It’s a season of big name stars, Tony Award winners, and more top notch talent taking the stage—and tickets are selling like pancakes!
It doesn’t take a musical theater fan to know that a trip to Manhattan will always include a ticket to at least one Broadway show. Call it an integral part of the ultimate Big Apple experience! From the epic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice in Hadestown to the rumbles of The Outsiders” the marquees on The Great White Way have never shone so bright with shows and stars in one of its brightest seasons.
It’s a season of big name stars, Tony Award winners, and more top notch talent taking the stage—and tickets are selling like pancakes. Going from a low of USD50 to a hefty USD450, plus all that merch, it’s going to take careful planning to leave New York with just barely a dent on your budget and your credit card.
To do this, The POST enlisted the help of music producer, songwriter, and singer Lito Villareal to help pick out which shows should be at the top of your ticket list. Before moving to New York, Villareal was also a theater actor, aside from writing the music for and acting in the Trumpets’ hit musical The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
Extra Hot
‘The Outsiders’
The musical, based on the iconic 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film, is one of the biggest hits of the past season. And with four Tony Awards under its belt, including one for “Best Musical,” that’s not likely to change anytime soon. The coming of age story revolves around Ponyboy Curtis (Brody Grant) and his fellow ‘outsiders’ as they navigate life in 1967 Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Outsiders first opened in March of this year at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater.
‘The Notebook’
Videos of Joy Woods’ showstopping performance of “Our Days,” which is sung by her character Middle Allie, have gone viral in recent months. This has sparked greater interest in the musical, based on the 2004 Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel, and the film. With a score by singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, it presents the love story through the eyes of ‘young,’ ‘middle,’ and ‘older’ versions of Allie and Noah.
The Notebook is currently on at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. It was recently announced that the show will close on December 15.
‘Hell’s Kitchen’
Alicia Keys jumps on the Broadway bandwagon with Hell’s Kitchen, which features a soundtrack of the 16-time Grammy Award winner’s biggest hits and new songs. Yet another coming-of-age story, this follows Ali as she discovers how music can give one’s life purpose, inspiration, and a community. Directed by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (of Rent and Dear Evan Hansen fame), the cast is led by Shoshana Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon, Kecia Lewis, Chris Lee, and Maleah Joi Moon.
Hell’s Kitchen is currently running at the Shubert Theatre.
‘Sunset Boulevard’
This revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic is one of the most anticipated shows of the season. Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger’s portrayal of Norma Desmond has not only garnered rave reviews, but has also snagged her an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her career-defining performance gives the audience a look into Desmond’s life as she tries to find her way back to her former glory days as a film star.
Previews begin later this month at the St. James Theater before the show opens in October.
‘Cabaret’
Now on its third revival since it first opened on Broadway in 1966, this iteration has taken the show to the next level. Adam Lambert and Auli’I Cravalho step into the shoes of Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin for the roles of Emcee and Sally Bowles, respectively. Set during Nazi Germany, the dreamers at the KitKat Club have to decide what lies next as the war sets in. The show boasts an immersive experience, including live entertainment in the theater lobby.
Lambert and Cravalho are slated to perform at The August Wilson Theatre through to March of next year.
‘Death Becomes Her’
In yet another film-to-stage adaptation, Smash actress Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard star in the Meryll Streep / Goldie Hawn comedy classic that has all musical theater fans giddy with excitement. Death Becomes Her tells of the pitfalls of fighting over the same man while also in search for the proverbial fountain of youth. What they do end up with is a grudge that lasts for eternity. Tony Award winner and Newsies director Christopher Gattelli takes on the directorial and choreography roles for this brand new musical. This description in the show’s title page in The New York Theatre guide sums it up best – “In this hilarious musical, life’s a bitch and then you die — or not.”
Death Becomes Her opens late October at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater.
Going straight
If star sightings are more your speed, then maybe tickets to the myriad of straight plays that are set to open are in order. Why so? Some of Hollywood’s biggest names will be making their debut on the legitimate stage this season, in compelling material to boot.
Leading the pack is Robert Downey, Jr., who sheds his green cape for a writer’s hat as Jacob McNeal, a man struggling with deeper personal issues despite a storied life as a Nobel Prize winning author in McNeal. With RDJ in the lead, tickets for the play, which runs until November, are going for USD180 to USD450 a pop.
Peter Gallagher and Juliana Margulies take the audience down a more romantic route in Left on Tenth, opening late this month at the James Earl Jones Theater. The play is based on the memoir of Delia Ephron, who wrote the Meg Ryan – Tom Hanks starrer You’ve Got Mail, about how it’s never too late to find love.
Other stars headed to Broadway in early 2025 are Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in Shakespeare’s Othello, and George Clooney in Good Night, and Good Luck, which he has adapted for the stage based on the 2005 film of the same name.
And probably one of the most unexpected theatrical reunions that everyone wants to see – Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure duo Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters will be starring in a new production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
Pinoy pride
Since Miss Saigon first opened on West End in 1989, Filipinos have been making their presence felt on the international stage. Their stars have been shining even brighter over the last few years, taking the lead in original cast lineups and revivals.
Actress Eva Noblezada played Kim, alongside Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi, in the West End revival of Miss Saigon in 2014. Both actresses returned to their roles when the show opened on Broadway in 2017. She then went on to open as Eurydice in both the London and New York premieres of the smash hit, Hadestown, which earned her a second Tony Award nomination. She currently stars opposite Jeremy Jordan in the musical version of The Great Gatsby at the Broadway Theatre, and tickets are selling fast.
Fellow Pinoy and Miss Saigon OG Jon Jon Briones returned to Broadway this year to play Hermes in Hadestown. What made this job special? His daughter Isa also joined the cast as Eurydice. They may have ended their run with the show, but the show continues to be one of musical theater’s hottest draws.
Actor Red Concepcion, who got his start in theater back in Manila, has also been making waves as Amos Hart in the current revival of Chicago. On the other hand, Glee alum Darren Criss will also be opening the new musical Maybe Happy Endings this October, directed by Michael Arden. Set in Seoul, Criss plays a retired robot who finds love and connection with a fellow robot.
So what’s next? Get online, book that flight, and start ticking all these shows off your list. You know you want to. XOXO.
