8 great shows coming to Broadway and beyond this fall

05.08.2024 - 21:04 / lonelyplanet.com / Meryl Streep

Aug 5, 2024 • 7 min read

New York City is one of the best places in the world to see live theater. Whether you're looking for splashy new musicals, star-studded dramas, revivals of revered classics or edgier fare, you'll find it under Broadway's bright lights and at intimate theaters throughout town.

There are plenty of Broadway shows that opened last season worth checking out: try Tony Award-winning musical The Outsiders, transportive three-hour rock drama Stereophonic, and Cole Escola's uber-queer hit Oh, Mary! But if you want to keep up with NYC's theater connoisseurs, now's the time to snag tickets to new shows that have yet to hit the stage.

Here are some of the buzziest productions debuting this autumn, plus a guide to scoring tickets and attending performances like the most culture-savvy New Yorker. 

St James Theater
Previews begin September 28; opens October 20

Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger gets ready for her close-up as Norma Desmond – the washed-up silent-film star desperate for a comeback – in this stripped-down, celluloid-infused revival from London. The psychological thriller, based on the classic 1950 film noir of the same name, features a score by Andrew Lloyd Weber and book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. Don't expect a stuffy museum piece: director Jamie Lloyd's dramatically reimagined production was a smash hit across the pond, earning seven Olivier Awards (Britain's top theatrical honors) in 2024 – including Best Musical Revival and Best Actress. 

Majestic Theater
Previews begin November 21; opens December 19

It's "curtain up!" for six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald, who's stepping into the shoes of musical theater's most infamous stage mom in this highly anticipated revival. The original production – which opened in 1959 with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim – was inspired by burlesque legend Gypsy Rose Lee's memoir, chronicling her contentious childhood and rise to stripper stardom under the wing of Rose, her overbearing mother. Rose is like King Lear for Broadway's divas: Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone are just a few grand dames to tackle the role. McDonald's interpretation will undoubtedly earn its place in the pantheon of Gypsy legends. 

Lunt-Fontanne Theater
Previews begin October 23; opens November 21

The campy 1992 film starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as vicious frenemies seeking eternal youth is getting the theatrical treatment. Gifted singer-comediennes Megan Hilty (TV's Smash) and Jennifer Simard (two-time Tony nominee and seriously talented scenery chewer) take over as the dueling divas in this slapstick musical with a book by Marco Pennette (a showrunner for TV