5 New Shows To See On Broadway This Spring
Here are five of the most exciting, most interesting, and most talked-about shows on Broadway this spring.
Few industries suffered more from the Covid-19 pandemic than theater. While other forms of entertainment, such as movies and music were also hurting at the same time, there were plenty of ways for people to continue to engage with those types of art.
Sadly (in rare occasions like a global scourge of disease), live theater simply doesn’t really exist unless people are sitting together in a room watching the magic happen on stage.
Thankfully, Broadway is back, with a healthy mix of beloved titles reopening while new productions and revivals head to the stages that attract millions from around the world. But what is there to see this season? Here are five of the most exciting, most interesting, and most talked-about shows on Broadway this spring.
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf
Usually referred to simply as For Colored Girls, Ntozake Shange’s brilliant work isn’t even just a play, but rather a series of monologues that also incorporate music and dance.
The show is a modern-seeming musical of sorts, and it’s impressive that it still feels fresh and timely, as it was originally performed in New York in 1976. The title features seven women who have all faced adversity due to sexism and racism, and while everyone should see it, the event is not running very long, just for 20 weeks.
Take Me Out
LGBTQ audiences have a lot of reasons to go see Take Me Out. It’s an important play that deals with the issues of masculinity (and what that supposedly means) in sports, racism, and homophobia.
It features a cast of incredible talents, such as Patrick J. Adams, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Jesse Williams. Also, and to some most importantly, there is nudity in this show. A lot of it.
The revival of Take Me Out has been performing well so far, and its run has been extended into June.
POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive
The name alone should get people interested in this topical new show, featuring Vanessa Williams, Lea Delaria, and Rachel Dratch, but for those wondering what exactly it’s all about, here the play’s synopsis, according to Playbill:
“One four-letter word is about to rock 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When the President unwittingly spins a PR nightmare into a global crisis, the seven brilliant and beleaguered women he relies upon most risk life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity to keep the commander-in-chief out of trouble.”
There are certainly those who want nothing to do with art that may center around a certain former president, but if you can stomach returning to that mindset for a bit, check POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive out.
Funny Girl
Opens April 24
It may be difficult to believe, but the original Funny Girl opened on Broadway in 1964, and now the first-ever revival of the beloved musical is set to begin on April 24.
Last time around, the show made a star out of a then-rising talent named Barbra Streisand, who earned a Tony nomination for her part and then went on to win the Academy Award for the film adaptation.
Beanie Feldstein is taking on the lead role, and her girlfriend will surely be in the front row opening night cheering her on.
A Strange Loop
Opens: April 26
Already a serious contender for the Tony for Best Musical (which goes to new works), A Strange Loop is an odd show, and when it officially opens on April 26, Broadway may never be the same again.
While the title hadn’t made it to the Great White Way until now, it has already won the Pulitzer Prize, and expectations are incredibly high.
The show’s author, Michael R. Jackson, focuses on a large, Black, gay man trying to find his way in an industry that’s largely white, and he’s backed by a queer chorus. Need to hear more? It pokes a lot of fun at Tyler Perry.
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