Broadway Buying Guide: October 21, 2024- SUNSET BOULEVARD Storms Back to Broadway

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

This Week's Top Broadway Shows

1) Sunset Boulevard Buy Tickets from: $67 - West End and Broadway director Jamie Lloyd (Cyrano de Bergerac, Evita) reimagines one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best-loved musicals – based on the Billy Wilder film - for a whole new generation. Famed movie star Norma Desmond (Nicole Scherzinger) has been cast out of the Hollywood limelight. Living in a suffocating world of dreams, memories and regrets, a chance encounter with screenwriter Joe Gillis may be her only hope — unless their volatile affair destroys them both…

2) Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club Buy Tickets from: $74 - Willkommen. Bienvenue. Welcome to the Kit Kat Club. Home to an intimate and electrifying new production of CABARET. Experience this groundbreaking musical like never before. The denizens of the Kit Kat Club have created a decadent sanctuary Inside Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre, where artists and performers, misfits and outsiders rule the night. Step inside their world. This is Berlin. Relax. Loosen up. Be yourself. London’s hottest ticket arrives on Broadway this Spring with Academy® and Tony Award® winner Eddie Redmayne reprising his Olivier Award-winning performance as the Emcee, and introducing Gayle Rankin as the Toast of Mayfair, Sally Bowles. CABARET has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Joe Masteroff – based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.

3) Our Town Buy Tickets from: $74 - Starring four-time Emmy Award® winner Jim Parsons, Our Town returns to Broadway for the first time in over 20 years. Hailed by Edward Albee as “the greatest American play ever written,” Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic will shine in a momentous new production. Directed by Tony Award® winner Kenny Leon (Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Topdog/Underdog, A Raisin in the Sun), this is an Our Town for our time. In Wilder’s timeless tale of a small town, a stage manager narrates the daily lives of its locals, depicts a childhood friendship turn into marriage, and sets the stage for magnificent truths of what it means to be alive. Don’t miss this strictly limited engagement of an essential American classic.

4) Hell's Kitchen Buy Tickets from: $55 - In the mid 90’s, in an apartment high above the energy and grit of Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, 17-year-old Ali squints toward the horizon until she can just see the Hudson River. Despite the warnings of her protective mother, the symphony of the street calls to her—promising freedom, excitement, and the possibility of love. Finding herself. When a wise piano teacher helps her find her voice, Ali learns she can make the city her own. Don’t miss this exhilarating, joyful, coming-of-age story filled with that New York Grit about chasing your dreams, honoring your roots, identity and finding your voice. Directed by four-time Tony Award® nominee Michael Greif, with choreography by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown, a book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristopher Diaz, and featuring Keys’ new original songs and iconic anthems—in a story inspired by her own NY experience—HELL’S KITCHEN is the kind of Broadway musical dreams are made of.

5) Maybe Happy Ending Buy Tickets from: $62 - Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss returns to Broadway alongside Helen J Shen in the new romantic musical comedy Maybe Happy Ending. Inside a one-room apartment in the heart of Seoul, Oliver lives a happily quiet life listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant. But what else is there to do when you’re a Helperbot 3, a robot that has long been retired and considered obsolete? When his fellow Helperbot neighbor Claire asks to borrow his charger, what starts as an awkward encounter leads to a unique friendship, a surprising adventure, and maybe even…love? Winner of the Richard Rodgers Award, Maybe Happy Ending is the offbeat and captivating story of two outcasts near the end of their warranty who discover that even robots can be swept off their feet. Helmed by visionary director and Tony Award winner Michael Arden, with a dazzling scenic design by Dane Laffrey and book, music, and lyrics by the internationally acclaimed duo Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe happy Ending is a fresh, original musical about the small things that make any life worth living.

6) A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical Buy Tickets from: $75 - Louis Armstrong’s innovative musicianship and incredible charisma as trumpeter and vocalist would lead him from the early days of jazz in his native New Orleans to five decades of international stardom. A Wonderful World tells the story of Armstrong’s blazing musical career from the perspective of his four wives, who each had a unique impact on his life.

7) Suffs Buy Tickets from: $68 - Following a sold-out, extended run at The Public Theater, Suffs arrives on Broadway next spring — and not a moment too soon. From the singular mind of Shaina Taub, this “remarkable, epic new musical” (Variety), boldly explores the victories and failures of a struggle for equality that’s far from over. It’s 1913 and the women’s movement is heating up in America, anchored by the suffragists — “Suffs,” as they call themselves — and their relentless pursuit of the right to vote. Reaching across and against generational, racial, and class divides, these brilliant, flawed women entertain and inspire us with the story of their hard-won victory in an ongoing fight. So much has changed since the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment over a century ago, and yet we’re reminded sometimes we need to look back, in order to march fearlessly into the future.

8) Chicago Buy Tickets from: $75 - 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.

9) Gypsy Buy Tickets - According to The New York Times, “Audra McDonald has become to the American theater what Meryl Streep is to film — a star of unstinting polish and versatility. Ms. McDonald embosses any production in which she appears with a good-value guarantee.” GYPSY reunites George C. Wolfe, whom The New Yorker calls “a titan of the American theatre,” with Audra McDonald, after their collaboration on the 2016 Tony-nominated production of Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. The Tony Awards Administration Committee recently announced that this June, George C. Wolfe will receive the 2024 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre. Since GYPSY premiered on Broadway in 1959, starring Ethel Merman, many of the greatest performers in Broadway history have taken on the iconic role of “Rose”: Angela Lansbury in 1974, Tyne Daly in 1989, Bernadette Peters in 2003, and Patti LuPone in 2008. Now… it’s Audra’s turn.

10) Wicked Buy Tickets from: $124 - Before Dorothy, before the flying house, and before the yellow brick road, there was Elphaba and Galinda. Born with emerald-green skin, Elphaba is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possesses extraordinary talent. When circumstances force her to room with the bubbly blonde and exceptionally popular, Galinda, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships. From the first electrifying note to the final breathtaking moment, Wicked tells the story of Oz that you've never heard.

This Week's Top Off-Broadway Shows

1) The Dead, 1904 Buy Tickets - James Joyce’s novella, The Dead, describes a holiday gathering on January 6, 1904, the Feast of the Epiphany, in the Dublin home of two elderly sisters, Kate and Julia Morkan, and their niece, Mary Jane. At the party are students, friends, a celebrated tenor, a lost alcoholic, and the couple, Gabriel and Gretta Conroy. Over the course of an evening, there are conversations, music, dancing, and dining. There are speeches and disagreements – polite and impolite – and when it is all over Gabriel learns something about his wife that changes his sense of who she is and who they are to each other, of what it actually means to be alive, and to be dead. This exquisite recreation of James Joyce’s haunting story was the most sought-after theatrical event of New York’s 2016 and 2017 holiday seasons. We relish the opportunity to welcome you again, or for the first time.

2) Drag: The Musical Buy Tickets from: $48 - In DRAG: The Musical, two Drag Houses, both alike in indignity, vie for supremacy in a wig-snatching journey of fashion, family, and forgiveness. After a bitter split, two estranged queens bring their already simmering tensions to a boiling point when they open competing clubs. In this queen-eat-queen tale of spite and survival, there’s only one rule: No Lip Synching Allowed. Entertainment Weekly calls it, “drag at its best” and BroadwayWorld raves, “They hit the ball out of the park. Rowdy fun with the glamor of a Broadway musical.” The “epic cast of drag, theater, and LGBTQ+ icons” (Entertainment Tonight) features Alaska Thunderf*ck (through 1/11/25), Jujubee, Jan Sport, Lagoona Bloo, J. Elaine Marcos and features New Kids on the Block’s, Joey McIntyre (through 11/24/24).

3) Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song Buy Tickets from: $62 - Created, written and directed by Gerard Alessandrini, with musical staging by Gerry McIntyre, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: Merrily We Stole a Song skewers the latest deluge of Broadway offerings including Hell’s Kitchen, Stereophonic, The Outsiders, The Great Gatsby, Back to the Future, The Wiz, and of course, Merrily We Roll Along. In addition, there will be sendups of Roger Bart, Patti LuPone, Daniel Radcliffe, Ariana DeBose and Jeremy Jordan, among others. This up-to-the-minute version will also poke fun at the 2024 Tony Awards, and will include some of the most popular numbers from Alessandrini’s recent Forbidden Sondheim.

4) Teeth Buy Tickets from: $37 - *Teeth* is a sharp tale of revenge and transformation that tears through a culture of shame and repressed desire one delightfully unhinged song at a time. The musical follows Dawn O’Keefe, an evangelical Christian teen struggling to be an exemplar of purity amongst her community of fellow Promise Keeper Girls. Her stepbrother, Brad - alienated by his repressive upbringing in the community led by his fanatical Pastor father and intrigued by the online camaraderie of the Truthseeker men’s support group—is haunted by an indelible incident from his and Dawn’s past. As Dawn’s desires become tested and twisted by the men in her life, she discovers a deadly secret not even she understands: when men violate her, her body bites back—literally. Crackling with irrepressible desire and ancient rage, *Teeth* is a dark horror comedy conjuring the legend of one girl whose sexual curse may also be her salvation.

5) Ragtime Buy Tickets from: $185 - Ragtime follows three fictional families in pursuit of the American Dream at the turn of the 20th century: Black pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Joshua Henry) and his sweetheart Sarah, a wealthy white family led by Mother (Caissie Levy), and Latvian immigrant Tateh (Brandon Uranowitz) along with his Little Girl. This gala production is led by Tony-nominated Encores! Artistic Director Lear deBessonet (Once Upon a Mattress, Into the Woods).

6) Vladimir Buy Tickets from: $78 - Set against the backdrop of Putin's first term, 'Vladimir' delves into the harrowing journey of an independent journalist in Moscow. As she navigates the treacherous landscape of truth-seeking amidst increasing hostility, her resolve is tested to its limits. Erika Sheffer's poignant narrative explores the fine line between bravery and futility in the face of impending disaster. Directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan, 'Vladimir' offers a gripping portrayal of standing up to immorality, even when the odds seem insurmountable.

7) King Lear Buy Tickets - Kenneth Branagh plays the title role in a new production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, set in the barbarous landscape of Ancient Britain. Featuring a cast of rising stars from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art directed by Branagh, this production releases the play’s power and turmoil in a fast-paced staging. In playing Lear, Branagh completes a trifecta of great Shakespearean tragic roles, complementing past appearances as Hamlet in his Academy Award–nominated film version of the play (1996) and on stage as Macbeth in a celebrated immersive production (2014). This strictly limited, exclusive US engagement of King Lear runs for 50 performances only.

8) Another Shot Buy Tickets from: $60 - Another Shot is a humorous and heartfelt ode to recovery and the community that makes it possible. It is based loosely on the real-life experiences of Chicago sports radio personality Harry Teinowitz, whose career and life were put in jeopardy following an arrest for DUI. Co-written by former ESPN personality and playwright Spike Manton (Leaving Iowa), Another Shot tells the outrageous, infuriating, and hilarious story of an alcoholic on the edge of blowing up his life when he finally confronts the inarguable truth of his behavior and how it is affecting his family, his life, and his liver.

9) Katsura Sunshine's Rakugo Buy Tickets from: $22 - Called the King of Kimono Comedy, Rakugo is the 400-year-old Japanese traditional art of comic storytelling, currently there are only 800 Rakugo Masters. Hailing from Canada, Sunshine is the only Western Rakugo Master in the world and star of NHK Worldwide, he is hilarious, charming, universally funny and yet so very Japanese. Sunshine is the perfect performer to bridge the gap between the East and the West, in a hilarious style.

10) SHIT. MEET. FAN. Buy Tickets from: $118 - Here’s the game… Phones Out. Face Up. Volume High. Every text, every email, every call must be shared aloud. That’s what a group of long-time friends gather to play on the night of the eclipse. With the cocktails flowing among grownups who refuse to grow up, outrageous secrets and skeletons begin to emerge… SHIT. MEET. FAN. Are they ready for the ensuing chaos? Are you? The mayhem unfolds in real time in this World Premiere uproarious new satire written and directed by Tony Award nominee Robert O’Hara (SLAVE PLAY, MCC’S BLKS, BOOTYCANDY).