Editor's Top 5 Broadway Picks of Fall 2019

Which new Broadway show made it to our top spot this fall?

Season's greetings to all our readers! Now that all the new Broadway productions of fall 2019 have officially opened, it's time to give you our humble opinions on the best of the best of all the new offerings!

But before we get to that, we'd just like to give a special shout out to the smash hit of the summer first, which continues to play to packed, eager houses eight times a week at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Of course, we're referring to the dazzling Broadway premiere of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which has taken New York City by storm! Although technically the production doesn't qualify for this Top 5 list due to its opening in the summer, we just wanted to acknowledge its impact on the Great White Way. If you haven't experienced the glitz, the glamour and the "Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love" of this big-budgeted extravaganza yet, then what on earth are you waiting for?

Moulin Rouge! The Musical Tickets are available now for performances through November 8, 2020.

And now onto our Top 5 for the Broadway openings of fall 2019...

#5 - The Sound Inside

At number 5 we've chosen the gripping Broadway premiere of The Sound Inside, marking the long-overdue Broadway debut for playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp. This scintillating two-hander stars Tony, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Mary-Louise Parker, alongside the formidable newcomer Will Hochman, and tells the story of creative writing professor Bella Baird and her talented yet alienated Yale student Christopher Dunn. After a devastating cancer diagnosis, Bella decides to ask an unthinkable favor of Christopher, but does he have another ending to this intense story in mind? Two acting master classes alongside bold direction from Tony Award winner David Cromer that completely draws you into this intimate production, proving that less can indeed often be more, are the reasons for a trip to Studio 54 for this one.

The Sound Inside Tickets are available now for performances through January 12, 2020.

#4 - A Christmas Carol

'Tis the season to be jolly, after all, so landing on the number 4 spot is the Old Vic production of A Christmas Carol, starring "House of Cards" favorite Campbell Scott in the pivotal role of Ebenezer Scrooge. This delightful adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, penned by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child scribe Jack Thorne, is the perfect holiday gift for the whole family, boasting beautifully arranged, traditional carols by Christopher Nightingale and an immersive Christmas feast finale that would put a smile on even the "scroogiest" of theatregoers! And who wouldn't want to be haunted by the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Christmas Present when they're brought to "life" by Tony Award winners Andrea Martin and LaChanze?! Never mind the "Bah, Humbug!" - Get yourselves down to the Lyceum Theatre for the holiday-themed hit of the season!

A Christmas Carol Tickets are available now for performances through January 5, 2020.

#2 (TIE) - Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

We simply couldn't choose between the next two mind-blowing Broadway musicals, so we've decided to scrap third place and celebrate them both as joint second place! And why not? First off, we have one formidable star vehicle that celebrates the life and career of a living legend. Tina: The Tina Turner Musical might just be "Simply The Best" bio-musical Broadway has seen in a long time! And it's safe to say that the tremendous hype around the show (and the main reason for a trip to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre) is Tony and Olivier Award nominee Adrienne Warren's tour de force performance in the titular role. How she does it night after night, we'll never know. Tina Turner has a well-documented biography and the trials and tribulations of her life, especially the tumultuous relationship with Ike Turner, more than warrant a retelling on Broadway. And the hits just keep on coming - from "Proud Mary" to "What's Love Got To Do With It?" - and Ms. Warren knocks every one of them out of the park and all the way to Nutbush, Tennessee!

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Tickets are available now for performances through September 20, 2020.

#2 (TIE) - Jagged Little Pill

Our second musical coming in this fall at joint second place is one we've fallen "Head Over Feet" for! Unlike the star vehicle that is Tina, the Broadway premiere of Jagged Little Pill at the Broadhurst Theatre is a true ensemble piece that shines a spotlight over each principal cast member in equal measure. It also doesn't shy away from shining a spotlight on topical themes of today, from opioid addiction to rape victims and from gun violence in schools to racial and queer identity, all inspired by the 1995 seminal album by one Alanis Morissette. Academy Award winner Diablo Cody has accomplished what many writers before her could not and that is making us believe that the songs were written especially for this "jukebox" musical, rather than unconvincingly shoe-horned into the narrative. The raw, explosive voice of Ms. Morissette has been wonderfully transposed and has given a voice, in turn, to the original characters of this timely piece. Fine... Fine... Fine!

Jagged Little Pill Tickets are available now for performances through July 5, 2020.

#1 - The Inheritance

Once in a blue moon a play will come along that ultimately defines a generation. In gay culture, predecessors such as Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band and Tony Kushner's Angels in America have cemented their legacies as milestones of a movement. Now, picking up where those works left off, Matthew Lopez's epic and gut-wrenching two-part drama The Inheritance explores the changing notion of community and identity through a group of young gay men in New York City, living in the post-AIDS era. The title works on many levels, referring to the inheritance of a house in upstate New York, which became a final resting place for countless victims of the AIDS epidemic, as well as the inheritance of the disease itself, passed from one person to another and from generation to generation. And it also refers to the inheritance of a shared history that links these generations together within the gay community. Another well-rounded ensemble piece, the play knows exactly how to draw laughter and tears by the bucket-load from its audiences at the Barrymore Theatre and if you only see one play on the Great White Way this season, do yourselves a favor and please let it be this one... our #1 pick for fall 2019!

The Inheritance - Part 1 Tickets are available now for performances through June 6, 2020.

The Inheritance - Part 2 Tickets are available now for performances through June 7, 2020.