Top theatre to see in New York in February

Here are our top picks of theatre to check out in February 2023.

With Valentine's Day in the middle of the month, love is in the air in February. What better time to fall in love with some new theatre? Off-Broadway and Broadway tickets are plentiful this time of year, so you can get great seats for you and all your loved ones to see Broadway musicals, Off-Broadway plays, and more in February.

With lots of new shows starting performances this month as the spring theatre season kicks into high gear, there's so much to discover all over the city this month. Here are our top picks for what to see at New York theatres in February 2023.

Get tickets to Broadway shows on New York Theatre Guide.

A Doll's House

The Hudson Theatre is Jessica Chastain's dollhouse for a limited time only. See the Oscar-winning star take on the iconic role of Nora Helmer, a housewife who shatters 19th-century gender norms by finding her independence. Now, Pulitzer-nominated playwright Amy Herzog and inventive British director Jamie Lloyd reinvent A Doll's House for a new generation.

Get A Doll's House tickets now.

Bad Cinderella

She's not your Cinderella — she's your bad Cinderella, and she's the star of one of this spring's most anticipated new musicals. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Emerald Fennell gave this classic fairytale a godmother-worthy makeover that will thrill all ages. This Cinderella, an outcast by choice, gets a new look to win over the one person she's ever cared for — but the beauty comes with a price.

Get Bad Cinderella tickets now.

The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window

Rachel Brosnahan and Oscar Isaac share the stage for six weeks only in this seldom revived Lorraine Hansberry masterwork. The award-winning pair play Sidney and Iris Brustein, a bohemian couple in 1960s New York whose marriage is upended by political turmoil. The show hasn't appeared on a major New York stage since 1972, so don't miss this chance to catch it.

Get The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window tickets now.

black odyssey

Take an epic journey this February at black odyssey, a modern-day take on Homer's Odyssey about a soldier returning home to Harlem from Afghanistan. Gods and mortals collide as they guide the soldier, Ulysses, on his long and difficult journey home through time and space.

Get black odyssey tickets now.

Elyria

In the city of Elyria, Ohio, two women meet for the first time in 20 years. Decades ago, they made a deal that changed their lives, and now they reunite to reckon with the past and figure out how to navigate their linked futures. Atlantic Theater Company presents this world-premiere drama from Deepa Purohit, making her Off-Broadway debut.

Get Elyria tickets now.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show

Looking for a family-friendly option this February? The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show is a theatrical feast for all ages. Eric Carle's beloved children's tales come to life with fun, colorful puppetry. At an hour long, this show is the perfect choice for even very small children to experience live theatre for the first time.

Get The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show tickets now.

The Coast Starlight

A thousand miles, 35 hours, and one major decision. Keith Bunin's new play The Coast Starlight centers on a passenger on the title interstate train line carrying a troublesome secret. He and his fellow passengers, with literal and metaphorical baggage of their own, have until the end of the trip to figure out what he must do.

Get The Coast Starlight tickets now.

The Best We Could (a family tragedy)

Go on a road trip without leaving New York. In this new play by Emily Feldman, a father and daughter travel cross-country, and along the way, they learn new — and often shocking — things about each other they never did before. By the end of the journey, their relationship will never be the same.

Get The Best We Could tickets now.

The Trees

This story of finding and fostering community takes root at Playwrights Horizons this month. When two siblings wake up from a nap in the park, they find their feet have permanently planted themselves in the ground. The pair form a makeshift utopia in the park, attracting a diverse group of people seeking peace in a chaotic world.

Get The Trees tickets now.

The Harder They Come

Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks adapts the acclaimed Jamaican film of the same name to commemorate its 50th anniversary. In The Harder They Come, aspiring musician Ivan comes face-to-face with the dark side of the entertainment business as he works for success. This reggae musical features the hits of Jimmy Cliff, who starred as Ivan in the original movie.

Get The Harder They Come tickets now.

Love

Playwright Alexander Zeldin makes his New York debut with this show that gives audiences an up-close look at the American welfare system. The show, derived from Zeldin's firsthand experiences and interviews, focuses on people living day-to-day in shelters and the love that gets them through. Actors perform among the audience members, immersing them in the environment as Zeldin once was.

Get Love tickets now.

A Bright New Boise

Samuel D. Hunter follows up his critically acclaimed A Case for the Existence of God with another play at Signature Theatre: his 2011 Obie Award winner A Bright New Boise. New Hobby Lobby employee Will upsets the dynamic among his coworkers upon arrival. On the run from a tragic past and looking for his estranged son, he tries to make a fresh start for himself.

Check back for information on A Bright New Boise tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Letters From Max

Jessica Hecht stars as playwright Sarah Ruhl in this new play adapted from Ruhl's same-named memoir. She and her poetry student Max Ritvo corresponded in letters and poems following his diagnosis with terminal cancer, and their correspondence helped them both grow and cope. Ruhl has adapted these letters into a poignant stage show about finding the words for the unspeakable.

Check back for information on Letters From Max tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

How to Defend Yourself

New York Theatre Workshop continues its season with this new play by Liliana Padilla. In How to Defend Yourself, a group of college students devise a makeshift self-defense class after a friend is assaulted. Self-defense allows them to channel their rage, strength, and desire, but they also begin to blur the line between violator and violated.

Check back for information on How to Defend Yourself tickets on New York Theatre Guide.