12 Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows to See in 2025

The next few months of theater are busy — here’s what should be on your list.

We’re a month into 2025, and as we all shiver in single digit real-feel temperatures and blustering winds, the Broadway and Off-Broadway seasons are heating up. There are a lot of exciting openings within the next few months — from star-led new musicals to mesmerizing West End transfers.

Here’s what I’m excited to see throughout the rest of the 2024-2025 Broadway season (with some Off-Broadway recs in there, too!).

English

This new play at Roundabout is getting incredible reviews, with many critics calling it a must-see play of the season. I love its simple but effective premise: an Iranian classroom where adults are learning English to practice for a proficiency exam. In a six-week timeline, we learn more about each adult and their connection to places, language, home, and each other.

When to see it: Now! This opened on January 23.
How to get discount tickets: Roundabout offers $30 HIPTIX tickets for anyone under 40! It’s free to join and you can buy a ticket for yourself and anyone else (they don’t need to be under 40).

Urinetown

“Urinetown” is a dark and hilarious musical from the mind of Greg Kotis, who also happens to be my sophomore year guest professor for a musical theater writing class. Greg was kind and wore a different flannel every week, which is actually in stark contrast from the vibes of this musical — about a wacky, upsetting world where it’s literally a privilege to pee. Because it’s a short, two-week run Encores! production at New York City Center, the cast is loaded with stars. Jordan Fisher is coming in right off his “Hadestown” run; I’m also particularly excited about Broadway star Christopher Fitzgerald, Rainn Wilson (“The Office” fans!), and Keala Settle (“The Greatest Showman”).

When to see it: Opens February 5 (and only runs to the 16th).
How to get discount tickets: New York City Center has a 40 and under Access Club. When you sign up (for free!), you can get $28 tickets to any production.

Redwood

Before writing this newsletter, I have to admit the most I knew about this show was that it had Idina Menzel and it was about trees. Yet that’s about half of the knowledge I had going into reading “The Overstory” last year, and that worked out pretty well. I can now tell you this musical is about one woman’s solo journey to the redwood forests, inspired by a real environmental activist. Menzel also wears some carabiners and there is a giant tree in the middle of the stage.

When to see it: Opens February 13.

A Streetcar Named Desire

There is almost no world where I can get tickets to see this show (tickets are in the high hundreds of dollars...), but it’s worth mentioning one of Brooklyn’s hottest upcoming shows — a West End transfer of “A Streetcar Named Desire” that stars none other than Paul Mescal. This production is apparently a wired, dangerous, and thrilling version of the play.

When to see it: Opens February 28.
How to get discount tickets: BAM does have a senior and student rush policy for $20 tickets 90 minutes before start time; however, I would check that the performance you’re planning on isn’t already sold out.

All Nighter

I love a play about girls (and my friend Emily wrote a great newsletter post about these). “All Nighter” is about a group of roommates during finals week at a small liberal arts college. I heard about this show from Ben Platt’s instagram (he’s a producer), and it features actresses I’ve loved and followed from various media. I’m really enjoying the show’s marketing, too, as it digs into the internet culture in a not-so-cringy but rather on the nose way.

I’m so excited about this cast that I had to just take a picture of all of them. Thanks “All Nighter” official website!

When to see it: Opens March 9.

How to get discount tickets: I can’t find a discount yet, but there are cheaper (under $60) tickets for most performances.

Purpose

Brandon Jacob-Jenkins is a playwright to know. Most recently, he won a Tony for “Appropriate,” which was one of my favorite plays of 2023. His writing is provocative and unsettling in the best of ways, and most of his work focuses on themes of race, identity, and family. “Purpose” digs deeper into those themes as it tells the story of the Jasper family. The Jaspers have been a pillar of Black American politics, but their shining legacy starts to dull when the youngest son comes home with an uninvited friend.

This cast also includes Kara Young, one of my favorite actresses. I’m ready to be wowed, provoked, and unsettled.

When to see it: Opens March 17.

Operation Mincemeat

Another West End hit and transfer, “Operation Mincemeat” is a new musical about a real World War II plot where the British used a corpse to share fake information with the Germans. This show did incredibly well in London — winning an Olivier Award for Best Musical — and is supposed to be absolutely hilarious.

When to see it: Opens March 20.
How to get discount tickets: Preview pricing starts at $49 for pre-opening performances, which are February 15 through March 19.

Buena Vista Social Club

This 2023 Off-Broadway hit is now getting its official transfer. Set in Havana Cuba, this new musical follows four musicians from the 1950s to 1990s and details their group and album, Buena Vista Social Club. I’m again excited by pre-Broadway buzz; it’s supposed to be lively and vibrant, with great choreography from husband and wife team Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck.

When to see it: Opens March 19.

Picture of Dorian Gray

Sarah Snook of “Succession” broke the West End with her performance in this production of “Picture of Dorian Gray,” which is transferring to Broadway this year. Snook plays all of the parts — over 20 of them! — and won an Olivier award for her performance.

When to see it: Opens March 27.

John Proctor Is a Villian

Another play about girls! “John Proctor Is a Villain” follows a high school English class in Georgia as they study “The Crucible.” At first, they’re focused on scandals in their own high school lives, but then they start to question the play’s perspective. Is John Proctor the hero he’s cracked up to be?

If the plot of this new play isn’t enough to grab you, this production is also notably Sadie Sink’s return to Broadway.

When to see it: Opens April 19.
How to get discount tickets: $50 tickets are available for preview performances March 20 to April 13.

Floyd Collins

On a summer evening on a rooftop, I and many other NYC theater nerds were at Elsie Fest watching Lizzie McAlpine sing a slew of Broadway songs. This performance foreshadowed her Broadway debut, which is happening on the Lincoln Center stage in a musical called “Floyd Collins.” I have to admit Lizzie is a main attractor for me here, but I’m also excited to see Jeremy Jordan and my “Teeth” boyfriend Jason Gotay.

When to see it: Opens April 21.
How to get discount tickets: Unfortunately the theater’s under 35 program, LincTix, has sold out, but there are student rush tickets for $32 sold two hours before the performance.

Dead Outlaw

This musical had a buzzy Off-Broadway run, and now gets its transfer this April. “Dead Outlaw” is based on the story of Elmer J. McCurdy, an outlaw who was killed in a shoot-out with police, then had his corpse put on display in various carnivals and sideshows in the 1920s to 1950s. The musical is darkly hilarious, following Elmer’s body in “outlandish adventures in death.” The cast and production is supposed to be superb — I’m excited for Andrew Durand, who I really loved in “Shucked.”

When to see it: Opens April 27.

Here’s to a busy winter and spring at the theater!