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Best Broadway Plays

Recommendations
Published on: Oct 1, 2022
Last Updated on: Sep 26, 2024
By: Kathryn Willingham
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Best Broadway Plays

New York City is known for many things – the food, the nightlife, Wall Street, Central Park, famous art museums and sports teams – but Broadway is one of the biggest reasons tourists visit The Big Apple. In fact, in 2022-2023 alone, the Broadway League reported that Broadway shows generated over 1.5 billion dollars in profit with over 12 million people heading to the theater to see Broadway shows. When you think of New York theater, you may think of Andrew Lloyd Webber or famous Broadway musicals like West Side Story or Les Mis. But while musicals may stick around for longer – the iconic musical The Lion King, for example, has been running on Broadway since 1997 – plays make an indelible mark on the stage and on American culture. In this article, we’ll tell you what plays are running on Broadway right now as well as how to get great seats and cheap tickets.

New in Town

These new plays are sure to become tomorrow’s classics. From hilarious comedies to nail-biting thrillers and slice-of-life explorations, buy tickets to these Broadway theater shows before they’re gone!

Job at the Hayes Theatre

Job

Job, written by Max Wolf Friedlich and directed by Michael Herwitz, plays at the Hayes Theater on Broadway after two sold-out runs off-Broadway at the Connelly Theatre and Soho Playhouse. This tight, 80-minute play follows a worker who has to meet with a therapist in order to get the ok to head back to work. Peter Friedman and Sydney Lemmon reprise their roles in what TheaterMania called, “exhilarating…[a] taught and verbally lacerating two-person drama.”

Left on Tenth

Left on Tenth

Left on Tenth runs at the James Earl Jones Theatre. Julianna Margulies and Peter Gallagher star in the play written by Delia Ephron, based on her best-selling memoir. With all the charm of a romantic comedy, this sweet and hopeful play is all about second chances, falling in love, and unexpected detours. It is heartwarming and inspiring – just be sure to bring a Kleenex! Publishers’ Weekly said of the book, “Readers will be swept away by this triumphant story.”

Robert Downey, Jr. in McNeal

McNeal

McNeal, written by Ayad Akhtar and directed by Bartlett Sher, stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Jacob McNeal, a great writer with great grudges and an interest in AI. The play runs at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. You can’t get much starrier than the Academy Award-winning Robert Downey Jr, but the rest of the creative team have their own laurels as well. Ayad Akhtar is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who has had his plays Disgraced, The Who & the What, and Junk produced at Lincoln Center. And Bartlett Sher is a Tony Award-winning director whose recent productions include South Pacific, Oslo, My Fair Lady, Camelot, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The King and I.

Oh, Mary! at the Lyceum

Oh, Mary!

Oh, Mary!, written by Cole Escola and directed by Sam Pinkleton, plays at the Lyceum Theatre after a hit run off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Come see Mary Todd Lincoln – in the throes of alcoholism, mourning the loss of her would-be cabaret career, fighting with her husband, and flirting with her new acting teacher. The New York Times called this blast of a show, “silly, nasty, tasteless and, in the end, good theater – the kind of show that will leave you gagging, both in the sense that you’ll be losing your mind with joy, and that you might just be grossed out.” Come see the show everyone’s been talking about!

Our Town with Jim Parsons

Our Town

Our Town by Thornton Wilder is directed by Kenny Leon and plays at the Barrymore Theatre. This iconic play tells the story of a small town, with the stage manager narrating the goings-on of its inhabitants. Children grow up, people get married, people die, and most of all, people live. The cast includes Jim Parsons, Katie Holmes, Zoey Deutch, and Ephraim Sykes. Our Town is a classic play often performed in high schools and regional theaters across the country. This new production directed by Kenny Leon has a great cast, and people are eager to see this work in a new light!

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet comes to Circle in the Square Theatre starring Kit Connor (Heartstopper) and Rachel Zegler (West Side Story, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes). With music by Jack Antonoff, movement by Sonya Tayeh, and direction from Sam Gold, this production brings a new generation to the timeless classic. Get tickets now to see these star-crossed lovers and enjoy one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays in a whole new way.

Stereophonic

Stereophonic

Stereophonic, written by David Adjmi and directed by Daniel Aukin with music by Will Butler, runs at Broadway’s Golden Theatre after a hit run off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. Following a rock band in the 1970s as they record an album and endure the pressure of fame, success, and their own relationships, The Daily Beast called it, “one of the most original, stunningly designed, and technically dazzling plays in New York.” It just won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2024.

The Hills of California

The Hills of California

The Hills of California, written by Jez Butterworth and directed by Sam Mendes, plays at the Broadhurst Theatre after its hit run in London on the West End. Jez Butterworth is an award-winning playwright whose previous works Jerusalem, The River, and The Ferryman were embraced by Broadway audiences. Sam Mendes is an acclaimed theater director known for The Lehman Trilogy, The Ferryman, and the 1998 and 2014 productions of Cabaret, but he is perhaps best known for his film work, directing the films American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre. The Hills of California is set during a particularly hot summer in the 1970s, when the Webb sisters return to Blackpool to visit their dying mother. As they wait for their final sister to join them and reminisce about their childhood – when their mother was trying to turn them into a music group – old wounds come to the surface. Time Out London said, “Jez Butterworth’s first play in seven years unfurls with the richness and depth of a well-crafted novel…the performances are uniformly tremendous.”

The Roommate

The Roommate

The Roommate, written by Jen Silverman and directed by Jack O’Brien, plays at the Booth Theatre. Patti LuPone (Evita, Company, Sweeney Todd, Gypsy) and Mia Farrow (Rosemary’s Baby, The Great Gatsby, The Watcher) star as two surprising roommates with a new lease on life, and this play gives both stars ample room to shine. Patti LuPone is well known and well loved by theater fans, but Mia Farrow doesn’t come to the Broadway stage as often. She was most recently seen in Love Letters in 2014, and Broadway audiences are eager to see her return! Bad behavior, new beginnings, and big laughs take the stage in this comedy that the Tampa Bay Times said “breathes new life into the odd couple trope.”

Yellow Face

Yellow Face

Yellow Face, written by David Henry Hwang and directed by Leigh Silverman, plays at the Todd Haimes Theatre. David Henry Hwang is a popular playwright known for the works M. Butterfly, Chinglish, Soft Power, and Aida. Daniel Dae Kim, known for his performances in the tv shows Lost, Hawaii Five-O, and Angel, plays DDH, a fictionalized stand-in for the playwright David Henry Hwang. After DDH protests a production of Miss Saigon, which features yellowface casting (white actors using makeup and playing Asian characters), he accidentally casts a white actor in his own show. The Guardian called it “a probing political satire on racial identity” and “wickedly funny.” This is the first time Daniel Dae Kim will appear on Broadway since his debut in The King and I as The King of Siam.

Long-Running

Check out this hit franchise reimagined for the stage!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Set 19 years after the final book, Harry, Ron and Hermione are back on a new adventure: middle age. Harry is now the head of Magical Law Enforcement at the ministry of magic, Hermione is the Minister of Magic, and Ron owns a store in Diagon Alley. The majority of the play follows Harry and Ginny Weasley’s second son Albus Severus as he starts his journey at Hogwarts. Unlike the rest of his family, Albus is sorted into Slytherin. Thus begins this epic tale of adolescence, magic, friendship, and the struggle to discover one’s true potential. Get immersed in the fantastical world that has dominated modern media for over 20 years. 

FAQs

What are the best seats in the theater for a Broadway play? Orchestra seats are the closest to the stage and are also the most expensive. It can depend on the specific show, but usually the best seats in the house are located in the orchestra a few rows back – so they’re not too close to the stage – or at the very front of the mezzanine. But Broadway houses are small, so even seats in the rear mezzanine and balcony usually give a decent view. Mezzanine seats are the first level up looking down on to the stage, and the balcony is the highest level of seats and set further back.  

How can I get cheap tickets to a Broadway play? Broadway tickets can be expensive, but there are also many ways to score cheap tickets. One of the easiest methods is to head to the TKTS booth in Times Square – it’s impossible to miss, just look for the giant red steps near 47th Street and Broadway. The booth offers tickets to many popular Broadway and off-Broadway shows for up to 50% off. You can also try your luck for a rush or lottery ticket or even head directly to the box office of your favorite show to see if there have been any last minute cancellations. Check out our article on discount Broadway tickets for more detailed information on your options.

What Broadway plays are running right now? Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Job, Left on Tenth, Stereophonic, Romeo and Juliet, McNeal, The Hills of California, Our Town, The Roommate, Yellow Face, and Oh, Mary! are all running right now. English, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and Othello are all coming soon.

What is the most successful Broadway play? Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has cast a spell over Broadway audiences and is one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history. It is also the highest-grossing non-musical show on Broadway.

Recent Broadway Plays

These plays ran on Broadway recently, and while you may have missed them in New York, you could soon see national tours in North America or regional productions of these shows in a city near you!

Home at Roundabout Theatre

Home

Home, written by Samm-Art Williams and directed by Kenny Leon, played at the Todd Haimes Theatre and follows Cephus Miles who loses the love of his love when she leaves for college and meets another man. The original production by the Negro Ensemble Company premiered in 1979, and this revival is part of the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Refocus Project. Time Out New York said, "this play shines in the details. By the end it has won you over into joy."

Appropriate at the Belasco

Appropriate

Appropriate: Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate ran at the Belasco Theatre and follows the Lafayette family when they return to their father’s estate in Arkansas after his passing and discover a few surprising objects among his possessions. Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll starred in what The New York Times called a “very fine, subversively original new play.” This production won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2024.

Mary Jane starring Rachel McAdams

Mary Jane

Mary Jane, written by Amy Herzog and directed by Anne Kauffman, ran at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and starred Rachel McAdams as a mother taking care of her chronically ill child. This acclaimed play ran off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, and Time Out New York called it “exquisite and deeply moving” in a 5-star rave review.

Mother Play at the Hayes

Mother Play

Mother Play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel and directed by Tina Landau, made its world premiere at the Hayes Theater. Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons, and Celia Keenan-Bolger starred in this new play about two teenage children moving into a new apartment under the watchful eye of their opinionated mother. New York Theatre Guide called this Broadway show, "the perfect vehicle for Jessica Lange's return to Broadway after an eight-year hiatus.

Enemy of the People at Circle in the Square

An Enemy of the People

An Enemy of the People: This revival of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play is newly adapted by Amy Herzog and ran at the Circle in the Square Theatre starring Tony Award winner Jeremy Strong and Emmy Award winner Michael Imperioli. Strong played a doctor who must go up against the establishment – and his own brother (Imperioli) – when he discovers something that could put everyone in town at risk. The New York Times called this Broadway production, “crackling and persuasive…[with] a uniformly excellent cast.”

Patriots at the Barrymore Theatre

Patriots

Patriots, written by Peter Morgan (creator of the TV show The Crown) and directed by Rupert Goold, ran at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre after a hit run on the West End. Michael Stuhlbarg starred as Boris Berezovsky and Will Keen reprised his Oliver-Award-winning role as Vladimir Putin in this standoff that the Financial Times called a “brilliant, bruising political drama…a play of real political heft about a crisis that concerns us all.”

Uncle Vanya

Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov with a new translation by Heidi Schreck and direction by Lila Neugebauer ran at Lincoln Center Theater’s Beaumont Theatre. With a star-studded cast including Steve Carell, Alison Pill, Alfred Molina, William Jackson Harper, Anika Noni Rose, and Jayne Houdyshell, this classic play follows Sonya and her uncle Vanya who manage the family farm peacefully until Sonya’s father and stepmother come to town.

Doubt at the American Airlines Theatre

Doubt: A Parable

Doubt: A Parable, written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by Scott Ellis, comes to Broadway’s Todd Haimes Theatre starring Amy Ryan and Liev Schrieber. This Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play had its Broadway premiere in 2005 starring Cherry Jones and Brian F. O’Byrne, and it has also been adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The play centers around a nun, Sister Aloysius Beauvier, who suspects that a priest, Father Brendan Flynn, may be having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The New York Times called the original production “tight, absorbing, and expertly acted.”

Prayer for the French Republic at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Prayer for the French Republic

Prayer for the French Republic: Written by Joshua Harmon and directed by David Cromer, Prayer for the French Republic played at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre after an acclaimed run off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club. The play follows a Jewish couple in Paris in 1944 and their great-grandchildren decades later. The New York Times said this “ambitious new play toggles between a contemporary Jewish family facing growing antisemitism and their relatives during World War II.”

Purlie Victorious at the Music Box Theatre

Purlie Victorious

Purlie Victorious: Leslie Odom, Jr. returned to Broadway for the first time since his iconic role as Aaron Burr in the megahit Hamilton. Written by Ossie Davis, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch was directed by Kenny Leon and follows Purlie, a preacher who is on a mission to buy back the town’s church. Entertainment Weekly said, “Ossie Davis' 1961 play has whip-smart dialogue, historical wisdom, and the physical comedy of a top-notch farce.” 

I Need That at the American Airlines Theatre

I Need That

I Need That: Written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, this world premiere at Roundabout Theatre Company’s American Airlines Theatre starred Danny DeVito as Sam, his daughter Lucy DeVito as Amelia, and Ray Anthony Thomas as Foster. When agoraphobic Sam receives a notice from the government demanding he clean up his property or face eviction, he has to decide what is trash, what is treasure, and how to know the difference.

Jaja's African Hair Braiding at the Samuel J Friedman Theatre

Jaja's African Hair Braiding

Jaja's African Hair Braiding: Written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White, this world premiere played at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Set in Jaja’s bustling hair braiding salon in Harlem during one sweltering summer day, love will blossom, dreams will flourish, and secrets will be revealed. The New York Times called it “a hot and hilarious workplace sitcom.”

The Shark is Broken at the Golden Theatre

The Shark is Broken

The Shark is Broken: Set against the backdrop of the film Jaws, The Shark is Broken is written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon and directed by Guy Masterson. Ian Shaw stars as his father Robert Shaw, who played the iconic shark hunter Quint in the movie. Watch as Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider navigate behind-the-scenes drama as they wait on a mechanical shark that always seems to be broken. WhatsOnStage says the show is “highly original…packed with wit, insight and pop culture references…it’s also deliriously funny.”

The Cottage at the Hayes Theater

The Cottage

The Cottage: Written by Sandy Rustin and directed by Jason Alexander, this romantic comedy begins when a woman decides to tell her husband and her lover’s wife about their affair. What follows is a hilarious romp that TheaterMania says is “positively delightful…there are few things more pleasant on a steamy New York afternoon or evening than to sit down in a cool theater, turn off your brain, and laugh for two hours straight. The Cottage more than fits the bill.”

Alex Edelman Just For Us at the Hudson Theatre

Alex Edelman: Just For Us

Alex Edelman: Just For Us: Written and performed by Alex Edelman and directed by Adam Brace, Just For Us played on Broadway after hit runs off-Broadway and in London, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Boston, and Washington D.C. Just For Us follows Alex as he infiltrates a group of White Nationalists in Queens after receiving antisemitic tweets online. The Daily Beast says, “This is brilliant comedy…just as hilarious and sharply observed on Broadway as it was off.”

Grey House at the Lyceum Theatre

Grey House

Grey House: Written by Levi Holloway and directed by Joe Mantello, Grey House ran at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre. Starring Laurie Metcalf, Tatiana Maslany, and Paul Sparks, the play follows a couple who seek shelter in a remote cabin after their car breaks down. The Chicago Tribune said, “'Grey House' is a savvy, smart, self-aware new play…and it just happens to be legitimately terrifying.”

Looking for a Musical?

Check out our article on Best Broadway Musicals for information on musical theater shows like Hamilton, MJ the Musical about Michael Jackson, and The Great Gatsby.

Kathryn Willingham

Head of Creative Development at Jean Doumanian Productions

Kathryn Willingham has worked in entertainment for over ten years, and recent credits include: Co-producer of SHRINK currently streaming on Peacock, Associate Producer of the independent film UNA, and Creative Executive on multiple theatrical productions including HANGMEN by Martin McDonagh on Broadway, NASSIM by Nassim Soleimanpour Off-broadway and Associate on productions EVERY BRILLIANT THING by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe and THE EFFECT by Lucy Prebble. She was Producer of Todd Almond’s musical travelogue “Wyoming and Parts of Kansas” and Production Coordinator for Karen O and KK Barrett's “Stop the Virgens.”

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Education: B.A. in English, Literature & Creative Writing from Rhodes College
Knowledge: Theatrical Production

Published

Oct 1, 2022

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