Reasons To Get Excited; Broadway's March Openings

College basketball calls their annual spring tournament March Madness, but every New York theatregoer knows that the real madness that happens this time of year occurs in Gotham's theatres, where dozens of productions start opening to meet the season's awards deadlines.

Broadway has five big shows to get excited about, as March is definitely coming in and going out like a lion.

ECLIPSED (March 6th): Fresh from earning raves for its Off-Broadway production earlier this season at The Public, ECLIPSED is not only written by THE WALKING DEAD's Danai Gurira, not only stars Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o, and not only is the first Broadway play to be written and directed by women with an entirely female cast, but this daring drama deals with the kind of subject that's rarely approached on Broadway; fighting back against the institutionalized rape of women during wartime.

DISASTER! (March 8th): As a musician, actor, talk show host, radio personality and video star, Seth Rudetsky's wacky sense of humor and abundant knowledge of musical theatre has made him a favorite among Broadway fans. After sending audiences into hysterics Off-Broadway, the musical spoof of disaster movies he co-authored with Jack Plotnick, with a score made up of 1970s classic hits, comes to the big street. Rudetsky has a juicy role for himself, of course, and he's joined by a top-shelf ensemble that includes Roger Bart, Kerry Butler, Kevin Chamberlin, Adam Pascal, Faith Prince, Rachel York and Jennifer Simard.

BLACKBIRD (March 10th): Joe Mantello directs Scottish playwright David Harrower's 2007 Olivier Award winner for Best New Play, about a woman confronting the man who was jailed for sexually abusing her when she was twelve. Oscar-winner Michelle Williams stars in the two-person play with Emmy-winner Jeff Daniels. It should be a thought-provoking production about an important subject.

SHE LOVES ME (March 17th): Many would call Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joe Masteroff's SHE LOVES ME a perfect musical. Even if it isn't, their jewel box of a show about two lonely hearts who, through anonymous letters, fall in love with the person they despise the most is certainly an underappreciated masterpiece. With Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi leading the way as the star-crossed lovers, there's sure to be a lot of laughs to go along with the exquisite score. The exciting supporting cast includes Gavin Creel, Michael McGrath, Jane Krakowski and Byron Jennings.

BRIGHT STAR (March 24th): Twenty years after breaking into American pop culture as the "wild and crazy guy" of stand-up comedy, Steve Martin turned heads with his first Off-Broadway play PICASSO AT THE LAPINE AGILE. A successful novelist and screenwriter, Martin now tries his hand at musical theatre partnered with folk/alternative rock star Edie Brickell.

What March openings are you most excited for?