Broadway

Step right up and see [*Water for Elephants*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/34684-water-for-elephants-on-broadway) on Broadway! Circus and theatre meet in the stage adaptation of Sara Gruen's bestselling historical romance novel, which captivated audiences on the page and screen and now does so live.

*The Flash*'s [Grant Gustin](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/grant-gustin) stars as Jacob Jankowski, who runs away with the Benzini Bros. Circus and falls in love with...

Everything you need to know about 'Water for Elephants' on Broadway

w4e first look-1200x600-NYTG

Grant Gustin and Isabelle McCalla currently star in the critically acclaimed musical adaptation of Sara Gruen's bestselling circus-themed novel from 2006.

April 23 is World Book Day, and Broadway is a feast for book lovers this season. There are numerous [new play and musical adaptations of novels](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/from-page-to-stage-how-bestselling-books-became-broadway-blockbusters) on stage this season: [*The Wiz*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27115-the-wiz-tickets), [*The Great Gatsby*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/38749-the-great-gatsby-on-broadway), [*Water for...

Broadway shows to see based on your favorite book

9 mary jane-1200x600-NYTG

We're celebrating World Book Day by providing play and musical recommendations for fans of hot new bestsellers, classic novels, and popular authors.

Nominees for the 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards have been announced. The annual awards ceremony honors the best of both Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre, with both types of shows competing against each other in many categories.

The Off-Broadway musical *Dead Outlaw* received the most nominations with nine. Tied for second, with seven awards each, are the Off-Broadway musical *The Connector* and the currently running Broadway play...

2024 Outer Critics Circle nominations announced

Outer Critics Circle

The annual awards honor the best of both Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre from the previous years, and numerous currently running shows were recognized.

The circus is staying in town! *Water for Elephants* on Broadway has released a new block of tickets for performances through February 2, 2025 at the [Imperial Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/imperial-theatre). Get [*Water for Elephants* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/34684-water-for-elephants-on-broadway) now.

Adapted from the [bestselling 2006 book by Sara...

'Water for Elephants' tickets now on sale through February 2025

3 water for elephants-1200x600-NYTG

The critically acclaimed, circus-themed Broadway musical, which stars *The Flash*'s Grant Gustin, is based on the bestselling 2006 novel by Sara Gruen.

Take a first look at [Rachel McAdams](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/rachel-mcadams) on Broadway! The Oscar-nominated actress known for films like [*The Notebook*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/33744-the-notebook-the-musical), *Mean Girls*, and *Spotlight* is making her Broadway debut in the title role of [*Mary Jane*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/6955-mary-jane-tickets), playing at the [Samuel J. Friedman...

See photos of Rachel McAdams and the cast of 'Mary Jane' on Broadway

8 mary jane-1200x600-NYTG

The Academy Award nominee makes her Broadway debut in the title role in Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award nominee Amy Herzog's drama about a single mother.

Discover where [Alicia Keys](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/all-the-times-alicia-keys-did-theatre)'s own dreams were made. The 16-time Grammy Award-winning musician has been working on the new Broadway musical [*Hell's Kitchen*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/37579-hells-kitchen-broadway) for over a decade, but its origins reach back to the '90s.

[Loosely inspired by her formative...

How 'Hell's Kitchen' reflects and differs from Alicia Keys' life

hells kitchen bway-1200x600-NYTG

Keys's song catalog makes up this new musical about a young girl coming of age in Manhattan — a story inspired by, but not identical to, Keys's own upbringing.

Come to the cabaret, old chum! Take a first look inside the Kit Kat Club at [*Cabaret*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/32847-cabaret-tickets) on Broadway, starring Academy Award winner [Eddie Redmayne](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/eddie-redmayne) as the Emcee and *Glow*'s [Gayle Rankin](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/gayle-rankin) as Sally Bowles.

Director Rebecca Frecknall's semi-immersive production comes to New York after winning numerous...

See photos of Eddie Redmayne, Gayle Rankin in 'Cabaret' on Broadway

6 cabaret-1200x600-NYTG

Director Rebecca Frecknall's semi-immersive, multi-award-winning production from London completely transforms the August Wilson Theatre into the Kit Kat Club.

Rock on! And on! And on! Broadway currently sports three very different shows featuring rock music, a diverse and exciting genre that never gets old. Not to mention, the shows feature rock legends like Pete Townshend, Huey Lewis, and (sort of) Fleetwood Mac.

These shows include the new musical [*The Heart of Rock and Roll*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/36584-the-heart-of-rock-and-roll) at the [James Earl Jones...

Rock music takes the stage in three Broadway shows this spring

rock music-1200x600-NYTG

Songs by rock bands The Who and Huey Lewis and The News appear in high-energy musicals alongside a new play with music inspired by the 1970s rock scene.

You're gonna hear her roar! Maya Boyd will be the next Juliet in [*& Juliet*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets) on Broadway, beginning performances on May 14 at the [Stephen Sondheim Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/stephen-sondheim-theatre).

Boyd made her Broadway debut earlier this year in the cast of *Merrily We Roll Along*. In *& Juliet*, she will now replace [Lorna...

Maya Boyd to join '& Juliet' Broadway cast

maya boyd-1200x600-NYTG

After making her Broadway debut earlier this year, the actor will now replace Tony Award nominee Lorna Courtney in the title role of the acclaimed musical.

Welcome to the Russian countryside! Here's your first look at [*Uncle Vanya*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/33211-uncle-vanya) on Broadway, with [Steve Carell](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/steve-carell) making his Broadway debut in the title role. The starry cast, directed by Lila Neugebauer, also includes [Anika Noni Rose](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/anika-noni-rose) (*Caroline, or Change*), [Alfred...

See photos of Steve Carell and the cast of 'Uncle Vanya' on Broadway

1 vanya-1200x600-NYTG

The star of *The Office* makes his Broadway debut in the latest revival of the classic play, which also stars Anika Noni Rose, Alfred Molina, and more.

Emmy Award winner and five-time Tony Award nominee <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/actor-profile/laura-linney" target="_blank">Laura Linney</a> is returning to the New York stage. She will star in Manhattan Theatre Club's production of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/summer-1976" target="_blank">Summer, 1976</a>&nbsp;on Broadway, with performances beginning April 4, 2023 at the <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/samuel-j-friedman-theatre" target="_blank">Samuel J. Friedman Theatre</a>.Directed by Tony winner Daniel Sullivan, David Auburn's play follows the nonconformist artist Diana and the independent yet naive housewife Alice over one summer in Ohio. The two develop an unlikely friendship and help each other become independent and navigate motherhood, intimacy, and their own ambitions.The show was initially set to premiere this fall as part of MTC's Off-Broadway season, but is now having its world premiere on Broadway.Linney received her latest Tony Award nomination for the solo show&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/my-name-is-lucy-barton" target="_blank">My Name Is Lucy Barton</a>, and she's also been nominated for her performances in&nbsp;The Little Foxes, The Crucible, Time Stands Still,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Sight Unseen.&nbsp;She's also an acclaimed screen actress, known for her starring role in the Netflix series&nbsp;Ozark;&nbsp;for her Oscar-nominated turns in the films You Can Count on Me, Kinsey, and The Savages;&nbsp;and her Emmy-winning performances in&nbsp;The Big C, Frasier, and more.Additional casting, creative, team, and performance dates for&nbsp;Summer, 1976&nbsp;have yet to be announced.

Get *Summer, 1976* tickets now.

[![LT - CTA - 250](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/1t6HRGmhlYl70k6PmR0mOZ/3caac861bc1d4233cd7844652c925623/LT-CTA-250.png)](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25993-summer-1976-tickets)

Photo credit: Nino Munoz

Laura Linney to star in 'Summer, 1976' on Broadway

laura linney-1200.jpg

MTC Friedman

Summer, 1976 on Broadway Starring Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht - NYC

Genre: Play

Opening Soon

Summer, 1976 on Broadway Starring Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht

Summer, 1976 on Broadway Starring Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht - Hero

Summer, 1976 on Broadway Starring Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht - NYC Product Media

r Summer1976 0675

Summer - 1

Summer

Summer - 3

Tony Noms Summer Poster-silvery

Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Auburn (Proof, The Columnist) brings *Summer, 1976* to Broadway, starring Emmy winner and Oscar and Tony nominee Laura Linney alongside Emmy nominee and 2023 Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht. Get Summer, 1976 tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

The Summer, 1976 play takes place in Ohio during the national Bicentennial celebration, commemorating 200 years since the U.S. was formed in 1776. During one summer, two women develop an unexpected friendship: the headstrong but naive housewife Alice and the decidedly iconoclastic artist Diana. They help each other find independence as they navigate ordinary moments of intimacy, motherhood, and ambition together, changing each other's lives.

This production is the play's world premiere. It was initially set to go up off Broadway in fall 2022, but will now premiere on Broadway in the spring with Linney. Summer, 1976 is Auburn's latest collaboration with director Daniel Sullivan, after the two helmed the award-winning Proof&nbsp;on Broadway in 2000.

## Who is Laura Linney?

Laura Linney is a stage and screen actress best known for her Emmy-nominated performance as Wendy Byrde on *Ozark* and Emmy-winning performances in *Wild Iris*, *Frasier*, and *John Adams*. She is also an Oscar nominee for the films *You Can Count on Me*, *Kinsey*, and *The Savages*, and a five-time Tony nominee, most recently for *My Name is Lucy Barton* on Broadway. She also made her London theatre debut in that play in 2020.

## Who is Jessica Hecht?

Jessica Hecht is an Emmy-nominated actress for her performance in the Netflix series *Special* and a Tony nominee for *A View From the Bridge* and *Summer, 1976* on Broadway. In addition to her 10 Broadway credits, she is best known for her screen roles as as Susan Bunch on *Friends* and Gretchen Schwarz on *Breaking Bad*.

Get tickets to *Summer, 1976* in New York now.

Summer, 1976 - NYC - New York Theatre Guide

Get tickets to Summer, 1976 on Broadway from the official New York Theatre Guide. See Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht in a new play by a Pulitzer-winning author.

Summer, 1976 Broadway Tickets | The Official NY Theatre Guide

Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht return to Broadway in the world premiere of this new play by Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn. The women play a free-spirited artist and housewife, respectively, whose unlikely bond helps them discover their own independence during the course of one summer. Discover more about tickets to this show about intimacy, motherhood, and friendship.

Linney returns to Broadway for the first time since 2020's *My Name Is Lucy Barton*, which earned the actress her fifth Tony Award nomination. She's also been nominated for *The Little Foxes*, *Time Stands Still*, *Sight Unseen*, and *The Crucible*, and has appeared in seven additional Broadway productions. On screen, Linney is best known for her Emmy-nominated performance on *Ozark*; Emmy-winning performances on *Frasier*, *Wild Iris*, *The Big C*, and *John Adams*; and Oscar-nominated performances in *Kinsey*, *The Savages*, and *You Can Count on Me*.

Hecht is best known for her roles as Karen on Netflix's *Special* (which earned her an Emmy nomination), Susan Bunch on the sitcom *Friends*, and Gretchen Schwarz on the drama series *Breaking Bad*. She has dozens of additional screen credits and is also a veteran theatre actress, appearing in nine previous Broadway productions.

*Proof* remains playwright Auburn's best-known play, but he's also had one other show on Broadway: *The Columnist*. Sullivan has been involved with more than 40 Broadway productions, most as director, including both of Auburn's plays. He has received eight Best Direction of a Play Tony nominations, winning for *Proof*.

## What to Watch For

- *Summer, 1976* takes place during the U.S.'s Bicentennial celebration, commemorating 200 years since America declared independence in the summer of 1776.
- Linney and Sullivan have worked together before: He directed her and Cynthia Nixon in *The Little Foxes* in 2017.
- Linney and Hecht were both nominated for Tonys in 2010 — Linney for Best Leading Actress for *Time Stands Still*, and Hecht for Best Featured Actress for *A View From the Bridge*.
- *Summer, 1976* was supposed to premiere off Broadway with MTC, but Linney and Hecht's star power propelled the show straight to the big stage!

Summer 1976 Rush

Enter for a chance to purchase {display price} {show} tickets.

{display price} Lottery tickets

If selected, you will have [CLAIM LENGTH] to purchase [PRICE] [SHOW TITLE] tickets.

Enter for a chance to purchase {display price} {show} tickets, only in the TodayTix app.

I entered the [SHOW] Lottery for [DISPLAY_PRICE] tickets on @TodayTix! Tap here to enter: https://www.todaytix.com/[LOCATION]/shows/[ID]?share=enter

Unlock Rush for a chance to purchase $43 tickets at 9:00 am.

$43 Rush tickets

Download the TodayTix app and unlock Rush for a chance to access last-minute tickets at exclusive, great prices.

Company may offer programs whereby the Company would make available certain features of the Services when you share information about the Services through an SNS or click on the “Unlock without sharing” button in the Application.  When you are considering purchasing a ticket for a specific show or after you purchase a ticket, if you select the “Share” button in the Application, Company will make available to you a personalized link to a Digital Property with text stating, for example, “Check out {show} on TodayTix! I’m thinking of going…” or something similar, which you may choose to share with your friends via SNS.  Once you have shared the personalized link through an SNS using the Application or selected the “Unlock without sharing” button in the Application, Company will make available to you the RUSH feature, which will provide you with otherwise unavailable offers for tickets to live events occurring in the next week. The opportunity to take advantage of these offers is only available to users who share a personalized link to an SNS through the Application or select the “Unlock without sharing” button in the Application.

I unlocked $43 Rush tickets for Summer, 1976 on @TodayTix! https://www.todaytix.com/nyc/shows/25993?share=unlock

Summer, 1976 - NYC - TodayTix

Get the best prices on theatre tickets for Summer, 1976 on Broadway Starring Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht - New York on TodayTix. Find the best deals, show information & more. 

Opposites attract – and not only when it comes to romance, but friendships as well. That’s the thesis of [*Summer, 1976*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25993-summer-1976-tickets), a pleasant wisp of a play with an A-list pedigree that has all the dramatic heft of catching a few rays.

Written by David Auburn and directed by Daniel Sullivan, who collaborated on the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning *Proof*, this new work provides a not-so-surprising reminder about a simple fact of life. People come into our lives and then they go, but they leave a mark – whether we want to acknowledge that or not.

At its best, this Manhattan Theatre Club presentation offers a chance to observe [Laura Linney](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/laura-linney) and [Jessica Hecht](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/jessica-hecht), a pair of seasoned stage animals, together in their natural habitat. They’re a joy to watch in action – or, well, sitting. They’re both in chairs for practically the entirety of the show. 

Seated at either end of a long rectangular table, the Ohio moms they play are a study in contrast. Diana (Linney) sports a black tee and pants, stylish loafers, and a strict curling-ironed coif. Alice (Hecht) is slightly slouchier and sports a patterned peasant dress, suede boots, and a loose, laid-back hairstyle.

Over the course of 100 intermissionless minutes, they flash back to America’s bicentennial – a time of independence and, it turns out, interdependence. Diana, an uptight single mom, made and taught art then. Alice, a free-spirited housewife, was married with a daughter. The women met through their kids. During a few months, their initial chilly mutual dislike melted into a warm and solid friendship. 

Save for a surprise here and there, it’s pretty straightforward stuff. This show is all talk – but the women rarely speak to each other thanks to Auburn’s story structure. Diana and Alice recall their brief history in direct addresses to the audience. It’s as if they’re giving reality show testimonials. The nagging questions: Who are they supposed to be talking to, and why are these two telling this story now? We never really know.

The construction can’t help but have a distancing effect. But on the plus side, Auburn packs his script with humor, vivid and lived-in details, and lines that sometimes nail the way people talk. That includes Diana's tangy observation about Alice: “She just thought she was unconventional because her house was messy.”

Over the summer, the bond between the women sneaks up on them amid ups and downs, laughs and arguments. They’re tugged closer together by everyday things like childcare and the subject of art, plus a major twist in Alice’s marriage to Doug, an Ohio State professor. When Doug comes into the picture, Diana speaks on his behalf.

Like summertime and lemonade, the two actresses are a great pair. Linney radiates smarts and her no-nonsense frankness is an ideal fit for Diana. Hecht, who never gives an ordinary stage performance, makes Alice likable and quirky.

Sullivan gives the actresses room to do what they do best while injecting an occasional direction to “stand up” and “sit back down.” Costumes by Linda Cho define characters, lighting Japhy Weideman suggests shifts in time, and an abstract backdrop of miniature squares by John Lee Beatty seems to seize inspiration from artist Paul Klee, who figures prominently in the story.

In the end, Diana and Alice reunite by chance at a New York museum decades after their initial meeting. Time goes on. Lives change. There’s an undeniable sweetness and melancholy in that simple reality. That said, it’s not quite enough to make Auburn’s play a *Summer* to remember.

[*Summer, 1976* is at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre until June 10. Get *Summer, 1976* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25993-summer-1976-tickets)

*Photo credit: Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht in Summer, 1976. (Photo by Jeremy Daniel)*

'Summer, 1976' review — Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht share a breezy summer friendship

summer 1976 review-1200x600-NYTG

Read our review of *Summer, 1976* on Broadway, the new play starring Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht and written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn.

Laura Linney is in *Summer, 1976* on Broadway.

Laura Leggett Linney&nbsp;was born on February 5, 1964 in Manhattan, New York. She is an accomplished stage and screen actress&nbsp;who has four Tony Award nominations, three Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe wins and four Emmy Award wins to her name.

Linney graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts in 1982 and went on to Northwestern University in Illinois&nbsp;before transferring to study acting at Brown University in Rhode Island. After graduating in 1986, she continued her training at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City through 1990.

Linney made her Off-Broadway debut for Manhattan Theatre Club in John Patrick Shanley’s Beggars in a House of Plenty at New York City Center in 1991, and she then made her Broadway debut as a replacement for the role of&nbsp;Tess in Lincoln Center Theater’s 1990 premiere of John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation at the <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/vivian-beaumont-theater">Vivian Beaumont Theater</a>. She received her Theatre World Award (and first Drama Desk Award nomination) after originating the role of Grete in Donald Margulies’ Sight Unseen, once again for MTC at <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/new-york-city-center">New York City Center</a>, in 1992. She would then become a regular performer on Broadway throughout the 1990s, appearing in The Seagull (1992-93), Hedda Gabler (1994), Holiday (1995-96), and Honour (1998). In 2000, she starred as Yelena Andreyevna in Uncle Vanya and then took on the coveted role of Elizabeth Proctor in the 2002 revival of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, earning her first Tony Award nomination. She would receive three further Tony nominations in her Broadway career: for the Broadway premiere of Sight Unseen in 2004, for Manhattan Theatre Club’s Time Stands Still in 2010, and for MTC’s <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/the-little-foxes">The Little Foxes</a> in 2017 (where she alternated the roles of Regina Giddens and Birdie Hubbard with co-star Cynthia Nixon at each performance, also winning her first Drama Desk Award). Additionally, she starred as La Marquise de Merteuil in the 2008 revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses for Roundabout Theatre Company.

Linney’s film career has also been widely celebrated. She most notably earned&nbsp;Oscar nominations for her performances in You Can Count On Me&nbsp;in 2001, Kinsey&nbsp;in 2005, and The Savages&nbsp;in 2008. Her other most notable film credits include a 2006 Golden Globe-nominated performance in The Squid and the Whale,&nbsp;alongside Congo&nbsp;(1995), Primal Fear&nbsp;(1996), The Truman Show&nbsp;(1998), Mystic River&nbsp;(2003), Love Actually&nbsp;(2003), The Exorcism of Emily Rose&nbsp;(2005), The Nanny Diaries&nbsp;(2007), Hyde Park on Hudson&nbsp;(2012), Mr. Holmes&nbsp;(2015), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows&nbsp;(2016), Sully&nbsp;(2016), and Nocturnal Animals&nbsp;(2016).

On television, Linney has enjoyed equal success, winning a total of four Emmy Awards —&nbsp;for Wild Iris&nbsp;in 2002, for Frasier&nbsp;in 2004, for John Adams&nbsp;in 2008, and for The Big C&nbsp;in 2013. She also won Golden Globes for her roles in John Adams&nbsp;and The Big C&nbsp;in 2009 and 2011, respectively. Since 2017, she has starred as Wendy Byrde in Netflix’s Ozark,&nbsp;earning an Emmy Award nomination in 2019.

Linney made her London stage debut at the Bridge Theatre in June 2018 in the one-woman show My Name Is Lucy Barton, later reprising the role for an encore performance at the venue in January 2019. Manhattan Theatre Club presented&nbsp;the American premiere of the solo show at the <a href="https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/samuel-j-friedman-theatre">Samuel J. Friedman Theatre</a> from January 4&nbsp;through February 29, 2020.

In 2023, she returned to MTC to star in the new Broadway play *Summer, 1976* opposite [Jessica Hecht](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/jessica-hecht).

Laura Linney - NY

Laura-Linney-124x124px

Jessica Hecht is a Tony and Emmy Award-nominated actress best known for playing Gretchen Schwartz on *Breaking Bad* and Susan Bunch on *Friends*, as well as for numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway performances.

Born June 28, 1965, Jessica Hecht grew up in Connecticut and eventually attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a B.F.A. in drama. After graduating, she found success in an Off-Broadway production of *Othello* and landed small roles on television shows like *Seinfeld* and *Party of Five*.

In 1994, she got her big break playing Susan Bunch, the new partner and later wife of Ross’s ex on the hit sitcom *Friends*. During the show’s 10-season run, Hecht would return to play Susan several times. This performance helped Hecht land other television roles, including main roles in the 1995 NBC sitcom *The Single Guy* and the 2001 ABC sitcom *What About Joan?*

Hecht's most notable roles also include Gretchen Schwartz in the hit drama *Breaking Bad* and Karen Hayes in the Netflix show *Special*, which earned her an Emmy nomination. She also had a multi-episode arc on the Amazon Prime show *The Boys*.

Hecht has had a steady film career as well, appearing in movies like *Dan in Real Life*, *J. Edgar*, and *A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood*.

In addition to her film and television work, Hecht has been a regular in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in *A View from the Bridge*, which she starred in alongside Scarlett Johansson and Liev Schreiber. Some of her other notable stage credits include *Harvey* (alongside [Jim Parsons](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/jim-parsons)), *The Price* (alongside Mark Ruffalo), and *Fiddler on the Roof*, in which she played Golde.

In 2023, Hecht returned off Broadway in *Letters From Max*, followed by a Broadway run in the new play *Summer, 1976* opposite [Laura Linney](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/laura-linney).

Jessica Hecht - NY

jessica hecht-200

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

Prayer for the French Republic on Broadway - NYC [24257]

Prayer for the French Republic on Broadway

The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre originally opened on December 7, 1925 as the Biltmore Theatre. Herbert J. Krapp designed the building for impresario Irwin Chanin. Its inaugural production was *Easy Come Easy Go*. 

From 1952 to 1962, CBS used the theatre for television and radio broadcasting purposes. In 1963, it reopened as a traditional theatre with Neil Simon's *Barefoot in the Park*.

In 1987, the theatre closed following an arson attack and sat vacant for 14 years. In 2001, Manhattan Theatre Club took over the venue and reopened the performance space in 2003 after renovations. MTC renamed it the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on September 4, 2008, to honor the Broadway publicist.

## How to get to the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway

The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre is closest to the 50th Street subway stop on the C and E line. The closest bus stops are 8 Av/W 46th St. on the M20 and M104 lines and 8th Ave/W 43rd St. on the M34A-SBS line.

## Restaurants near the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre is located across the street from three popular pre- and post-show restaurants: Trattoria Trecolori (Italian), Glass House Tavern (American), and Friedman's (American). Also nearby are the Irish pubs Mean Fiddler and Playwrights Celtic Pub, as well as Restaurant Row, the stretch of 46th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues lined with eateries.

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre - Manhattan Theatre Club - NY

friedman new-644x322-NYTG

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Get tickets to the best shows at the best prices on Broadway and beyond

Discover New York City

New York Header Image

Latest New York City Insider Posts

New York

New York Tile Image

Venues in New York City

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre - NYC - 900x900px

Emmy Award winner and five-time Tony Award nominee Laura Linney is returning to the New York stage. She will star in Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Summer, 1976 on Broadway, with performances beginning April 4, 2023 at the Samuel J. Friedman...

Laura Linney to star in 'Summer, 1976' on Broadway

Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock exclusive New York theatre updates!