All the shows you have to see on Broadway this spring

For theater lovers, one of the most challenging parts of the pandemic has been the prolonged closure of Broadway stages.

No lights, no choreography, no smell of the grease paint. For over a year, Broadway was dark.

But last fall, it tentatively started to come back to life, with long-delayed openings (Six) and celebrated revivals (Caroline, or Change) stepping into the spotlight.

Spring 2022, however, promises to be a theatrical smorgasbord, with new plays, starry revivals, and Pulitzer Prize winners hitting the Great White Way. Here's a sneak peek at the dramatic offerings making Broadway stages bright and bursting with talent treading the boards once more.

01 of 15

Plaza Suite

Spring Broadway Preview — Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick in 'Plaza Suite'. Joan Marcus

One of the most star-studded revivals shuttered as a result of the pandemic, real-life married couple Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker finally get to tackle this Neil Simon classic. They play three different couples checking into a swanky New York hotel, and it marks the first time they'll share a Broadway stage since 1995 and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Fittingly, Broderick also made his Broadway debut in a Neil Simon play, 1983's Brighton Beach Memoirs. But it'll be fun to see him indulge in Simon's patent slice-of-life humor alongside his real longtime spouse. (Hudson Theater, Opens March 28)

02 of 15

Paradise Square

The spring season is noticeably lacking in one area: an abundance of new musicals. Paradise Square is one of the few making the rounds. Inspired by the songs of Stephen Foster, with music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Masi Asare and Nathan Tysen, the musical follows the denizens of local saloon, Paradise Square, in 1863 New York. Set in the slums of Lower Manhattan's notorious Five Points amidst the Civil War, Paradise Square reflects on questions of race, immigration, and what it truly means to be an American. (Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Opens April 3)

03 of 15

Take Me Out

This revival of Richard Greenberg's Tony-winning play was yet another show postponed due to the pandemic. TV stars Patrick J. Adams (Suits), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), and Jesse Williams (Grey's Anatomy) tackle homophobia in America's pastime. Since it looks like we won't be getting a baseball season for awhile, why not play ball with this groundbreaking play in the meantime? (Hayes Theater, Opens April 4)

04 of 15

Cyrano

Calling the Brooklyn Academy of Music its home, Cyrano is not, technically speaking, a Broadway production. But this London transfer of dynamic theatrical duo, director Jamie Lloyd and star James McAvoy, is one of the hottest tickets of the spring. McAvoy stars as the titular lovelorn Cyrano de Bergerac, a soldier who employs his skill with a pen to help another man woo the woman he also loves. In a new adaptation by Martin Crimp, the production strips the story down, using rap, rhyme, and poetry to distill the tale of passion into something rapturous in its simplicity. Winner of the Olivier Award for Best Revival and the source of many early pandemic thirst tweets, Cyrano finally gets to make its bow stateside. (Brooklyn Academy of Music, Opens April 5)

05 of 15

Birthday Candles

Originally meant to co-star Andre Braugher before the pandemic, this new play by Noah Haidle is a showcase for star Debra Messing (Will & Grace). She features as Ernestine Ashworth, a 17-year-old who spends her birthday weighed down by her insignificance in the universe. The play fast-forwards through a handful of birthdays (18, 41, 70, 101) reflecting on our place in the world, what makes life worth living, and the bittersweet prospect of dreams both realized and never achieved. (American Airlines Theater, Opens April 10)

06 of 15

American Buffalo

Yet another postponed revival, this David Mamet classic boasts a trio of splashy talent — Sam Rockwell, Laurence Fishburne, and Darren Criss. Mamet's star has been considerably tarnished by his own doing, but his work still has the power to rivet audiences. This tale of three con men trying to get their piece of the pie is a stark meditation on greed and loyalty. (Circle in the Square Theatre, Opens April 14)

07 of 15

The Minutes

For now, The Minutes is probably best known as the play that was supposed to star Armie Hammer before his life became mired in scandalous allegations. But considering its written by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts (August: Osage County), we have a feeling there will be plenty more to discuss one it debuts. The Minutes traces the inner-workings of a city council meeting in a small town, exposing greed, corruption, and secrets many in the town have tried to keep hidden. (Studio 54, Opens April 17)

08 of 15

How I Learned to Drive

Paula Vogel's searing Pulitzer Prize-winning play finally makes its Broadway debut with its original 1997 cast intact as Mary Louise Parker (Weeds) and David Morse (The Iceman Cometh) reprise their roles. The memory play follows Parker's Li'l Bit and the complicated relationship she once had with her charismatic Uncle Peck. A renowned playwright, Vogel only just made her Broadway debut with 2017's Indecent, but it was How I Learned to Drive that first made her a superstar. (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Opens April 19)

09 of 15

For Colored Girls...

Ntozake Shange's iconic play for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enough gets reinvented. A celebration of Black womanhood, the play features seven women sharing their stories and finding strength in each other. The play fuses poetry, dance, music, and song into what is dubbed a choreopoem. The play was first revived by The Public Theater in 2019, now at last, making the move to Broadway — in its original house — for the first time since its original 1976 Tony-winning production. (Booth Theatre, Opens April 20)

10 of 15

Hangmen

Back in spring 2020, audiences were salivating for Irish playwright Martin McDonagh's seventh Broadway production, Hangmen, set to star Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey). But when the pandemic disruption led producers to announce it wouldn't open, even when Broadway did, some feared the show would never premiere in New York City. But McDonagh's dark humor is back with this biting comedy about Britain's second-most famous executioner and his crisis of conscience when hanging is abolished. Stevens is out, but Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen will make his Broadway debut instead. (John Golden Theatre, Opens April 21)

11 of 15

Funny Girl

Hello, Gorgeous! At long last, Fanny Brice is back onstage in New York City. Long associated with original star Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl hasn't been revived on Broadway ever. But at long last, the classic musical returns with Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart) in the titular role and hunky Ramin Karimloo as love-of-her-life Nick Arnstein. Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) directs a revised book from Harvey Fierstein (La Cage Aux Folles). "The show was tailored very specifically to Streisand's gifts," Mayer tells EW. "The second act became like a Barbra Streisand concert. Being able to return to this story, you have a chance to reassess the show on its own terms again." (August Wilson Theater, Opens April 24)

12 of 15

A Strange Loop

After rave reviews Off-Broadway and in Washington D.C. (and a Pulitzer Prize to boot), A Strange Loop is finally coming to Broadway. The meta-musical more than lives up to its title following Usher, a Black queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer…and well, you get the point. Written by Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop is likely to be a hot ticket this season, even if it doesn't boast the same Hollywood star-power as many other entries here. (Lyceum Theater, Opens April 26)

13 of 15

Mr. Saturday Night

Billy Crystal returns to Broadway in a new musical adaptation of this 1992 film, in which he also starred. Crystal reteams with screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babloo Mandel to write the book, while feted composer Jason Robert Brown provides the music and Amanda Green rounds out the trio on lyrics. Crystal stars as Buddy Young, Jr., a comedian who peaked in the early days of television and is looking for one last shot at the spotlight — and fixing things he broke along the way. (Nederlander Theatre, Opens April 27)

14 of 15

Macbeth

The Scottish Play gets the Sam Gold (Othello, Hamlet) treatment with Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga as Macbeth and his ambitious lady. Macbeth is all the rage of late, recently getting a big-screen adaptation with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, but Gold always brings a sharp instinct and unique perspective to the Bard. Plus, who doesn't want to watch James Bond deliver some of the world's most famous soliloquies? (Longacre Theatre, Opens April 28)

15 of 15

POTUS, Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive

A late edition to the spring calendar, Selina Fillinger's new play is yet another starry title in the mix. While it will be Fillinger's Broadway debut, five-time Tony award winner Susan Stroman is directing and overseeing a stacked cast that includes Lilli Cooper, Lea DeLaria, Rachel Dratch, Julianne Hough, Suzy Nakamura, and Vanessa Williams. The comedy follows the seven brilliant, weary women trying to keep the president of the United States out of trouble when a PR nightmare explodes into a global crisis. (Shubert Theater, Opens May 9)

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