Looking Ahead: 10 Broadway Shows We’re Excited For in 2017
Nora Dominick ’17/ Emertainment Monthly Executive Stage Editor
As 2016 comes to a close on the Great White Way, it’s time to look ahead to 2017. Before this year ends, Emertainment Monthly has rounded up the 10 Broadway musicals and plays we’re excited for in 2017. From brand new musicals and plays to highly anticipated revivals, there’s a lot to celebrate!
Check out the full list below!
10. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Fresh from the West End, Roald Dahl’s classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will make its way to Broadway in 2017! Journey into a world of pure imagination with Christian Borle, who will take on the iconic role of Willy Wonka. The show received rave reviews on The West End and now it’s time for Broadway to get a little extra magic in 2017!
9. The Glass Menagerie
Lincoln Center once again joins forces with Scott Rudin to bring the classic play, The Glass Menagerie back to life. Starring the incomparable Sally Field and Joe Mantello, The Glass Menagerie will introduce a new generation to this classic Tennessee Williams play. Directed by Sam Gold, this Broadway play is one you will not want to miss in 2017!
8. The Play That Goes Wrong
Another arrival from The West End, The Play That Goes Wrong will make everyone laugh when it lands on Broadway in 2017. The winner of the 2015 Olivier Award fro Best New Comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong is a celebration of the best of live theater… and the worst. Welcome to opening night of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a Broadway show –a ramshackle set, a leading lady with a concussion, and a corpse that can’t play dead.
7. Anastasia
This exquisite and enchanting new musical will come to Broadway in 2017 and we cannot wait. With Derek Klena and Christy Altomare reprising their roles from the Hartford Stage production, Anastasia is the romantic, spell-binding, adventure-filled story of a brave young woman attempting to discover the mystery of her past. The new musical is inspired by animated feature with the same name. The new musical features beloved songs from the 1997 film, including Ahrens and Flaherty’s Oscar-nominated “Journey to the Past,” as well as an entirely new score from the Tony Award-winning team.
6. Sunset Boulevard
She’s back and better than ever! In 2017, Glenn Close will reprise her Tony Award winning role in Sunset Boulevard when it returns to Broadway. Fresh off a run in The West End, Sunset Boulevard tells the story of silent-screen goddess, Norma Desmond, who lives in a fantasy world in her mansion on Sunset Boulevard. The hit musical will return to Broadway in 2017 and it’s sure to be a smashing success.
5. Significant Others
After a sold-out Off-Broadway run at the Roundabout Theatre Company, Significant Other will bow on Broadway in 2017. Featuring original cast members, Gideon Glick and Lindsay Mendez, Significant Other will have you laughing and crying from start to finish. Joshua Harmon’s play is a triumph of theater and we can’t wait to see it in 2017. Want a sneak peek? Read our review of the Off-Broadway run of Significant Other now!
4. Miss Saigon
Another West End transfer, Miss Saigon will be introduced to a whole new generation of Broadway fans in 2017! After a wildly successful West End, Miss Saigon returns to Broadway for the first time ever.Set in 1975 during the final days of the American occupation of Saigon, Miss Saigon is an epic love story about the relationship between an American GI and a young Vietnamese woman. This will be one of the hottest tickets in town and you do not want to miss it!!
3. War Paint
What’s better than Patti LuPone returning to Broadway? Patti LuPone returning to Broadway with Christine Ebersole in a new musical. War Paint tells the remarkable story of cosmetics titans Helena Rubinstein (LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Ebersole), who defined beauty standards for the first half of the 20th Century. Brilliant innovators with humble roots, both women were masters of self-invention who sacrificed everything to become the country’s first major female entrepreneurs. Get ready for LuPone/Ebersole 2017!
2. Hello Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! makes its first re-appearance on Broadway since it originally opened over 50 years ago! Starring the incomparable Bette Midler, Hello, Dolly! is already the hottest ticket in town and we can’t wait for its return! By simultaneously re-inventing the musical and honoring the original production, Hello, Dolly! will surely take Broadway 2017 by storm!
1. Bandstand
After an astounding run at Paper Mill Playhouse last year, Bandstand will swing its way to Broadway in 2017 and we cannot wait! Set in 1945, Bandstand tells the story of musician Donny Novitski who is about to take on the mission of his life: leading his band of fellow veterans into competition for America’s next swing band sensation. However, complicated relationships, the demands of the competition and the challenging after-effects of war may break these musicians. Starring Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes and Corey Cott, Bandstand brings old school music and dance to Broadway. Want a sneak peek at the new musical? Check out our interview with Laura Osnes last year about Bandstand now!