See these classic Broadway shows that have stood the test of time

These hit plays and musicals include long-beloved shows and modern phenomenons alike, all of which have cemented their place in the ranks of theatre history.

While Nora slammed the door in A Doll’s House on Broadway in 2023, Elphaba defied gravity in Wicked. You might not link these rebellious heroines together, but they offer a reminder that classic Broadway shows come in all varieties.

Naturally, Golden Age musicals – ones that debuted between 1940 and 1960 – make the cut as classics. Over the decades, these works have become synonymous with high-quality, spectacular Broadway entertainment and are revived often. The same goes for classic plays; works by long-celebrated writers, from Shakespeare to August Wilson, return to Broadway time and time again.

That said, there’s fluidity around what makes a classic. Long-running record breakers are their own sort of classic. Shows that push theatre forward in new directions and forge deep connections with the audience also make the cut. Long story short, if you’re craving something classic on Broadway, there are lots of options.

Discover the Broadway classics playing right now, and get tickets to see why these shows have stood the test of time.

Get tickets to a Broadway show on New York Theatre Guide.

Classic musicals on Broadway

There are plenty of options for classic musical lovers, from Golden Age delights to newer hits that instantly went down as classics. Learn more about these beloved shows below.

The Rocky Horror Show

This 1975 musical is not just a classic, but a cult classic that's spawned countless midnight screenings, dress-up parties, and renditions of the "Time Warp." Now, The Rocky Horror Show is coming back to Broadway starring Luke Evans as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who takes an innocent young couple on a wild and unforgettable journey.

Get The Rocky Horror Show tickets now.

Schmigadoon!

Schmigadoon! is a new musical, adapted from the Apple TV+ series about a couple who get stuck in a town that's a musical come to life. But the world of that town is inspired by a whole bunch of classic musicals. It's simultaneously a love letter to and spoof on shows like The Sound of Music, The King & I, The Music Man, Oklahoma!, Carousel, Brigadoon, and many more, and you'll hear the homages in the script and score.

Get Schmigadoon! tickets now.

The Sound of Music

For the first time in nearly 30 years, Broadway is alive with The Sound of Music. Tony Award nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers stars as Maria, a governess who opens a stern captain and his children up to love and music amid the foreboding rise of the Third Reich. Lincoln Center Theater presents the latest revival, and it's worth climbing ev'ry mountain to see.

Check back for information on The Sound of Music tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Damn Yankees

Damn Yankees hit a home run in 1956, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical with the story of a Washington Senators fan who becomes a baseball star to help his team beat New York. Now, in a new revival starring Neil Patrick Harris, Julianne Hough, and Austin Scott, the story has been revised to feature a Baltimore Orioles fan in the 2000s, when the Yankees went on a three-year World Series win streak.

Check back for information on Damn Yankees tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Annie

Annie is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2027 with a new revival directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!). The life-affirming story of a redheaded orphan, the songs "Tomorrow" and "Maybe" and "It's a Hard Knock Life," and the lovable dog Sandy are just some of the elements of Annie that have made it an enduring classic over the past five decades.

Check back for information on Annie tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Classic plays on Broadway

There's a reason these plays are favorites of theatre students and A-list actors alike. Here are the classic plays from celebrated writers coming up on Broadway.

Awake and Sing!

Revived five times following its 1935 debut, Clifford Odets's classic drama will never go to sleep for good. Danny Burstein, Jessica Hecht, Jeremy Shamos, Micaela Diamond, and Will Pullen star in director Tyne Rafaeli's production as the multigenerational Berger family, whose Depression-era American dreams clash in a small Bronx tenement.

Get Awake and Sing! tickets now.

It's a Wonderful Life

Did you know It's a Wonderful Life wasn't a hit movie when it was first released in 1946? You'd hardly expect it since it's now a beloved Christmas classic. Now, It's a Wonderful Life is getting a new life as a live radio play on Broadway, with a starry cast including Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Andrew Rannells, Tituss Burgess, and Megan Hilty.

Get It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play tickets now.

Rhinoceros

Like animals in nature, Rhinoceros knows how to evolve. More than 65 years after its Broadway debut, Eugène Ionesco's classic play is returning to the big stage starring John Turturro, Tatiana Maslany, and Tony Shalhoub. Its story — about a French town whose residents turn into rhinoceroses — seems absurd, but as an allegory for social conformity, it's ever-relevant.

Check back for information on Rhinoceros tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Classic long-runners on Broadway

When it comes to staying power, some shows are in a league of their own. So it goes for some of the longest-running shows on Broadway right now, which have all become modern classics.

Chicago

This revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s 1975 successful show about Windy City merry murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart proves the staying power of all that jazz. The stripped- down production that began off Broadway in 1996 is a lesson in transforming something simple into something enduring. The show is also known for its revolving door of celebrity replacements in the leading roles. As of 2022, the show has razzle-dazzled audiences at more than 10,000 performances.

Get Chicago tickets now.

The Lion King

Even with only the glorious first 20 minutes of this 1997 stage adaptation of the animated Disney film, the show would still be a classic. Songs by Elton John and Tim Rice soar as we follow a lion cub who learns hard lessons about the the “Circle of Life” and finds his place in the world. As of 2022, the show has run for nearly 10,000 performances.

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Wicked

One metric for measuring a musical classic is how powerful a spell it casts on audiences. Another is its staying power. This musical, which seizes inspiration from The Wizard of Oz, scores sky-high in both categories. The plot follows twists and turns in the friendship between two witches: green outcast Elphaba and popular Glinda. Running since 2003, the girl-power story is famous for sparking repeated visits by theatreergoers who know every lyric to “For Good,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.”

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Hamilton

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 musical has been described as a hip-hop history lesson about the life and times of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, but that’s only partly correct. The superb score is infused with rhythm and blues and jazz, plus melodic and lyrical winks to Rodgers and Hammerstein and Gilbert and Sullivan. Let’s just call this show an instant classic that’s left countless audiences “Satisfied.”

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Aladdin

It's just as much of a classic on stage as on screen. The beloved Disney story about a street urchin-turned-prince has been a family favorite since the 1992 film came out, and the Broadway production retains all the magic, from the genie in the lamp to a carpet that really flies.

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The Book of Mormon

Going strong since 2011, the nine-time Tony Award-winning The Book of Mormon has become a modern classic of musical comedy. Of course, it's also named for a classical, 200-year-old religious text, but it's not exactly reverent: The writers of South Park and Avenue Q are behind this R-rated satire about two mismatched Mormon missionaries on assignment in Uganda.

Get The Book of Mormon tickets now.