This fall, Broadway’s got it all: big film and TV stars braving the footlights, video store favorites finding new life on the stage… even an epic on the scale of Lord of the Rings. In fact, there’s something for everyone. Below are ten good reasons to visit Broadway this fall.
Reason #1: Julianne Does a Julia
Show: The Vertical Hour
Why See It: Just months after Julia Roberts, three-time Oscar nominee Julianne Moore (left) makes her stage debut as an American war correspondent-turned-Yale professor who gets entangled with an Englishman (Bill Nighy—Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean!) while vacationing in Wales with her boyfriend. Backing her up are director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Jarhead) and playwright David Hare (who wrote the screenplay for The Hours).
When: Starts November 9
Get Tickets
Reason #2: Dog Bites Hollywood
Show: The Little Dog Laughed
Why See It: In this hot topic comedy, a secretly gay screen idol (played by Tom Everett Scott) is wedged uncomfortably in the closet, exactly where his brash, hard-driving agent (the very funny Julie White, recently seen on Desperate Housewives) wants to keep him. Best known for playing Darlene’s boyfriend David on Roseanne, Johnny Galecki (left) breaks out in the role of a male prostitute and former party boy.
When: Starts October 26
Get Tickets
Reason #3: You Loved the Movie
Show: High Fidelity
Why See It: Adapted from the Nick Hornby book and subsequent 2000 film that starred John Cusack (but was a huge breakout vehicle for Jack Black), this new musical promises to rock harder than your average show on the Great White Way. In case you forgot, the story centers around a recently dumped record store owner who struggles to get over ex-girlfriend Laura while mingling with an assortment of former loves and two funny co-workers.
When: Starts November 20
Get Tickets
Reason #4: He Was Voted Off Idol Too Soon
Show: The Wedding Singer
Why See It: American Idol heartthrob Constantine Maroulis (left) is hitting the stage in the role of a dim wedding band bassist in this recently opened 80s-themed musical comedy based on the Adam Sandler–Drew Barrymore New Line date flick of the same name. As if you didn’t know, Maroulis is the crooner who came in sixth in Season Four of the hit Fox talent show by staring and brooding into the camera, clearly seducing millions a week.
When: Starts September 8
Get Tickets
Reason #5: An Epic to Sink Your Teeth Into
Show: The Coast of Utopia
Why See It: It’s very long (a three-part drama, not unlike Lord of the Rings) and concerns mid-19th century Russian history (specifically a group of intellectuals who led a revolutionary movement), but it’s got some nice eye candy: Billy Crudup and Ethan Hawke (left) play two of the leads. You have the option to see the three parts separately or all at once during special marathon performances. Bring a sandwich!
When: Starts October 17
Get Tickets
Reason #6: One Word: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Show: Mary Poppins
Why See It: Just like the Disney movie that you adored when you were a kid, this new musical concerns a magical nanny who lands at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, changing the Banks family for good. Practically perfect Julie Andrews may be gone (newcomer Ashley Brown, who recently starred in Beauty and the Beast, takes her spot), but all of those infectious songs are there. To that, we say, “Chim Chim Cher-ee!”
When: Starts October 24
Get Tickets
Reason #7: Duncan Does Broadway
Show: Spring Awakening
Why See It: Pop star Duncan Sheik (left), a Grammy nominee for his song “Barely Breathing,” pens a musical: a rock and roll reworking of a play about adolescent sexual awakening that was first written in 1891. Featuring an uber-talented cast of fresh faces, the show is even darker and more explicit than Rent (a fan-friendly show whose audience it will clearly aim for), making it an edgy option for Broadway.
When: Starts November 17
Get Tickets
Reason #8: There’s Only One Singular Sensation
Show: A Chorus Line
Why See It: The ultimate showbiz Broadway musical (which originally ran from 1975 to 1990) is back where it belongs with this revival, a recreation more than a reinvention. Created generations before American Idol and Project Runway, the plot concerns a group of dancers baring their souls for the chance to get a job in a Broadway show. Like those reality shows, you find out who “wins” at the end, but you also get a high-kicking finale!
When: Starts September 18
Get Tickets
Reason #9: The Film’s a Camp Classic For a Reason
Show: Grey Gardens
Why See It: Former socialites (and relatives to Jackie Kennedy Onassis) Edith “Big Edie” Bouvier Beale and daughter “Little Edie” became legends when filmmakers captured their reclusive lives in the 1976 documentary Grey Gardens. Now—with a fictionalized 1940s “before they went crazy” story tacked on—they’re the subjects of a Broadway musical. Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole (left) gets a showcase role playing not one but both of the Edies (not simultaneously—that would be really crazy).
When: Starts October 3
Get Tickets
Reason #10: He’s a Little Bit Rock ‘n’ Roll
Show: Beauty and the Beast
Why See It: What could make a 12-year-old family musical a hot ticket all over again? Donny Osmond (left)! Yes, the former teen idol is back on Broadway—he last opened and closed in the same April night back in 1982 in a musical called Little Johnny Jones—playing big burly Gaston. Although the Osmond brother is now an Osmond grandfather, he’s still a teen idol in the hearts of thirtysomethings everywhere.
When: Starts September 19
Get Tickets
For more of the offerings on Broadway this fall, be sure to visit Broadway.com’s Fall Preview.
