[pullquote]Our fall theater guide highlights the much-anticipated Tina Turner musical, yet another adaptation of West Side Story and Marisa Tomei’s return to the Broadway stage.[/pullquote]There is something about the theater in the fall that encompasses the hopefulness that New York is known for: as the days turn shorter and darkness envelopes the city at earlier hours, the twinkling lights of Broadway seem to shine a bit brighter, urging folks seeking indoor comforts to rush in and lose themselves within the stories that come alive across over 40 local stages.
This fall, more than 10 new shows will make their debut on Broadway, all productions sure to send ripples across the city’s cultural scene and beyond.
Concert experiences feature prominently on the roster: Harry Connick, Jr. will take on the work of artist Cole Porter in a self-conceived and self-directed production. Talking Heads’ David Byrne, on the other hand, will perform his own solo music and his band’s greatest hits in American Utopia.
Arguably the most anticipated musicals of the season will revolve around Tina Turner, whose artistry and life will be the focus of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical; Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album Jagged Little Pill, the basis of an eponymous fall production; and West Side Story, a show whose Broadway revival will coincide with a 2020 feature film tackling the same material, this one directed by Steven Spielberg.
But, as is almost always the case on Broadway, quieter plays promise to deliver the most. Expect actresses Mary-Louise Parker and Marisa Tomei—set to star, respectively, in The Sound Inside and The Rose Tattoo—to make headlines in their explorations of womanhood and tragic family life.
Whether solely in previews or officially opening this fall, these Broadway shows will delight you, excite you, make you cry and giggle with joy all at once—just like the season’s unpredictable weather.
Previews: September 14, 2019
Opening night: October 17, 2019
Closing date: January 12, 2020
Actress Mary-Louise Parker returns to the Broadway stage as Bella Baird, a creative writing professor at Yale. The play explores her relationship with a challenging student named Christopher Dunn, played by Will Hochman.
Previews: September 19, 2019
Opening night: October 15, 2019
Closing date: December 8, 2020
Marisa Tomei is Serafina, a widowed seamstress who rediscovers her lust for life after meeting a new lover, in this revival of the famous Tennessee Williams play.
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical
Previews: September 20, 2019
Opening night: October 16, 2019
Closing date: January 5, 2020
A company of seven plays over 45 characters in this musical based on Rick Riordan’s bestselling novel, which tells the tale of Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, and his quest to discover and control his superpowers.
Previews: September 27, 2019
Opening night: November 17, 2019
Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry—the director and producer of Netflix’s The Crown—directs this two-part play loosely based on E.M. Forster’s novel Howards End. In telling the story of three generations of gay men, playwright Matthew Lopez relocates the setting to a 21st century New York.
Previews: October 4, 2019
Opening night: October 20, 2019
Closing date: January 19, 2020
Scottish-American artist David Byrne, of Talking Heads fame, teams up with choreographer Annie-B Parson and director Alex Timbers for this theatrical concert experience that will feature tracks off the artist’s eponymous 2018 album, in addition to other hits. Expect a slew of musicians the likes of Karl Mansfield, Angie Swan and Jacquelene Acevedo to join him on stage.
Previews: October 12, 2019
Opening night: November 7, 2019
One of the most anticipated shows of the year will chronicle the life of legendary artist Tina Turner, born Anna Mae Bullock. Follow her upbringing in Tennessee, her tumultuous marriage to Ike and her much-discussed stardom. The musical debuted as a West End production back in 2018, starring Adrienne Warren as Turner. The actress will reprise her role in the Broadway production.
Previews: November 3, 2019
Opening night: December 5, 2019
The music and lyrics of Grammy Award-winning artist Alanis Morissette get the Broadway treatment in this new musical by Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody. Morissette’s eponymous 1995 album, which won five Grammys at the time (including Album of the Year) sets the tone for the story of the Healy family, a seemingly “normal” clan whose issues and woes become apparent as the minutes roll by.
Previews: December 20, 2019
Opening night: January 23, 2020
Closing date: March 1, 2020
Following their move to Grand Horizons, husband-and-wife duo Bill and Nancy, married for 50 years, decide to split. The play—starring Thomas Sadoski, Priscilla Lopez and Michael Urie, among others—explores the couple’s adult kids’ reaction to the news, dissecting the fiber of a family slowly coming undone.
Previews: December 10, 2019
Opening night: February 6, 2020
It’s a big year for the 1957 musical, which has been adapted repeatedly both for the big screen and the stage throughout the years. In 2020, Steven Spielberg will direct and co-produce the musical film, based on a screenplay by Tony Kushner and starring Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler. The umpteenth stage adaptation, on the other hand, will star 23 performers making their Broadway debuts in the perennially favorite retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The Sharks and the Jets are back once more.
Harry Connick Jr. — A Celebration of Cole Porter
Previews: December, 2019
Triple threat Harry Connick, Jr. takes the Broadway stage in celebration of the life and work of Cole Porter. The concert experience has been conceived and will be directed by Connick, Jr. himself.
My Name is Lucy Barton
Previews: January 6, 2020
Opening night: January 15, 2020
Closing date: March 1, 2020
Technically opening in the winter, this new solo play starring actress par excellence Laura Linney should already be on your radar. The show—adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name by Elizabeth Strout—sold out during its original run at London’s Bridge Theatre and sees Linney reprising her role as the title character, who wakes up after an operation to find her mother in the room after not seeing her for years.
