Although the recently opened Paranormal Activity offered up a fine and spooky soft launch for Broadway‘s 2026 Fall Season, the usual autumn crunch of new productions is still some weeks off.
But no point in waiting until the last minute to make your own plans and choices: A slew of intriguing shows are heading New York’s way, with a roster of big-name stars leading the charge. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Joe Keery, Lily Rabe, Billy Crystal, Bradley Whitford, Tom Blythe, Tom Hiddleston, Raúl Esparza and Rosamund Pike are among the actors who’ll hit the boards between now and the December holidays.
Here, in order of opening nights, is Deadline’s Fall 2026 Broadway Preview.
SEPTEMBER 28 (Previews September 8)
School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre)
Closing Date: November 1
Synopsis: “Becoming Miss Ghana 1986 would mean fame, fortune, and prosperity. At least, that’s what Paulina – the queen bee of Aburi Girls Boarding School – believes. When the pageant recruiter comes to school, Paulina and her crew pull out all the stops. But to their surprise, a new transfer student from America kicks the competition into a higher, far more personal gear.”
Reuniting playwright Jocelyn Bioh and director Whitney White following the success of their Best Play 2024 Tony nominee Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, School Girls carries some big expectations given the pure delight of that earlier collaboration.
The cast includes Lucia Aremu, Denée Benton, Patina Miller, Erin Morton, Jordan Rice, Jasmine Amy Rogers, Heather Alicia Simms
Duly Noted: During an interview with Deadline last year about her work on Liberation, director White said that of all her upcoming work it was School Girls that was most on her mind, as it had been an Off Broadway production previously. “I think that reviving plays codifies a play in the American conscience forever, for the rest of our lifetime. Every time you see Death of a Salesman or whatever, that means that it’s buying another lifetime of study, and I think [Jocelyn’s plays] deserve that, demand that. And so Schoolgirls is on my mind today, because it’s another step towards a female voice being with us forever.”
OCTOBER 18 (Previews September 29)
Other Desert Cities (Hudson Theatre)
Closing Date: January 17, 2027
Synopsis: “Every family has a secret. Not every family survives it. On Christmas Eve, the sunlit Palm Springs home of a politically connected family becomes a battleground of memory, loyalty, and legacy when a daughter returns with a memoir and the power to expose the explosive truth they’ve kept hidden. As the past comes into focus, the question isn’t just what happened, but who owns a family’s story, and what is the cost to tell it.”
Written by Jon Robin Baitz and directed by John Benjamin Hickey, this revival of Other Desert Cities comes 15 years after the original Broadway production was one of the more celebrated stagings of 2011-2012 season.
That production starred Judith Light, Stockard Channing, Elizabeth Marvel, Stacy Keach and a young Thomas Sadoski, and the revival is perhaps an even starrier assemblage with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Joe Keery and Lily Rabe.
Duly Noted: When the revival was announced, playwright Baitz said, “I had, more or less, talked myself out of imagining Other Desert Cities back in New York. But John Hickey is family to me, and I trust him completely. We go back longer than I ever imagined: he hears a play – its ideas, its feeling, its music – with an intelligence and knowingness that anchors a room. And with this company of actors, a playwright dreams about, I thought that if there were still something alive in it, they would find it. What’s slightly unnerving is that nearly 20 years later, through all the fractures and divisions, the questions remain the same: how to live with who we are and what we’ve done and call that a life.”
OCTOBER 21 (Previews October 1)
860 (Imperial Theatre)
Closing Date: January 3, 2027
Synopsis: Billy Crystal returns to Broadway in his new one-man show. Titled 860 and directed by Scott Ellis, the show takes its name from the address of Crystal’s home that was destroyed by the Palisades fires. “Billy reflects on his family and his career – the memories and moments that mattered the most, and how the power of laughter can overcome the most difficult of times. 860 is a hilarious and intimate story about family, friendship, love, luck, and loss.”
Duly Noted: Crystal made his Broadway debut in 2004 with his one-man show 700 Sundays, for which he won a Tony Award. In 2022 he returned to Broadway with Mr. Saturday Night, a musical adaptation of his 1992 film Mr. Saturday Night. “I am thrilled to return to Broadway this fall with this challenging new show,” Crystal said when he announced the new production. “860 was the address of the home we lost in the Palisades fires. We lived there for 46 years. I invite you to come inside 860 and I’ll tell you all the funny and touching things that happened there, not only in my career but to our family.”
OCTOBER 22 (Previews September 25)
The Imaginary Invalid (Todd Haimes Theatre)
Closing Date: November 22nd, 2026
Synopsis: “Tony Award-winner Bill Irwin returns to Broadway (and to Molière) to head the cast of his razor-sharp new adaptation of The Imaginary Invalid, a comedy that proves hypochondria never goes out of style. Professional patient Argan indulges his every ailment, and schemes to marry off his daughter to a doctor to save on medical bills. But she has another life in mind. With a fearless ensemble directed by Broadway veteran Brandon J. Dirden, this fiercely funny production is about to prove that real life is what happens while you and your family are making other plans.”
This Roundabout Theatre Company production uses Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid as translated by Doug Skinner and adapted by Irwin (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). Director Dirden was last on Broadway as an actor in last year’s Waiting for Godot, and with Invalid makes his Broadway directorial debut.
In addition to Irwin, the cast includes Brooks Ashmanskas, Dylan Baker, Rachel Bloom, Hiram Delgado, Crystal A. Dickinson, Daniel Croix Henderson and Ava Lalezarzadeh.
Duly Noted: We can expect some first-rate clowning with Irwin playing sick, and if the production’s wonderful key art – a take-off on the old Milton Bradley (later Hasbro) game – is any indication, there should be lots of fun to be had in hypochondria.
OCTOBER 29 (Previews October 8)
A Few Good Men (Vivian Beaumont Theater)
Closing Date: January 10, 2027
Synopsis: “Military lawyer Daniel Kaffee is known for his wit, charm, and uncanny talent for closing cases before they ever get to trial. When assigned to defend two young Marines accused of murder, his typical strategy is upended by Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway, a sharp attorney determined to prove the men’s innocence. But the evidence soon leads them to a cover-up, putting them on a collision course with the entire chain of command.”
Aaron Sorkin’s 1989 play, later adapted into the hit 1992 feature film starring Tom Cruise and Jack “You can’t handle the truth!” Nicholson, will get its first Broadway revival in a production starring Sorkin’s old West Wing colleague Bradley Whitford (he played deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman in the White House drama).
Whitford will take on the Nicholson role of Col. Jessep to Broadway newcomer Tom Blyth‘s Lt. Kaffee (Cruise in the film). Joining them will be Krysta Rodriguez as Lt. Commander Galloway, among others.
Duly Noted: The original 1989 Broadway production of A Few Good Men, directed by Don Scardino, starred Stephen Lang as Jessep, Tom Hulce as Kaffee and Megan Gallagher as Galloway. Clark Gregg played Lt. Jack Ross, a role taken by Michael Oberholtzer (Take Me Out) in the revival.
Liisi LaFontaine and Solea Pfeiffer in ‘Wanted,’ Rosamund Pike in ‘Inter Alia’ and Bill Irwin in ‘Eureka Day’
Jeremy Daniel/Marc J. Franklin/ Manuel Harlan
NOVEMBER 8 (Previews October 15)
Wanted (James Earl Jones Theatre)
Synopsis: “Texas, 1893 — Twin sisters Mary and Martha Clarke are on the run. The sisters, Black women who pass for white and hide in plain sight, straddle a dangerous line between two Americas. But as powerful forces close in to keep their family from claiming a future of their own, Mary and Martha are driven to desperate measures to save their mother and their family’s legacy. When survival demands they do the unthinkable, the sisters nevertheless fight for self-determination, dignity, and the inheritance they have long been denied.”
Under the title Gun & Powder, the Angelica Chéri-Ross Baum musical made its debut in 2020 at the Signature Theatre of Virginia (and, four years later, opened at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey), drawing considerable attention and strong reviews.
The Broadway production will be directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, with choreography by Chelsey Arce. Starring as the real-life Clarke sisters are Solea Pfeiffer (Hadestown) and Liisi LaFontaine (Dreamgirls), with a cast that also includes Ledisi and Luke James.
Duly Noted: The musical was originally conceived in the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program as the thesis of Angelica Chéri, who wrote the book and lyrics, and Ross Baum, who wrote the music. Chéri first proposed the story concept to her writing partner based on family folklore: She is the great-great niece of the real-life Mary and Martha Clarke.
NOVEMBER 16 (Previews October 22)
The Fantasticks (Hayes Theater)
Closing Date: February 7, 2027
Synopsis: “Two boys. Their two mothers. And a mischievous plan to make the young men fall in love. This is The Fantasticks, known and adored across the globe, in a Broadway premiere that brings glorious new life to the beloved classic. With a book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, this inspired reinterpretation celebrates love, reconciliation, and the singular power of theater.”
A Second Stage Theater production, this reworked Fantasticks will be directed and choreographed by Schmigadoon!‘s Christopher Gattelli with a cast including Maxim Chlumecky, Kevin del Aguila, David Patrick Kelly, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Nathan Levy, Ruthie Ann Miles, Zane Phillips and Ahmad Simmons.
Duly Noted: The Fantasticks, the longest running musical in Off Broadway history (42 years, from 1960 to 2002), is being re-envisioned for its long-in-coming Broadway premiere: The tale’s central romantic pair, Matt and Luisa, are now Matt and Lewis in what the production calls a “delicate allegory of love, longing, and reconciliation through a gay lens.”
Before he died in 2023, book writer and lyricist Jones told Playbill, “I knew that to be done properly it would require a lot of rewriting, especially of lyrics. The more I thought about it, the more interesting it seemed. And when I actually began working on it, I became more and more enthusiastic. I had great fun doing it. I hope people have great fun viewing it.”
NOVEMBER 19 (Previews October 31)
Much Ado About Nothing (Winter Garden Theatre)
Closing Date: January 10, 2027
Synopsis: Director/producer Jamie Lloyd’s Olivier-nominated production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing was such a well-received hit in London last year that Lloyd decided to bring the entire cast to Broadway. And with big-name stars Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell in the leads, who can blame him?
The two Marvel actors (he played Loki, she was Captain America’s pal Peggy Carter) will be joined by Mara Huf, Mika Onyx Johnson, Gerald Kyd, Forbes Masson, Phillip Olagoke, Mason Alexander Park, James Phoon and Tim Steed.
Duly Noted: This production gained much attention for its updating (lots of pink confetti, high-energy house music and glammy ’90s clubwear) and its giddy sense of humor. How giddy? In its review, The New Yorker wrote, “At one point, in the midst of ‘Much Ado,’ full-length cardboard cutouts of Hiddleston and Atwell, in their Marvel costumes, are carried onstage, to squeals of knowing delight: meta made easy.”
DECEMBER 1 (Previews November 10)
Inter Alia (Music Box Theatre)
Closing Date: February 21, 2027
Synopsis: Playwright Suzie Miller is returning to Broadway following her acclaimed Prima Facie with Inter Alia, a sold-out hit when it played London’s West End last year. Rosamund Pike (Saltburn, Gone Girl) makes her Broadway debut as Jessica Parks, a “maverick London Crown Court Judge who is determined to change a system she knows isn’t always just. Inter Alia examines the balance of motherhood and modern masculinity, and of career and family.”
Pike won the Olivier Award for her performance in Inter Alia, and the play reunites Miller with her Prima Facie director Justin Martin.
Duly Noted: When the London-to-Broadway transfer was announced, Pike said she was surprised by the degree to which audiences seem to recognize themselves in the play’s characters. “Men find themselves moved and confronted, women declare themselves seen, and parents and children tell me the story has led them to vital conversations. People recount how they laugh and cry with us, and that’s all I can hope for….I am thrilled and humbled to make my Broadway debut with this role, in a theatre that is beyond my wildest dreams.”
DECEMBER 6 (Previews November 10)
Galileo (Shubert Theatre)
Synopsis: Raúl Esparza stars as the title character in this musical about astronomer Galileo Galilei. “When luminary Galileo peers into the heavens, what he sees challenges humanity’s understanding of the world. Unwilling to deny the truth, Galileo finds himself in a fight with the most powerful institution on Earth. As his trusted confidant Barberini (Jeremy Kushnier) ascends to power, friendship leads to betrayal, and the dreams Galileo has envisioned for himself and for his brilliant daughter Virginia (Joy Woods) begin to slip away. Belief, ambition, and love pull the trio out of orbit, each confronting what they’re willing to sacrifice for what matters most.”
Today, producers Amanda Lipitz, Henry Tisch, and Jordan Roth, announced additional casting for Galileo, the new musical inspired by the life of groundbreaking astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei. Performances begin on Tuesday, November 10, at the Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street), with an opening night set for Sunday evening, December 6.
Featuring a book by Danny Strong, original score by Zoe Sarnak and Michael Weiner, direction by Michael Mayer and choreography by David Neumann, Galileo will also star Bradley Dean, Jordon Lee Garcia and Javier Muñoz. Michael Park will alternate as Galileo at certain performances.
Duly Noted: Astrophysicist and the nation’s de facto science teacher Neil deGrasse Tyson narrates a teaser trailer for this production, his voice instantly recognizable as he intones, “Galileo’s discoveries rocked our world.” The video depicts Galileo’s book The Starry Messenger being sent into space and falling back to earth, landing in the hands of Esparza in Times Square. Watch it below.
UPCOMING 2027 WINTER-SPRING BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS:
January 7
Awake and Sing! (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre)
January 19
Dolly: A True Original Musical (St. James Theatre)
March 25
Evita (Winter Garden Theatre)
April 5
Gloria (Hayes Theater)
April 15
The Sound of Music (Vivian Beaumont Theater)
April 18
Paddington The Musical (Al Hirschfeld Theatre)
April 25
The Full Monty (Todd Haimes Theatre)
