Ease on Down the Road: Top Broadway Shows in April 2024

As the Tony Awards deadline fast approacheth, a fresh Broadway season is in full swing, with dozens of musicals and plays opening throughout the spring. The rush of new shows began in March, with no signs of stopping in April — basically, everyone’s gotta open by April 25 if they want a shot at that 2024 Tonys gold.

No matter who lands a nomination, the biggest winner is Broadway audiences, who get to feast on a bounty of new shows. From updated productions of Cabaret and Uncle Vanya to new plays starring Rachel McAdams and Jessica Lange and inventive hybrids inspired by Fleetwood Mac and Sufjan Stevens, there’s something for every theater lover to enjoy on their next trip to Broadway.

Below, find out how to buy Broadway tickets to all the thrilling and original new shows in NYC. Plus, take a look at all the productions — like Spamalot, Kimberly Akimbo and more — that will be taking their final bow by month’s end for a last chance to see them before they leave the Great White Way.

Shows Opening on Broadway in April 2024

Seven new shows are opening on Broadway throughout the month of April. Highly anticipated premieres include Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne, Peter Morgan’s new post-Soviet historical drama Patriots and Stereophonic, which is loosely inspired by Fleetwood Mac recording their iconic 1977 album Rumours.

Below, get a run-down of each new show and find out how to purchase Broadway tickets via Ticketmaster.

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Dance your way through the end of the world in 1930s Berlin as Cabaret brings its latest, starry-eyed revival back to Broadway. Prepare for the August Wilson Theatre to be transformed into Berlin’s famous Kit Kat Club, complete with intimate, in-the-round staging and Eddie Redmayne reprising his role as the Emcee from the recent West End production.

Gayle Rankin and Ato Blankson-Wood will costar as Sally Bowles and Cliff Bradshaw respectively, with a cast rounded out by Bebe Neuwirth as Fraulein Schneider, Steven Skybell as Herr Schultz, Natascia Diaz as Fraulein Kost, Henry Gottfried as Ernst Ludwig and Marty Lauter (that’s Marcia Marcia Marcia of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame) as Victor.

Previews began April 1, with Cabaret’s opening night gala set for April 20. When you go, be sure to head to the theater early so you don’t miss the talented Prologue Company’s show before the show that’s filled with original music by Angus MacRae, dancing and revelry a full 75 minutes ahead of the opening drumroll of “Willkommen.”

Patriots

Set in 1991, playwright Peter Morgan’s new work Patriots spells out the story of a post-Soviet Union Russia and the rise of Vladimir Putin from little-known deputy mayor of St. Petersburg to heir apparent to President Boris Yeltsin. Directed by Rupert Goold, the play stars Tony and Emmy nominee Michael Stuhlbarg as Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky and Will Keen as a young and ruthlessly ambitious Putin — with the two men locked in a power struggle of near-Shakespearean proportions that becomes terrifyingly timely for our day.

Patriots began a strictly limited engagement at the Barrymore Theatre on April 1, and will run for just 12 weeks through June 23.

Mary Jane

Rachel McAdams makes her Broadway debut as the titular character in Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane, the story of a single mother faced with a seemingly impossible situation in her family. Mary Jane is left to rely on her own sense of hard-won optimism, as well as the wisdom of a community of women who make up her makeshift family, in a Manhattan Theatre Club production that McAdams herself calls “beautiful and heart-wrenching and heart-warming.”

Stereophonic

Following its acclaimed run last fall at Playwrights Horizons, Stereophonic moves to Broadway for a 14-week run at the Golden Theatre starting April 3. Though not technically a musical, the play features original music by Will Butler of Arcade Fire as it transports audiences back to 1976, where a band of three men and two women are on the brink of superstardom as they record their soon-to-be-legendary next album at a Sausalito, California recording studio.

If that description sounds suspiciously like Fleetwood Mac’s making of a little album called Rumours, you wouldn’t be the only one who thinks so — though playwright David Adjmi insists he took inspiration from everyone from Boston to Led Zeppelin as he wrote the riveting, hilarious story.

Mother Play

Jessica Lange. Jim Parsons. Celia Keenan-Bolger. That trio of names alone is enough to get audiences rushing to see Mother Play, the new Second Stage Theater production opening April 25 at the Hayes Theater. Now in previews, the time-hopping play focuses on Lange’s Phyllis, a hot-tempered alcohol-swilling matriarch and her two adult children — the brilliant but fragile Carl (Parsons) and his younger sister Martha (Keenan-Bolger) — as they move into an apartment in Washington D.C.

Uncle Vanya

Uncle Vanya was published in 1897 and first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre. Cut to 125 years after that first curtain went up and Steve Carell is making his Broadway debut in the latest adaptation of Chekhov’s masterpiece at the Lincoln Center Theater. The Oscar and eleven-time Emmy nominee will be joined by an all-star supporting cast including Alison Pill, Alfred Molina, Anika Noni Rose and more for this modernized update by director Lila Neugebauer and playwright Heidi Schreck.

Illinoise

A new musical inspired by Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 concept album of the same name, Illinoise is centered around a gathering of friends around a campfire as coming-of-age stories unfold in the firelight. Directed by Justin Peck, the Tony Award winner for the 2018 revival of Carousel and Resident Choreographer and Artistic Advisor for the New York City Ballet, the show marks the latest collaboration between Stevens and the dance juggernaut. Illinoise opens April 24 for a limited 16-week engagement at the St. James Theatre.

Top Broadway Shows in April 2024

On top of the flood of new plays and musicals worth checking out, there are also ever-popular crowd-pleasers and wildly anticipated revivals that make up some of Broadway’s top shows. This month, Ticketmaster recommends three shows to keep at the top of your list.

The Who’s Tommy

The Who’s Tommy has returned to Broadway for its first-ever revival at the Nederlander Theatre. Adapted from The Who’s famed 1969 rock opera, the musical tells the story of a young pinball wizard coming of age in post-World War II London. (Content warning: the show deals with themes of violence, sexual abuse and substance abuse, and may not be appropriate for minors.)

Once again helmed by original Broadway director Des McAnuff with music and lyrics by The Who’s Peter Townshend, the musical stars Ali Louis Bourzgui in his Broadway debut as Tommy. Broadway mainstays Adam Jacobs and Alison Luff will play Tommy’s embattled parents, Captain and Mrs. Walker.

The Lion King

Catch the Circle of Life in all its glory as The Lion King continues playing eight shows a week at the majestic Minskoff Theatre. The live-action adaptation of the beloved Disney classic has enchanted audiences on Broadway for more than 25 years, and continues to be a tried and true crowd favorite for theater lovers of all ages.

With classic songs like “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and, of course, “Hakuna Matata,” The Lion King is sure to delight the whole family, from kids to grandparents and everyone in between. Plus, experience new musical numbers not included in the 1994 movie, like “Endless Night,” “Shadowland” and “He Lives in You.”

The Wiz

@ticketmaster

The Wiz is back on Broadway! ✨ We hit the yellow brick carpet for the opening of The Wiz. The emerald city has never been brighter with stars like @Wayne Brady, @Nichelle Lewis, @Deborah Cox, and so many more! Check out @The Wiz Bway at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway now 💚 #thewiz #broadwaymusicals #redcarpet #ticketmaster

♬ original sound – Ticketmaster

Get ready to ease on down the road, because The Wiz is back on Broadway for the first time in over forty years. Starring newcomer Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy (in her Broadway debut!) as well as Deborah Cox as Glinda and Wayne Brady as The Wiz, the latest revival of the 1975 classic began previews March 29 at the Marquis Theatre with an opening night slated for April 17.

The proudly Black retelling of The Wizard of Oz nearly swept the 1975 Tony Awards by taking home seven of its eight nominations — including Best Musical — and quickly spawned a 1978 movie musical starring the likes of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor. This year’s second revival on Broadway promises to add to the show’s legacy by featuring new material by Amber Ruffin in addition to famous songs like “Home,” “Ease on Down the Road” and “A Brand New Day.”

Shows Leaving Broadway in April 2024 (Last Call)

Every new show opening means another has to close, and it’s time for last call for three popular productions, including a Tony-winning musical and two revivals of hits from the 2000s.

Spamalot

The Knights of the Round Table will complete their hilarious and hijink-filled quest when Spamalot closes April 7 at the St. James Theatre. The revival of the 2005 Tony-winning romp based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail gave Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett the chance to make his Broadway debut as Sir Robin along with gut-busting performances by Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy, James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, Ethan Slater as Historian/Herbert, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as The Lady of the Lake.

Doubt: A Parable

“The truth makes for a bad sermon.” Following an extension that was announced before the eagerly anticipated revival even opened, Doubt will take its final bow at the Todd Haimes Theatre on April 21. Starring Amy Ryan as Sister Aloysius, Liev Schreiber as Father Flynn and Zoe Kazan as Sister James, the new version of John Patrick Shanley’s 2004 parable is as resonant as ever in its explorations of faith, uncertainty, truth and intuition.

Kimberly Akimbo

Kimberly Akimbo has charmed audiences ever since it opened in 2022 with its story of Kim, a teenager in Bergen County, New Jersey who has a rare medical condition that causes her to age four-and-a-half times faster than the average human. The musical won five Tony Awards in the season it opened, including Best Musical, but its time at the Booth Theatre is running out, as the show is set to close April 28.

What Do You Wear to a Broadway Show in April?

While there is no official dress code for Broadway shows in NYC – both formal and informal clothing is generally accepted – it’s a good idea to bring a sweater or light jacket when attending a show, as theaters are often air conditioned.