Bright Lights, Big City: Top Broadway Shows in May 2024

Tra-la, it’s May… that lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray! New York’s Theater District has been positively swarming with action over the past two months, with more than a dozen new shows opening in time to be eligible for the 2024 Tony Awards and theater lovers from all corners clamoring for the best Broadway NYC tickets.

Now that Tony nominations have officially been announced, Ticketmaster whittled the abundance of exciting offerings on the Great White Way down to three theater shows in NYC we recommend as can’t-miss picks this month, as well as two exciting new openings and a last chance to see a bloody fan favorite.

Once you’ve considered our list of curated recommendations, view our handy guide to buying Broadway tickets.

Shows Opening on Broadway in May 2024

The deluge of new plays, musicals and revivals rushing to qualify for Tony season may be over for the year, but there are still a pair of fascinating new productions opening on Broadway in May, including a limited run of a Tony-nominated play first staged in the late ‘70s and a residency from one of Broadway’s brightest young stars.

Home

Originally mounted by the Negro Ensemble Company in 1979, Home tells the coming of age story of Cephus Miles, a Black farmer in the South who winds up in jail for opposing the Vietnam War. Following his release, the young man heads north, only to discover a whole world of other problems and find himself left to question the nature of home and how to find it. Directed by Kenny Leon (A Soldier’s Play) and starring Tory Kittles, performances of Home begin May 17 at the Todd Haimes Theatre and will run for a limited time through July 21.

Ben Platt: Live at the Palace

Fresh on the heels of his starring turns in the 2023 revival of Parade and the hilarious big-screen musical Theater Camp, Ben Platt is set to reopen the legendary Palace Theatre with a three-week residency to celebrate the release of his third solo album Honeymind (out May 31 via Interscope Records).

While not technically a Broadway show, Platt’s residency takes place in a storied Broadway venue, and fans can expect the Dear Evan Hansen sensation to belt out his latest singles “Andrew” and “Cherry on Top” as well as more as-yet-unheard songs from his upcoming album. Plus, look out for Broadway favorites, pop covers and cuts from his past solo albums like Sing to Me Instead (2019) and Reverie (2021). Platt’s residency will run for just 18 performances from May 28 to June 15.

Top Broadway Shows in May 2024

Hell’s Kitchen

Hell’s Kitchen, the brand-new musical based on the life of Alicia Keys, only just opened at the Shubert Theatre on April 20. However, the show has already raked in 13 Tony nominations, tying play Stereophonic to become the most-nominated musical of the season and leading this year’s pack of nominees. Part jukebox musical, part biopic, Hell’s Kitchen features beloved hits from Keys’ acclaimed discography including “No One,” “Fallin’,” “Girl on Fire” and “Empire State of Mind” to tell the story of Ali, a young music prodigy growing up in the storied Manhattan Plaza in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.

Stereophonic

Sure, Stereophonic may technically be a play, but the new work by playwright David Adjmi has music running through its veins. With original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, the show dramatizes a 1970s rock band (made up of three men and two women) recording their soon-to-be smash album on the cusp of global fame. If that synopsis sounds suspiciously like the legend of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Adjmi insists he was equally inspired by bands like Boston, Led Zeppelin and Eagles as he wrote the script. Even still, the Golden Theatre transforms into a Sausalito, California recording studio that will transport audience members into an alternate reality to the same studio where Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, et. al. laid down “Go Your Own Way,” “Don’t Stop” and more.

Fleetwood Mac comparisons aside, Stereophonic recently scored a record 13 nods to become the most-nominated play in Tony Awards history, so grab tickets while you still can!

An Enemy of the People

Helmed by Tony-winning director Sam Gold, An Enemy of the People is a modern update of Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 play with a script by Amy Herzog and a cast starring Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli. The show, which is about a small-town doctor whose community and family turns on him after he raises an alarm on an environmental catastrophe, experienced a much-talked-about moment in March when a group of climate activists stopped the show in protest.

The buzzy show was originally supposed to play for just a strictly limited engagement starting in February but is now in its final extension, which runs until June 23 at the Circle in the Square Theatre.

Shows Leaving Broadway in May 2024 (Last Call)

Lempicka

Just days after scoring three Tony nominations, including Broadway veteran Eden Espinosa’s very first (for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical), Lempicka announced it will be closing on May 19 at the Longacre Theatre. Ultimately, the artsy show — a biographical musical about the life of Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka — helmed by Hadestown director Rachel Chavkin will have run for exactly two months, with previews having started on March 19. Fun fact: if you need a refresher about the real-life Lempicka’s talent, re-watch Madonna’s “Vogue” music video, which features portraits by the late artist.