If you’re reading this, you’re theatre-going timing couldn’t be better: previews and openings are swooping into Broadway theatres like mythical birds, each with high-profile celebrities riding their wingspan. In short, here is a sample of the shows and stars you can be among the first to see this season:
Annie - Starring two-time Tony winner Katie Finneran as the loopy, put-upon (and evil!) orphan wrangler Miss Hannigan.
Glengarry Glen Ross - Hi-res David Mamet with the kind of jaw-dropping cast that will be talked about for years to come: Al Pacino, Bobby Cannavale, David Harbour, Richard Schiff, and Jeremy Shamos, fresh from his 2012 Tony nomination for Clybourne Park.
Grace - With Paul Rudd, Steppenwolf’s Kate Arrington, Michael Shannon, and, believe it or not, Ed Asner of Lou Grant renown, whose last Broadway outing was decades ago when he costarred in Born Yesterday opposite Madeline Kahn.
The Heiress - Another OMG! company of superstars: Jessica Chastain, Judith Ivey, David Strathairn, and Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Bringing the amazing stage legend Chita Rivera, now 79, back to her Broadway roots. (FYI: She was last seen in her showcase, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life [2005-2006].)
The Performers - With Cheyenne Jackson, Alicia Silverstone, and Henry Winkler.
Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson - Featuring two powerhouse Broadway vets: Carolee Carmello (Mamma Mia!) and Tony winner George Hearn (the original La Cage Aux Folles). P.S. The Today Show’s Kathie Lee Gifford wrote the book and lyrics!
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Boasting two of Steppenwolf’s most revered talents, Tracy Letts and Amy Morton, as George and Martha. They return to New York after dazzling audiences in Letts’ Pulitzer- and Tony-winning August, Osage County.
Enjoy—whichever shows you choose from this list are guaranteed to give you bragging rights with your friends and family!