TDF Stages

A guide to 15 upcoming (or recently opened) productions

Although the 2017-2018 Broadway season officially began when 1984 debuted back in June, it kicks into high gear this fall with 12 new productions bowing on the boards. (We've also included three that opened over the summer.) As usual, autumn brings more plays than musicals, and you'll have to wait until spring for the much-buzzed-about stage incarnations of Frozen, Mean Girls, and Harry Potter to hit NYC. But over the next few months Broadway welcomes a host of exciting productions featuring Oscar, Grammy, and multiple Tony Award winners. Our guide helps you navigate what's coming. Happy theatregoing!

NOTE: Within each category, shows are listed in first preview date order.

NEW MUSICALS

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Prince of Broadway
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

Already open. Closes October 22.

After years of delays, this musical revue celebrating the oeuvre of legendary theatre director-producer Harold Prince finally made it to Broadway courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club. The production features numbers from 16 shows Prince worked on, from groundbreaking musicals (Company, Cabaret, Follies), to long-running blockbusters (The Phantom of the Opera, Evita), to mostly forgotten flops (Merrily We Roll Along; It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman). A versatile cast of nine, including Tony winners Chuck Cooper and Karen Ziemba, delivers the diverse selections. It's like a two-and-a-half-hour tour through the evolution of the American musical in the 20th century. TDF member tickets available as of this writing!

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Springsteen on Broadway
Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 W 48th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

Previews October 3. Opens October 12. Closes February 3, 2018.

The veteran rock star's got 23 Grammys -- maybe he wants a Tony to keep them company? Lest you think this is just a glorified concert, Bruce Springsteen bills his Broadway debut as an autobiographical solo show, a part-spoken, part-sung piece that chronicles his life and career. At less than 1,000 seats, the Walter Kerr Theatre is one of the most intimate venues "The Boss" has played in decades, so tickets are near impossible to get -- and are going for Hamilton-type prices on the secondary market. If you want to try for regularly priced seats, make sure you register as a Ticketmaster Verified Fan® for a chance to snag a few once a new block of tickets is released.

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The Band's Visit
Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

Previews October 7. Opens November 9. Open run.

Critics and audiences alike fell in love with this one-act chamber musical when it played Off-Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company last season, so it's no surprise that it's transferring to Broadway. When the members of the Egyptian Alexandria Ceremonial Police Band get lost in Israel on their way to a gig, they end up stuck in a small town overnight where they bond with the locals in unexpected and heartwarming ways. It's a feel-good tale about overlooking differences and finding what unites us -- a message the world could really use right now. Tony-nominated songwriter David Yazbek crafted the Middle Eastern-influenced score, and David Cromer directs the culturally diverse cast, which includes Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub, Tony nominee John Cariani, and Indecent's Katrina Lenk.

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SpongeBob SquarePants
Palace Theatre, 1564 Seventh Avenue at 47th Street

Previews November 6. Opens December 4. Open run.

Even if you're not a fan of the manic Nickelodeon character who lives in a pineapple under the sea, this musical may win you over. The individual songs are written by a jaw-dropping roster of Grammy Award winners, including Sara Bareilles (who penned the tunes for Waitress), John Legend, Cyndi Lauper (who won a Tony for her Kinky Boots score), Panic! At the Disco, They Might Be Giants, and the late, great David Bowie. The plot flirts with environmental issues as SpongeBob and his underwater pals fight to save their home from destruction, but judging from the reviews of last year's Chicago tryout, the show's main attractions are its inventive stagecraft, colorful design, and exuberant numbers.

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Once on This Island
Circle in the Square, 1633 Broadway on 50th Street

Previews November 9. Opens December 3. Open run.

Years before they won Tonys for writing the songs for Ragtime, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty collaborated on this charming, Caribbean-flavored musical folk tale about a poor peasant girl trying to reunite with the wealthy boy she loves with help from the island gods. Family-friendly but not just for kids, the show is directed by Tony nominee Michael Arden (Deaf West Theatre's revival of Spring Awakening) and boasts a diverse cast, including Tony winner Lea Salonga as Erzulie the Goddess of Love.

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NEW PLAYS

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1984
Hudson Theatre, 139-141 West 44th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues 

Already open. Closes October 8.

With copies of George Orwell's dystopian classic currently flying off bookshelves, producers were quick to import this U.K. stage adaptation to Broadway. Starring Tony nominee Tom Sturridge and Olivia Wilde as the lovers rebelling against Big Brother, the production has been touted for its sensory overload design and graphic depictions of violence that reportedly caused patrons to faint. TDF member tickets available as of this writing!

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The Terms of My Surrender
Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Already open. Closes October 22.

This (mostly) one-man show is the brainchild of Oscar-winning documentarian and progressive provocateur Michael Moore, with direction by Tony winner Michael Mayer. How you feel about the production, which is equal parts political rally, activist workshop, autobiography, and stand-up shtick, may depend on which direction you lean -- Trump certainly takes a bashing. But if you're already in resistance mode, you're the kind of convert Moore wants to preach to. TDF member tickets available as of this writing!

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Time and the Conways
American Airlines Theatre, 227 West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues

Previews September 14. Opens October 10. Closes November 26.

Written by J.B. Priestley (An Inspector Calls), this period piece starts off in 1919 Britain as the upper-crust Mrs. Conway (Downton Abbey's Elizabeth McGovern) prepares for her daughter's swanky 21st birthday party. But two decades later, the family's fortunes have changed drastically. Roundabout Theatre Company mounts the first-ever Broadway revival of this 1937 play featuring Tony winner Gabriel Ebert and Tony nominee Steven Boyer, directed by Tony winner Rebecca Taichman (Indecent).

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Junk
Vivian Beaumont, 150 West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue

Previews October 5. Opens November 2. Closes January 7, 2018.

Remember Gordon Gekko's Wall Street catchphrase, "Greed is good"? Well that could also be the mantra of Robert Merkin who's at the center of this new 1985-set drama by Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar (Disgraced), directed by Tony winner Doug Hughes. Played by Steven Pasquale, Merkin is a junk-bond king prone to hostile takeovers that line his pockets and put others out of work. Although set over three decades ago, Junk offers an insightful look at how we got where we are today.

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M. Butterfly
Cort Theatre, 138 West 48th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Previews October 7. Opens October 26. Closes February 25, 2018.

 Almost 30 years after it won the Tony Award for Best Play, David Henry Hwang's gender-bending drama returns to Broadway directed by Tony winner Julie Taymor. Oscar nominee Clive Owen plays a married French diplomat who has a torrid 20-year affair with a mysterious Chinese opera singer. But despite their intimacy, how well do these two know each other? Loosely based on a true story, this tale blurs the line between East and West, and male and female.

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Latin History for Morons
Studio 54, 254 West 54 Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

Previews October 19. Opens November 15. Closes February 4, 2018.

Obie winner John Leguizamo returns to Broadway with his latest solo show, which enjoyed a sold-out run at the Public Theater last season. When his bullied teenage son laments the lack of Latino heroes in American history, Leguizamo gives him (and the audience) a crash course in their contributions to Western civilization. This irreverent and often R-rated romp flies through 3,000 years in a little over 90 minutes with Leguizamo acting as teacher and class clown.

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Meteor Shower
Booth Theatre, 222 West 45th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

Previews November 1. Opens November 29. Closes January 21, 2018.

Some of the most celebrated comedians of our time are involved in this new play, which is written by Steve Martin, and stars Amy Schumer and Keegan-Michael Key alonside Tony winner Laura Benanti and Alan Tudyk. But the evening won't be all laughs as two married couples clash during an explosive evening -- and we're not talking about the meteors flying through the sky.

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The Parisian Woman
Hudson Theatre, 139-141 West 44th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Previews November 9. Opens November 30. Closes March 11, 2018.

Inspired by Henry Becque's 19th-century comedy La Parisienne, this new play is written by Beau Willimon who created House of Cards. That Netflix show's delicious dialogue and shocking twists should give you a good idea of what to expect from this post-2016 presidential election tale set in Washington, D.C., where Chloe (Oscar nominee Uma Thurman in her Broadway debut) tries to navigate politics, her past, and an uncertain future. Plus Willimon promises to update the script weekly in order to incorporate the latest scandals coming out of our Capitol. Tony winner Pam MacKinnon directs a cast that also includes Tony winner Blair Brown and Tony nominee Phillipa Soo.

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The Children
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

Previews November 28. Opens December 12. Closes February 4, 2018.

A post-apocalyptic tale for our uncertain times direct from the Royal Court Theatre. In a remote cottage on the British coast, a couple of retired nuclear engineers enjoy a quiet existence in stark contrast with the chaos of the outside world. But their tranquility is interrupted when an old friend shows up bent on stirring up the past...and present. Manhattan Theatre Club brings the celebrated London production of Lucy Kirkwood's play to Broadway with its original cast intact.

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Farinelli and the King
Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Previews December 5. Opens December 17. Closes March 25, 2018.

Another London to Broadway transfer: Oscar and three-time Tony Award winner Mark Rylance stars as real-life 18th-century Spanish monarch Philippe V who's slipping into madness. He comforts himself by listening to world-renowned castrato Farinelli. Written by Rylance's wife Claire van Kampen and produced by Shakespeare’s Globe, the show features the company's hallmarks of intimate onstage seating, candlelight illumination, and live baroque music played on traditional instruments.

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