Evelyn Kanter ecoXplorer - Broadway Shows Opening Fall 2022

Comedy and tragedy, music and dancing, new shows and revivals – it’s all happening on Broadway this fall, with more than a dozen shows opening now through December.

Here is your full guide to the best of Broadway, so you can check your calendar and get tickets, now, especially for shows with a limited run.

Update of Broadway shows closing soon

The Music Man
The popular revival starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster closes on Jan. 1, 2023, when its famous 76 trombones go silent. It ran for more than 400 preview and regular performances, plagued by shut-downs when its stars contracted Covid-19.

Beetlejuice
Closing on Jan. 8, 2023.. According to Variety, the stage-version of Tim Burton’s 1988 film about a pesky poltergeist isn’t going away entirely. After the curtain comes down on Broadway, “Beetlejuice” is embarking on a 26-city national tour, beginning on Dec. 6 in San Francisco.

Phantom of the Opera
The longest-running show in Broadway history – it opened in 1988 – is scheduled to close February 18 2023. Even a surge in ticket sales since the closing announcement was made isn’t enough to save it.

New Broadway Shows Fall 2022

Note that masks are optional; visit broadway.org for more information on individual shows.

For accessibility information, see Theatre Access New York City.

Tickets are available directly from the box office or with an online booking fee from distributors such as TodayTix and TheaterMania.

The Kite Runner. Photo: Joan Marcus

The Kite Runner

Through October 30 only

A theatrical adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel of the same name, The Kite Runner is centered on a Pashtun boy named Amir living in Kabul.

After fleeing his homeland at the start of the Soviet invasion, Amir and his father take refuge in California. As they age and encounter challenges, the two men reflect on their choices and mistakes, ultimately weaving a heart-wrenching tale about loyalty and faith.

Amir Arison, a star of TV’s The Blacklist, makes his Broadway debut as the lead.

For fans of: book adaptations, historical fiction, redemption stories

Leopoldstadt (London production). Photo: Marc Brenner

Leopoldstadt

Previews begin September 14, opens October 2

This family drama, transplanted from London’s West End and written by award-winning playright Tom Stoppard, is an intimate look at the playwright’s public acknowledgment of his own Jewish history.

The story originates in – and gets its name from – a Jewish community in Vienna and spans the first half of the 20th century, including the start of the Holocaust.

The harrowing work earned the 2020 Olivier Award for Best New Play.

For fans of: British plays, family dynamics, history

Courtesy, 1776

1776

Previews now underway, opens October 6, closes January 8, 2023

The Broadway return of 1776 is revolutionary in more than just its name – this entirely new and re-imagined production features a cast of two dozen female and femme-identifying actors.

In this fictionalized take on the actual events that led up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the all-too-human founding “fathers” must conquer interpersonal differences to build a new nation.

For fans of: Hamilton, reimagining the classics, history

Courtesy, Death of a Salesman at London’s Piccadilly Theatre

Previews now underway, opens October 9

Willy Loman is a salesman chasing the American dream, but his pursuit of a better life for his family continues to be a futile one that drives him into madness.

Considered one of the best plays of the 20th century, Death of a Salesman is spearheaded in this version by Wendell Pierce and Sharon D. Clarke and marks Broadway’s first production of the work from a Black perspective.

For fans of: thought-provoking plays, midcentury playwrights, reimagining the classics

The Piano Lesson

Previews now underway, opening night TBD, closes January 15, 2023

It’s 1936 Pittsburgh, and the Charles siblings are at odds over a family heirloom—a piano. While Boy Willie wants to sell it to buy land, his sister Berniece wants to hold onto the instrument, which is engraved with portraits of their ancestors, for sentimental sake.

Renowned playwright August Wilson’s fierce, powerful, Pulitzer Prize–winning play features an all-star cast including Samuel L. Jackson (who originated the role of Boy Willie in 1987), John David Washington and Danielle Brooks. The director is LaTanya Richardson Jackson, wife of leading man Samuel L.

For fans of: August Wilson, legacy stories, sibling rivalry

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Photo: Seye Isikalu

Topdog/Underdog

Previews begin September 27, opens October 20, closes January 15, 2023

Named “the greatest American play” of the past 25 years by the New York Times, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog makes its return to Broadway shortly after its 20th anniversary (it premiered Off-Broadway in 2001 and had a short run the following year on Broadway).

The play centers on brothers Lincoln and Booth, who are haunted by their past and consumed by the street gambling game three-card monte.

Corey Hawkins (Six Degrees of Separation, Straight Outta Compton) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman, Watchmen) lead the poetic dark comedy about brotherly love and commitment.

For fans of: Lovecraft Country, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man

Almost Famous. Photo: Neal Preston

Almost Famous

Previews begin October 3, opens November 3

The musical adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s hit film. As in the movie, teenager William Miller dreams of being a music journalist and finding a place in the notoriously difficult industry.

He gets the chance of a lifetime when Rolling Stone sends him on assignment to cover one of the hottest new bands, but learns the realities of love, coming of age and the rock-star lifestyle on the road.

For fans of: rock ’n’ roll, 1970s style, chasing the dream

Kimberly Akimbo

Previews begin October 12, opens November 10

Just like her peers in New Jersey, Kim (played by Victoria Clark) is dealing with a dysfunctional family—but the witty teen has an idiosyncratic set of hurdles.

In addition to facing a potential felony charge, she suffers from a rare condition which makes her age faster and look much older than she is (think 72 rather than 17). Regardless, Kim is determined to find happiness, on her own time.

The musical wowed audiences during its Off-Broadway run last fall and looks to keep the momentum going with this transfer.

For fans of: musicals, dramedies

KPOP

Previews begin October 13, opens November 10

Helen Park makes history as the first Asian American female composer on Broadway in this examination of and appreciation of K-pop.

The musical, which began as an immersive Off-Broadway experience in Hell’s Kitchen, stars real-life South Korean pop sensation Luna as MwE, an ambitious artist who takes the industry head-on.

For fans of: BTS, high-octane musicals and concerts

& Juliet

Previews begin October 28, opens November 17

While Shakespeare’s story of ill-fated romance has been remade many times, this musical sets itself apart by asking, “What happened next?”, under the assumption Juliet did not grab for that dagger after Romeo died.

Originally performed on London’s West End, & Juliet riffs on one of the most famous love stories in history using a jukebox musical format.

Note that it is a comedy, not a drama, and includes pop hits from artists like Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears and Katy Perry.

For fans of: The Princess Diaries, early 2000s pop music

Courtesy, Some Like It Hot

Some Like It Hot

Previews begin November 1, opens December 11

One of the Golden Age of Hollywood’s best-loved comedies comes to Broadway as a musical.

The adaptation of the award-winning 1959 film centers on two musicians—played by Christian Borle and J. Harrison Ghee—who disguise themselves as women in order to evade the mobsters pursuing them, and their hideout with an all-girl orchestra.

Tony winner Matthew Lopez (The Inheritance) and Emmy-nominated late-night host Amber Ruffin collaborated on the book.

The original movie roles were played by Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe. The brilliant and classic film was directed by Billy Wilder.

For fans of: slapstick, rom-coms, live theater versions of classic films

Ain’t No Mo

Previews begin November 3, opens December 1

Produced by award-winning director and screenwriter Lee Daniels, Ain’t No Mo explores a scenario in which Black Americans are offered a one-way flight to Africa.

In a series of vignettes, the show examines both the terrors and joys of Black life in America.

For fans of: George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum, Robert O’Hara’s Bootycandy, a bit of camp

The Collaboration

Previews begin November 29, opens December 20

Starring Paul Bettany (WandaVision, Avengers) as Andy Warhol and Jeremy Pope (Pose, Netflix’s Hollywood) as Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Collaboration examines the relationship between two artists at different phases of their careers as they create a joint exhibition in 1984.

While the story is fictionalized, the real-life pair worked together on paintings (mostly by mail) in the 1980s and became good friends.

For fans of: John Logan’s Red, art history, people who enjoyed more than 15 minutes of fame

Thanks to NYCGO, the member-supported NYC convention and visitors bureau, for the research which contributed to this article.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.