WHAT BECAME OF US, THE WELKIN & More Top Off-Broadway Shows for May
Each month we're rounding up 10 off-Broadway recommendations for audiences not to miss!
By: Sidney Paterra May. 01, 2024
What's happening off-Broadway? BroadwayWorld is here to guide you through the top picks for theatre this month. May brings a diverse array of productions to the Off-Broadway scene, including world premiere plays, a New York premiere musical, and much more. From rock musicals, to dramas and more, there is something for every theatre fan to enjoy.
BroadwayWorld selects shows to feature based on a variety of factors such as popularity, critical acclaim, unique concepts, star power, and more. BroadwayWorld's senior editorial team closely follows the Off-Broadway scene to stay informed about upcoming and currently running productions. They consider a range of offerings each month, including musicals, plays, and more to provide a well-rounded selection of recommendations to readers. Their goal is to offer theater enthusiasts a comprehensive guide to the most exciting shows happening Off-Broadway each month.
Take a look at BroadwayWorld's recommendations for the best shows to catch off-Broadway in May!
The Welkin
Atlantic Theater Company
May 16 - June 30, 2024
Starring Sandra Oh, Ann Harada and more. Rural England, 1759. As the country awaits the return of Halley’s comet, a young woman is sentenced to death. When she tries to escape the noose by claiming she is pregnant, twelve ordinary women are gathered to decide whether she is telling the truth. A dark, fierce, funny play about democracy and housework.
What Became of Us
Atlantic Theater Company
May 17 - June 29, 2024
Starring Tony Shalhoub, BD Wong, Shohreh Aghdashloo and more. The world premiere of What Became of Us, is written by Shayan Lotfi (Off-Broadway debut) and directed by Jennifer Chang (The Far Country at Berkeley Rep). In alignment with the playwright’s vision, this unique production will have two separate casts: one featuring Rosalind Chao and BD Wong, and another featuring Shohreh Aghdashloo and Tony Shalhoub.
The play is about Two siblings. One born there. One born here. How do they maintain their connections to The Old Country, and to This Country, and to each other?
Agreement
Now through May 12
The clock is ticking. It’s April 1998 and the main political parties in Northern Ireland, the British government and the Irish government, all under the watchful eye of Senator George Mitchell, try to hammer out a deal that could pave the way for peace in Northern Ireland. This is their last chance, and no one is leaving until agreement is reached.
The Lyric Theatre's critically acclaimed production of AGREEMENT comes to NYC after two sold-out, record-breaking runs in Belfast.
Oh, Mary!
Lucille Lortel Theatre
Now through May 12
Directed by Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! is a dark comedy starring Escola as a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism and suppressed desires abound in this one act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot (Cole Escola).
Here There Are Blueberries
New York Theatre Workshop
Now through June 2, 2024
In 2007, a mysterious album featuring Nazi-era photographs arrived at the desk of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unraveled the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon made headlines and ignited a debate that reverberated far beyond the museum walls. Based on real events, Here There Are Blueberries tells the story of these historical photographs—what they reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust, and our own humanity.
The Lonely Few
Now through June 2, 2024
Lila and her band, The Lonely Few, have a standing gig at Paul’s Juke Joint in their small Kentucky town. When an established musician, Amy, gives them a chance to join her on tour, they take it. Love blossoms between Lila and Amy on the road, but can it endure? THE LONELY FEW is a New York premiere rock musical about the forces that launch us from home and the gravitational pull that can bring us back.
By award-winning film and stage composer Zoe Sarnak (A CROSSING, GALILEO) and Rachel Bonds (SUNDOWN) and directed by Trip Cullman (MCC Theater’s MOSCOW MOSCOW MOSCOW MOSCOW MOSCOW MOSCOW) and Ellenore Scott (TITANIQUE).
Orlando
Signature Theatre
Now through May 12, 2024
Playwright Sarah Ruhl adapts Virginia Woolf’s Orlando—once called “the longest and most charming love letter in literature,” written by Woolf for her lover, Vita Sackville-West. Orlando’s adventures begin as a young man, when he serves as courtier to Queen Elizabeth. Through many centuries of living, he becomes a 20th-century woman, trying to sort out her existence. This theatrical, wild, fantastical trip through space, time, and gender features the one and only Taylor Mac in the title role.
Staff Meal
Playwrights Horizons
Now through May 19, 2024
Outside, the world is breaking apart. But in here, a group of lonely city dwellers gather to find comfort and connection. Abe Koogler’s Staff Meal is a kaleidoscopic comedy about a mysterious and beautiful restaurant, where the food is delicious, the service is warm, and some strange power keeps the darkness at bay. You are safe here – at least until closing time.
Still
DR2 Theatre
Now through May 18, 2024
Written by Lia Romeo, starring Jayne Atkinson and Tim Daly.
What happens when you love someone, but you hate the things they believe?
A funny and heart-wrenching story for anyone who's ever wondered: "what if?"
Lost love is revisited, secrets are exposed, and an avocado goes flying in Lia Romeo’s whirlwind New York premiere about getting older and roads not taken.
Three Houses
Signature Theatre
Now through June 9, 2024
Written by Dave Malloy. Susan is in Latvia. Sadie is in New Mexico. Beckett is in Ireland. All three are alone; all three are haunted by their grandparents; all three hear the Big Bad Wolf scratching at the door. This world premiere musical from Dave Malloy brings three strangers together for a post-pandemic open mic night parable about magic, madness, and the end of the world.
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