Broadway theaters, shut down in March 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, are aiming to light up again beginning this September under still-to-be-determined safety protocols.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on May 3 announced that the state would be lifting all of its capacity restrictions beginning May 19, including for Broadway theaters. But continued questions about capacity limits, as well as the logistics of rehiring and rehearsing casts, have led producers and theater owners to plan for a September return of both new and old productions.
The industry is also hoping to reschedule the Tony Awards celebrating the best new shows from the pandemic-shortened 2019-2020 season, including musical hits like “Jagged Little Pill” and “Moulin Rouge!”
“We look forward to reopening at full capacity and are working to safely welcome audiences and employees back to Broadway theatres this fall,” The Broadway League said in a statement. “As always, we continue to work closely with our elected officials and will share more information as soon as plans become finalized.”
Here are the shows that are currently expected to raise (or re-raise) the curtain later this year:
“Ain’t Too Proud” (Imperial Theatre) The 2019 Tony winner follows the life of the classic Motown group The Temptations. Reopening: Oct. 16
“Aladdin” (New Amsterdam) Disney’s stage adaptation of the animated 1992 hit has been playing to family audiences since 2014. Reopening: Sept. 28
“Beetlejuice” (Marquis) The musical, based on Tim Burton’s 1988 movie, has landed in a new theater post-pandemic. Reopening: March 11, 2022
“The Book of Mormon” (Eugene O’Neill) The 2011 satirical musical from Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone has been a Tony-winning smash for a decade now. Reopening: Nov. 5
“Caroline, or Change” (Studio 54) Sharon D. Clarke reprises her Olivier-winning performance in a revival of the Jeanine Tesori-Tony Kushner musical. Previews Begin: Oct. 8; Official Opening: Oct. 27
“Chicago” (Ambassador Theatre) The long-running musical revival that spawned an Oscar-winning film. Reopening: Sept. 14
“Chicken and Biscuits” (Circle in the Square) Norm Lewis and Michael Urie will star in Douglas Lyons’ new comedy. Previews Begin: Sept. 23; Official Opening: Oct. 10
“Clyde’s” (Hayes Theater) Lynn Nottage’s new play set in a truck stop sandwich shop that offers its formerly incarcerated kitchen staff a shot at redemption. Previews Begin: Nov. 3; Official Opening: Nov. 22
“Come From Away” (Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre) The 2017 Tony-winning musical is set in the small Canadian town that welcomed 7,000 stranded plane travelers on 9/11. Reopening: Sept. 21
“Company” (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre) This new new gender-swapped revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical stars Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone. Previews Resume: Nov. 15; Official Opening Night: Dec. 9
“David Byrne’s American Utopia” (Hudson Theater) The former Talking Head frontman’s staged concert experience returns for a limited run. Reopening: Sept. 17
“Dear Evan Hansen” (Music Box) The 2017 Tony-winning musical is soon to head to the big screen, with Ben Platt reprising his Tony-winning role as the troubled teen at the center of the action. Reopening: Dec. 11
“Diana: The Musical” (Longacre) A new musical about Princess Diana that was set to open in spring 2020 is now looking for a December debut — two months after Netflix starts streaming a filmed version of the production. Previews Begin: Nov. 2; Official Opening: Nov. 17
“Flying Over Sunset” (Vivian Beaumont Theater) This new musical, with a score by Tom Kitt and Michael Korie, focuses on Aldous Huxley, Clare Booth Luce and Cary Grant and their 1950s LSD experiments. Previews Begin: Nov. 4; Official Opening: Dec. 6
“Freestyle Love Supreme” (Booth) The improvised musical show, created by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Veneziale, returns to Broadway for a limited run through January 2022. Reopening: Oct. 7
“Girl From North Country” (Belasco) This new musical based on Bob Dylan’s song catalog had opened on March 5, 2020 — just weeks before the COVID shutdown. Reopening: Oct. 13
“Hadestown” (Walter Kerr Theatre) The 2019 Tony winner for Best Musical retells the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Reopening: Sept. 2
“Hamilton” (Richard Rodgers) Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical megahit should continue to draw crowds even after the filmed version played on Disney+ during the pandemic. Reopening: Sept. 14
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” (Lyric) J.K. Rowling’s wizard is all grown-up but his son is getting into all sorts of magical mischief at Hogwarts in this Tony-winning play — which has now been compressed from a two-night extravaganza into a one-evening event. Reopening: Nov. 16
“Jagged Little Pill” (Broadhurst) A musical based on Alanis Morissette’s classic ’90s album opened in fall 2019 — and snagged 15 Tony nominations. Reopening: Oct. 21
“Lackawanna Blues” (Samuel J. Friedman) Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s stars in a one-man play based on his upbringing in a 1950s boarding house outside Buffalo. Previews Begin: Sept. 18; Opening Night: Sept 28
“The Lehman Trilogy” (Nederlander) Sam Mendes’ acclaimed U.K. production will get a second shot to open, now with Adrian Lester (“Primary Colors”) joining the cast. Previews Resume: Sept. 25; Official Opening Night: Oct. 14
“The Lion King” (Minskoff) Disney’s stage musical has been enchanting audiences with its puppetry, dancing and Elton John’s tunes since 1997. Reopening: Sept. 14
“MJ” (Neil Simon Theatre) A musical about the life and times of Michael Jackson featuring the late King of Pop’s song catalog stars Tony nomine Ephraim Sykes. Previews Begin: Dec. 6; Opening Night: Feb. 1, 2022
“Moulin Rouge!” (Al Hirschfeld) The stage version of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 movie — updated to pack in even more pop hits — opened in summer 2019 and garnered a whopping 14 Tony nominations. Reopening: Sept. 24
“Mrs. Doubtfire” (Stephen Sondheim Theatre) A new musical based on the 1993 Robin Williams film was due to open in spring 2020. Previews Begin: Oct. 21; Official Opening Night: Dec. 5
“The Music Man” (Winter Garden) Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster are set to star in this high-profile revival of the classic musical. Previews Begin: Dec. 20
“Pass Over” (August Wilson) Lincoln Center Theater is transferring Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s acclaimed Off Broadway drama to the Main Stem. Previews Begin: Aug. 4; Official Opening: Sept. 12
“The Phantom of the Opera” (Majestic) This Andrew Lloyd Webber rock-opera is Broadway’s longest running musical hit. Reopening: Oct. 22
“Six” (Brooks Atkinson) This British pop musical about the six wives of Henry VIII was set to officially open on the very night that Broadway theaters shut down. Previews Resume: Sept. 17; Official Opening: Oct. 3
“Skeleton Crew” (Samuel J. Friedman) Phylicia Rashad stars in this Dominique Morisseau drama about Detroit auto workers during the Great Recession. Previews Begin: Dec. 21; Official Opening: Jan. 12, 2022
“Springsteen on Broadway” (St. James Theatre) Bruce Springsteen is bringing his Tony-winning musical retrospective back to Broadway for a limited summer run. Reopening: June 26, through Sept. 4
“Thoughts of a Colored Man” (Golden) Keenan Scott II’s new play features an all-star cast that includes Luke James, Tristan “Mack” Wilds and Keith David. Previews Begin: Oct. 1; Official Opening: Oct. 31
“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” (Lunt-Fontanne) The Tony-nominated musical about the life of the legendary singer opened in fall 2019. Reopening: Oct. 8
“To Kill a Mockingbird” (Shubert) Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of the classic Harper Lee novel divided some critics but it drew big audiences; Jeff Daniels will reprise his role as Atticus Finch when performances resume. Reopening: Oct. 5
“Trouble in Mind” (American Airlines Theater) The nonprofit Roundabout is reviving Alice Childress’ acclaimed 1955 drama about a Black actress’ struggles in the theater world. Previews Begin: Oct. 29; Official Opening: Nov. 18
“Wicked” (Gershwin) The musical re-telling of “The Wizard of Oz” has been defying gravity since 2003. Reopening: Sept. 14
Leave a Reply