The last of the Broadway shows of the 2025-26 season opens April 27. That means that there are 40 shows currently playing on Broadway. So which shows should you go see? Well, we at 半岛体育 have collectively seen all of them.
From gasp-inducing family dramas to side-splitting comedies and a Gen Z-friendly take on The Crucible, here's some shows running in New York right now that you should see.
Death Becomes Her
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway
205 West 46th Street
If you want perfection, then you should go to Death Becomes Her on Broadway. While it has become trendy to adapt '90s films for the stage, Death Becomes Her exists on a whole other level. Rather than being a faithful recreation of the 1992 film starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, the musical Death Becomes Her stands strongly on its own bedazzled heels. Sure, the set-up is the same: two women drink a potion that promises to keep them young forever, but with a price. Yet what takes the musical to another level with its smart and hilarious songs, the laugh-a-minute script, and its updated focus on female friendship. Plus, there's "how did they do that" acrobatics and special effects, and killer vocals from its leading ladies Jennifer Simard and Megan Hilty, and one of Destiny's children, Michelle Williams. This show killed me with laughter, then brought me back to life with its committed performers.
Purpose
Hayes Theater, Broadway
240 West 44th Street
I am a simple person. I see that there's a new Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play, I go. Having followed Jacobs-Jenkins' career since he first exploded onto the theatre scene over a decade ago, it has been thrilling to see his ascent from new-voice-to-watch to a playwriting titan. His play Appropriate earned him a Tony Award last year and ran for an impressive six months, a rarity for a play on Broadway. His much anticipated follow-up to Appropriate is likewise a well-crafted exploration of a dysfunctional family. While Appropriate followed a white family, Purpose follows a well-to-do Black family, as the younger generation struggles to grow in the shadow of the older generation, who are Civil Rights heroes. It's a cross-generational tale that also allows explosive performances from actors of all ages, including Tony winner Kara Young, the impressive Jon Michael Hill, and the legendary LaTanya Richardson Jackson. If you're the kind of person who loves a meaty play that will leave you gasping, and you need a show to take a discerning parent or a mentor to, head over to Purpose. Plus, that living room set alone is worth the price of admission.
Goddess
The Public Theater, Off-Broadway
425 Lafayette St
Full disclosure: I have not seen this new musical yet, because it hasn't begun performances. But I know people who have鈥�Goddess had a previous run in 2022 in Berkeley, California, and my colleagues that I knew would not stop raving about it (and I could not contain my jealousy that I could not yet see it). Now, finally, Goddess has arrived in New York. The musical takes place in Kenya at a jazz club, where a mysterious singer arrives and proceeds to put a spell on everyone. If you loved Amber Iman in last year's short-lived Lempicka, then you'll be happy to know that her honeyed vocals are put to good use in Goddess (). You can tell Goddess is anticipated because the show has already sold out before it began performances. If you're the kind of theatre-goer who wants to get in on the ground floor of a new show before it takes off, buy tickets to Goddess ASAP. The run is limited Off-Broadway until June 8.
Maybe Happy Ending
What can I say about Maybe Happy Ending that I haven't already said on the 半岛体育 Podcast? Well, this entirely original musical is the only show this season to get unanimous rave reviews by all the major New York critics. It uses a sci-fi concept鈥攖wo robots who live in isolation who then fall in love鈥攖o explore something close to home: the importance of human connection. And how love and friendship is worth it, even when there's pain. It's a wonderfully touching show, with the most tuneful original score of the season鈥攖here's soaring melodies and profound lyrics. It also contains stagecraft that will have you going, "how did they do that?" (a sequence involving fireflies will leave you breathless). Maybe Happy Ending is the type of musical you can take anyone at any age; the show's 100-minute runtime and impressive stage effects will leave elementary schoolers awestruck, while its deep themes about relationships and aging will leave older folks teary-eyed. Let yourself feel some uncomplicated joy, go see Maybe Happy Ending.
John Proctor is the Villain
John Proctor Is the Villain was initially billed as a feminist take on The Crucible. Sure, but it's so much more than that. Instead, what I loved about Kimberly Belflower's impressive Broadway debut was how it used Arthur Miller as a jumping off point to talk about young women: the things that they love (Taylor Swift and Twilight), what their concerns are (college and boys), and how they overcome self-doubt and setbacks. The play is actually a love letter to female friendship, and a feminist ritual involving Lorde's "Green Light." Plus, thanks to Sadie Sink and the show's young cast, John Proctor is the Villain has really taken off among Gen Z-ers, making it an ideal show to take that young person who has never been to the theatre. I took a Gen-Z 半岛体育 staffer to John Proctor is the Villain and as soon as the show was over, she went off to buy merchandise. Now that's an endorsement.
BONUS:
Atlantic Theater Company, Off-Broadway
330 W 16th St
If you're a very casual theatregoer, I'm assuming you don't know who David Greenspan is. But you don't actually need to know who he is to enjoy this delightful play by Mona Pirnot, which she wrote for an artist she loves: six-time Obie Award-winning actor/playwright David Greenspan, who performs it. In the one-person play, Greenspan plays four millennial female playwrights (one of them Pirnot herself) who debate whether or not to continue toughing it out in the theatre industry鈥攚here success is rare and if you do succeed, you're barely making enough to live on and the mainstream doesn't know who you are. And yet, the play also explores why so many still choose to worship at the alter of this impractical, but magical art form. I've included I'm Assuming You Know David Greenspan as a bonus pick option because it closes April 30 and the limited run is completely sold out. But if you're the kind of theatre person who wants something off the beaten path and surprising, and want an inside look at what it takes to truly make a life in the theatre, this play (and Greenspan's immaculate performance) is not to be missed.
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