20 Shows Returning to Broadway This Year
The bright lights of Broadway were dimmed for more than a year, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced theaters to shut.
But as restrictions ease and vaccinations rise, Broadway's biggest stars are back to tread the boards once more.
Brand new plays and musicals are finally getting to debut after having their previews delayed; others are resuming their runs this year, with some old favourites joining them.
Here are 20 shows returning to Broadway before the end of 2021.
Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations
Ain't Too Proud is a jukebox musical based on the story and music of The Temptations.
It opened on Broadway in March 2019 and ran for a year before it was forced to close.
It returns to the Imperial Theatre on October 16 with a gala performance.
Jagged Little Pill
The most nominated musical at the 2021 Tony Awards, Jagged Little Pill is inspired by Alanis Morissette's album of the same name, and deals with issues like drug addiction, sexual assault and gender identity.
Jagged Little Pill, which opened at the Broadhurst Theatre in December 2019, will return to Broadway on October 21.
The Lion King
The Lion King is Broadway's third longest-running show in history and the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time, so it's no surprise that it has resumed performances as of September 14.
The show, based on the Disney film of the same name, is at the Minskoff Theatre.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Moulin Rouge! The Musical won a whopping 10 Tony Awards out of 14 nominations in 2021, and has now returned to Broadway.
The musical, based on Baz Luhrmann's film Moulin Rouge!, opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in June 2019, and ran for nine months.
Performances resumed on September 24.
The Phantom Of The Opera
What's Broadway without The Phantom Of The Opera?
The longest-running Broadway show in history has been going strong since 1988, and will approach 14,000 performances when it resumes on October 22 at the Majestic Theatre.
Aladdin
Aladdin's Broadway production—based on the Disney film of the same name—opened in March 2014 at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and ran until COVID shuttered Broadway.
After originally being suspended until June 2021, Aladdin reopened on September 28.
However, a performance was canceled the following night because of COVID-19 cases detected in the company.
Six
This British musical—a pop concert staged by the six wives of Henry VIII as they retell their lives—began life at the Edinburgh Fringe, before it began previews on Broadway in February 2020.
But we all know what happened just a few weeks later. Thankfully, Six's previews have now resumed at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, and will premiere officially on October 3.
Slave Play
This three-act play by Jeremy O. Harris—about three interracial couples undergoing "Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy" because the black partners no longer feel sexual attraction to their white partners—received the most nominations by a non-musical play (12) at the 2021 Tonys.
It first opened to the John Golden Theatre in October 2019 and closed as scheduled in January 2020.
However, if you missed it first time around, you have another chance, as Slave Play will be staged at the August Wilson Theatre from November 23, 2021, to January 23, 2022, before moving to Los Angeles.
The Book of Mormon
Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez's hilarious musical about The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints has become one of Broadway's highest grossing musicals ever since it premiered at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in 2011.
After suspending performances last March, the musical will resume on November 5.
Wicked
It's time to defy gravity once more, as Broadway's fifth longest-running show has made its triumphant return to the Gershwin Theatre, with the original Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth, giving a speech at the grand reopening on September 14.
A musical retelling of the Gregory Maguire book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Wicked tells the story of the unlikely friendship Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Galinda (whose name later changes to Glinda the Good Witch).
Wicked first opened back in October 2003.
Chicago
The original Broadway production of the legendary musical Chicago opened in 1975 and ran for two years, before being revived in 1996.
Following its temporary closure, Chicago reopened at the Ambassador Theatre on September 14, with Ana Villafañe as Roxie Hart, Bianca Marroquín as Velma Kelly, and Tony winner Paulo Szot as Billy Flynn.
The musical tells the story of a woman put on trial for the murder of her husband, who becomes a celebrity criminal.
Come From Away
This Canadian musical, about the true story of 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the small town of Gander in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon in response to the 9/11 attacks, was a huge critical and commercial hit when it premiered on Broadway in 2017.
Following the live recording of the production being released on Apple TV+ to mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Come From Away resumed performances at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on September 21.
Company
Stephen Sondheim's Tony-winning musical about a single man, his three girlfriends and his married and engaged friends first opened in 1970 on Broadway, and has been revived on two occasions, in 1995 and 2006.
2021 marks its third Broadway revival, after its previews were cut short last year due to the pandemic.
Previews begin on November 15 and an opening night is set for December 9 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, with Patti LuPone reprising her role of Joanne.
Hamilton
No musical has swept the globe quite like Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. The cultural phenomenon tells the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton through hip-hop, and it has reached even more fans since landing on Disney+ last year.
However, those who haven't seen it yet, or want to relive the magic, can snap up tickets as Hamilton is back for its sixth year at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, having resumed performances on September 14.
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child will return to Broadway in November, but not as you know it.
While the existing two-part play, which can be split over two days, will continue on London's West End and in Melbourne and Hamburg, the production staged at the Lyric Theatre will now be condensed into one show—so Muggles will only have to buy one ticket.
Performances resume on November 12.
David Byrne's American Utopia
For something a little different than your usual Broadway fare, David Byrne's theatrical concert American Utopia is back.
After a limited engagement in 2019 and 2020, the Talking Heads legend has moved the show from the Hudson Theatre to St. James Theatre, and performances resumed on September 17.
Dear Evan Hansen
While the movie adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen may not be getting the critical fanfare its original received, the show will return to the Music Box Theatre this December.
Jordan Fisher will play Evan Hansen in the musical from December 11, after the show was suspended last March following three years on Broadway.
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Adrienne Warren won the Best Actress Tony for her performance as music legend Tina Turner, and she will be back in the show this October.
The jukebox musical, which opened on Broadway in 2019, will be back at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre from October 8.
The musical, which charts Turner's journey from humble beginnings to superstardom, features a soundtrack including "Nutbush City Limits", "Proud Mary" and "A Fool In Love".
Freestyle Love Supreme
Lin-Manuel Miranda started the hip-hop improv comedy group Freestyle Love Supreme back in 2004, and their musical hit Broadway in 2019.
While the run was initially to mark the group's 15th anniversary, performances will resume on October 7 at the Booth Theatre.
Girl From The North Country
Girl From The North Country, a musical using the songs of Bob Dylan, made its move to Broadway in 2020, three years after originating at London's Old Vic.
However, its first show was staged on March 5, 2020, and was closed just one week later.
The show will return on October 13 to the Belasco Theatre.
