There are so many great Broadway shows to choose from in 2023, so we’ve created this list of what’s on Broadway right now to help you pick the right one for you.
We love Broadway shows, and as local tour guides, we are lucky to be able to attend plays and musicals on a regular basis.
Several of our tour guides are up-and-coming theater actors and we love discussing and debating with guests about which show is best.
We also run the very popular NYC Travel Tips Facebook Group where we regularly discuss all things Broadway and where we got some ideas for this post.
We are a group of roughly 200k members, who love sharing our tips and tricks for visiting NYC.
You don't need to become a member to read the posts, comments, and recommendations, so consider checking the group out after you finish reading this post.
Click here to find ticket prices for out what's playing. But before booking, take a look at our guide to finding Cheap Broadway Tickets.
Our list contains Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Broadway shows. What's the difference?
Without further ado, here’s our list of the best current Broadway shows in NYC.
Top Broadway Musicals and Shows
ONGOING
Hamilton
Perhaps one of the best Broadway shows of all time, Hamilton tells the tale of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's founding fathers.
With a musical score that blends show tunes, jazz, R&B, and even hip-hop, Hamilton captures a momentous moment in America’s birth.
The real-life story provides insight into the complexity of Hamilton's relationship with figures like George Washington and Aaron Burr.
The show won 11 Tonys including two for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, both composed by Broadway sensation Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Read more to find out how to get $10 tickets and other discount tickets to Hamilton.
Wicked The Musical
This prequel to The Wizard of Oz is a feel-good musical about how two young witches go from disliking each other to becoming close friends.
The show follows the special friendship between Elphaba, an awkward green-skinned girl, and Glinda, a popular blonde, while they are students at sorcery school.
As the girls grow into their destinies as a Wicked Witch and a Good Witch, yet discover a strong bond between them.
Read here for Wicked Discount Tickets.
The Lion King
Chances are you have heard about the Lion King for years and have been waiting to get to New York City to see it. Now's your chance!
In case you don't know how good it is, this review from Time Magazine will convince you.
“Awe-inspiring! ….Taymor's imaginative ideas seem limitless. It's a gorgeous, gasp-inducing spectacle.”
Find out about getting Lion King Discount Tickets.
Moulin Rouge!
This musical tells the story of a young English poet Christian who falls in love with cabaret actress Satine, the star at the star of the Moulin Rouge in Paris.
The lavish stage production and seductive songs have made it a staple of Broadway. This lively show is guaranteed to entertain!
Little Shop Of Horrors
Everyone’s favorite carnivorous plant is back on an Off-Broadway stage and still entertaining audiences since its first debut in 1982!
Shy floral assistant Seymour discovers a new kind of plant and not a very nice one at that. He names it Audrey II, after his coworker crush Audrey).
Audrey II’s insatiable desire for blood to keep it alive drags Seymour into a fiasco involving murder but he cannot keep up with Audry II’s appetite.
Meanwhile, Seymour plots to rescue the real Audrey from an abusive relationship. Things don't go as Seymour hopes, his plan is foiled and Audry II rules the day.
MJ The Musical
This is by far one of the best Broadway shows that opened in 2022!
Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, MJ The Musical is a look back at the biggest moments in Michael Jackson’s illustrious career.
The show looks at his life through the lens of 25 of his greatest hits.
The story is captivating, the choreography is wonderful and the songs are, well, songs that we know so well.
SIX
Six was one of the best Broadway shows that opened in 2021.
Through girl-group pop songs, the six wives of Henry VIII tell you about their not-so-happy lives (and deaths) with this infamous English King.
This clever script was written when playwrights Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss were college students!
With eight Tony nominations in 2022 including Best Musical, SIX is one of the best shows on Broadway right now.
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child
This play takes place 19 years since Harry Potter graduated from Hogwarts.
He’s sent his son, Albus, to his alma mater where trouble brews again.
Albus has befriended Scorpius, the son of Draco Malfoy, one of Harry’s enemies.
The boys take a time-traveling journey, but trouble begins and Harry, Ron, and Hermione must help save their children and the Wizarding World.
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child has won countless awards and should be on your list of shows if you are traveling with kids!
Aladdin
Based on the Disney movie of the same name, Aladdin is the familiar tale of a poor young man who meets a Genie and is granted three wishes.
With flying carpets, magnificent costumes, and of course a very special magic lamp, this highly successful Broadway show will let your imagination soar.
It’s especially good for families with young children!
The Book of Mormon
This musical comedy written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone (of the TV series South Park) together with Robert Lopez (composer of Avenue Q), has been a Broadway favorite since 2011.
The Book of Mormon is a nine-time Tony winner including for Best Musical, so you can rest assured that this musical about mismatched Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda, will entertain!
Hadestown
This musical with a show book by indie musician Anaïs Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, is the recipient of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical.
The plot weaves two Greek mythic tales, first the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and second, the story of Hades, King of the Underworld, and his wife Persephone.
The show features a stellar cast of actors, singers and dancers, who take the audience on a memorable voyage to the underworld and back.
& Juliet
Created by the writer of the hilarious TV series, Schitt’s Creek, this comedic musical looks at the life of Shakespeare's Juliet if she hadn't ended it all over Romeo.
With upbeat pop songs like “Since U Been Gone,” “Baby One More Time,” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” this feel-good Broadway show is one not to miss!
Chicago
The Tony-winning production opened in 1996, the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.
It’s just as good as when it opened!
This dazzling musical about adultery, murder and justice in the Roaring Twenties is exactly what Broadway is all about!
Back to the Future
This musical take on the 1985 movie Back to the Future has a show book written by the writers of the movie screenplay, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale.
The musical is loosely based on the original screenplay, with main characters Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown, though there are a few changes to the storyline.
BTTF had a successful run in London’s West End and should be a fun experience for all who see this exciting show!
Kimberly Akimbo
In this musical comedy, Tony award-winning Victoria Clark stars as Kimberly, a bright and funny teenager from New Jersey.
An aging disease makes Kim look like a 72-year-old woman, but that’s the least of her problems!
Family secrets, borderline personalities and possible felony charges don't stop Kim from searching for happiness, even when time is not on her side.
The Cottage
Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld) makes his Broadway directing debut with The Cottage, a romantic comedy about sex, betrayal, love and possibly murder set in the English countryside in 1923.
When Sylvia exposes an affair to her husband and her lover’s wife, the meaning of identity, marriage and fate take center stage.
A star-studded cast of comedic actors includes Will & Grace’s Eric McCormack, Legally Blonde’s Laura Bell Bundy, Tootsie’s Lilli Cooper, and Beetlejuice’s Dana Steingold.
Once Upon A One More Time
This musical featuring a few songs from Britney Spears follows a group of Disney princesses, including Snow White and Cinderella, who have a book club where they read their own fairy tales to each other.
Then a rogue fairy godmother replaces the monthly book with the 1960s feminist book, The Feminine Mystique.
The newly-empowered princesses learn to take control of their lives and find an alternative ‘Happily Ever After’ where they are in charge.
Some Like It Hot
The new musical is based on the classic 1950s comedic movie starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
It’s Chicago during Prohibition and two musicians (Christian Borle and J. Harrison Ghee) who witness a mob hit go on the run.
As an extra precaution, they disguise themselves as women which leads to hilarious consequences!
Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (Mean Girls, Book of Mormon, Aladdin), this musical is too hot to miss!
A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical
Sing along with Neil Diamond’s iconic songs, “Sweet Caroline” and “America” in this show that tells this singer-songwriter’s story from a poor kid in Brooklyn to a superstar.
Directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and written by four-time Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Two Popes), this show will inspire and delight audiences.
Sweeney Todd
This ever-popular spine-tingling musical will start a run at the beautiful Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on February 26, 2023.
Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street seeking revenge in the bloodiest of ways, is played by Grammy award winner Josh Groban.
Together with Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford as Mrs. Lovett, and a fantastic cast, Sweeny Todd is a show for lovers of clever dialogue, compelling music, and a touch of fright!
CLOSING SOON
Hurry to catch these Broadway hits before they leave town!
Good Night, Oscar
This Emmy Award-winning play, set in 1958, follows the real-life Oscar Levant, (character actor), and his guest appearance on real-life Jack Paar’s popular late-night TV talk show.
Levant and Paar were household names in the 1950s and chain-smoking, wise-cracking Levant did appear on Paar’s show multiple times.
The play’s TV appearance is fictionalized and serves as a platform to explore Levant’s complex persona and the fine line he walked between genius and insanity.
This laugh-out-loud show stars actor Sean Hayes (Will and Grace) as Levant. His amazing performance makes this an unforgettable tragic-comedy.
Show Closes: August 27, 2023
Funny Girl
The first time this show opened on Broadway was in 1964 and Barbara Streisand played Fanny Brice, a determined girl from the Lower East Side who was determined to be a Broadway star.
This revival is every bit as wonderful as the original.
Hear iconic Broadway songs such as “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People” sung by Lea Michele, multiple award winner and star of the hit TV show Glee.
Closes Sep 3, 2023
Recently Closed
Bad Cinderella
This tongue-in-cheek retelling of the classic fairy-tale features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, an original story and book from Oscar-winning writer Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) and lyrics by Tony Award winner David Zippel.
In this contemporary adaptation, Cinderella’s got her handsome Prince Charming and lives in the beautiful kingdom of Belleville. The townspeople are gorgeous and Cinderella’s godmother is a plastic surgeon. Still, Cinderella’s true to herself and doesn't quite fit in. What measures will she take to please other people?
The Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s thrilling masterpiece is the longest-running show in Broadway history, premiering in 1988. It won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical.
In this timeless tale, the ‘Phantom’ haunts the Paris Opera House. Ashamed of his appearance, covered by a mask, he falls in love with his protégée, Christine Daaé.
This romantic show proves that love is strong enough to conquer anything.
The Piano Lesson
August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama premiered on Broadway in 1990. This revival marks the first time a woman (Tony Award nominee LaTanya Richardson Jackson) has directed an August Wilson play on Broadway.
The cast of this drama features star Samuel L. Jackson as Doaker Charles, one of two siblings who can't agree on what to do with the family’s prized heirloom piano in the aftermath of the Great Depression.
Take Me Out
This play by American playwright Richard Greenberg is not your typical baseball story. It’s the story of what happens to a team when one of their teammates, Darren Lemming (played by Jesse Williams), reveals that he is gay. The co-star of the show is Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
Relationships are challenged and loyalties are tested as the team struggles to adapt to their new reality. Ultimately, the show is about sports bringing people together.
The Music Man
This spirited musical first arrived on Broadway in 1957 and was a smash hit! The latest revival, starring two-time Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winner Hugh Jackman, is just as good as the original!
Trouble starts brewing in River City when con artist Harold Hill shows up. His plans are derailed when he falls in love with the town librarian, Marian. You’ll want to sing along to the popular songs, “Seventy-Six Trombones”' and "Gary, Indiana".
Beetlejuice
Nominated for 8 Tony awards including Best Musical, this whimsical show is based on the 1988 film of the same name.
Lydia Deetz and her family have moved into a new house. The problem is the former occupants, Adam and Barbara Maitland want their house back. As they are now ghosts, they try to scare the Deetz’s out but have no success.
They call on the help of Beetlejuice, an unscrupulous bio-exorcist ghost who does whatever it takes to get the Deetz family to poach up and leave.
1776
This Tony Award-winning Best Musical has never been so revolutionary! This revival’s multicultural cast is made up of female, transgender and non-binary performers.
Filled with passion and persuasion, the show depicts the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The songs put the history of America into the hands of the people who had no voice at its start.
Almost Famous
Based on the funny, touching movie by the same name, Almost Famous takes place in 1973 and follows 15-year-old William, an aspiring music journalist as he tags along with an up-and-coming rock band.
Suddenly he is thrown into the wild world of rock-n-roll, filled with groupies, drugs, great music and complicated relationships. We watch as William navigates this maze, finding himself along the way.
How To Get Discount Broadway Show Tickets
There are lots of ways to get discount Broadway tickets! Once you know how you may never pay full price again!
Our post on Cheap Broadway Tickets covers the different options such as the TKTS booth, ticket lotteries, RUSH tickets and some other money-saving tips.
