Can’t Get Into "The Room Where It Happens?" Ten Other Broadway Shows to See This Summer
Nora Dominick ‘17/ Emertainment Monthly Co-Executive Stage Editor
With Hamilton tickets continuing to be harder and harder to come by, especially with Lin-Manuel Miranda playing his last performance on July 9th and the musical’s recent eleven Tony Award wins, it’s time to look towards the other amazing pieces of theatre on Broadway this season.
Emertainment Monthly gives you ten other Broadway shows to see this summer if you can’t make it into “the room where it happens.”
Check out the full list below!
10. Fiddler on the Roof
Led by six-time Tony Award nominee Danny Burstein, Fiddler on the Roof will remind you why this musical has stood the test of time. With incredible choreography by Hofesh Shechter and directed by Bartlett Sher, this revival of of Fiddler brings the story of Tevye and his family to life for a whole new generation. Burstein continues to be a leading man for the ages and this is a beautiful performance by the long-time Broadway veteran.
9. School of Rock- The Musical
The beloved film starring Jack Black comes to life on stage at the Winter Garden Theatre. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Julian Fellowes, School of Rock- The Musical will remind you that there is a rocker inside all of us. Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman stars as Dewey Finn, a down on his luck rocker who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. With a jaw-dropping cast of young actors/musicians, School of Rock will have you head banging long after you leave the theatre.
8. Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Starring Oscar, Emmy and now 2016 Tony Award winner Jessica Lange, Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Long Day’s Journey Into Night tells the story of the Tyrone Family as they come to grips with their twisted love for one another in Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play. Lange, Gabriel Byrne, Michael Shannon, John Gallagher Jr. and an incredible ensemble breathe new life into this classic play and is a must see this summer.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night will close on June 26, 2016.
7. Shuffle Along
Starring 6-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, 2016 Tony Award nominees Brandon Victor Dixon and Adrienne Warren, previous Tony Award winners Brian Stokes Mitchell and Billy Porter and previous Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry, Shuffle Along or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, tells the story of Shuffle Along, a new musical conceived by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles with music and lyrics by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, as it becomes the unlikeliest of hits and alters the face of the Broadway musical as well as NYC. With stunning tap choreography by Savion Glover, Shuffle Along will have you dancing in your seat and marveling at the extraordinary talent assembled on stage.
Note: Audra McDonald will begin her hiatus on July 24, 2016
6. Bright Star
From the imaginative minds of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Bright Star tells the story of successful literary editor Alice Murphy (Carmen Cusack). When she meets an ambitious young soldier just home from World War II, their connection inspires Alice to confront her past. Together they discover a stunning secret with the power to transform their lives. The new bluegrass musical is the winner of the 2016 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and 2016 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Musical. Bright Star is beautiful new musical to see this summer.
5. Eclipsed
Written by The Walking Dead star Danai Gurira and starring Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Eclipsed is a brilliant and revolutionary new play. The hit new Broadway play tells the story of the captive wives of a rebel officer during the Liberian Civil War. The wives band together to form a fragile community until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of a new girl. The Tony Award nominated Best Play and winner for Best Costume Design of a Play, has been moving audiences all season off and on Broadway and it’s time you witness this historic play for yourself.
Eclipsed will play its final performance on June 19th
4. She Loves Me
One of the most stunning revivals this season and winner of the 2016 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical, She Loves Me is a beloved musical to take fans of all ages to see. Starring 2016 Tony Award nominees Laura Benanti, Jane Krakowski and Zachary Levi, She Loves Me follows Amalia (Benanti) and Georg (Levi), two parfumerie clerks who don’t seem to get along. Constantly bumping heads while on the job, Amalia and Georg can’t seem to find common ground. But little do they know the anonymous pen pals they have both been falling head over heels for happen to be each other! She Loves Me returns to Broadway for the first time since it triumphantly launched Roundabout’s musical theatre initiative over 20 years ago. She Loves Me is a must see revival this season!
She Loves Me will play its last performance on July 10, 2016
3. Waitress
Starring previous Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller and with music and lyrics by 2016 Tony Award nominee Sara Bareilles, Waitress brings a little more heart to Broadway this season. The new musical tells the story of Jenna, a pregnant waitress living in the south. Jenna is trapped in an abusive marriage and is looking for her happy ending. She eventually finds relief by making creatively-titled pies and forming a romance with Dr. Joe Pomatter (Drew Gehling), a newcomer to town. With an all-female creative team and knock-out performances from 2016 Tony Award nominee Christopher Fitzgerald as well as Keala Settle and Kimiko Glenn, Waitress will make you laugh and cry all in the same breathe.
2. The Humans
Winner of four 2016 Tony Awards including Best Play, The Humans is the new play by Stephen Karam to see this summer. The beautiful play tells the story of Erik Blake (Reed Birney), who has brought his family from Pennsylvania to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter’s new apartment. As darkness falls outside the crumbling pre-war duplex, mysterious things start to go bump in the night and family tensions reach a boiling point. With Tony Award winning set design and performances, The Humans is a must-see new play.
1. The Color Purple
Winner of the 2016 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, The Color Purple is the very definition of an inspiring, awe-inducing revival. 2016 Tony Award winner for Best Actress in a Musical, Cynthia Erivo blows audiences away night after night along with her incredible ensemble including Tony Award nominee Danielle Brooks. From Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning bestseller and Steven Spielberg’s Oscar nominated film, The Color Purple spans four decades and three continents, chronicling the feminist evolution of a battered African-American woman, Celie (Erivo), who writes letters to God and her long-lost missionary sister. Grab your tickets to this Tony Award winning revival now!