The best Broadway shows in NYC

If theater is your religion, and the Broadway musical your particular sect, it’s time to rejoice. This gleefully obscene and subversive satire is one of the funniest shows to grace the Great White Way since The Producers and Urinetown. Writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park, along with composer Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), find the perfect blend of sweet and nasty for this tale of mismatched Mormon proselytizers in Uganda.—David Cote

In this captivating original musical, Ben Platt gives a Tony-caliber performance—funny, sweet, beautifully sung and exquisitely worked-out in its physical details—as a high school student thrust into social relevance after a classmate's suicide. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's score combines well-crafted lyrics with an exciting pop sound, and Steven Levenson’s book gives all the characters shaded motives. The production has moved to Broadway after its sold-out run at Second Stage Theatre.—Adam Feldman

In Lucas Hnath’s lucid and absorbing sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 social drama, A Doll’s House, a now-liberated Nora Helmer—played by the great Laurie Metcalf, with magnificent grit and frustration—returns to confront the people she left behind. Modern in its language and mordant in its humor, the play judiciously balances conflicting ideas about freedom, love and responsibility. Sam Gold’s exemplary direction and supporting cast—Chris Cooper, Condola Rashad and Jayne Houdyshell—keep you hanging on each turn of argument and twist of knife.—Adam Feldman

Composer-lyricist-star Lin-Manuel Miranda forges a groundbreaking bridge between hip-hop and musical storytelling with this sublime collision of radio-ready beats and an inspiring, immigrant slant on Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. A brilliant, diverse cast takes back American history and makes it new.—David Cote 

The part of Dolly Levi, a matchmaker in late-19th-century New York, is exquisitely suited to Bette Midler’s enormous warmth, savvy and drive; it’s hard to imagine a better match of actor and role. Adapted by Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman from a Thornton Wilder comedy, Hello, Dolly! may be a vehicle for its star, but this blissful revival treats it like a vintage Rolls-Royce. Directed and performed with joyful aplomb, it gleams with old-fashioned charm.—Adam Feldman

Dave Malloy's dazzlingly eclectic rock-pop musical, adapted from a portion of Tolstoy's War and Peace, conveys its story of high-society Muscovites in stirring and surprising ways. Directed by Rachel Chavkin, this Broadway transfer of the 2012 Off Broadway hit stars global-sensation singer Josh Groban and newcomer Denée Benton.—Adam Feldman

Deftly adapted by Terrence McNally from the 1997 animated film, with an expanded score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, this sweeping 20th-century fairy tale stars Christy Altomare as an amnesiac who may be the last survivor of the Romanovs. Impressive craftsmanship and excellent singing help make it the richest new family show to hit Broadway in years.—Adam Feldman

Richard Oberacker and Rob Taylor's resonant new musical dances a delicate line between nostalgia and disillusion in its depiction of post–World War II soldiers (led by the engaging Corey Cott) trying to get back into the swing of things through music. Director-choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler's group numbers burst with snazzy individuality. But Bandstand’s heart is in the shadows that its band of brothers can't shake.—Adam Feldman

Broadway’s latest boomer jukebox musical never achieves the comic zip or dramatic force of Jersey Boys, but it is an appealing and skillfully built vehicle for Carole King’s hit ditties and soulful ballads. It's a lovable love letter to a fine songwriter and natural woman.—David Cote

One of the more unlikely musicals on Broadway this season, Come from Away is the tense but humane story of an airport in Gander, Newfoundland, where 38 planes and more than 6,000 passengers were forced to land on September 11, 2001. The book, music and lyrics are by the Canadian team Irene Sankoff and David Hein.—Adam Feldman

Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper’s fizzy crowd-pleaser, in which a sassy-yet-dignified drag queen kicks an English shoe factory into gear, feels familiar at every step. But it has been manufactured with solid craftsmanship and care, and is boosted by a heart-strong cast led by Wayne Brady. The overall effect is nigh irresistible.—Adam Feldman

Director-designer Julie Taymor surrounds the Disney movie’s mythic plot and Elton John–Tim Rice score with African rhythm and music. Through elegant puppetry, Taymor populates the stage with a menagerie of African beasts; her staging has expanded a simple cub into the pride of Broadway.—Adam Feldman

Lili Taylor and Janeane Garofalo play estranged sisters reunited under the shadow of mortality in Scott McPherson's 1990 play, which cuts its sentiment with dark comedy and a deep understanding of illness and sacrifice. The first act of Anne Kauffman’s graceful revival leans toward placidity, but Taylor's gently weird performance takes bloom later. The play movingly depicts a world in which loving is, as it often has to be, its own reward.—Adam Feldman

You are watching Big Brother in this stylish and finally harrowing drama, adapted from George Orwell’s dystopian novel by directors Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan. The remarkable Tom Sturridge plays a fake-news clerk whose affair with a fellow “thought criminal” (a hard-edged Olivia Wilde) draws them to a terrorist movement linked to a high-level official (Reed Birney, masterfully unflappable). Orwell’s 1949 vision of a surveillance state awash in groupthink and propaganda remains uncannily suggestive of the present and the future.—Adam Feldman

The stage version of the 2003 comedy about a kid band formed in an uptight prep school is surprisingly fresh and well-built. Andrew Lloyd Webber's pop-pastiche score is propulsive, the uniformed, rockin'-out students are cute, and the book hits the right emotional notes. School’s in—forever.—David Cote

Betsy Wolfe stars in this sweet and tart new musical about a lady who's a whiz at making pies, but messing up everything else. Jenna has gotten pregnant from her abusive lout of a husband, and now she's falling for her gynecologist. Sara Bareilles's bright, frisky pop score is a sheer delight. Diane Paulus directs with equal verve and whimsy.—David Cote

This musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz addresses surprisingly complex themes, such as standards of beauty, morality and, believe it or not, fighting fascism. Thanks to Winnie Holzman’s witty book and Stephen Schwartz’s pop-inflected score, Wicked soars.—David Cote

Want to see a Broadway show in NYC? Here’s the complete list of plays, musicals and revivals running now.

Our critics list the best Broadway shows. NYC is the place to catch these exciting plays, musicals and revivals.

Need a little song and dance? Our theater critics guide you to the best Broadway musicals that New York has to offer.

Adventurous theatergoers looking for great plays and musicals can get details, reviews and tickets for Off Broadway shows in New York

Looking for the best Off-Off Broadway shows? Here are the most promising productions in NYC’s smaller venues right now.

Get details, reviews and tickets for the best shows on Broadway and off, as chosen by Time Out New York’s critics

Headed to the theater? Here’s a complete list of all the new Broadway shows to open in the past year.