With the rising interest in musicals (such as the new Wicked movie, out in November) comes a whole array of exciting new shows in the Broadway realm.
Here are 12 upcoming Broadway productions that will determine whether you are a die-hard musical fan or a casual audience member looking for a good show.
1. Romeo + Juliet
Theatre: Circle in the Square Theatre
Starring: Kit Connor as Romeo and Rachel Zegler as Juliet
Writer: William Shakespeare
Music/Lyrics: Jack Antonoff
Director: Sam Gold
Date: The show started previews on September 26, 2024, and officially opened on October 24, 2024.
The story is Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet, which centers two star-crossed lovers and the feud between their two families. The production is notable for its depiction of human complexities, and it has been adapted across stage and screen.
Romeo + Juliet marks the Broadway debuts of both Connor, known for Heartstopper, and Zegler, known for West Side Story (2021).
Because of the cast and creative team, the production seems to be targeted at a specific audience. In an interview, the director of the production, Sam Gold, told Playbill about his vision for the show’s audience.
“My goal was to bring folks, like, 15 to 25 to see a play, and for them to fall in love with the theatre and want to come see more,” Gold said.
The show is on Broadway for 20 weeks and ends in February 2025.
2. ELF The Musical
Theatre: Marquis Theatre
Starring: Grey Henson as Buddy, Kayla Davion as Jovie, and Sean Astin as Santa
Writer: Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin
Music/Lyrics: Music – Matthew Sklar, Lyrics – Chad Beguelin
Director: Philip WM. McKinley
Date: The show has a “Limited Holiday Engagement” from November 9, 2024, to January 4, 2024.
Elf The Musical is based on the 2003 New Line Cinema film by the same title (Elf).
The musical follows the beloved character, Buddy the Elf, an orphan accidentally transported to the North Pole who is raised by Santa and his elves. When he reaches adulthood, he finds out he is human and has a father in New York. Both the movie and the musical follow Buddy during his search for his father and the mischief he gets into along the way.
The musical originally premiered in 2010 and was nominated for the Drama League Awards for Distinguished Production of a Musical in 2011.
The latest revival marks the first time it has been on Broadway in over a decade, as well as Astin’s, known for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Broadway debut.
The last production of the musical was in West End, London’s theatre district, during the holiday season in 2023.
3. All In: Comedy About Love
Theatre: Hudson Theatre Broadway
Starring: Rotating casts of four perform at different times based on the production’s calendar.
Writer: Simon Rich
Music/Lyrics: Music – Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields
Director: Alex Timbers
Date: December 11, 2024-February 16, 2024.
The cast includes John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, Richard King, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Chloe Fineman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andrew Rannelis, Sam Richardson, Aidy Bryant, Jimmy Fallon, Annaleigh Ashford, David Cross, Hank Azaria, and Tim Meadows.
According to All In Broadway‘s website, the show is “a series of hilarious short stories about dating, heartbreak, marriage and that sort of thing.”
The show’s writer, Simon Rich, is most known for writing for Saturday Night Live (SNL) and The New Yorker.
The stories that are acted out are Rich’s short stories. The production seems to vary in each show but has a central message.
The website describes the stage production as follows: “Even though the show’s kind of all over the place, it’s meant to tell one simple story: that the most important part of life is who we share it with.”
It is produced by Seaview and Lorne Michaels, SNL‘s creator and executive producer.
4. The Last Five Years
Theatre: Hudson Theatre Broadway
Starring: Nick Jonas as Jamie and Adrienne Warren as Cathy
Writer: Jason Robert Brown
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown
Director: Whitney White
Date: Previews begin March 18, 2025
The Last Five Years follows the relationship between the couple Jamie and Cathy over the course of five years.
The show started in 2001 in Chicago and starred Norbert Leo Butz and Lauren Kennedy. It features songs such as “Still Hurting” and “The Next Ten Minutes.”
The show has had many other revivals throughout the years, including the acclaimed Off-West End version directed by Brown once again in 2016. The production starred Jonathan Bailey, known for Bridgerton, and Samantha Barks, known for Les Miserable.
There is also a movie with the same title released in 2014 starring Anna Kendrick, known for Pitch Perfect, and Jeremy Jordan, known for Newsies the Musical.
The show will be on for 14 weeks only at the Hudson Theatre.
5. Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Theatre: The Marquis Theatre
Starring: N/A
Writer: Writer – Kate Trefry, Original Story -The Duffer Brothers and Jack Thorne
Music/Lyrics: N/A
Director: Stephen Daldry
Date: March 2025
The show originally started in London’s West End in November 2023, starring Louis McCartney as the main character Henry Creel. It was announced in August 2024 that it would be transferring to Broadway and that McCartney was expected to reprise his role.
The production won Best Entertainment or Comedy Play and Best Sound Design at the 2024 Olivier Awards.
The story is set as the prequel to the events that occur in Netflix’s TV show Stranger Things. The show takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in 1959 and follows young Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado (Byers), and Henry Creel “before the world turned upside down.”
6. Othello
Theatre: Barrymore Theatre
Starring: Denzel Washington as Othello and Jake Gyllenhaal as Iago
Writer: William Shakespeare
Music/Lyrics: N/A
Director: Kenny Leon
Date: Performances begin on February 24, 2025
The Shakespearean tragedy Othello revolves around the conflicts between the main character, Othello, and his servant, Iago, who quickly becomes his sworn enemy. Like many Shakespeare stories, Othello has had many adaptations across screen and stage.
This is not the duo’s first time being on Broadway. Washington has been doing stage roles since the late 1970s. He started his acting career in another Shakespeare production called Coriolanus. His latest Shakespeare production was a 2021 film adaption of the production Macbeth alongside Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth.
Gyllenhaal has also spent some time on the Broadway stage, playing roles such as George in the 2017 revival of Sunday in the Park With George and in Sea Wall/A Life. He was even nominated for a Tony for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play in the 2019-2020 season.
7. The Picture Of Dorian Gray
Theatre: Music Box Theatre
Starring: Sarah Snook
Writer: Oscar Wilde, Adapted by Kip Williams
Music/Lyrics: N/A
Director: Kip Williams
Date: Previews on March 10, 2025. Opens on March 27, 2025.
The Picture of Dorian Gray follows a man who decides to sell his soul to stay young forever, while the picture of him displays his actual age and shows his true morality.
Snook plays all 26 roles in a contemporary version of Oscar Wilde’s book with the same title. She won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play in 2024.
Snook originally performed the role in London’s West End from February to May 2024. It had premiered in Sydney, Australia in 2020 before transferring to the West End.
“It was a singular privilege to bring The Picture of Dorian Gray to life in London, and I am thrilled we will be able to share this astonishing production with audiences in New York,” Snook said in a statement.
Snook is known for her role in HBO’s popular show Succession and has won awards for her role in it.
8. Vanya
Theatre: Lucille Lortel Theatre
Starring: Andrew Scott
Writer: Anton Chekhov, Adapted by Simon Stephens
Music/Lyrics: Music – Kelly Moran
Director: Sam Yates
Date: March 11, 2025-May 4, 2025
Vanya is an adaption of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. In the production, Scott, known for playing the “hot priest” in the show Fleabag, brings all eight characters to life.
According to The Old Globe, the story follows Vanya and his niece Sonya as they “struggle to care for the estate owned by Vanya’s brother-in-law, a wealthy and celebrated professor. When this local legend returns with a beautiful new wife and announces his plans to sell the estate, hidden passions explode, and the lives of the entire family come undone.”
The show started in the West End through London’s The National Theatre, before it was announced that it would be on Broadway. There is also a live showing of the production through National Theatre at Home, which was filmed before the run in London ended.
Scott won a 2024 Oliver Award for Best Revival in the West End. The show has been done many other times as well, with many other actors playing the main role — including Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellan, and most recently in 2024, Steve Carrell on Broadway.
Vanya will be on the New York stage for 8 weeks only.
Broadway Shows Still In The Works
There are many other show announcements that are still in the works. Here are four shows with plans to be on the Broadway stage soon.
9. The Greatest Showman: The New Musical
The 2017 movie-musical The Greatest Showman is in development for a stage production by the Disney Theatrical Group.
The production was announced at Disney’s D23 Entertainment Showcase in August 2024 with a performance of The Greatest Showman.
The musical includes music written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who are known for Dear Evan Hansen, and won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media in 2018. The album features popular songs such as “This Is Me” and “A Million Dreams.”
The movie stars Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zendaya, Zac Efron, Keala Settle, and Rebecca Ferguson. It is a biographical musical that follows the story of P.T. Barnum, played by Jackman, and his journey of owning a circus and growing into wealth.
According to the New York Post, the production will start in Bristol in early 2026 before going to the West End.
10. La La Land Musical
It was announced in February 2023 that the film La La Land would be adapted into a musical by two of the film’s production companies, Marc Platt Productions and Lionsgate.
The musical adaptation of La La Land is based on the 2016 movie musical, which stars Emma Stone as Amelia Dolan and Ryan Gosling as Sebastian Wilder. The movie follows aspiring actress Amelia Dolan and jazz musician Sebastian Wilder as they pursue their dreams in Los Angeles — specifically the trials that accompany the journey.
In May 2024, What’s On Stage exclusively reported that workshops in the UK had started. It was also announced that Bartlett Sher is the director of the production, as well as a new revival of the musical Kiss Me, Kate.
“We’re in the middle of workshops and trying to find a theatrical language for this amazing film. So we’re in the middle of that right now, and when I’m done with this [Kiss Me, Kate], I go back to New York for some more workshops,” Sher said in an interview with What’s On Stage.
The writers of the film’s music, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, are also reprising their roles as writers for the stage musical. La La Land won six Oscars in 2017 in categories such as cinematography, actress in a leading role, and original song for “City of Stars.”
Performance dates have not been announced.
11. Warriors Concept Album
In August 2023, the New York Post reported that Lin Manuel Miranda, known for Hamilton, would be making a stage musical adaptation of the novel The Warriors by Sol Yurick.
Miranda teamed up with Eisa Davis, an actress and playwright, to write the album. The two drew inspiration from the 1979 movie of the same title and decided to make an album about it.
“We were inspired by the concept albums from the ’70s that we love, where you would sit on your living room floor and read the liner notes to your vinyl. And we wanted to create that feeling,” Miranda told NPR.
In the film, all of the warriors were men, but Miranda’s project gender-flipped the characters to women.
The cast for the album includes multiple rappers and musical theatre stars. Some of the big names are: Jasmine Cephas Jones, Phillipa Soo, Julia K Harriman, Gizel Jiménez, Sasha Hutchings, Amber Graym, Aneesa Folds, and Kenita Miller.
The two writers currently do not have plans to put Warriors on Broadway but would like to see an adaptation later on.
The concept album was released on October 18, 2024, by Atlantic Records.
12. 13 Going on 30: The Musical
According to Playbill, “13 Going on 30: The Musical, a musical adapted from the 2004 movie of the same title, will premiere at the Manchester Opera house in Fall 2025.”
The musical has been in the works since 2016 and will be written by the original film writers, Joshua Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa.
Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, known for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, will compose the musical and lyrics.
13 Going on 30 stars Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo. The film follows a thirteen-year-old girl, Jenna, who makes an interesting wish on her birthday and suddenly wakes up to find herself as a 30-year-old woman.
Casting for the production has not been announced.
