10 Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows I'm Excited to See This Fall

Summer fun is over and we’re already diving head first into a jam-packed fall season on and off-Broadway. Whether you’re a regular theatergoer or a curious newcomer, this autumn’s offerings are poised to deliver unforgettable performances, innovative storytelling, and cool designs that you won’t want to miss. I’ve rounded up the 10 shows I’m most excited to see, and I hope you’re looking forward to them, too. — David Gordon, TheaterMania Editor-in-Chief

The Hills of California
September 11-December 8
Broadhurst Theatre

Three siblings grapple with their mother’s impending death, while wondering if their prodigal sister will arrive before it happens. But that’s only one facet of Jez Butterworth’s latest drama, directed by Sam Mendes. It’s also a story of ruthless ambition, familial discord, and abuse, all within the confines of a seaside inn (Rob Howell’s set, with levels that float into the sky and moving staircases, must be seen to be believed). I caught the play this past February in London, and I’m thrilled to see how it’s evolved. It’s The Homecoming crossed with Gypsy, and the Broadhurst is the perfect location because of what’s playing right next door: Gypsy, with Audra McDonald.

KS6: Small Forward
September 21-October 13
Belarus Free Theatre at La MaMa

If there’s one company I never miss when they come to New York, it’s the Belarus Free Theatre. Established by Nicolai Khalezin and Natalia Kaliada, Belarus Free Theatre began its life by performing under the cover of darkness in its home country; as of 2021, they were permanently exiled for its ongoing opposition of the country’s political regime. My first time seeing their work was the harrowing Being Harold Pinter in 2011. Their latest finds Belarusian basketball star Katya Snytsina taking center court and telling the story of her life. She won a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics for Team Belarus, but her work as a political dissident forced her into exile. Snytsina performs this duologue with DJ Blanka Barbara.

Magnificent Bird / Book of Travelers
September 24-October 6
Playwrights Horizons

My introduction to the singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane was his wistful musical February House at the Public Theater in 2012. That cast album is on regular rotation in my head, and I’m very much looking forward to his latest show(s). Magnificent Bird and Book of Travelers are a duo of solo musicals based on albums he put out in recent years; the former chronicles a year he spent off-line, the latter finds him embarking on a train journey across the country in the wake of Donald Trump’s election. As a fan, I won’t be missing these, especially knowing that the inventive Annie Tippe (Three Houses) is at the helm.

Sunset Boulevard
Begins September 28
St. James Theatre

London’s much talked about revival comes to Broadway with its four leads: Nicole Scherzinger as fading screen star Norma Desmond, Tom Francis as idealistic Joe Gillis, David Thaxton as the imposing Max Von Mayerling, and Grace Hodgett Young as the naive Betty Schaeffer. Jamie Lloyd’s bare-bones, tech-heavy take on the Andrew Lloyd Webber tragedy is poised to set the town on fire — and we’re wondering where on the street outside the theater the title song will be sung (iykyk).

We Live in Cairo
October 9-November 24
New York Theatre Workshop

Telling the story of six student activists during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, this musical has been in development for several years and already exists as a concept album. Its writers are brothers Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour, and I’d be looking forward to it even if I didn’t tangentially know Patrick, who used to toil in the field of Broadway PR. With a company of relative unknowns (and the recent star of The Who’s Tommy, Ali Louis Bourguzi), We Live in Cairo, directed by Taibi Magar, feels like a real discovery — something we need much more of.

Another Shot
October 15-January 4
Pershing Square Signature Center

One of last season’s highlights was a revival of Sean Daniels’s recovery comedy The White Chip. Another play of the same ilk is heading off-Broadway this October: Another Shot, written by Chicago sports radio personalities Harry Teinowitz and Spike Manton. Dan Butler (best known as sports radio personality Bulldog on Frasier) stars in this semi-autobiographical dramedy, which finds Harry’s personal life and career put in jeopardy after he’s arrested for DUI. Jackson Gay backs Butler with a terrific ensemble of stage actors, including Samantha Mathis, Gregg Mozgala, and Portia.

Music City
October 27-December 1
West End Theatre

Bedlam presents a new musical telling the story of aspiring singer-songwriters grappling with a world of addiction and war in post-9/11 Nashville. With a book by Peter Zinn, the score is made up of hits penned by J.T. Harding, the Nashville tunesmith whose hits include Blake Shelton’s “Sangria,” Uncle Kraker’s “Smile,” and Keith Urban’s “Somewhere in My Car,” as well as seven original numbers written for the show.

Gypsy
Begins November 21
Majestic Theatre

Audra McDonald’s first musical since Shuffle Along is a revival of the best musical ever written. It’s only natural that she’d want to play Madame Rose — when you’ve won half-a-dozen Tonys, you’ve got nothing to lose and nothing to prove. But I’m most excited to see what choreographer Camille A. Brown and director George C. Wolfe bring to the well-trod material, which is sure to be deep, memorable, and devastating.

The Merchant of Venice
November 22-December 22
Arlekin Players Theatre at Classic Stage Company

Following a remount of its acclaimed production of Our Class, Arlekin Players Theatre will present a new take on Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, staged by Ukranian-Jewish director Igor Golyak. Golyak did this play in Boston in 2021; the off-the-wall take was serious where it needed to be, but it also included mask work, audience participation, and a singalong to “Sometimes When We Touch.” Most important for me: two of my favorite actors are starring. Richard Topol is Shylock and Alexandra Silber is Portia. They’re enough to get me there, even if I am a little Shakespeared out.

Eureka Day
November 25-January 18
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Manhattan Theatre Club presents the Broadway premiere of an extremely prescient comedy. Written in 2019 by Jonathan Spector, it explores what happens after a mumps outbreak forces a liberal Californai private school to reconsider its vaccine policy. Anna D. Shapiro directs an A-list cast that includes Jessica Hecht, Bill Irwin, Amber Gary,  Zoë Chao, and Thomas Middleditch.