Can’t-Miss Touring Broadway Shows to See This Year

A promising assortment of popular and critically-acclaimed productions continue to hit the road after (or amid) impressive runs on Broadway. If you thrive on fun and fizzy spectacles, Moulin Rouge! is the musical for you. British history and Greek myths get the musical treatment in SIX and Hadestown, respectively, while Frozen will be a must-see for Disney-infatuated kids and parents alike. Check out the full guide to the best touring musicals to see in 2023 below.

Frozen

The coolest Disney extravaganza to come down the pike, Frozen has evolved from a hit 2013 movie into a spectacular musical. Continuing its national tour, Frozen features all of your favorite characters from the film, including Elsa, Anna and Olaf. Songs like “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Love Is an Open Door” offer a musical banquet amid the Scandinavian storybook castle in which much of the musical takes place. Get tickets to Frozen here.

Hadestown

Go to hell and back with Anaïs Mitchell’s “sumptuous, hypnotic” (The New York Times) interpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. Earth is a saucy New Orleans speakeasy and Hades a demonic inferno in Mitchell’s retelling. The highest-grossing musical in the history of Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre, Hadestown features a high-stepping cast, a raucous seven-piece onstage band and a gorgeous set design. Directed by Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812), Hadestown earned eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Get tickets to Hadestown here.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

With more than 70 songs — from Elton John to the Pointer Sisters to The Sound of Music — either performed or referenced, there’s an excellent chance you’ll hear at least one of your favorites during this extravagantly appointed bender of a jukebox musical. Based on Baz Luhrmann’s film of the same title, Moulin Rouge! proves there’s no success like excess. Fireworks, confetti and glittering bedazzlement guarantee a wild, evening-long Parisian spree, minus the morning after. Get tickets to Moulin Rouge! here.

SIX

British history goes pop in the musical SIX, which is thriving on Broadway in the wake of a social-media and streaming frenzy spurred by its 2019 U.S. tour and sold-out twelve-week run at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The half-dozen divorced, beheaded and (occasionally) surviving wives of Henry VIII tell their respective stories in high-voltage songs inspired by Adele, Ariana Grande, Rihanna and others in a Beyoncé-beholden staging. Featuring an all-female cast and band, SIX was deemed “the most uplifting piece of new British musical theatre” by London’s Evening Standard. Get tickets to SIX here.

This article was originally published in 2019 and has been updated.