appeared in the West End at the Almeida Theatre, the Old Vic, and most recently in&nbsp;When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other&nbsp;at the National Theatre.<h3>Josh Brolin / Thanos</h3>In real life, Josh Brolin isn't at all like the balance-seeking bad guy Thanos who wreaks havoc in&nbsp;Avengers: Infinity War&nbsp;and&nbsp;Endgame,&nbsp;but he does have a thing for conflicted characters. He's only been on Broadway once, and that was back in 2000 as a replacement in Sam Shepard's&nbsp;True West,&nbsp;after Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly left the original cast.&nbsp;<h3>Carrie Coon / Proxima Midnight</h3>Carrie Coon is basically unrecognizable as the evil Thanos aide Proxima Midnight, but that's just what Coon does: she disappears into her roles. Before she was a movie star, appearing in films like&nbsp;Gone Girl&nbsp;and on TV in&nbsp;Fargo&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Leftovers, Coon was a theatre star, cutting her teeth on the Chicago stage and making her Broadway debut in 2012 in the revival of Edward Albee's&nbsp;Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?&nbsp;She's come back to the New York stage between film projects a few times over the years, and we can't wait to have her back again.&nbsp;<h3>Hugo Weaving / Red Skull</h3>Hugo Weaving regularly treads the boards throughout Australia in classic plays, sometimes along his fellow Avenger enemy Cate Blanchett. When he's not harnessing the power of tesseract to destroy Captain America as Red Skull, he's appeared in plays like&nbsp;Hedda Gabbler&nbsp;and&nbsp;Uncle Vanya&nbsp;at Sydney Theatre Company.&nbsp;

Avengers on stage: Marvel superheroes' theatre credits

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Sure, they have superpowers and can battle bad guys with the best of them, but did you know that most of the Marvel Avengers also have theatre chops? Well, the actors that play them, that is. 

Many Marvel superheroes, sidekicks, and enemies got their starts on stage.

We don't know about you, but when times are hard, we like to turn to videos from The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (also known as the Jimmy Awards). Why? Because they have everything we love about musical theatre: relentless enthusiasm, unbridled talent, and more Jean Valjean duets than you thought possible.As a salute to the Jimmy Awards, we've compiled performances from 15 past-contestants-turned-Broadway-stars. We hope you'll sing along, pass the time, and join all of these talented folks at the theatre when it's safe.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/broadway-shows" target="_blank">Get tickets to a Broadway show on New York Theatre Guide.</a><h2>Andrew Barth Feldman</h2>Less than a year after winning the Jimmy Awards in 2018 — and at the age of 16! — Feldman was center stage on Broadway as&nbsp;Evan Hansen&nbsp;in (of course) <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/dear-evan-hansen" target="_blank">Dear Evan Hansen</a>. He finished up his run in the musical fave in January and his next leading role is as a student at Harvard University. No big deal. Check out his medley performance as Frank William Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can and his solo as Jack Singer in Honeymoon in Vegas.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X1ckbTBKNoU?feature=oembed" title="2018 Jimmy Awards Medley #2" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E4HGSE2dd9Y?feature=oembed" title="2018 Jimmy Awards winner Andrew Barth Feldman" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Antonio Cipriano</h2>Antonio's Broadway debut as Phoenix in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/jagged-little-pill" target="_blank">Jagged Little Pill</a> came after being named a finalist at the 2017 Jimmy Awards. Take a look at his medley performance as Mickey McKee in Hello! My Baby and his "Children of Eden" solo song, Lost in the Wilderness. Then jam to him singing your Alanis Morissette faves on the Jagged Little Pill&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3JUvh3Ch6QFxguLABtTOE3?si=rafX3JiYToCIVR0j6R62aQ">soundtrack</a>.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X0Qwg9BgXQM?feature=oembed" title="2017 Jimmy Awards Medley #1" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t5Y1JcLhfrs?feature=oembed" title="2017 Jimmy Awards Finalist Antonio Cipriano" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Christian Thompson</h2>In a matter of years, Christian Thompson has gone from a star turn at the Jimmy Awards as Signor Naccarelli in The Light In The Piazza to portraying Smokey Robinson each night on Broadway in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/aint-too-proud-the-life-and-times-of-the-temptations" target="_blank">Ain't Too Proud</a>. And let us tell you that both performances are ones you don't want to miss. Check out his medley below.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UGf-OSnICeA?feature=oembed" title="Medley #4 at the 2011 Jimmy Awards" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Eva Noblezada</h2>In the past couple years, it feels like it wouldn't be Broadway without <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/eva-noblezada" target="_blank">Eva Noblezada</a>. Just a year after being named a Jimmy Awards finalist in 2013, Nobelzada made her West End debut as Kim in Miss Saigon. She then took that performance to Broadway, where she received her first Tony Award nomination. After Miss Saigon, she originated the role of Eurydice in the Broadway fave <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/hadestown" target="_blank">Hadestown</a>, receiving her second Tony nomination at 23. Listen to her as&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/7tJqlEZ6tnIddw8gmvD9jG?si=ZB31DJVbTcGkzhsmgtvNKw">Kim</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/1J1yxODbNlqKbwRqJxYJUP?si=NB6GI5ysTU2bfBx6F0cCpg">Eurydice</a>&nbsp;on Spotify, and as Ariel Moore from Footloose in her medley performance and Molly Jensen from Ghost in her solo, both below.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fTob24alZ0k?feature=oembed" title="2013 NHSMTA Medley #2" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B4Zt3cNsQLU?feature=oembed" title="2013 Jimmy Awards Eva Maria Noblezada Solo" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Jai'Len Christine Li Josey</h2>No one else has a voice like her. Jai'Len blew the roof off the Jimmy Awards in 2014, where she was named the winner after performing as Effie Melody White in Dreamgirls in the medley and as Queenie in The Wild Party for her solo. After these life-changing moments, she went on to star as Pearl Krabs in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/spongebob-squarepants" target="_blank">SpongeBob SquarePants</a> on Broadway, where she tore the roof off the theatre each night.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vZ58PeQ6cfk?feature=oembed" title="2014 NHSMTA Medley #5" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KkCgRrKt8G8?feature=oembed" title="2014 NHSMTA Jai'Len Josey Solo" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>John Clay III</h2>Before taking the Broadway stage as Anthony Justin "AJ" James in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/choir-boy" target="_blank">Choir Boy</a>, John Clay III was a dueling Jean Valjean from Les Misérables during this Jimmy Awards medley in 2013.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f5SzZ8F5SGI?feature=oembed" title="2013 NHSMTA Medley #7" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Josh Strobl</h2>What do Link Larkin from Hairspray, Tony from <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/west-side-story" target="_blank">West Side Story</a>, and Evan Hansen from <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/dear-evan-hansen" target="_blank">Dear Evan Hansen</a> all have in common? They've all been played by 2016 Jimmy Awards winner Josh Strobl. After wooing the audience as Larkin in the medley and leaving us speechless in his emotional solo, Strobl's now the understudy on Broadway for Evan, Connor, and Jared in Dear Evan Hansen. That's a tough job — but he's clearly got the talent.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kAKFZnzNoGs?feature=oembed" title="2016 Jimmy Awards Medley #2" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uqWsRFNDP74?feature=oembed" title="2016 Jimmy Awards Winner Josh Strobl" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Kyle Selig</h2>Before transferring to North Shore High School, Kyle Selig was the 2010 Jimmy Awards winner. His performance as Don Lockwood from Singin' in the Rain in the medley and his Robbie Fay solo from <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/a-man-of-no-importance" target="_blank">A Man of No Importance</a> make it clear why he was the last man singing. They also show why Selig quickly became a Broadway star (in two musical hits!) after winning the Jimmys. He first took center stage as Elder Price in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/the-book-of-mormon" target="_blank">The Book of Mormon</a> before originating the role of&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6m7n9JuAOMcy8X3ntO0Ktf?si=KBPhW2k4QjyLzNZZ0gUpVQ">Aaron Samuels</a>&nbsp;in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/mean-girls" target="_blank">Mean Girls</a>.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FuP9ZDT7C00?feature=oembed" title="Medley #4 at the 2010 Jimmy Awards" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YVGulYsNQT0?feature=oembed" title="2010 Jimmy Awards winner Kyle Selig" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Lily Kaufmann</h2>Lily Kaufmann made her Broadway debut as an ensemble member in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/mean-girls" target="_blank">Mean Girls</a> which is like, super fetch. Before that, she had us speechless from her medley performance as Janet Van De Graaf in The Drowsy Chaperone at the Jimmy Awards in 2013.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V1ruNRt7RCA?feature=oembed" title="2013 NHSMTA Medley #6" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>McKenzie Kurtz</h2>McKenzie Kurtz is basically Jimmy Awards royalty. Why? Because not only was she a nominee in 2013, but she also took the Jimmys stage in 2015. Check out her hilarious performance as The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot (she was in the same group as Lily Kaufmann!) and a dueling Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins below, and then catch her as Anna in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/disneys-frozen" target="_blank">Frozen</a> on Broadway.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V1ruNRt7RCA?feature=oembed" title="2013 NHSMTA Medley #6" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xUnkEA_tdzU?feature=oembed" title="2015 Jimmy Awards Medley #1" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Reneé Rapp</h2>Her name is Reneé Rapp and she is a massive deal. The same year Andrew Barth Feldman won the Jimmys, so did Rapp. And just like Feldman, she's now a Broadway star. See Rapp sing the medley as Sandra Bloom in Big Fish, her solo as Hedda Hopper in Chaplin, and join her at the cool kids table where she's now Regina George in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/mean-girls" target="_blank">Mean Girls</a> on Broadway.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZiRHDAlzofI?feature=oembed" title="2018 Jimmy Awards Medley #1" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zM8ES58PoFo?feature=oembed" title="2018 Jimmy Awards winner Reneé Rapp" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Ryan McCartan</h2>This is another Jimmy Awards medley duel you don't want to miss. Before making Broadway magic as Fiyero in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/wicked-musical" target="_blank">Wicked</a> and his current gig as Hans in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/disneys-frozen" target="_blank">Frozen</a> (with McKenzie Kurtz), McCartan was the 2011 winner of the Jimmy Awards. Check out his J. Pierrepont Finch in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and his crowning rendition of Jason Robert Brown's "Someone To Fall Back On" below.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5dGqIhzWqsw?feature=oembed" title="Medley #6 at the 2011 Jimmy Awards" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/htoA4oG0Ak0?feature=oembed" title="2011 Jimmy Awards Winner Ryan McCartan" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Sam Primack</h2>It looks like the Jimmy Awards and <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/dear-evan-hansen" target="_blank">Dear Evan Hansen</a> will be friends forever. After being named a 2017 Jimmy Awards finalist, Primack was an understudy for Evan, Connor, and Jared on Broadway and he's now the Evan Alternate in the Dear Evan Hansen&nbsp;national tour. Take a listen at his Frank William Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can (the same role that got Andrew Barth Feldman to the Jimmys!) and his Mick Jackson in Lysistrata Jones below.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/77mcDm_dfJM?feature=oembed" title="2017 Jimmy Awards Medley #3" width="500"></iframe></figure><figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZI2ivB2dR2M?start=5&amp;feature=oembed" title="2017 Jimmy Awards Finalist Sam Primack" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Stephanie Styles</h2>We love seeing true Broadway fans take center stage on Broadway. Stephanie Styles was a 2010 finalist at the Jimmy Awards and you can watch her medley performance as Janet van de Graaf from The Drowsy Chaperone below. What happened after the Jimmys? Well, she was the original Katherine Plumber in the first national tour of Newsies, and just last year, she made her Broadway debut as Lois Lane in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/kiss-me-kate" target="_blank">Kiss Me, Kate</a>.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4dJV3QKobE8?feature=oembed" title="Medley #3 at the 2010 Jimmy Awards" width="500"></iframe></figure><h2>Tyler Eisenreich</h2>From a dueling medley performance as Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie&nbsp;at the 2012 Jimmy Awards to a recent Broadway debut as a dueling Jet in <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/west-side-story" target="_blank">West Side Story</a>, Tyler Eisenreich is a performer we're always excited to watch.<figure><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/93zJyBKn7t4?feature=oembed" title="2012 NHSMTA MEDLEY #3" width="500"></iframe></figure>

15 Jimmy Awards contestants who made it on Broadway

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The annual Jimmy Awards celebrate excellence in high school theatre. Watch performances from 15 past-contestants-turned-Broadway-stars and discover their talent.

15 Jimmy Awards contestants who made it on Broadway | New York Theatre Guide

The annual Jimmy Awards celebrate excellence in high school theatre.

Academy Award winner <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/sam-rockwell" target="_blank">Sam Rockwell</a> landed one of his first big roles in the Sundance hit&nbsp;Box of Moonlight&nbsp;in 1997.&nbsp;This film opened many doors to Rockwell's illustrious career. Now, he's notably recognized for winning the Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics Choice, and Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Officer Dixon in the 2017 film&nbsp;Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.However, the actor has been part of the theatre community for decades. Rockwell has been a leading man on stage since 1998, and he just got a 2022 Tony Award nomination for commanding the stage as Teach in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/american-buffalo" target="_blank">American Buffalo</a>&nbsp;on Broadway. Here's a rundown of Rockwell's theatre and television resume.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/american-buffalo" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;American Buffalo&nbsp;tickets now.</a><h2>Goose-Pimples</h2>In one of Rockwell's earlier stage gigs, the actor played Vernon in a 1998 staging of this Mike Leigh play.&nbsp;Goose-Pimples&nbsp;has been described as a look at the upwardly mobile working class in the suburbs of London under British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's government in the early 1980s.&nbsp;Goose-Pimples&nbsp;played at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/irish-repertory-theatre" target="_blank">Irish Repertory Theatre</a>.<h2>The Dumb Waiter&nbsp;</h2>In the summer of 2001, Rockwell headed to the Williamstown Theatre Festival to star as Jerry in this Harold Pinter&nbsp;one-act play directed by Joe Mantello.&nbsp;The Dumb Waiter&nbsp;is one of Pinter's earliest plays.&nbsp;The Dumb Waiter&nbsp;presented at the festival alongside another one-act play, Edward Albee's&nbsp;The Zoo Story.<h2>The Last Days of Judas Iscariot</h2>In 2005, a young Rockwell scored the title role in the world premiere of Stephen Adly Guirgis's&nbsp;The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.&nbsp;The Last Days&nbsp;follows the story of a lawyer who appeals the case of God and the Kingdom of Heaven vs. Judas Iscariot set in a near-Purgatory courtroom. Philip Seymour Hoffman directed Stephen Adly Guirgis's play off Broadway at The Public Theater.<h2>A Behanding in Spokane</h2>Sam Rockwell played Mervyn, an overly curious hotel clerk, in this 2010 dark comedy by English playwright Martin McDonagh (whose play&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/hangmen" target="_blank">Hangmen</a>&nbsp;is currently on Broadway).&nbsp;A Behanding in Spokane&nbsp;follows a man who searches for missing hand. The&nbsp;A Behanding in Spokane&nbsp;cast included Christopher Walken as the elderly man alongside Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan as two money-hungry con artists.&nbsp;A Behanding in Spokane&nbsp;was McDonagh's first American-set play.<h2>Fool for Love</h2>In 2015 Rockwell took the stage at the <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/samuel-j-friedman-theatre" target="_blank">Samuel J. Friedman Theatre</a> in Sam Shepard's emotional 1983 drama&nbsp;Fool For Love. Alongside co-star Nina Arianda, the duo played Eddie and May, troubled lovers who reunite yet again when Eddie tracks May down at a motel at the edge of the Mojave Desert.&nbsp;The play was a finalist for the 1984&nbsp;Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and both Rockwell and Arianda starred in the play's Massachusetts debut at the&nbsp;Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2014 before reprising their roles on Broadway the following year.&nbsp;<h2>Fosse/Verdon</h2>In 2019, Rockwell joined&nbsp;Fosse/Verdon&nbsp;in this theatre-adjacent TV series, playing the role of legendary dancer/choreographer Bob Fosse. Rockwell played alongside Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams in this FX limited series that follows the trials of Gwen Verdon and Fosse's tumultuous relationship. He's no stranger to playing a character in deeply broken and codependent relationships; for this performance, Rockwell was nominated for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Television Film at the Golden Globes. At the&nbsp;71st Primetime Emmy Awards,&nbsp;Fosse/Verdon&nbsp;received 17 nominations, including&nbsp;Outstanding Limited Series&nbsp;and acting nominations for Rockwell and Williams.<h2>American Buffalo</h2>In the latest Broadway revival of David Mamet's&nbsp;American Buffalo, Sam Rockwell gives a star performance alongside Emmy and Golden Globe winner <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/darren-criss" target="_blank">Darren Criss</a> and Emmy and Tony winner <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/laurence-fishburne" target="_blank">Laurence Fishburne</a>. The trio play three small-time hustlers who want a bigger slice of the American dream, and they scheme to steal a valuable coin to get it. The play premiered on Broadway in 1977, receiving the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play.American Buffalo&nbsp;was subsequently revived off Broadway in 1981, on Broadway in 1983, and off Broadway at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/atlantic-theater-company" target="_blank">Atlantic Theater Company</a> in 2000. The latest&nbsp;American Buffalo&nbsp;production just received four Tony Award nominations — including a Best Leading Actor in a Play nod for Rockwell — and is at the <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/circle-in-the-square-theatre" target="_blank">Circle in the Square Theatre</a> through July 10, 2022.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/american-buffalo" target="_blank">Get&nbsp;American Buffalo&nbsp;tickets now.</a>

All the times Sam Rockwell wowed on Broadway and the small screen

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American Buffalo on Broadway [21057] 

American Buffalo on Broadway

Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell landed one of his first big roles in the Sundance hit Box of Moonlight in 1997. This film opened many doors to Rockwell's illustrious career. Now, he's notably recognized for winning the Academy Award, Screen Actors...

All the times Sam Rockwell wowed on Broadway and the small screen | NewYorkTheatreGuide.com

Rockwell is a 2022 Tony Award nominee for American Buffalo.

We've all seen a movie, or read a book, or listened to a song just because an artist we love wrote or starred in it. We cheer especially hard for them when their work gets recognized with critical acclaim and awards at the most prestigious ceremonies. If you're one of these people, or just someone who likes to see what all the hype is about when a writer gets awards, we can tell you about plenty of acclaimed writers whose works are on and off Broadway, and are worth checking out.Plenty of writers have received most of their accolades in theatre, like Tony Awards and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news-features/your-guide-to-the-pulitzer-prizes-fun-facts-and-pulitzer-winning-shows-to-see-right" target="_blank">Pulitzer Prizes for Drama</a>. However, music, literary, and film creators also write scripts, lyrics, and music for the stage, each bringing their unique style to the New York theatre landscape. But they all have two things in common: They've been recognized with various honors, and you can see their work live right now. Read on to learn about the award-winning writers behind Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/tony-award-winners" target="_blank">Get tickets to an award-winning show on New York Theatre Guide.</a><h2>Hamilton</h2>Hamilton&nbsp;creator Lin-Manuel Miranda's list of awards is so long, it could be its own article. In fact, it is: Read about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news-features/does-lin-manuel-miranda-have-an-egot-hamilton-writer-emmy-grammy-oscar-tony" target="_blank">all the awards Lin-Manuel Miranda has won</a>. Most of his accolades — including multiple Tonys, a Grammy, an Emmy, an Olivier, and the Pulitzer Prize — are for his blockbuster hip-hop history musical&nbsp;Hamilton. However, his other hit show,&nbsp;In the Heights, received its fair share too, including a Tony, a Grammy, and an Olivier. And if he wins an Oscar for the Disney film&nbsp;Encanto&nbsp;this year, he'll have the prestigious&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news-features/what-is-an-egot-a-guide-to-the-entertainment-quadruple-crown" target="_blank">EGOT status</a>. History is happening in Manhattan as long as Miranda is writing!

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<h2>Hadestown</h2>Anaïs Mitchell has been livin' it up on top since the debut of&nbsp;Hadestown. Mitchell's folk-music <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news-features/what-to-know-about-greek-mythology-before-seeing-hadestown" target="_blank">retelling of Greek mythology</a> took home eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in 2019. She herself won the Best Original Score Tony and was also nominated for Best Book of a Musical. The next year,&nbsp;Hadestown&nbsp;got the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. She'd been working on the&nbsp;Hadestown&nbsp;musical, which began as a 2010 concept album, for years, so all that hard work paid off! Long before&nbsp;Hadestown, too, Mitchell received the 2003 New Folk Award from the Kerrville Folk Festival for her music. Go way down Hadestown and see her award-winning tunes live!

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<h2>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child</h2>J. K. Rowling has won more awards than every Triwizard Tournament champion put together. Her&nbsp;Harry Potter&nbsp;novels have won, among other accolades, multiple British Book Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, a Hugo Award, and a Whitbread Book Award — not to mention the hearts of countless fans across multiple generations. Rowling herself won personal achievement awards from the British Book Awards, too, as well as an Order of the British Empire and a place in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.Since co-creating the original story for&nbsp;Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the theatrical sequel to her novels, she's added some theatre awards to her shelf, too, including a Best New Play Olivier Award and Best Play Tony Award. She and&nbsp;Cursed Child&nbsp;co-creator John Tiffany shared those two with Jack Thorne, who actually penned the&nbsp;Cursed Child&nbsp;script. He has five BAFTA Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and many more accolades to his own name as a playwright and screenwriter. When it comes to literary fame, they're the chosen ones.

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<h2>MJ The Musical</h2>There aren't many double Pulitzer winners out there, but Lynn Nottage is one of them. The playwright won once in 2009 for&nbsp;Ruined&nbsp;and again in 2017 for&nbsp;Sweat, and she has many other critically acclaimed shows to her name. In fact, for a brief time in winter 2022, she had the unique distinction of having a play, a musical, and an opera on Broadway all at the same time! The musical is MJ, a bio-musical about Michael Jackson for which Nottage wrote the book.&nbsp;MJ&nbsp;was briefly joined in the 2021-2022 theatre season by Nottage's play&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/clydes" target="_blank">Clyde's</a>&nbsp;and the opera&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/intimate-apparel" target="_blank">Intimate Apparel</a>, based on her 2003 play of the same name. She truly does it all — and has the accolades to prove it!

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## *Sweeney Todd* and *Merrily We Roll Along*

Stephen Sondheim is a mainstay on stages in New York and worldwide. His inventive melodies and witty lyrics have won over generations of audiences and earned him many accolades. Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's bloody brilliant *Sweeney Todd*, about a murderous barber and pie shop owner, is but one example. The show won Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and more for its 1979 debut, and plenty of worldwide revivals have since won awards of their own.

*Merrily We Roll Along*, a flop in its time and now a beloved classic, is another example. More broadly, Sondheim is an Oscar, eight-time Tony, eight-time Grammy, and Pulitzer winner.

Get *Sweeney Todd* tickets now.

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## *Kimberly Akimbo*

David Lindsay-Abaire won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for his play *Rabbit Hole*, but he was a mainstay on the theatre scene for years before and has continued to be so. For example, in 2001, he wrote the play *Kimberly Akimbo*, about a teenager with a disease that speeds up her aging process. He and composer Jeanine Tesori — who has a Tony and multiple Drama Desks to her own name — have now adapted that show into a critically acclaimed Broadway musical.

Get *Kimberly Akimbo* tickets now.

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## *Melissa Etheridge: My Window*

Melissa Etheridge's multi-decade musical career has won her two Grammys (among 15 nominations) and an Oscar. Her smoky, raspy voice sets her apart in the music scene, making soulful hits like "Come to My Window" and "I'm the Only One" instant classics. Now, audiences get to hear those award-winning tunes in this intimate Broadway concert, which also intersperses stories from Etheridge's life.

Get [*Melissa Etheridge: My Window* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25987-melissa-etheridge-my-window-tickets) now.

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## *Harmony*

Barry Manilow has won one Grammy Award, and he's been nominated at least once in every decade from the 1970s to the 2010s. That's an achievement in itself! He's one of the world's most beloved showmen, and he's now represented on Broadway with *Harmony*. He composed the music for this show about the Comedian Harmonists, a real-life 20th-century choral group.

[Check back for information on *Harmony* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24995-harmony-tickets)

## *Spamalot*

*Spamalot* writers Eric Idle and John Du Prez had a lot of reasons to look on the bright side of life when *Spamalot* premiered in 2005. The show won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, out of 12 nominations. Idle is also a founding member of the award-winning Monty Python comedy troupe, whose classic 1975 film *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* is the basis for this musical spoof on Arthurian legends.

Get [*Spamalot* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/33129-spamalot-tickets) now.

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## *Prayer for the French Republic*

Playwright Joshua Harmon is a two-time winner of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play. He received both those honors for *Admissions*, and did so once again for *Prayer for the French Republic*, an epic story about a French Jewish family grappling with their safety over 70 years. After its acclaimed Off-Broadway premiere, the show now makes its Broadway debut.

[Check back for information on *Prayer for the French Republic* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24257-prayer-for-the-french-republic-tickets)

## *The Wiz*

Among the show's seven Tony Awards from 1975 was a win for Best Original Score, for composer/lyricist Charlie Smalls. His music was instrumental (pun intended) in transforming the age-old story of *The Wizard of Oz* into a celebration of Black art and culture. Diana Ross and Michael Jackson later sang his songs in the 1978 film adaptation, and [Wayne Brady](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/wayne-brady) leads the cast doing so in the 2024 Broadway revival.

And lest we forget the bookwriters, William F. Brown earned a Tony nomination of his own for his work on *The Wiz*. The revival features additional material by Amber Ruffin, also a Tony nominee for [*Some Like It Hot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets).

[Check back for information on *The Wiz* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27115-the-wiz-tickets)

Check out these shows by award-winning writers in New York

Hadestown

We've all seen a movie, or read a book, or listened to a song just because an artist we love wrote or starred in it. We cheer especially hard for them when their work gets recognized with critical acclaim and awards at the most prestigious ceremonies....

The playwrights and composers behind these shows have Tonys, Pulitzers, Grammys, and more to their names.

Farewell, so long, goodbye. Will Swenson will play his final performance in [*A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24254-a-beautiful-noise-tickets) on Broadway on October 29.

Swenson currently leads the show at the [Broadhurst Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/broadhurst-theatre) as Neil Diamond - Then, a younger version of the singer-songwriter as an up-and-coming musician. The show follows Diamond as he looks back on his life and career, and his [greatest hits](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/all-the-songs-in-a-beautiful-noise-on-broadway) propel the story of how he went from a poor Brooklyn kid to an award-winning, globally bestselling musician.

Swenson has played Diamond since *A Beautiful Noise* opened in November 2022. The current cast, most of whom are also original members, also includes Mark Jacoby as Neil Diamond – Now, Robyn Hurder as Marcia, Shirine Babb as Doctor, Jessie Fisher as Jaye Posner, Michael McCormick as Fred Weintraub/ Tommy O’Rourke, Tom Alan Robbins as Bert Berns/Kieve Diamond, and Bri Sudia as Ellie Greenwich/Rose Diamond.

Replacement casting for Swenson has yet to be announced. Nick Fradiani currently serves as Swenson's alternate, playing Neil Diamond - Then for one performance a week; he will continue in this role.

Get [*A Beautiful Noise* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24254-a-beautiful-noise-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: Will Swenson and the cast of A Beautiful Noise. (Photo by Julieta Cervantes)*

Will Swenson to depart 'A Beautiful Noise' on Broadway

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A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical on Broadway - NYC

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical on Broadway

The actor originated the role of a young Neil Diamond in this musical at the Broadhurst Theatre about the Grammy Award-winning musician's life and career.

The heat is going away. [*Some Like It Hot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets) has set a Broadway closing date of December 30 at the [Shubert Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/shubert-theatre).

The musical will have played for just over a year, having played 483 total performances since November 1, 2022.

*Some Like It Hot* is a musical adapted from the 1959 Billy Wilder comedy of the same name, in which two Prohibition-era jazz musicians, Joe and Jerry, flee the Chicago mob. While stowing away in disguise with an all-female swing band, they find love and learn more about their truest identities.

Matthew López and Amber Ruffin wrote the book, and songs are by Marc Shaiman (music and lyrics) and Scott Wittman (lyrics). Casey Nicholaw directs and choreographs.

Our [four-star review calls *Some Like It Hot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/some-like-it-hot-broadway-review) "a bracing, fizzy cocktail garnished with a winning cast... this [adaptation] scores points for not just tracing the source but turning up some fresh ideas of its own."

The show won Best Musical at the Drama League, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and it was nominated for 13 Tonys, including Best Musical. Among its four wins were Best Choreography and Best Leading Actor in a Musical for [J. Harrison Ghee](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/j-harrison-ghee-contains-multitudes-in-some-like-it-hot-on-broadway), one of the [first non-binary performers to ever win a Tony Award](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/alex-newell-j-harrison-ghee-become-first-non-binary-tony-winning-actors).

Alongside Ghee as Jerry, the *Some Like It Hot* Broadway cast includes [Christian Borle](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/christian-borle) as Joe, J. Harrison Ghee as Jerry, Adrianna Hicks as Sugar, Kevin Del Aguila as Osgood, NaTasha Yvette Williams as Sweet Sue, Adam Heller as Mulligan, Mark Lotito as Spats, and Angie Schworer as Minnie.

Get [*Some Like It Hot* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: Some Like It Hot on Broadway. (Photo by Marc J. Franklin)*

'Some Like It Hot' sets Broadway closing date

some like it hot-1200x600-NYTG 1

Recommended for 12 + Children under the age of 4 are not permitted in the theatre.

Some Like It Hot on Broadway - NYC

Some Like It Hot on Broadway

The musical adaptation of the 1959 Billy Wilder film at the Shubert Theatre. was the most Tony Award-nominated show of the 2022-23 season with 13 nods.

Sometimes the dividing line between a character and a playwright is a blurry one. So it is with Ossie Davis’s 1961 satirical comedy [*Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27642-purlie-victorious-tickets), now back on Broadway for the first time since its debut 62 years ago.

The story follows Purlie Victorious Judson, a Black self-made traveling preacher who returns to his segregated Georgia hometown with a mission to buy and rehab its derelict church, Big Bethel. As a Black man, that’s a tall order. The church, like the town, is in the grip of racist tyrant Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee.

Davis grew up in racially segregated Georgia. Like Purlie, Davis had first-hand experience with discrimination and bigotry, forces that inform the play and fueled his lifelong commitment to civil rights. In a pre-show voiceover, director Kenny Leon notes that the play began as an angry drama. But it evolved to become less autobiographical and funnier. Get people laughing, you get people’s attention. That’s powerful.

Learn more about the political and personal contexts – and the impact of 1960s-era influences – that shaped *Purlie Victorious* below. 

Get [*Purlie Victorious* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27642-purlie-victorious-tickets) now.

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## The politics of *Purlie Victorious*

Davis situated his play in Georgia in the late 1950s, a time when Jim Crow – which has been called “a racial caste system” – were in effect in the American South. Bottom line: Blacks were second-class citizens.

“Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-black laws. It was a way of life,” according to the [Jim Crow Museum](https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/), a resource to tell the story of African American resiliency. Jim Crow bolstered the lie that Blacks were inferior to whites. 

Davis shrewdly creates Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee to be the flesh-and-blood manifestation of Jim Crow, a man dressed head to toe in white who won’t hesitate to say he reveres “all that is white and holy” – and that doesn’t include African Americans. He sums the philosophy up in a chilling line: "My ol' Confederate father told me on his deathbed: Feed the Negras first - after the horses and cattle."

Cotchipee is quick to reach for his bullwhip, but he takes a shine to Purlie’s brother Gitlow (that name is no accident), an “Uncle Tom” who’s content being subservient and keeping to the old-plantation-day ways. 

But Davis leaves room for hope. Cotchipee’s liberal-minded son Charlie has had it with his father’s bigoted ways – and that ultimately leads the way for Purlie to get the last laugh.

## The real-life partnership of *Purlie Victorious*

Purlie’s plan to take ownership of Big Bethel requires a secret weapon – Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, a follower and love interest of Purlie's who’s game for anything. Ossie Davis played the title role in the comedy’s Broadway premiere, so naturally, his wife, Ruby Dee, played Lutiebelle. 

The couple, who were married for 57 years, previously shared a Broadway stage in 1946 in *Jeb* and 1959 in *A Raisin in the Sun*. *Purlie Victorious* gave them a chance to chomp into two juicy roles together onstage. And their involvement in the show didn't end with the original production: Dee later played the supporting role of Idella in a 2002 reading.

They frequently worked together throughout their careers until he died in 2005 at 87; she died in 2014 at 91. But *Purlie Victorious* gave them a unique chance to shine a bright spotlight on the struggle for equality.

## Famous *Purlie Victorious* reviews

Suffice it to say that the social influencers of 1961 took notice of what Purlie Victorious was preaching. Fellow reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. saw the show. So did Malcolm X. According to Davis, [X said](http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ccbh/mxp/davis.html), “Black folks laughing at White folks was revolutionary — the highest kind of struggle he could imagine.” 

Eleanor Roosevelt also attended. She laughed, and then she [wrote about the experience](https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1962&_f=md005050). “Mixed with the humor there is intelligent, incisive commentary on segregation, discrimination, and the slow pace of integration,” she wrote.

“I think it is well for you as an American citizen to see it,” she added, “and ponder our racial problem… as a question affecting our standing and our real sincerity among the peoples of the world.”

Call that a *Purlie* of wisdom.

Get [*Purlie Victorious* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27642-purlie-victorious-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: Kara Young, Heather Alicia Simms, Leslie Odom, Jr., Vanessa Bell Calloway, Billy Eugene Jones, and Noah Robbins in Purlie Victorious. (Photo by Marc J. Franklin)*

The real history behind ‘Purlie Victorious’ on Broadway

purlie victorious 1-1200x600-NYTG

12+ is recommended. Children under 4 years old will not be admitted.

Purlie Victorious on Broadway - NYC

Purlie Victorious on Broadway

Discover how real-life people, places, and politics shaped Ossie Davis’s uproarious comedy from 1961, which remains just as fresh and relevant in 2023.

For anyone planning on paying a visit to the Emerald City by seeing [*Wicked*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/1-wicked-musical-tickets) on Broadway, there are tons of ways to turn your entire day into an epic adventure Elphaba herself would approve of. There are many different activities to plan a *Wicked*-themed day in New York City, from learning more about the Gershwin, the theatre where the musical plays (in fact, the 20th anniversary is October 30, 2023), to spending time with another famous green woman. 

We’ve selected a few wickedly exciting activities you can take part in across the city, with ideas for Ozians of all ages. Then, make sure you buy your tickets to see *Wicked* at the [Gershwin Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/gershwin-theatre), and experience the story of *The Wizard of Oz* like never before.

Get [*Wicked* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/1-wicked-musical-tickets) now.

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## Museum of Broadway

Any theatre lover will enjoy a few hours at the Museum of Broadway, which features tons of costumes, set pieces, and props on display from famous performances. You'll also discover fascinating information about the history of the Great White Way and all the people it takes to put on a Broadway show.

*Wicked* fans in particular will love the five-foot scale model of the Gershwin, which shows off just how many people it takes to make the magic happen on stage and what the venue looks like behind the scenes.

Get [Museum of Broadway tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27223-the-museum-of-broadway) now.

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## Behind the Emerald Curtain

If you’ve ever wondered how Elphaba goes green every night or flies through the air, you’ll want to go on the Behind the Emerald Curtain tour. Cast members lead this 90-minute special behind-the-scenes tour through the *Wicked* museum, which includes special costumes, set pieces, props, scale models and more.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the experience, however, is that guests get to enjoy a candid Q&A with some cast members to ask their burning questions about being in *Wicked* and life as a Broadway performer. Tours operate on select dates only.

## Enchantments

Are you more intrigued by the witchy side of *Wicked*? Pay a visit to Enchantments, the oldest occult store in New York City. Located in the East Village, this store has tons of goodies for anyone trying to get into the magical spirit, with tarot cards, incense, cauldrons, and customized candles tailored toward whatever you hope to manifest. You can also get yourself a talisman to wear to the show and make sure any energy coming toward you is anything but wicked!

## The Statue of Liberty

Spend the day with another famous woman who is green from head to toe: the Statue of Liberty. A trip to this beloved monument (which is actually made of copper!) starts with a ferry ride to Liberty Island. Once there, you can visit the museum to learn more about Lady Liberty or climb up to her crown for an amazing view of the city’s skyline (but you’ll have to book tickets in advance). With [Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Round Trip Ferry tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/31071-statue-of-liberty-and-ellis-island-round-trip-ferry-with-tour-guide), you can also go over to Ellis Island and visit the National Museum of Immigration afterwards.

If you don't want to go out to the island, New York Theatre Guide has tickets to multiple boat cruises that let you get a picturesque view of the statue while you sail by and enjoying onboard drinks and treats. Take a [daytime](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/29471-daytime-statue-of-liberty-and-city-lights-sails-aboard-the-clipper-city-tall-ship) or [evening harbor cruise](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/29469-sunset-sail-aboard-the-clipper-city-tall-ship) on a historic clipper ship, or go on a [60-minute sightseeing cruise](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/30978-statue-of-liberty-&-ellis-island-60-minute-sightseeing-cruise) if you're on a time crunch.

Get [Statue of Liberty tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/31071-statue-of-liberty-and-ellis-island-round-trip-ferry-with-tour-guide) now.

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## Trapeze class

One of the most jaw-dropping moments in *Wicked* is when Elphaba takes flight. If you want to get a taste of what it feels like to soar through the air, you can take a flying trapeze class. The Trapeze School of New York at Hudson River Park, for example, teaches you how to hang by your knees, fly through the air, and do a “catch” (when someone on another trapeze bar catches you) all in your first class.

You can also try other gravity-defying activities, like trampoline classes and aerial hoop classes (also known as Lyra). It’s certainly a thrilling way to prepare for *Wicked*!

## *Wicked*

No *Wicked* day would be complete without seeing the iconic musical itself. Learn the history of Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, long before Dorothy arrives in Oz. Despite being roommates at Shiz University, they're bitter enemies and polar opposites until they ultimately settle their differences and become fierce friends.

Their union is tested, however, when Elphaba falls from the Wizard's good graces, while Glinda is torn between supporting her or tarnishing her image among the people of Oz. *Wicked* a story of the power of female friendship, standing up for what’s right, and finding strength in what makes you different.

Get [*Wicked* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/1-wicked-musical-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: Wicked on Broadway. (Photo courtesy of production)*

Make a day out of ‘Wicked’ in New York City

Wicked - 1200 - NYTG

Wicked on Broadway [1]

Wicked on Broadway

From exploring Gershwin Theatre history to defying gravity just like Elphaba does, these activities are a great way to spend one short day *Wicked*-style.

Fall is underway and it's time to fall in love with some new theatre — or fall in love with your favorite shows all over again. [Broadway's long-running favorites](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news-features/see-these-long-running-shows-on-broadway-right-now) are still going strong, but they're joined by plenty of new Broadway plays and musicals, including world-premiere Off-Broadway shows and many offerings with starry casts.

Check out our list of theatre to see in October 2023, and see our list of [New York shows that started in September](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news-features/new-york-theatre-to-see-in-september) for even more new theatre you can still catch.

## Broadway shows in October

Noteworthy musicals and plays start performances on Broadway this month, including exciting revivals and new shows by award-winning artists. Be sure to check out these widely celebrated shows, many with celebrities in the cast.

[Get tickets to a Broadway show on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/broadway-shows)

### *Merrily We Roll Along*

Stephen Sondheim’s famous flop-turned-fan favorite about a friendship shattered by showbiz greed and ambition is back on Broadway for the first time since its 1981 premiere. [Daniel Radcliffe](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/daniel-radcliffe), Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez star as a trio of pals whose relationships fall apart as the days go by in director Maria Friedman’s acclaimed staging.

Get [*Merrily We Roll Along* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27417-merrily-we-roll-along-tickets) now.

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### *I Need That*

[Danny DeVito](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/danny-devito), an Emmy winner for *Taxi* and a Tony nominee for *The Price*, stars as Sam, a hoarder ordered by government officials to clean up his cluttered home – or else he’s out on his ear. Count on playwright Theresa Rebeck (*Bernhardt/Hamlet*) to sort out the humor and humanity in the Roundabout Theatre Company production co-starring Lucy DeVito (the star’s daughter) and Ray Anthony Thomas.

Get [*I Need That* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28198-i-need-that-on-broadway) now.

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### *Spamalot* 

Oh, what a knight! Arthurian legend gets soundly spoofed in this Tony-winning Best Musical by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, based on the 1975 comedy film *Monty Python and the Holy Grail*. Back on Broadway for the first time since its 2005 premiere, the show has a stacked cast including Taran Killam as Lancelot, James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as the Lady of the Lake.

Get [*Spamalot* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/33129-spamalot-tickets) now.

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### *Harmony*

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Comedian Harmonists, a German sextet known for their freewheeling stage frolics and tight harmonies, ascended to popularity that spanned the globe. But when the Nazis rose to power, the group, which included three Jewish men, broke apart and fell into obscurity. Barry Manilow (music) and Bruce Sussman (book and lyrics) reclaim the group’s place in history in this show directed by Warren Carlyle. 

[Check back for information on *Harmony* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24995-harmony-tickets)

## Off-Broadway shows in October

Off-Broadway theatres have it all this month: innovative new plays, comedy shows, and more. Whatever your taste in theatre, you’ll find it off Broadway, so check out these shows starting New York performances this month and find one that's best for you.

[Get tickets to an Off-Broadway show on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/off-broadway-shows)

### *All the Devils Are Here*

Tony nominee Patrick Page is at his best when his characters are at their worst — such as Hades in [*Hadestown*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/14748-hadestown-tickets) and Scar in [*The Lion King*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/42-the-lion-king-tickets). In this 80-minute solo show subtitled *How Shakespeare Invented the Villain*, author and actor Page inhabits a dozen of the Bard’s notorious baddies – including Macbeth, Richard II, and more.

Get [*All the Devils Are Here* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/34163-all-the-devils-are-here) now.

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### *Covenant*

Did a struggling musician make some sort of devilish deal to make it big in the biz? That’s a burning question throughout York Walker’s play about the power of suspicion and half-truths making its world premiere in a [Roundabout Theatre Company](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/harold-and-miriam-steinberg-center-for-theatre) presentation. 

Get [*Covenant* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/33127-the-covenant) now.

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### *Danny and the Deep Blue Sea*

[Aubrey Plaza](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/aubrey-plaza) (*Parks and Recreation*) and [Christopher Abbott](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/christopher-abbott) (*Girls*) star in this new production of this emotionally charged 1984 two-hander by John Patrick Shanley, the Oscar-winning writer of *Moonstruck*. The revival at the [Lucille Lortel Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/lucille-lortel-theatre) follows down-and-outers who meet at a bar in the Bronx and maybe – just maybe – make the kind of deep connection that could change their lives.  

Get [*Danny and the Deep Blue Sea* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/32606-danny-and-the-deep-blue-sea) now.

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### *Hell’s Kitchen*

Grammy winner [Alicia Keys](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/hear-the-music-of-alicia-keys-in-the-hells-kitchen-musical) makes her Off-Broadway debut at The [Public Theater](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/public-theater) in her semi-autobiographical coming-of-age musical set in her home neighborhood in Manhattan.  Michael Greif (*Rent*, *Dear Evan Hansen*) directs the show, which features a mix of new songs and familiar hits by Keys and a book by Kristoffer Diaz about a 17-year-old girl named Ali, who’s considering life, love, and the future. 

Get [*Hell’s Kitchen* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/31750-hells-kitchen) now.

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### *Here We Are*

A Sondheim premiere? We’re there. The final musical from the late, great composer-lyricist, created with writer David Ives (*Venus in Fur*) and directed by Joe Mantello (*Wicked*) is drawn from two Luis Buñuel films – *The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie* (1972) and *The Exterminating Angel* (1962) – with dinner parties that go sideways. Tony winners David Hyde Pierce, Rachel Bay Jones, and Denis O’Hare are just a taste of the delicious cast.

Get [*Here We Are* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28147-here-we-are-tickets) now.

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28147-here-we-are-tickets)

### *Little Shop of Horrors*

Boy meets girl – and a man-eating plant with a killer appetite. So it goes in this hit revival at the Westside Theatre of the Alan Menken and Howard Ashman cult fave musical that's perfect for Halloween season. [Corbin Bleu](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/corbin-bleu) and Constance Wu currently star as the adorable lovebirds Seymour and Audrey who pour out their hearts in great songs like “Somewhere That’s Green” and “Suddenly Seymour.”

Get [*Little Shop of Horrors* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24608-little-shop-of-horrors-tickets) now.

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### *Daphne*

Soon after Daphne says goodbye to the city to live with her girlfriend in a woodsy setting, she finds herself confronting a thicket of unsettling events that make her question what’s real and what’s not. Boundaries blur and realities emerge in Renae Simone Jarrett’s play at Lincoln Center.

Check back for information on *Daphne* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

### *The Gardens of Anuncia*

Michael John LaChiusa seizes inspiration for his tango-infused musical at Lincoln Center from the early life of choreographer and director Graciela Danielle, one of his frequent collaborators. In the lead role, Tony winner Priscilla Lopez looks back at her girlhood in Argentina and marvels at the women in her life who helped her become an artist. 

Check back for information on *The Gardens of Anuncia* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

### *Merry Me*

There’s something about *Merry* – and then some. Restoration comedy shakes it up with Greek drama in a trippy work at [New York Theatre Workshop](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/new-york-theatre-workshop) by Hansol Jung (*Wolf Play*) directed by Leigh Silverman that promises to be “an intoxicating queer cocktail.” The setting is a Navy base, where libidos race, an angel descends with an arresting prophecy, and humanity hangs in the balance. 

Check back for information on *Merry Me* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

### *Stereophonic*

David Adjmi (*3C*, *Elective Affinities*) flashes back to the groovy, gritty mid-1970s, where a rock band recording its latest studio album is poised to make a quantum leap into the the big leagues. Will they seize the moment for superstardom – or crack like vinyl under the pressure? Original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler headlines this Playwrights Horizons presentation.

Check back for information on *Stereophonic* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

### *I Can Get It for You Wholesale*

Antihero, anyone? *Tootsie* Tony winner Santino Fontana stars as Harry Bogen, an eager-beaver shipping clerk in 1937 New York City whose ambition is rivaled only by his unscrupulousness. This [Classic Stage Company](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/classic-stage-company) production marks the first revival of the 1962 musical in 30 years and is a bit of a family affair. Revisions to Jerome Weidman’s original book, based on his novel, are by his son, John Weidman. Songs are by Harold Rome.

Check back for information on *I Can Get It for You Wholesale* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

*Photo credit: Spamalot. (Photo by Jeremy Daniel)*

Top theatre to see in New York in October

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Discover our top picks for Broadway shows and Off-Broadway shows to see this month, including new shows premiering and last-chance shows closing this month.

Top theatre to see in New York in October | New York Theatre Guide

Check out our guide to must-see Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre in October 2023, a popular month for the openings of buzzy new Broadway plays and musicals.

They're hitting the dance floor! The new Broadway musical [*How to Dance in Ohio*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/32763-how-to-dance-in-ohio-tickets) has set its complete Broadway cast ahead of its first performance on November 15. Opening night is December 10.

*How to Dance in Ohio* is a musical adaptation of the same-named documentary by Alexandra Shiva. The show follows a group of autistic young adults who come of age and experience newfound love, stress, confidence, and change as they prepare for a formal dance at their group counseling center.

The show comes to Broadway's [Belasco Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/belasco-theatre) after a 2022 world premiere in Syracuse, with multiple cast members returning.

## Who is in the *How to Dance in Ohio* Broadway cast?

Newly announced *How to Dance in Ohio* cast members include Caesar Samayoa as psychologist Dr. Emilio Amigo, Cristina Sastre as Ashley Amigo, and ensemble members Jean Christian Barry, Collin Hancock, Hunter Hollingsworth, Marina Jansen, Ayanna Thomas, and Marina Pires.

They join seven [previously announced cast members](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/new-musical-how-to-dance-in-ohio-to-premiere-on-broadway-this-fall) making their Broadway debuts: Desmond Luis Edwards as Remy, Amelia Fei (Yi-Hsuan Fei) as Caroline, Madison Kopec as Marideth, Liam Pearce as Drew, Imani Russell as Mel, Conor Tague as Tommy, and Ashley Wool as Jessica. All are autistic actors reprising their roles from Syracuse as the autistic adults in the show.

Other previously announced cast members include Haven Burton as Terry, Darlesia Cearcy as Johanna, Carlos L Encinias, Nick Gaswirth, Melina Kalomas, and Martín Solá.

Check back for information on *How to Dance in Ohio* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

*Photo credit: Amelia Fei, Ashley Wool, Conor Tague, Desmond Edwards, Imani Russell, Liam Pearce, and Madison Kopec. (Photos courtesy of production)*

'How to Dance in Ohio' completes Broadway cast

how to dance in ohio-1200x600-NYTG

How to Dance in Ohio on Broadway - NYC

How to Dance in Ohio on Broadway

The new musical, based on Alexandra Shiva's Peabody Award-winning documentary about autistic adults, begins performances at the Belasco Theatre in November.

Their name is Lancelot! Taran Killam and Alex Brightman join the cast of the upcoming [*Spamalot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/33129-spamalot-tickets) Broadway revival, playing at the [St. James Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/st-james-theatre) from October 31. Opening night is November 16.

Killam returns to Broadway after playing King George III in [*Hamilton*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/384-hamilton-tickets) in 2017. He is better known, however, for his onscreen comedy performances on *madTV* and *Saturday Night Live*, in addition to multiple sitcoms. He will play Lancelot through January 7 only.

Brightman will step into the role from January 9. He is currently starring as Richard Dreyfuss in [*The Shark Is Broken*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28737-the-shark-is-broken-tickets) on Broadway, and he is also known for leading the Broadway musical adaptations of *Beetlejuice* and *School of Rock*. Brightman also played Lancelot at the Kennedy Center, where this *Spamalot* revival production premiered earlier this year under director/choreographer Josh Rhodes.

As [previously announced](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/spamalot-sets-broadway-cast-and-creative-team), multiple other cast members from that production will also return for the Broadway transfer: Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy, James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as The Lady of the Lake, Jimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere, Michael Urie as Sir Robin, and Nik Walker as Sir Galahad. Ethan Slater also stars as The Historian/Prince Herbert.

*Spamalot* is the seven-time Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of *Monty Python and the Holy Grail*, written by John Du Prez and founding Monty Python member Eric Idle. The show is an irreverent sendup of Arthurian legends.

Get [*Spamalot* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/33129-spamalot-tickets) now.

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/33129-spamalot-tickets)

*Photo credit: Taran Killam and Alex Brightman. (Photos courtesy of production)*

Taran Killam, Alex Brightman join 'Spamalot' Broadway cast

lancelots-1200x600-NYTG

Spamalot on Broadway - NYC

Spamalot on Broadway

The actors join a cast that also includes Broadway favorites James Monroe Iglehart, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Ethan Slater, and more at the St. James Theatre.

Ease on down to Broadway! A revival of [*The Wiz*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27115-the-wiz-tickets) will begin performances this spring at the [Marquis Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/marquis-theatre). The first performance is March 29, and opening night is April 17.

The announcement of the New York production comes as *The Wiz* opened its pre-Broadway national tour in Baltimore, Maryland — where the Tony Award-winning original 1975 production premiered — last night.

*The Wiz* is an all-Black retelling of *The Wizard of Oz*, infusing it with jazz, pop, ballet, and Black cultural influences. The show features a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls and others, including Luther Vandross. The 2023 revival features additional material by Amber Ruffin, also represented on Broadway with *Some Like It Hot*.

Schele Williams directs the 2023 production, which features choreography by JaQuel Knight, scenic design by Hannah Beachler; costume design by Sharen Davis; lighting design by Ryan J. O’Gara; sound design by Jon Weston; projection design by Daniel Brodie; wig design by Charles LaPointe; makeup design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche; music supervision, orchestrations, and music arrangements by Joseph Joubert; vocal and music arrangements by Allen René Louis; and dance music arrangements by Adam Blackstone.

## Who is in *The Wiz* Broadway cast?

As [previously announced](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/complete-cast-set-for-broadway-bound-the-wiz-revival), the Broadway cast of *The Wiz* stars [Wayne Brady](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/wayne-brady) as The Wiz alongside Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, Deborah Cox as Glinda, Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow.

The ensemble includes Maya Bowles, Shayla Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Anthony Murphy, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington, and Timothy Wilson.

*The Wiz* Broadway cast carries over from the national tour.

Check back for information on *The Wiz* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

*Photo credit: The Wiz in Baltimore. (Photo by Jeremy Daniel)*

'The Wiz' to open on Broadway in March

the wiz-1200x600-NYTG

The Wiz on Broadway - NYC

The Wiz on Broadway

Wayne Brady will star in the latest revival of the seven-time Tony Award-winning musical, which just launched a national tour prior to its New York opening.

The career paths of Josh Gad and [Andrew Rannells](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/andrew-rannells) happily keep on colliding – and paralleling. Right now, they’re at the [James Earl Jones Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/james-earl-jones-theatre) in [*Gutenberg! The Musical!*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/31399-gutenberg-the-musical-tickets), a show with two actors and just as many exclamation points. The comic duo play musical theatre composers writing a show about the inventor of the printing press.

Out there? Sure. Then again, the story of misbegotten Mormon missionaries in Uganda is also wacky. That’s what the long-running, Tony Award-winning musical [*The Book of Mormon*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/127-the-book-of-mormon-tickets), in which Gad and Rannells first performed together, is about.

Even when they haven’t shared a stage, their theatre careers have overlapped in various ways. Find out more about the duo’s careers in our timeline below.

Get [*Gutenberg! The Musical!* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/31399-gutenberg-the-musical-tickets) now.

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## 2005 and 2006: Broadway debuts

In January 2005, Rannells took over as high school student Fender in *Hairspray*. Like a ’60s beehive hairdo, the actor ascended high to the lead role of teenage heartthrob Link Larkin. Rannells has stepped into key roles in other Broadway shows including Bob Gaudio in *Jersey Boys*, the title role in *Hedwig and the Angry Inch*, and King George in [*Hamilton*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/384-hamilton-tickets). 

A year later, in January 2006, the musical *The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee* introduced Gad to Broadway audiences. He took over the role of allergy-prone William Barfee, a kid who uses his “magic foot” to write out words before spelling them.

![gad rannells mormon-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/2wabPKWHjEvZjHR3cwfnyN/fe6243997f341e93bba3320f9ea06708/gad_rannells_mormon-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## 2011: *The Book of Mormon*

In 2011, Rannells and Gad landed the lead roles in the irreverent, sometimes profane musical by Robert Lopez (*Frozen, Avenue Q*) and *South Park* creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Rannells and Gad starred as Elders Price and Cunningham: Mormon missionaries in Uganda who are young, eager, in over their head, and making things up as they go along. Both got Best Actor Tony nominations for the still-running hit at the [Eugene O’Neill Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/eugene-o-neill-theatre). 

Get [*The Book of Mormon* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/127-the-book-of-mormon-tickets) now.

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## 2006 and 2016: The William Finn connection

Gad belted the kicky tune “Magic Foot” by William Finn in his Broadway debut in *The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee*. Rannells earned his second Tony nomination – Best Actor in a Supporting Role, as the ailing Whizzer – in the 2016 revival of *Falsettos*, a show with music, lyrics, and a book by Finn.

## 2013 and 2016: The Disney connection

Beyond the stage, Disney is common ground for the pair. For episodes of the animated TV series *Sofia the First*, Rannells voiced Morris, a goblin. Meanwhile, Gad voiced Olaf, the fan-fave snowman in the *Frozen* film franchise.

## 2023: *Gutenberg! The Musical!*

As Bud and Doug in this musical by Scott Brown and Anthony King, the actors wear a lot of hats – and that’s not a metaphor. They play the authors of a show about Johannes Gutenberg, which they pitch to potential investors with the means to finance the project. They act out the show playing characters whose names are on baseball caps.

See how it all goes down through January 28 only. Who knows when Rannells and Gad will share the stage next?

Get [*Gutenberg! The Musical!* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/31399-gutenberg-the-musical-tickets) now.

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Learn about the careers of 'Gutenberg! The Musical!' stars Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells

gutenberg-1200x600-NYTG

Recommended for 12+. Children under 4 not admitted.

Gutenberg! The Musical on Broadway - NYC

Gutenberg! The Musical on Broadway

The acclaimed comic theatre actors made their names with *The Book of Mormon* more than a decade ago, and they now share the stage for the first time since.

Fall is upon us in New York. The cool fall breezes have blown in not just color-changing leaves, but a cornucopia of seasonal events all across the city. And there's a show or event out there for you no matter how you like to ring in the fall season.

Is the pumpkin patch at the top of your itinerary? Stop at a show set in the countryside on the way to the actual farm. Prefer to stay cozied up inside with a warm sweater? You can do that in a Broadway theatre. Can't wait for Halloween? Celebrate the holiday all autumn long at spooky shows and attractions. You don't have to escape the city to get the most out of autumn — there are plenty of options right here.

We've planned out a few roundups of New York fall events and shows to get you started, based on various fall vibes. Pick the one that best suits you, and get tickets to these experiences to make the most of your fall in the city.

Get [tickets to Broadway shows](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/broadway-shows) on New York Theatre Guide.

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/broadway-shows)

## Spooky fall

If "fall" and "Halloween" are one and the same to you, you're in the right place. Get your tricks and treats, chills and thrills at these shows and events. And this is only a small selection — read our full [guide to theatre to see in New York for Halloween](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/top-theatre-to-see-in-new-york-for-halloween) for even more scary good options.

![7 sweeney-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/7gzSXonAWlHmzrQwwduBA/552327f1ea1cae3882fcea9649ba1ee8/7_sweeney-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

### *Sweeney Todd*

*Sweeney Todd* serves up both tricks and treats, though perhaps not the kind you'll want to eat. This bloody entertaining Stephen Sondheim thriller follows the title "demon barber," whose vengeful plot to murder a corrupt judge grows into a desire to kill just about everyone in London. And with the help of pie shop owner Mrs. Lovett, the evidence mysteriously disappears into the tastiest baked goods she's ever made. [Josh Groban](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/josh-groban) and [Annaleigh Ashford](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/annaleigh-ashford)'s sinister performances might give you nightmares, but their vocals are the stuff of dreams.

Get [*Sweeney Todd* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets) now.

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![wicked record-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/33IsBjCX6G9Pt8wbpynzhg/f4408e276ad198a3f6bfe93f03845770/wicked_record-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

### *Wicked*

The iconic witch hat and broom are the centerpieces of many a Halloween costume. Ever wonder why? This musical provides one origin story and more, offering an alternate take on who Glinda and Elphaba were before they became the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West in *The Wizard of Oz*. This show isn't scary, but it's filled with bewitching stage magic and supernatural characters.

Get [*Wicked* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/1-wicked-musical-tickets) now.

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/1-wicked-musical-tickets)

![met-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/5Kl3OwNexDdwp9z80mxVMP/ec7576b9feb977ae02aabf0d4f3751f5/met-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

### Ghost Stories: A Mysterious, Macabre Interactive Tour at the Met

This tour focuses on works of art that depict all sorts of scary creatures from various cultures and time periods. In addition to just looking at spooky creations, attendees will participate in activities and discussions about what makes people afraid and why. The tour takes place all year round, but during the fall, it incorporates extra art and other surprises only included during the Halloween season.

Get [Ghost Stories tour tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/29084-ghost-stories-a-mysterious-macabre-interactive-tour-at-the-metropolitan) now.

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/29084-ghost-stories-a-mysterious-macabre-interactive-tour-at-the-metropolitan)

## Harvest fall

This itinerary is for those who like to spend their fall days leaf-peeping, apple-picking, and pumpkin patch-hopping. Even if you can't make it to New England or upstate for the foliage and the farms, these shows and events provide all the harvest vibes you're looking for.

![2 shucked-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/5C8ZI7ghBbkqnTIBgwsnlr/f658093e1d4c60713a8527ad2216cd07/2_shucked-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

### *Shucked*

Fans of corn mazes will feel right at home in Cob County, the central location of this corny (literally) musical. When the town's prized corn crop starts dying, farmgirl Maizy finds an outsider to help, but all isn't at it seems. This show, by Tony-winning bookwriter Robert Horn and Grammy-winning songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, delivers a cornucopia of country-infused tunes and nonstop corn puns.

Get [*Shucked* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26987-shucked-tickets) now.

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26987-shucked-tickets)

![Little Shop of Horrors Skylar Astin - 750 - NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/6H4AR98BqLvUGbu3IcM5qt/79e8283b1a46f0dabbcc454ae86774ce/skylar_1-750.jpg)

### *Little Shop of Horrors*

The monstrous, Venus flytrap-esque plant in this musical is one you might not want to harvest. Flower shop worker Seymour finds this out the hard way, as the plant promises him fame and fortune in exchange for human flesh and blood. Straddling the line between horror, comedy, and botany, this cult-classic favorite is the perfect autumn watch.

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![falloween-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/12w2kC6bHYOabTRDUoPlp5/cff33a7da1d13a561467a10f4bb1c39c/falloween-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

### Fall-O-Ween at the New York Botanical Garden

What better place to spend a harvest-themed fall day than at the New York Botanical Garden, where you're surrounded by flora and fauna? A natural oasis in the middle of the Bronx, it'll make you feel like you've escaped the city. Participate in pumpkin carving and costume contests, sample treats featuring classic fall flavors, and take part in activities both festive and frightful, all while exploring the grounds' 50 gardens featuring over a million wildlife species.

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## Cozy, romantic fall

If you spend your fall pretending you're the protagonist of a Nora Ephron rom-com — cozying up with a good book and a soft sweater, perhaps by the fireplace with your boo — then these idyllic, romantic experiences are perfect for you.

![cottage review-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/7IpSiOpEcmTSOTm8NqA54F/809e3f7439b96c9377519ec2db23a880/cottage_review-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

### *The Cottage*

*The Cottage* delivers cozy romance with a twist. The play opens with a couple having a romantic morning in a beautiful country cottage — but we soon learn they're both cheating on their spouses, who are in turn cheating on them. Confusion, hilarity, and a tangled web of relationships arise. This farce may not be your average romance, but it's an endlessly entertaining one.

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![2 & juliet-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4uRxS4JCAwq28qRsfLQYse/a3e7a49d37437ce5ce8b0c37b59d75ed/2___juliet-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

### *& Juliet*

Juliet, of *Romeo & Juliet*, finds love in the big city in this new musical — except the big city is Paris, and she spends just as much time finding herself after Romeo dies. This twist on the classic play is as empowering as it is romantic, and it also features another love story: that of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, who rekindle their own flame by co-writing Juliet's new story together.

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![central park-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/6JRicOt0Rsj6szai9tyQ4e/7ee32e86f002fea209a5499f8b51b72e/central_park-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

### Secret Places of Central Park

Is it really a New York rom-com if the lovers don't stroll through Central Park? Recreate that vibe with this walking tour. You might have seen landmarks like the Bow Bridge on screen, but this tour provides a look into the park's lesser-known hidden gems, including secluded gardens, historic sites, and more. You might find your new favorite spot to go on an autumn date.

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Plan a fall day in New York with these shows and events

nyc autumn-1200x600-NYTG

Whether your fall vibe is spooky, cozy, or outdoorsy, New York has plenty of attractions and shows to suit your interests — check out our itineraries here.

Find out the latest Broadway news on New York Theatre Guide. Read all about Broadway shows, cast updates, new Broadway seasons, extra performances, and show closures. 

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