In recent years, few new shows have opened on Broadway during the “summer season” that runs between the end of April (the cutoff for consideration for the Tony Awards) and the early fall. This summer, surprisingly, a full and diverse pallet of new shows is coming to Broadway.
Grey House
Two-time Tony Award winner Laurie Metcalf leads Levi Holloway’s horror drama in which a stranded couple that seeks shelter in an isolated cabin during a blizzard and encounters increasingly troubling circumstances. The cast also includes Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”), Paul Sparks (“House of Cards”), Sophia Anne Caruso (“School For Good And Evil”), and Millicent Simmonds (“A Quiet Place”). Currently in previews at the Lyceum Theatre, GreyHouseBroadway.com.
Once Upon a One More Time
Of course there would eventually be a Britney Spears jukebox musical – and here it is. With fairy tales and feminism combined with Spears’ familiar pop anthems, various well-known princesses fall under the influence of Betty Friedan’s classic “The Feminine Mystique” and decide to discard their stories and seek more out of life. Believe it or not, this will mark the second musical currently on Broadway with a playlist that includes “Oops I Did It Again” (following “& Juliet”). The cast includes Adam Godley (“The Lehman Trilogy”), Justin Guarini (“American Idol”), and Jennifer Simard (“Hello, Dolly!”). Currently in previews at the Marquis Theatre, OneMoreTimeMusical.com.
Here Lies Love
A decade following its celebrated Off-Broadway premiere at the Public Theater, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s electro-pop musical about former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos, which is not unlike a discotheque revamp of “Evita,” is finally coming to Broadway. To suit the show’s immersive nature, the Broadway Theatre will be transformed into a dance club environment in which audience members stand and move with the actors. Begins previews on June 17 at the Broadway Theatre, HereLiesLoveBroadway.com.
Just For Us
Writer and performer Alex Edelman will bring his hit comic monologue (which previously played Off-Broadway’s Cherry Lane Theatre) to Broadway for a limited run. In the show, Edelman recounts his experience of covertly attending a meeting of White Nationalists in order to better understand the rise of anti-Semitic rhetoric on the Internet. Begins previews on June 22 at the Hudson Theatre, JustForUsShow.com.
Back to the Future: The Musical
This stage musical adaptation of the classic 1985 film comedy, which debuted in Manchester and is currently running in London, has plenty of special effects plus new songs and the ones featured in the film including “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.” Tony Award winner Roger Bart (“Young Frankenstein,” “The Producers”) takes over for Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown. Begins previews on June 30 at the Winter Garden Theatre, BacktotheFutureMusical.com.
The Cottage
Jason Alexander makes his debut as a Broadway director with a new farce by Sandy Rustin (“Clue”) that is in the style of Noel Coward and set in the 1920s English countryside. It will star Eric McCormack (“Will & Grace”), Laura Bell Bundy (“Legally Blonde”), and Lilli Cooper (“Tootsie”). Begins previews on July 7 at the Hayes Theater, TheCottageonBroadway.com.
The Shark is Broken
This behind-the-scenes comedy, which previously played London, explores the making of the film “Jaws.” Among the cast is co-writer Ian Shaw, who will play his father, Robert Shaw, who played the shark hunter Quint in the movie. Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss also turn up as characters. Begins previews on July 25 at the Golden Theatre, TheSharkIsBroken.com.
