Broadway Buying Guide: December 18, 2023

Looking for the best deals on Broadway shows? Welcome to our new weekly guide to the most popular shows listed on BroadwayWorld.

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This Week's Top Broadway Shows

1) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Buy Tickets from: $61.50 - From page to stage to screen, the magic is real at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway. Prepare to see the characters that you've known and loved in a thrilling new adventure that begins 19 years after the events of The Deathly Hollows. The entirety of the Lyric Theatre has been transfigured to immerse you in this magical world where epic duels, extraordinary spells and beloved characters come to life. Filled with unprecedented stage magic and thrilling storytelling, this Tony Award-winning show, Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, is a unforgettable experience unlike anything else you will ever see.

2) Water for Elephants Buy Tickets - The critically acclaimed bestselling novel WATER FOR ELEPHANTS comes to vivid life on Broadway in a unique, spectacle-filled new musical. After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life—and love—beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age. Directed by Tony Award®️ nominee Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo), with a book by three-time Tony nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher) adapted from Sara Gruen’s novel, and a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co., WATER FOR ELEPHANTS unites innovative stagecraft with the very best of Broadway talent in an authentic and deeply moving new musical that invites us all to give ourselves to the unknown.

3) Hadestown Buy Tickets from: $61.50 - In Hadestown, a song can change your fate. This Tony-winning new musical by Anaïs Mitchell and innovative director Rachel Chavkin is a love story for today, and always. Intertwining two mythic Greek tales - that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and of King Hades and his wife Persephone - Hadestown invites you on a journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell's alluring melodies and Chavkin's poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love, with art perhaps being the one thing that can save it all. Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.

4) Shucked Buy Tickets from: $61.50 - What do you get when you pair a semi-neurotic, New York comedy writer with two music superstars from Nashville? A hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans everywhere can't get enough of: corn. Shucked is the new musical comedy that proves sometimes tearing down a few walls, rather than growing them, is the only way to preserve our way of life. Shucked is about to turn Broadway on its ear and offer a kernel of hope for our divided nation. The new original musical comedy features a book by Robert Horn and score by the Nashville songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally.

5) & Juliet Buy Tickets from: $87 - What if Juliet didin't die? That should almost be the start of the play! & Juliet is a multi-generational story of self-discovery, empowerment and love, imagining what would happen next if Juliet hadn't ended it all over Romeo, and got a second chance at life and love - on her terms. Juliet's new story bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, all written by Max Martin and his collaborators. The musical features a book by David West Read, direction by Luke Sheppard and choreography by Jennifer Weber.

6) Merrily We Roll Along Buy Tickets from: $84 - Spanning three decades in the entertainment business, Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. An inventive, cult-classic ahead of its time, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and personal songs. Directed by Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along features music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a book by George Furth, and is based on the original play by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart.

7) Spamalot Buy Tickets - SPAMALOT, the musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, returns to Broadway for the first time ever, following a record-breaking sold-out run at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Peter Marks of The Washington Post exclaims “It’s UNFAIR to make me laugh this much! SPAMALOT is a tightly packed clown car speeding to musical theater nirvana!” Everything that makes a great knight in the theatre is here, from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery, and of course, the Lady of the Lake.

8) Hamilton Buy Tickets from: $124 - A revolutionary story of passion, unstoppable ambition, and the dawn of a new nation. HAMILTON is the epic saga that follows the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honor, love, and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. HAMILTON features book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire. In addition to its 11 Tony Awards, it has won Grammy®, Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.

9) Chicago Buy Tickets - Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago's slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today's tabloids. A true New York City institution, Chicago is the longest running American musical in Broadway history.

10) Sweeney Todd Buy Tickets from: $40 - Attend the tale! Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's landmark musical tells the tale of a resourceful pie shop owner and a vengeful barber out for blood. After he's sent away by a corrupt judge, Sweeney returns to London years later seeking his long-lost family, and forms an unlikely partnership with Mrs. Lovett, who serves up pies underneath his former shop. Together, they wreak havoc on Fleet Street and serve up the hottest - and most unsettling - pies in London. Director Thomas Kail helms the return of this musical thriller starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford.

This Week's Top Off-Broadway Shows

1) Danny and the Deep Blue Sea Buy Tickets from: $77 - In Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, the two characters delve into a bitter argument at a bar. Roberta is a single mother of a teenage son who spends her evenings partying, hoping to boost her self-esteem. Danny is a misunderstood loner who lives with his mother. The two strangers share their self-destructive habits and battles with addiction. As the characters excavate their deep darknesses, they make room for empathy. Academy Award winner John Patrick Shanley wrote Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, his second play, in 1984. Shanley is known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt: A Parable, and writes searing dramas that explore complex, human topics. Danny and the Deep Blue Sea premiered at the Humana Festival of New Plays at The Actors Theatre of Louisville before debuting in downtown New York with the Circle in the Square Theatre.

2) Hell's Kitchen Buy Tickets from: $144 - Grammy Award-winning artist Alicia Keys and Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright Kristoffer Diaz bring their exhilarating coming-of-age musical HELL’S KITCHEN to The Public this fall. In a cramped apartment hanging off the side of Times Square, 17-year-old Ali is desperate to get her piece of the New York dream. Ali’s mother is just as determined to protect her daughter from the same mistakes she made. When Ali falls for a talented young drummer, both mother and daughter must face hard truths about race, defiance, and growing up. Ali feels trapped, until the sound of a neighbor playing piano opens the door to an unexpected friendship and a radically different future. Choreographed by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown and directed by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, HELL’S KITCHEN is an unforgettable new show featuring both newly created music and the soulful, iconic songs of New York’s own Alicia Keys.

3) The Play That Goes Wrong Buy Tickets - Co-written by Mischief company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, The Play That Goes Wrong is a riotous comedy about the theatre. The play introduces The 'Cornley University Drama Society' who are attempting to put on a 1920s' murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong...does, as the accident-prone thespians battle on against all odds to get to their final curtain call.

4) Buena Vista Social Club Buy Tickets - Directed by Tony Award nominee Saheem Ali (Fat Ham), this story of the legendary artists who recorded the album features the soul-stirring music of Cuba’s golden age, with a book by Marco Ramirez (Drama Desk Award winner, The Royale), choreography by Patricia Delgado and Tony Award winner Justin Peck (Carousel, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story) and a music team led by Tony Award winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit).

5) Little Shop of Horrors Buy Tickets from: $61.50 - Seymour is a down-on-his-luck florist with a crush on his co-worker Audrey. When he discovers a mysterious – and voracious – plant, suddenly Seymour and Audrey are thrust into an epic battle that will determine the fate of the entire human race. Little Shop of Horrors made its highly-anticipated return home to Off-Broadway, in an intimate new production directed by Michael Mayer that offers an unprecedented opportunity to get close — maybe too close — to an incredible plant with an insatiable appetite.

6) Blue Man Group Buy Tickets - Blue Man Group combines music, technology and comedy to create a form of entertainment that defies categorization and appeals to people of all ages. Blue Man Group's shows have been described by critics as "innovative," "energetic" and "wildly entertaining." But the only way to truly understand Blue Man Group's global popularity is to see the show for yourself.

7) Sleep No More Buy Tickets from: $112 - A legendary hotel. Shakespeare's fallen hero. A film noir shadow of suspense. Punchdrunk's Sleep No More is an award-winning theatrical experience that tells Shakespeare's classic tragedy Macbeth through a darkly cinematic lens. Audiences move freely through the epic world of the story at their own pace, choosing where to go and what to see, ensuring that everyone's journey is different and unique. No one under sixteen will be permitted. Sleep No More is set in a building with five floors of theatrical action, putatively called the McKittrick Hotel, though with many rooms and features not normally associated with hotels, including those which resemble an antiquated lunatic asylum, doctor's offices, children's bedrooms, a cemetery, indoor courtyards, shops, a padded cell, a ballroom, taxidermist's menageries, and so on. The actors and their environment all adopt the dress, decor, and aesthetic style of the early 20th century, inspired by the shadowy and anxious atmosphere of film noir. The production "leads its audience on a merry, macabre chase up and down stairs, and through minimally illuminated, furniture-cluttered rooms and corridors." Audience members begin their journey in a fully operational lounge, the Manderley Bar, from which they enter an elevator that transports them to the major floors of the "hotel."

8) Titanique Buy Tickets from: $74 - When the music of Céline Dion makes sweet Canadian love with the eleven-time Oscar-winning film Titanic, you get Titanique, a musical celebration that turns one of the greatest love stories of all time into a hysterical and joyful slay-fest. Featuring powerhouse voices and show-stopping numbers (plus, contemporary pop culture and punchy odes to the 90s film), Titanique is a one-of-a-kind musical voyage bursting with nostalgia & heart. It's a pure love letter comedy, fun and all things joyful!

9) Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors Buy Tickets from: $99 - Drac is back and he’s ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple! DRACULA, A Comedy of Terrors is a Bram-new comedy that New Yorkers can really sink their teeth into. Filled with clever wordplay and anything-goes pop culture references, it’s a 90-minute, gender-bending, quick-changing, laugh-out-loud reimagining of the gothic classic, perfect for audiences of all blood types. In the treacherous mountains of Transylvania, a meek English real estate agent takes a harrowing journey to meet a new and mysterious client, who also just happens to be the most terrifying and ferocious monster the world has ever known: Count Dracula! As famed female vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing and company chase Drac from Transylvania to the British countryside to London and back, their antics are guaranteed to increase your pulse and cause bloodcurdling screams—of laughter.

10) Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice Buy Tickets - Tony® and Olivier Award-winning actor and songwriter Gavin Creel (HELLO, DOLLY!, INTO THE WOODS) had never been to The Metropolitan Museum of Art…until now. Inspired by the countless hours he spent wandering through the world-renowned collections of the museum for a MetLiveArts commission, WALK ON THROUGH is a thrilling new musical event featuring 17 original, infectious, pop-infused songs. In his theatrical songwriting debut, Creel takes us on an intimate, relatable journey of discovery and transformation through the lens of the art that captured his imagination. Whether you are a museum lover or a fellow novice, this show invites you to take a walk with Creel and engage with art, song, and the creative process in a fresh and new way.