Theater marquees across New York City are flickering back to life with the start of Broadway’s fall season. What better way to ring in the occasion — and the start of a new semester — than with a good show? Here are six plays or musicals opening this fall to keep on your radar.
“Ragtime”
Opens Oct. 16
If you’re after barn-burning vocals in your Broadway show, look no further than “Ragtime.” Transferring to Lincoln Center after a raucous run at New York City Center last fall, this musical is known for its powerful ballads and stylistically diverse score. “Ragtime” interrogates the American Dream through the lens of a Black pianist in Harlem, a wealthy white matriarch and a Jewish immigrant from Latvia. Despite the musical premiering in 1996, its themes take on a new light in 2025. A day after the 2024 presidential election, New York City Center posted a clip from the show where Black mourners demand an end to injustice. Lincoln Center Theater offers $32 rush tickets for students, available in-person two hours before each performance.
“Bat Boy: The Musical”
Opens Oct. 29
A 1992 tabloid story about a half-boy, half-bat living in a cave may not seem like a promising musical, but this chilling comic lights up the stage. With a score by Laurence O’ Keefe — who also worked on the musical adaptations of “Heathers: The Musical” and “Legally Blonde” — “Bat Boy: The Musical” tells a story of discrimination as the peculiar teen attempts to join a small town’s community. New York City Center revives this rock musical with a cast stacked with Broadway talent, including Tony Award nominee Taylor Trensch and Tony winner and “Glee” star Alex Newell. If you’re under 40, join City Center’s Access Club to get tickets for just $28.
“Oedipus”
Opens Nov. 13
“Oedipus Rex” might conjure up less-than-savory memories of sitting in a first-year humanities class, but Robert Icke’s adaptation of the Sophoclean tragedy is worth the watch. Transferring to Studio 54 after thrilling audiences in London, the play relocates its plot from ancient Greece to modern day and Oedipus from king to politician. But the inevitable descent to self-discovery remains when Oedipus strives to escape his prophesied future. Two powerhouse actors lead the company: Mark Strong in the titular role and Lesley Manville as his wife Jocasta, which won her the Olivier Award for best actress.
“The Seat of Our Pants”
Opens Nov. 13
Just an 8-minute walk from Washington Square Park, The Public Theater brings “The Seat of Our Pants” to its stage — a musical adapted from Thornton Wilder’s play “The Skin of Our Teeth.” “The Seat of Our Pants” tells the absurd tale of the Antrobus family, who have been alive for 5,000 years surviving one catastrophe after another. Student tickets are available for $40 by phone or at The Public’s in-person box office.
“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Opens Nov. 20
If you’re on the hunt for a new romantic-comedy obsession, direct your attention to “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).” The play opens at the Longacre Theatre this fall after acclaimed runs in London and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Join jaded New Yorker Robin and optimistic Brit Dougal as they schlep around the Big Apple, carrying the cakes for his father’s and her sister’s weddings, respectively. Will the pair’s clashing personalities end this metropolitan adventure, or will the spirit of Christmas in New York triumph above all else?
Contact Ethan Li at [email protected].
