As the frost melts and the marquees light up, Broadway will roll out a fresh bouquet of new productions—some long-awaited, others delightfully unexpected.
This spring season brings high-profile dramas starring Hollywood heavyweights, a “Stranger Things” prequel, a jazzy Gilbert & Sullivan remix, and a parade of musicals covering everything from Betty Boop and Marilyn Monroe to Bobby Darin, Stephen Sondheim, a trapped cave explorer, a corpse that becomes a carnival sideshow, and a corpse that becomes the center of a World War II military operation.
Redwood: Idina Menzel, the original Elphaba in “Wicked” and the voice of Elsa in “Frozen,” returns to Broadway for the first time in a decade in a new musical about a woman’s journey into the redwoods of Northern California as she seeks sanctuary. Opens Feb. 13 at the Nederlander Theatre, 208 W. 41st St., redwoodmusical.com.
Operation Mincemeat: Written by the English comedy troupe SplitLip, this new World War II-era musical comedy tells the story of a secret Allied Forces operation involving a stolen corpse. Begins previews on Feb. 15 at the John Golden Theatre, 252 W. 45th St., operationbroadway.com.
Othello: Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal square off as Othello and Iago in a new production of Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy. Begins previews on Feb. 24 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St., othellobway.com.
Purpose: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose dark comedy “Appropriate” became a surprise hit last season, returns with a new play about an influential and accomplished Black family in Illinois with deep-rooted secrets. Begins previews on Feb. 25 at the Hayes Theater, 240 W. 44th St., purposeonbroadway.com.
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Sarah Snook (“Succession”) portrays all the characters in Oscar Wilde’s 1891 Gothic novel about a hedonistic young man who sells his soul for eternal youth. Begins previews on March 10 at the Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St., doriangrayplay.com.
Glengarry Glen Ross: David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning depiction of a ruthless, unscrupulous, and desperate pack of Chicago real estate salesmen returns with Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”), Kieran Culkin (“Succession”), Bill Burr, and Michael McKean. Begins previews on March 10 at the Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway, glengarryonbroadway.com.
Boop! The Betty Boop Musical: Following two decades of development by a variety of different writers and directors, a Betty Boop musical has finally arrived. Begins previews on March 11 at the Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St., boopthemusical.com.
Smash: The short-lived NBC television series about the making of a Broadway musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe has been redeveloped into a Broadway musical of its own. Begins previews on March 11 at the Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 45th St., smashbroadway.com.
Good Night, and Good Luck: George Clooney plays legendary broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow in a stage adaptation of the 2005 black-and-white film that pits Murrow against Senator Joseph McCarthy and explores the role of journalism in American society. Begins previews on March 12 at the Winter Garden Theatre, 1634 Broadway, goodnightgoodluckbroadway.com.
The Last Five Years: Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren lead the first Broadway production of Jason Robert Brown’s 2002 song cycle that explores how a young marriage falls apart through opposing timelines. Begins previews on March 18 at the Hudson Theatre, 141 W. 44th St., thelastfiveyearsbroadway.com.
Buena Vista Social Club: The music of Cuba’s mid-century golden age is celebrated in this new musical inspired by the album and documentary of the same name, in which a group of Cuban musicians recorded an album over seven days in Havana in 1996. Begins previews on March 19 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th St., buenavistamusical.com.
John Proctor is the Villain: “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink leads a new play in which contemporary high school students question Arthur Miller’s classic drama “The Crucible.” Begins previews on March 20 at the Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St., johnproctoristhevillain.com.
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends: Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga headline a new revue celebrating the songs of Stephen Sondheim, which debuted as a starry gala concert and then received an extended West End run. Begins previews on March 25 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th St., manhattantheatreclub.com.
Floyd Collins: Adam Guettel and Tina Landau’s innovative musical drama depicts a young cave explorer in 1925 Kentucky who becomes trapped underground. Begins previews on March 27 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, 150 W. 65th St., lct.org.
Just in Time: Jonathan Groff, who just won a Tony Award for “Merrily We Roll Along,” now plays Bobby Darin in a new bio-musical featuring Darin songs such as “Beyond the Sea,” “Dream Lover” and “Mack the Knife.” Begins previews on March 28 at Circle in the Square Theatre, 235 W. 50th St., justintimebroadway.com.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow: This action-packed stage prequel to the teen horror/fantasy series on Netflix is set in 1959 Hawkins, Indiana, when adult characters such as Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers were teenagers. Begins previews on March 28 at the Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway, strangerthingsonstage.com.
Real Women Have Curves: Based on the 2002 HBO film, the musical follows a young Hispanic woman in 1987 East Los Angeles trying to balance her ambitions with her family’s expectations. Begins previews on April 1 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, 138 W. 48th St., realwomenhavecurvesbroadway.com.
Pirates! The Penzance Musical: David Hyde Pierce plays Major General Stanley in a New Orleans jazz reinterpretation of the classic Gilbert & Sullivan operetta “The Pirates of Penzance.” Begins previews on April 4 at the Todd Haimes Theatre, 227 W. 42nd St., roundabouttheatre.org.
Dead Outlaw: This unlikely musical about an early 20th-century criminal whose dead body was turned into a carnival sideshow exhibit transfers to Broadway following an acclaimed Off-Broadway run. Begins previews on April 12 at the Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48th St., deadoutlawmusical.com.
