Broadway’s long-awaited return is upon us—a hallmark of New York City’s resurgence. Through November, more than 30 shows will reopen or make their Broadway debut, bringing new voices and talent, along with familiar faces, to world-class stages.
Beloved classics like Chicago and The Lion King will mesmerize audiences once again, while David Byrne’s American Utopia will have you dancing in place. Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s Pass Over, one of seven new-to-Broadway shows written by Black playwrights, kicked off the season on August 22.
Note that Broadway theaters require vaccinations for audience members, performers, backstage crew and staff for all performances through October 2021. Audience members are required to wear a mask inside theaters. For more information, visit
Read on for details of every fall show on Broadway.
Through October 10
Two young Black men on a street corner pass the time and pray for miracles in this play inspired by both Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and the Bible’s Book of Exodus. While the story is underpinned by the searing realities of life—and death—as a Black man in America, this Broadway debut hits a more hopeful note than the show’s earlier productions.
For fans of: raw dialogue, social justice, plays under 90 minutes
—KC
Waitress. Photo: Joan Marcus
Performances begin September 2; closes January 9, 2022
A small-town Southerner with a penchant for pie baking is the star of this musical, based on the heartwarming 2007 flick of the same name. Waitress Jenna is working up the courage to leave her abusive husband and pursue her dreams—until an unplanned pregnancy and affair waylay her new future.
For fans of: baked goods, small-town charm—and drama
—RR
Hadestown. Photo: Matthew Murphy
Performances begin September 2
This Tony-winning Best Musical by Anaïs Mitchell is the ultimate Ancient Greek mash-up—stories of Orpheus, Eurydice, King Hades and Persephone are interwoven in hell and on earth. The bittersweet love story is told through an equally bittersweet score, sampling from folk, pop and opera.
For fans of: romance, Greek mythology
—RR
Performances begin September 14
It’s the height of the jazz age in Cook County, and women keep offing their husbands. There’s a budding rivalry between vaudeville diva Velma Kelly and aspiring star Roxie Hart, whose mutual pursuits of fame and justice land them in the clink with a cast of misunderstood murderesses. Fishnet-clad drama ensues in this 1996 revival, now the second-longest running Broadway show.
For fans of: Fosse, vengeance and all that jazz
—KC
Performances begin September 14
The long-running Disney hit returns to the stage with Simba, Mufasa, Rafiki and friends belting out songs that have made this show a family classic for generations. The costumes and set designs are beautifully imagined, adding artistic flourishes to this broadly beloved tale.
For fans of: Elton John’s music at its most heartwarming
—JD
Wicked. Photo: Joan Marcus
Performances begin September 14
A score jam-packed with earworms like “Popular” has made this Broadway musical exactly that since it opened in 2003. Set in the Land of Oz long before Dorothy and Toto became local celebrities, Wicked is a tale of good versus evil that invites you to see the so-called wicked witch in a new light.
For fans of: tales of the underdog, subverted classics
—RR
Performances begin September 14
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop musical sensation needs no introduction—but humor us. Our eponymous leading man arrives in New York City in 1776, eager to shape an emerging nation. Inspired casting, period-perfect costumes and a genre-defying contemporary score make this a theatergoing experience for the history books.
For fans of: beatboxing in tailcoats and other anachronisms
—KC
Previews begin September 14; opens September 28
Renaissance man and Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson is the writer, director and sole performer in Lackawanna Blues, a tale of hope and compassion. Throughout the production, Santiago-Hudson personifies 20 different characters in a musical that honors the real-life Nanny who raised him, Miss Rachel.
For fans of: the blues, powerful storytelling
—RR
Six. Photo: Liz Lauren
Performances begin September 17
The half-dozen wives of Henry VIII—including two who were executed and one who died from childbirth complications—vie to win your approval with pop songs about their dire fates. It’s short (80 minutes), snappy (check out the “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” chant from “Ex-Wives”) and full of female power.
For fans of: The Voice, turning the tables and that Hamilton-ian notion of making history contemporary
—AR
Performances begin September 17
Erstwhile Talking Heads’ frontman David Byrne muses on home, humankind and plenty of other big-brain subjects while leading a crack group of dancers and percussionists through his current and back catalog. Amid the deep thoughts, it’s a
For fans of: dancing in your seat and burning down the house (figuratively)
—AR
Come From Away. Photo: Matthew Murphy
Performances begin September 21
Amid the September 11 attacks, 38 planes were diverted to the small town of Gander, Newfoundland—nearly doubling its population as locals scrambled to house, feed and comfort displaced passengers from every walk of life. A study in the boundless capacity of human kindness, this is the modern musical done right: a nimble ensemble, an exhilarating pace and a Celtic folk-rock score that tugs at the heartstrings.
For fans of: true stories, charming accents, cathartic sobbing
—KC
Previews begin September 23; opens October 10; closes January 2, 2022
Written by Douglas Lyons and directed by Zhailon Levingston, who at 27 is the youngest Black director in Broadway history, Chicken & Biscuits garnered praise during its run at the Queens Theatre last year before moving to its new home on Broadway. This groundbreaking comedy centers on the Jenkins’ reunion, which devolves into splendid chaos once a family secret surfaces.
For fans of: gossip, family drama (that isn’t yours), big laughs
—RR
Moulin Rouge. Photo: Matthew Murphy
Performances begin September 24
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre is now a portal to the Parisian nightclub of your hedonistic dreams, dripping in decadence and pulsing to a mashed-up soundtrack of chart-topping hits. The love story—set in Paris at the turn of the 20th century—roughly follows that of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film, but the live experience is in another stratosphere.
For fans of:
—KC
Performances begin September 24 (and will continue in repertory, alternating shows with Dana H. through November 28)
The entire audience becomes witness to the real-life saga of Reality Winner, the former National Security Agency contractor who was interrogated (and later jailed) for leaking classified information. The material, centered on that questioning, is lifted directly from the FBI transcript.
For fans of: realizing what’s on the stage transcends what’s on the page
—AR
Performances begin September 25; closes January 2, 2022
Directed by Tony and Academy Award winner Sam Mendes (1917, Revolutionary Road), this multigenerational drama follows the rise and fall of the titular family’s fortunes, the collapse of which helped cause 2008’s devastating global financial crisis. Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Adrian Lester star.
For fans of: free-market capitalism
—JD
Aladdin. Courtesy, Disney
Performances begin September 28
No matter how many times you’ve seen the Disney classic, you’ll feel you’ve been transported to a whole new world during this shining, shimmering Broadway musical. Original company members are joined by newcomers Michael Maliakel (Aladdin) and Shoba Narayan (Princess Jasmine).
For fans of: singalongs, elaborate costumes, dazzling visuals
—RR
Performances begin October 1; closes November 28
A widely lauded transfer from Off-Broadway, this one-woman show tells the true story of Dana Higginbotham, who was abducted in 1997 and held captive by a member of the Aryan brotherhood for five months. The play was written by Higginbotham’s son, Lucas Hnath, who assembled the script based on several days of interviews conducted with his mother.
For fans of: harrowing true stories
—JD
Previews begin October 1; opens October 13
This buzzed-about ensemble-cast drama, written by Broadway newcomer Keenan Scott II and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, tells the story of one day in the lives of seven Black men in Brooklyn. The cast includes
For fans of: the City as stage
—JD
To Kill a Mockingbird. Photo: Julieta Cervantes
Performances begin October 5
Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s celebrated novel returns to the stage with Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch and
For fans of: gripping courtroom drama
—JD
Performances begin October 7; closes January 2, 2022
As you may know, this was co-created by Lin-Manuel Miranda before Hamilton was a thing. Each show is different: a deft and small but rotating cast of mind-melded performers works improv with a hip-hop flavor, using suggestions from the crowd. Unannounced special guests appear nightly, and who knows? You may see Miranda himself.
For fans of: surprises, teamwork and the general sentiment of “How did they pull that off?”
—AR
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Photo: Manuel Harlan
Performances begin October 8
Tina Turner has retired from public life, but between this bio-musical, a recent HBO documentary and her solo enshrinement into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (October 30), she’s as in vogue as ever. Watch as Turner (Tony nominee Adrienne Warren) moves from humble Tennessee beginnings to become half of a popular singing duo with abusive husband Ike and, after personal and industry struggles, a superstar in her own right.
For fans of: the iconic Tina Turner, of course
—AR
Previews begin October 8; opens October 27; closes January 9, 2022
This civil-rights-era musical set in Louisiana follows Caroline Thibodeaux (Sharon D. Clarke), a Black woman working as a maid for a Jewish family. Through folk, Motown and klezmer music, Caroline, Or Change examines the political conflicts that arise globally and between the characters themselves.
For fans of: multiple musical genres, 1960s history
—RR
Performances begin October 13
There’s plenty of narrative drama in Bob Dylan’s songs, but Conor McPherson’s Broadway hybrid, which merges a Depression-era play with characters foraging Dylan’s songbook for emotional or imagistic purposes, leans on its own story to create a hard-rain-gonna-fall foreboding. A down-at-the-heels Duluth guesthouse provides the setting for the cast’s comings and goings.
For fans of: restless farewells—and the glorious Mare Winningham
—AR
Ain't Too Proud. Photo: Matthew Murphy
Performances begin October 16
Trace the rise of Motown hitmakers the Temptations, whose sweet harmonies, stylish choreography and contrasting pair of lead singers—David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks—made them among the most successful vocal bands ever. Dominique Morisseau (Skeleton Crew, also on Broadway) wrote the book for this jukebox musical, which debuted in 2019, was nominated for 12 Tonys and features all the songs you know by heart.
For fans of: R&B, nostalgia, infighting and persistence
—AR
Previews begin October 21; opens December 5
After losing custody of his kids, Daniel Hillard will do anything to see them—like, anything. When the out-of-work actor goes incognito as a Scottish nanny to find a way back into their lives, things escalate quickly. Tony-nominated
For fans of: dads, drag, dads in drag
—KC
Performances begin October 21
Based on Alanis Morissette’s
For fans of: angsty ’90s music, interpersonal drama
—RR
Phantom of the Opera. Photo: Matthew Murphy
Performances begin October 22
Andrew& Lloyd Webber’s Broadway mainstay returns to the Majestic Theatre. In case you haven’t seen it, the ornately costumed musical, based on the 1911 novel by Gaston Leroux, is about a disfigured composer who lives in the Paris Opera House and becomes obsessed with a promising young soprano. Romance and horror ensue.
For fans of: chandelier thrills
—JD
Performances begin October 29; closes January 9, 2022
This meta-musical about a Black stage actress rehearsing for a Broadway show originally opened off-Broadway in 1955. The acclaimed production by the late playwright Alice Childress makes its long-awaited Broadway debut this October. Starring LaChanze, Trouble in Mind looks at feminism and racism as it relates to New York theater.
For fans of: feminist themes, the theater (pronounced with three syllables)
—RR
Performances begin November 2
This musical, based on the life of Princess Di, had just begun previews before closing with the rest of Broadway. The costume designer previously worked on Hairspray and Grey Gardens, among other period-piece Broadway shows, so expect
For fans of: palace intrigue, pearled dresses and piano balladry
—AR
Previews begin November 3; opens November 22
This new production comes courtesy of two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Lynn Nottage and revolves around the formerly incarcerated staff of a truck stop sandwich shop. The cast features Emmy Award winners Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black) and Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us).
For fans of: sandwiches as metaphors
—JD
Previews begin November 11; opens December 13
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to watch Cary Grant, Clare Booth Luce and Aldous Huxley drop acid, wonder no more: this new musical written and directed by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner James Lapine takes that psychedelic scenario as its premise. Set in 1950s Hollywood, the show also features music by Tom Kitts, lyrics by Michael Korie and choreography by Michelle Dorrance.
For fans of: strange trips
—JD
Book of Mormon. Photo: Joan Marcus
Performances begin November 5
Two young missionaries arrive in a remote Ugandan village to convert the locals to Mormonism. Their incompatible personalities—not to mention their ignorance of the problems that plague the community—could make for a tragedy, but the creators of South Park teamed up with double-EGOT songwriter Robert Lopez to pull off this sidesplitting, wildly offensive satire.
For fans of: Avenue Q and other shows you can’t take the kids to
—KC
Performances begin November 12; opens December 7
Return to Hogwarts via Broadway with a new installment to the Harry Potter canon, set 19 years after the original series. Meet the next generation of wizards—including Harry’s son Albus—as they cast spells and engage in battles brought to life through stunning high-tech visuals. Previously told in two parts, the show has been condensed into one for its latest iteration.
For fans of: witchcraft and wizardry (muggles also welcome)
—RR
Previews begin November 15; opens December 9
Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 musical comedy follows a 35-year-old bachelor named Bobby, whose social circle consists almost exclusively of married couples eager to pair him off. This transfer of the 2018 West End revival features some key character updates, including a female Bobbie as the protagonist. Patti Lupone reprises her role—and showstopping rendition of “The Ladies Who Lunch”—from the 2008 Broadway revival.
For fans of: Sondheim’s signature lyrical acrobatics
—KC