Your Broadway Spring Preview! (2017 Edition)
A guide to 22 upcoming productions
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NOTE: Within each category, shows are listed in the order they begin performances
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NEW MUSICALS
Come From Away
(Schoenfeld Theatre; 45th Street btw. 7th and 8th Aves)
Previews begin February 18. Opens March 12.
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War Paint
(Nederlander Theatre; 41st St. btw. 7th and 8th Aves.)
Previews begin March 7. Opens April 6.
Double Diva Delight! Both Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole star in this new musical from the team behind Grey Gardens. They play, respectively, Helena Rubinsten and Elizabeth Arden, who founded the global cosmetics industry in the early 20th century.
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Amélie
Previews begin March 9. Opens April 3.
Move over Les Miz, there’s a new French musical in town! Based on the beloved 2001 film about a quirky Parisian woman whose quest to help the less fortunate leads her to unexpected romance, this adaptation stars Hamilton‘s Phillipa Soo in the title role.
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Groundhog Day
Previews begin March 16. Opens April 17.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Stop me… okay, I’ll stop. But the point is that the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day – about a dyspeptic weatherman who’s forced to live the same day over and over – will be striding onto the stage. The movie is one of the all-time great comedies, and it seems possible that composer-lyricist Tim Minchin will be able to capture its cracked spirit. After all, Minchin also wrote the score for Matilda, which was both delicious and bizarre.
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Anastasia
(Broadhurst Theatre; 44th St. btw. 7th and 8th Aves.)
Previews begin March 23. Opens April 24.
Back in the 90s, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens took a break from writing musicals like Ragtime and Once on This Island to compose a few songs for an animated film about the last surviving child of the Russian royal family as she attempts to reunite with her grandmother. Now those songs have become the bedrock of a full-length stage adaptation.
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Previews begin March 28. Opens April 23.
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Bandstand
(Bernard Jacobs Theatre; 45th St. btw. 7th and 8th Aves.)
Previews begin March 31. Opens April 26.)
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NEW PLAYS
Significant Other
(Booth Theatre; 45th St. between 7th and 8th Aves.)
Previews begin February 14. Opens March 2.)
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Sweat
Previews begin March 4. Opens March 26.
Playwright Lynn Nottage is a genius. Let’s just say that for the record. Besides, the MacArthur Foundation gave her a “genius” grant, and she won a Pulitzer Prize for her play Ruined. She could easily win again for Sweat, a perceptive drama about the employees of a small-town factory who are terrified to learn that the plant might be closing down. This is a play about of-the-moment issues filled with recognizable Americans just trying to get by, but it’s also something of a thriller. An early scene suggests something bad is coming, and we have to figure out what it might be.
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The Play That Goes Wrong
(Lyceum Theatre; 45th St. btw. 6th and 7th Aves.)
Previews begin March 9. Opens April 2.
In the spirit of Noises Off, this British farce follows a troupe of mildly talented actors who are trying to put on a murder-mystery drama. You can guess from the title how that works out. This play was a hit on London’s West End, where it won an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.
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Oslo
(Vivian Beaumont Theatre; 65th St. btw. Columbus and Amsterdam)
Previews begin March 23. Opens April 13.
When it played at Lincoln Center last summer, J.T. Rogers’s play became a hot ticket for anyone who loves political theatre. Inspired by the true events that brought Israeli and Palestinian leaders together for peace talks in the early 90s, the show is both a thoughtful treatise on global politics and an empathetic (even funny) look at how custom and ritual can impact our personal relationships. And let me make this bold prediction now: Michael Aronov is going to get a Tony nomination for his performance as a passionate and principled Israeli politician.
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A Doll’s House, Part 2
(Golden Theatre; 45th St. at 8th Ave.)
Previews begin April 1. Opens April 27. Closes July 30.
In his sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s indispensable drama, playwright Lucas Hnath (Red Speedo, The Christians) imagines what happens to Nora Helmer when she returns to the family she so famously left behind at the end of the original play. She’s been gone for years, however, and many things have changed, so who knows what will happen? The all-star cast includes Laurie Metcalf, Chris Cooper, Jayne Houdyshell, and Condola Rashad.
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Indecent
(Cort Theatre; 48th St. btw. 6th and 7th Aves.)
Previews begin April 4. Opens April 18.
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MUSICAL REVIVALS
Sunset Boulevard
(Palace Theatre; 7th Ave. and 46th St.)
Previews begin February 2. Opens February 9.
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Sunday in the Park with George
(Hudson Theatre; 44th St. btw. 6th and 7th Aves.)
Previews begin February 11. Opens February 23. Closes April 23.
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Miss Saigon
Previews begin March 1. Opens March 23. Closes January 14, 2018.)
Even if you don’t know this musical – Boublil and Schönberg’s smash-hit follow-up to Les Miserables — you’ve probably heard how the original production featured a flying helicopter. But beyond the spectacle, there are also some stirring songs and a tragic love story that updates the tale of Madame Butterfly.
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Hello, Dolly!
(Shubert Theatre; 44th St. btw. 7th and 8th Aves.)
Previews begin March 15. Opens April 20.
Bette Midler stars as Dolly Levi in this revival of the musical about a widow who’s trying to spark romance in the lives of the people around her. David Hyde Pierce, Kate Baldwin, and Gavin Creel are also in the 36-person cast.
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PLAY REVIVALS
The Glass Menagerie
(Belasco Theatre; 44th St. btw. 6th and 7th Aves.)
Previews begin February 7. Opens March 9. Closes July 30.
In this latest revival of Tennessee Williams’s play about a faded Southern belle trying desperately to ensure the happiness of her troubled children, Sally Field stars as Amanda Wingfield and Joe Mantello plays her son, who is based on Williams himself.
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The Price
(American Airlines Theatre; 42nd St. btw. 7th and 8th Aves.)
Previews begin February 16. Opens March 16. Closes May 7.
If you give up your dreams to support your family, can you ever be sure you made the right choice? That question haunts the hero of Arthur Miller’s 1968 play as he sells off his parents’ estate. Mark Ruffalo stars alongside Tony Shalhoub, Jessica Hecht, and Danny DeVito.
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Present Laughter
(St. James Theatre; 44th St. btw. 7th and 8th Aves.)
Previews begin March 10. Opens April 5. Closes June 2.
Kevin Kline stars in this revival of Noël Coward’s droll comedy about a self-obsessed actor who’s trying to manage a mid-life crisis. Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel proved his comedy chops a few seasons ago with his production of Hand to God, and along with Kline, he’s got Kate Burton, Cobie Smulders, and Kristine Nielsen in his cast to bring the laughs.
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The Little Foxes
Previews begin March 29. Opens April 19. Closes July 16.
In certain circles, Lillian Hellman’s play about a vindictive, fraying Southern family battling for control of an estate is considered one the most juicily enjoyable plays in the American canon. (That circle includes yours truly). Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon will alternate the roles of Regina and Birdie, warring sisters-in-law with axes to grind. Bring. It. On.
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Six Degrees of Separation
Previews begin April 5. Opens April 25. Closes July 16.
Allison Janney and John Benjamin Hickey will play Ouisa and Flan Kittredge in John Guare’s sensational dramedy about a con man who tricks a wealthy community into believing he’s the son of Sidney Poitier. This revival is directed by Trip Cullman, who’s also directing Significant Other this spring.
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Follow TDF Stages editor Mark Blankenship at @IAmBlankenship. Follow TDF at @TDFNYC.
MARK BLANKENSHIP