Click through to read our picks for Broadway's buzzed-about productions that are sure to be hot tickets this fall.
In recent years the National Theatre's Broadway transfers of War Horse and One Man, Two Guvnors nabbed Tony Awards following their celebrated London premieres. Curious Incident may be the next in line after winning seven Olivier Awards, including Best Play. Adapted from the best-selling book by Mark Haddon, Simon Stephens' multi-media stage play about a 15-year-old boy attempting to solve a neighborhood crime is imaginatively staged by Tony-winning War Horse director Marianne Elliott. London critics and audiences raved for the production that already has New York theatre insiders buzzing. Performances begin Sept. 10 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Book tickets here.
Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning family drama centers on a long-married couple whose life is turned upside down when friends and family descend on their home for a tense three-day weekend. Pam MacKinnon, who earned a Tony Award for the 2012 Broadway revival of Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, directs the production that marks Glenn Close's return to Broadway after winning the Tony for Sunset Boulevard 20 years ago. The cast also boasts Lithgow, Plimpton, Lindsay Duncan, Bob Balaban and Clare Higgins. Previews begin Oct. 20 for a limited engagement through Feb. 22, 2015, at the Golden Theatre. Book tickets here.
Photo by T. Charles Erickson |
The two-time Academy Award-nominated "Silver Linings Playbook" star, last on Broadway in Three Days of Rain, returns to the stage in a revival of Bernard Pomerance's drama about real-life disfigured Victorian man John Merrick. Cooper is joined by Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson in the production that premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2012. Performances begin Nov. 7 for a limited run through Feb. 15, 2015, at the Booth Theatre. Book tickets here.
Has there been a more star-studded comedy on Broadway in recent memory? Producers co-stars Lane and Broderick reunite in Terrence McNally's theatrical backstage comedy about the opening of a new Broadway play that also stars "Will & Grace" Emmy winner Megan Mullally, Tony Award winner Stockard Channing, "Harry Potter" actor Rupert Grint, Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham and Micah Stock. The limited, 18-week engagement begins performances Aug. 28 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Book tickets here.
Sixteen-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sting makes his debut as a Broadway composer with this new musical inspired by his own boyhood in the shipyards of Northern England. The Last Ship arrives in New York after a pre-Broadway Chicago run, which was admired by critics. Tony winner Joe Mantello directs the dark, folk-tinged musical set in the English seafaring town of Wallsend that centers on a man who returns home after 14 years away, only to find that his community may need him now more than ever as they face a changing world. Michael Esper, Jimmy Nail, Aaron Lazar and Rachel Tucker lead the ensemble cast. Performances begin Sept. 29 at the Neil Simon Theatre. Book tickets here.
Tony Award winner and international superstar Hugh Jackman returns to Broadway this fall in a new play by Jez Butterworth, the author of the acclaimed drama Jerusalem. Here's how the "bewitching" new drama is billed: "In a remote cabin above a river, a dedicated trout fisherman tries to hook a woman into a little night-time fishing. But are fish his only prey?" The River gives fans the chance to see Jackman close-up. It will play the intimate, in-the-round 776-seat Circle in the Square. Performances begin Oct. 31 for a limited run through Jan. 25, 2015. Book tickets here.
Two-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Lonergan's 1996 drama follows a day in the life of three teenage New York slackers. Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro (August: Osage County, Of Mice and Men) directs the production that hits Broadway after premiering at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre earlier this summer. "Arrested Development" and "Juno" star Cera is joined by Culkin ("Igby Goes Down") and Gevinson ("Enough Said"), all of whom make their Broadway debuts with the play. Performances begin Aug. 18 at the Cort Theatre. The 20-week limited engagement closes Jan. 4, 2015. Book tickets here.