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The best Broadway shows to see with friends in 2026

Grab your best buddies, gal pals, and BFFs and get tickets together for a high-energy, fun play or musical that celebrates friendship and chosen family.

Erin Cavoto
Written byErin Cavoto

Whether your BFF is visiting from out of town or you have a trip to NYC with friends on the horizon, seeing a Broadway or Off-Broadway show is the perfect way to make the most of your time together. Lots of plays musicals have friendship at the core of their story, like the unlikely duo of witches Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked or the found family of teenage outcasts in The Outsiders.

If you’re planning a Galentine’s or Palentine’s Day outing, something upbeat like the jukebox musical & Juliet will be a crowd-pleaser, as will a guaranteed hit like Hamilton. Regardless, these Off-Broadway and Broadway shows about friendship will be a fun way to remind you and your friends what you mean to each other.

To get you started, here are 12 NYC shows to see with your friends, and you can get tickets to these and even more Broadway shows on New York Theatre Guide.

Summary

  • The best Broadway shows to see with friends include Wicked; Six; & Juliet; Death Becomes Her; Hamilton; Chicago; Moulin Rouge! The Musical; and Buena Vista Social Club
1.

Wicked: For your closest BFF

2.

Six: For girls' night out

3.

Hamilton: For friends with history

4.

& Juliet: For your karaoke buddies

5.

Buena Vista Social Club: For old friends

6.

Heathers: For the friends you survived high school with

7.

The Outsiders: For the friends who saw you through hard times

8.

Death Becomes Her: For your frenemies

9.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow: For unlikely friends

10.

Aladdin: For true-blue friends

11.

Chicago: For your partner in crime

12.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical: For friends in showbiz

1.

Wicked: For your closest BFF

Broadway
Musical
Award winner
Stage to screen
Page to stage

Possibly the ultimate Broadway show for BFFs is Wicked, the famous prequel to The Wizard of Oz that now has two blockbuster movie adaptations. The friendship of witches Elphaba and Glinda is put to the test again and again, challenging what it means to be “good” versus “wicked.” Ultimately, even though their paths diverge, their friendship changes them for good.

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Wicked: For your closest BFF

2.

Six: For girls' night out

Broadway
Musical
Award winner

The women of Six don’t start out as friends — they have the same ex, after all — but by the end of the show, they’re practically family. Six takes the ex-wives of Henry VIII and lets them tell their stories, live in concert. What starts as a competition over who’s had it the worst turns into the Queens realizing they’re better together. The musical is funny, entertaining (especially for history buffs), and guaranteed fun for a girls' night out.

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Six: For girls' night out

3.

Hamilton: For friends with history

Broadway
Musical
Award winner
Page to stage

An option for history-loving BFFs is Hamilton, the Pulitzer- and Tony Award-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda. While the musical tells the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton's political career, it also focuses on the powerful friendships in his life.

When he’s still young, scrappy, and hungry, Hamilton relies on John Laurens, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Hercules Mulligan through revolution and more. You might not be founding a country together, but you and your friends have probably seen each other through a lot. Hamilton will remind you to cherish what you have while you have it.

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Hamilton: For friends with history

4.

& Juliet: For your karaoke buddies

Broadway
Jukebox musical

As it turns out, Juliet didn’t need Romeo — she needed good friends to show her how to be her true self. & Juliet uses hit pop songs to retell the most famous love story of all time, posing the question: What would happen if Juliet lived? The answer: Head to Paris and learn what she actually wants out of life. This vibrant, joyous musical is a guaranteed good time with your best friends.

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& Juliet: For your karaoke buddies

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09:00

Breakfast at Liberty Bagels

Regularly named one of the city’s best bagel shops, the unassuming Liberty Bagels is the perfect spot to get a classic NYC breakfast sandwich.

10:00

Macy’s Herald Square

One of the world’s largest stores, Macy’s is a sight to behold, especially when it’s decked out for the holidays.

5.

Buena Vista Social Club: For old friends

Broadway
Jukebox musical
Award winner

Inspired by the Cuban musicians behind the landmark Buena Vista Social Club album, this musical dramatizes their friendships over the course of 40 years. Personal, professional, and political upheaval pull them apart before they finally reunite, realizing how important they, and their music, are to each other. It’s a show to see with your oldest friends, with whom you feel like no time has passed no matter how long you're apart.

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Buena Vista Social Club: For old friends

6.

Heathers: For the friends you survived high school with

Off-Broadway
Musical
Screen to stage

The Heathers are friends — or so they say. Based on the 1980s dark comedy, the Heathers musical takes us to Westerberg High, where the popular Heathers clique — three friends with the same name — welcome outsider Veronica Sawyer, who realizes she'd rather have friends who let her be a normal teen. If you and your BFF appreciate quirky, left-of-center comedy, this one is for you (especially if you survived high school together).

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Heathers: For the friends you survived high school with

7.

The Outsiders: For the friends who saw you through hard times

Neglected by the adults in their lives, the teenagers of The Outsiders rely on each other for survival, creating their own type of family on the streets of 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Greasers gang have each other’s backs in a world that’s mostly forgotten about them. It’s a great, emotional show to see with a friend from high school — maybe you read the book in class together.

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The Outsiders: For the friends who saw you through hard times

8.

Death Becomes Her: For your frenemies

Broadway
Musical
Award winner
Screen to stage

Frenemies are still friends, right? That's the case for Death Becomes Her's Madeline and Helen, whose decades-long antagonistic relationship turns into an eternity when they drink a potion that makes them immortal. Through fighting over men, accomplishments, looks, and anything else they can think of, the two women realize they might have actually been best friends all along. Fans of the 1982 movie will love the over-the-top humor and drama.

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Death Becomes Her: For your frenemies

9.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow: For unlikely friends

Broadway
Play
Screen to stage
Award winner

Friendship is at the core of Netflix’s Stranger Things, and the same goes for its stage prequel. Set in 1959 Hawkins, it includes some familiar faces, like a young Hopper and Joyce, but the center of the story is new student Henry Creel, an outsider who finds friends (and maybe some demogorgons) along the way. Anyone sad that the show has ended will want to see this play that will shock you over and over again.

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Stranger Things: The First Shadow: For unlikely friends

10.

Aladdin: For true-blue friends

You’ve never had a friend like Genie — but luckily, your wishes can be granted at Aladdin, which transforms the beloved Disney movie for the stage. When Aladdin becomes a prince, with Genie's help, to win over Princess Jasmine, it turns out he and Jasmine both just needed someone to share their true selves with. Grab your fellow Disney fans for this lively musical, packed with songs you know and love.

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Aladdin: For true-blue friends

11.

Chicago: For your partner in crime

Broadway
Musical
Award winner
Classic

“Friends” may be a stretch to describe the women of Chicago, but then again, who else can they rely on in prison? While “Cell Block Tango” may be the ultimate girl group number, it’s housewife Roxie’s unlikely bond with vaudevillian Velma Kelly that changes her — and her dreams of fame. Take your best friend to see the show, then head to karaoke after and perform your favorite numbers.

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Chicago: For your partner in crime

12.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical: For friends in showbiz

Broadway
Jukebox musical
Award winner
Screen to stage

"Truth, beauty, freedom, and love" bond the bohemian artists in Moulin Rouge! The Musical together as a found family. Writer Christian instantly befriends painter Toulouse-Lautrec and dancer Santiago upon arriving in Paris, and nightclub owner Harold Zidler is a confidant for conflicted showgirl Satine. It’s the show you and your fellow theatre-obsessed best friend should see together, especially if you’ve seen the movie over and over again.

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Moulin Rouge! The Musical: For friends in showbiz