It doesn't matter if you're from out of town, across the Hudson, or smack dab in the middle of the Theater District: It's not easy knowing what's on Broadway. How many times did you miss a limited engagement? Or seeing one of your favorite actors on Broadway? We're here to help. Here are The Best Plays on Broadway.
Olivier-winning play written by Jez Butterworth is getting quite the hype. Between a 21 actor cast, a baby, a goose, and an intriguing vein of Irish nationalism, The Ferryman achieves both rollicking family fun and a hard interrogation of extremism. Centered on a family with close ties to the IRA, specifically 24 hardened hours, The Ferryman is a beautiful and thought-provoking drama that transcends the rural County Armagh, and the bustling Carney Farm. After three extended runs in London, The Ferryman has arrived, finally, to NYC's Broadway.
Comedian and storyteller Mike Birbiglia has extended his Off-Broadway run of The New One, bringing it to his fans through January 20th. Birbiglia has spent a large part of his career charting his own self-deprecation. So what is The New One? It's one man, Mike Birbiglia, as an adult. It's a character versed in trauma and relationship snafus, in feelings of inadequacy and near constant embarrassment. But with a kid. In The New One, Birbiglia plays a role he never wanted to be in, but tenderly, is.
This new play by Christopher Demos-Brown falls within the new wave of drama written towards the experience of being a young black man in America, specifically when it comes to the threat of racially biased police. Driven by outstanding performances from Kerry Washington and Steven Pasquale, this story offers a perspective aside from the standard procedural. American Son entirely takes place in the waiting room of a South Florida police station, where in the middle of a stormy night Kendra and her estranged husband, Scott, await news of their missing 18-year-old son, Jamal. Gripping, natural, and at times nightmarish, American Son is definitely one you want to see this Broadway season.
Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song has arrived on Broadway, with Michael Urie starring as the impatiently ambitious Arnold Beckoff, who just wants to pave his own way in New York City. Torch Song is both hilarious and heart-wrenching, a play that most families can relate to in one form or another. Though lacking in grit and introspection, the witty and well-meaning Torch Song is a respectable choice for an evening on Broadway.
Iconic actor, comedian, and director Elaine May returns to Broadway for the first time in 50 years for Kenneth Lonergan's acclaimed memory play, The Waverly Gallery. Poignant, devastating, and at times hilarious, The Waverly Gallery details a feisty grandmother's journey as she battles Alzheimer's disease. Liberal, socially active Gladys is reluctant to give up her small, Greenwich Village art gallery, but can't refuse the hands of aging. What else can we say about The Waverly Gallery? Don't forget your waterproof mascara.
Jeff Daniels is the iconic lawyer Atticus Finch in the classic American story, To Kill A Mockingbird. Adapted into a new play by award-winning director Aaron Sorkin, this Broadway endeavor is an industry dream come true. Will this tale of racial injustice transcend on stage, during this tender moment of civil and governmental unrest? We think it's nearly inevitable that this stage adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird becomes an interesting footnote to these crazy times.