The Must-See Shows This Spring According to Frontmezzjunkies – front mezz junkies, Theater News

Frontmezzjunkies Reports: The shows I’m most excited to see this spring 

By Ross

Here’s a chronological list of what I’m most excited to see this spring on Broadway, off-Broadway, and Toronto. Not listed are the shows I’m hoping I get to see in London, namely Ewan McGregor in Lila Raicek’s new play, My Master Builder, Ruth Wilson and Michael Shannon in A Moon for the Misbegotten at the Almeida Theatre, National Theatre’s Giant transferring to the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre, and Ralph Fiennes starring in a new play by David Hare, Grace Pervades, and then directing Shakespeare’s As You Like It. And Like it I do, all of it. Cross your English fingers for me, but until I know my dates, I’m concentrating on New York and Toronto. So here’s my list, in the order I hope I’ll be seeing them.

Broadway’s Gypsy

Ok, I’m arriving late in the game, but this is when they offered us Outer Critics Circle theatre reviewers our press dates, and I gladly snatched mine up, and even changed my travel dates around to make sure I got in to see Audra McDonald take on this epic part. Will she deliver as strong of a performance as Patti LuPone did? We shall see.

Theatre: Majestic Theatre
First Preview: November 21, 2024
Opening: December 19, 2024
Starring: Audra McDonald, Danny Burstein, Joy Woods, Jordan Tyson
Writers: book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Director: George C. Wolfe

6-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald plays the mother of all roles in a revelatory new production, helmed by Tony Award-winning visionary director George C. Wolfe, and choreographed by Tony Award-nominated Camille A. Brown.

Crow’s Theatre’s Wights

This sounds so interesting, and I love what happens at Crow’s Theatre, Toronto.

Theatre: Crow’s Theatre, Toronto
First Preview: January 7, 2025
Opening: January 15, 2025
Starring: Ari Cohen), Sochi Fried, Richard Lee, and Rachel Leslie
Playwright: Liz Appel
Director: Chris Abraham

It’s Halloween 2024, one week before the U.S. election. Anita Knight, a brilliant and ambitious Yale academic, has gathered her closest friends to help her prepare for the job interview of a lifetime. Her husband arrives, late to the party, setting off a chain of events no one sees coming. In this biting social satire, two couples confront each other and themselves, and no one will ever be the same. As their carefully constructed stories unravel, dark forces threaten friendships, marriages, and perhaps even the fate of humanity itself.

Just imagine if Edward Albee and Jordan Peele had a baby—and that baby had a dinner party.

Canadian Stage’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Because of my change of travel plans so I could get in and see Gypsy, my schedule was able to accommodate the Canadian Stage production of Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? No easy feat, as I’m flying out the very next morning for my annual avoid-the-winter holiday trip, this time to Peru. But I’m thrilled to be able to squeeze in a chance to see real-life couple Paul Gross and Martha Burns on stage, as I’ve been obsessed ever since I watched (and re-watched) the fantastic “Slings and Arrows“.

Theatre: Bluma Appel Theatre, Toronto
First Preview: January 18, 2025
Opening: January 23, 2025
Starring: Paul Gross, Martha Burns, Mac Fyfe, Hailey Gillis
Playwright: Edward Albee
Director: Brendan Healy

Albee’s indelible characters are brought to life by an ensemble of Canada’s most commanding performers; real-life acting couples Paul Gross and Martha Burns and Mac Fyfe and Hailey Gillis take the stage together in this bruising, no-holds-barred drama. In the play, after a university faculty soirée, late one night George and Martha welcome a younger couple into their home. As the alcohol flows and dawn approaches, the young couple is drawn into George and Martha’s toxic games until the evening reaches its climax in a moment of devastating truth-telling. This gripping play endures as a powerful commentary on society, solidifying its status as one of the best scripts of the last century.

Coal Mine Theatre’s People, Places and Things

Now, this play is a must-see, ever since I first heard about the new production at Coal Mine. The play rocked my world when I saw Denise Gough rise to international prominence with her star turn in the St. Ann’s Warehouse production after winning an Olivier Award for her performance in the West End. I can’t wait to see what Lambert does with this fascinating part.

Theatre: Coal Mine Theatre, Toronto
First Preview: Feb 9, 2025
Opening: Feb, 2025
Starring: Louise Lambert, Oliver Dennis, Farhang Ghajar, Matthew Gouveia, Sam Grist, Sarah Murphy-Dyson, Fiona Reid, and Kaleb Tekeste
Playwright: Duncan Macmillan
Director: Diana Bentley
About: “I don’t think there is a play that deals with addiction as viscerally and brilliantly as Duncan MacMillan’s People, Places and Things does,” shares Bentley. “Collaborating with Movement Director Alyssa Martin to bring such a vivid experience to life in the intimacy of the Coal Mine is a dream come true. And of course, it’s the perfect part for Louise Lambert and her astonishing talents. I can’t wait to share this show with the Coal Mine audience!”

NYCC Encores’ Urinetown

How can one resist a chance to see Urinetown again? I loved it when it first came to Broadway, opening at Henry Miller’s Theatre, and running from September 20, 2001, through January 18, 2004, totaling 25 previews and 965 performances. It was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and won three. And my musical theatre loving heart, as well.

Theatre: New York City Center Encores!
Opening: February 5, 2024
Book and Lyrics: Greg Kotis
Music and Lyrics: Mark Hollman
Director: Teddy Bergman
Cast: Jordan Fisher, Pearl Scarlett Gold, Taran Killam, Keala Settle, Stephanie Styles, Rainn Wilson

In this Tony-winning musical, presented by Encores!, nothing is safe from criticism — capitalism, politics, the establishment, the anti-establishment, and even musical theater itself!

Broadway’s Redwood

The same could be said about the chance to see Idina Menzel take to the stage once again in another new musical.

Theatre: Nederlander Theatre
First Preview: January 24, 2025
Opening: February 13, 2025
Starring: Idina Menzel, De’Adre Aziza, Michael Park, Zachary Noah Piser, Khaila Wilcoxon
Writers: Kate Diaz (music and lyrics), Tina Landau (concept, book and lyrics), Idina Menzel (concept and additional contributions)
Director: Tina Landau
About: Idina Menzel returns to Broadway in an original musical that premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 2024.

Grangeville at Signature Theatre

Hunter is a fascinating playwright, and I guess after “The Whale” gave Fraser his opportunity to win the Oscar, this play is what is bringing him to this off-Broadway stage, and I’m excited to have the chance to see him live.

Theatre: Pershing Square Signature Center/Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
First Preview: February 4, 2025
Opening: TBA
Playwright: Samuel D. Hunter
Director: Jack Serio
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Brian J. Smith

Across a void of thousands of miles and oceans of hurt, two half-brothers tentatively reconnect over the care of their ailing mother. Grangeville is a new play about the fallibility of memory, the stories we tell to make sense of our suffering, and the complexity of forgiveness.

A Streetcar Named Desire at BAM

Who could resist this: a fascinating director helming a great play starring Mescal who destroyed me with his performances in “All of Us Strangers” and “Aftersun“.

Theatre: Brooklyn Academy of Music
Opening: February 28, 2025
Playwright: Tennessee Williams
Director: Rebecca Frecknall
Cast: Paul Mescal, Anjana Vasan, Patsy Ferren, Dwane Walcott

Paul Mescal stars in this gritty revival of Tennessee Williams’s blistering masterpiece.

The New Group’s The Curse of the Starving Class at Signature Theatre

I’m looking forward to seeing this play again after it was just recently revived at the Signature Center in 2019 (read review here). But I am curious to see what Flockhart and Slater have in store for us, and what convinced Elliott to bring it back again after only five years.

Theatre: The Pershing Square Signature Center / Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre
First Preview: February 4, 2025
Opening: February 25, 2025
Playwright: Sam Shepard
Director: Scott Elliott
Cast: David Anzuelo, Kyle Beltran, Calista Flockhart, Cooper Hoffman, Jeb Kreager, Stella Marcus, Christian Slater

Sam Shepard’s fiercely funny, OBIE award-winning play returns to the stage. With their family home on the verge of collapse and the creditors closing in, the Tate family white knuckles to their past, while scratching and clawing their way towards a better future.

Broadway’s Othello

To be honest, this is really just about Gyllenhaal, and not so much about Washington. But I am curious what Leon will do with this after the inventive Sam Gold production in 2016 at NYTW that starred movie star Daniel Craig as Iago, David Oyelowo as Othello, and Finn Wittrock as Cassio. Gonna have to be something special to make me forget about that creation.

Theatre: Ethel Barrymore Theatre
First Preview: February 24, 2025
Opening: March 23, 2025
Starring: Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Molly Osborne
Writer: William Shakespeare
Director: Kenny Leon
About: Denzel Washington will play Othello and Jake Gyllenhaal will play Iago in Shakespeare’s tragedy of jealousy and deception.

Broadway’s Purpose

I know nothing really about this play, except that it was written by the same playwright who delivered that captivating Appropriate this year, on Broadway and at Toronto’s Coal Mine Theatre. And that it stars Kara Young, who has been consistently blowing the roof off every theatre she steps inside. Thanks, Steppenwolf, I’m excited.

Theatre: Helen Hayes Theatre
First Preview: February 25, 2025
Opening: March 17, 2025
Starring: LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Harry Lennix, Jon Michael Hill, Glenn Davis, Alana Arenas, Kara Young
Writer: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Director: Phylicia Rashad
About: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ latest play arrives on Broadway after its sold-out premiere at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Broadway’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

I wasn’t able to get in to see this when it was playing in the West End, so I was overjoyed when I heard it was coming over to Broadway this March. And I’m super curious about it, times 26.

Theatre: Music Box Theatre
First Preview: March 10, 2025
Opening: March 27, 2025
Starring: Sarah Snook
Writer: Kip Williams
Director: Kip Williams
About: Emmy Award winner Sarah Snook plays 26 characters in this adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic novel.

MTC Broadway’s Old Friends

I took a sidestep when I was in London, passing on getting some tickets for this show when it was playing the West End. I saw the streamed version that had more stars than all of Broadway taking the stage to honor Stephen Sondheim, but I had a feeling it would make it to Broadway. And I can now rest easy that I’ll be able to see Peters and Salonga do what they do best on stage once again.

Theatre: Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
First Preview: March 25, 2025
Opening: April 8, 2025
Starring: Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga
Writers: Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics), Cameron Mackintosh (devisor)
Directors: Matthew Bourne, Julia McKenzie
About: The hit West End tribute to the late Stephen Sondheim comes to Broadway starring Broadway legends Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga.

Broadway’s Good Night, And Good Luck

One name is all that is required here: George Clooney, making his Broadway debut.

Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre
First Preview: March 12, 2025
Opening: April 3, 2025
Starring: George Clooney
Writers: George Clooney and Grant Heslov
Director: David Cromer
About: George Clooney will make his Broadway debut in a stage adaptation of his 2005 film, about Edward R. Murrow’s television crusade against Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Broadway’s The Last Five Years

I am curious to see Nick Jonas on stage, and to see what the fuss is all about, but this is really about Adrienne Warren, who lit the stage on fire when she embodied Tina Turner. It was like we were giving the gift of seeing Turner live and in her prime, and I’ll never forget it.

Theatre: Hudson Theatre
First Preview: March 18, 2025
Opening: April 6, 2025
Starring: Nick Jonas, Adrienne Warren
Writers: Jason Robert Brown (book, music and lyrics)
Director: Whitney White
About: Jason Robert Brown’s beloved musical about two New Yorkers falling in and out of love makes its Broadway debut.

Broadway’s John Procter is the Villain

Very interested in their take, and excited to see Sadie Sink on stage, directed by Danya Taymor.

Theatre: Booth Theatre
First Preview: March 20, 2025
Opening: April 14, 2025
Starring: Sadie Sink
Writer: Kimberly Belflower
Director: Danya Taymor
About: A new comedy about a high school English class questioning the classic play The Crucible. This play has been performed in regional theatres across the country.

Lincoln Center Theater’s Floyd Collins

The cast looks epic, filled with handsome and talented male (and female) actors taking on this epic musical. I’ve never seen it, nor do I know much about it, so I’ll be thrilled to be given the chance to see it come to life on that wide Vivian Beaumont stage.

Theatre: Vivian Beaumont Theatre
First Preview: March 27, 2025
Opening: April 21, 2025
Starring: Jeremy Jordan, Jason Gotay, Sean Allan Krill, Marc Kudisch, Lizzy McAlpine, Wade McCollum, Jessica Molaskey, Taylor Trensch, Cole Vaughan
Writers: Adam Guettel (music & lyrics), Tina Landau (book)
Director: Tina Landau
About: Lincoln Center Theater will present the Broadway debut of the award-winning Off-Broadway musical based on the true story of a man trapped in a cave.

Broadway’s Stranger Things: The First Shadow

I’ve been hesitant since I first saw the marquee in London’s West End, thinking it was some sort of cash-grab immersive thingie that wasn’t really going to be good theatre, but I’m guessing I was a wrong as can be, cause it’s been gathering up some pretty great reviews and winning some awards over in Londontown, so I’m curious if it will live up to the hype.

Theatre: Marquis Theatre
First Preview: March 28, 2025
Opening: April 22, 2025
Starring: Louis McCartney, Rosie Benton, Alex Breaux, Nicky Eldridge, Andrew Hovelson, Alison Jaye, T.R. Knight, Gabrielle Nevaeh, Burke Swanson
Writers: Kate Trefry (writer & original story), The Duffer Brothers (story), Jack Thorne (story)
Directors: Stephen Daldry (director), Justin Martin (co-director)
About: The prequel to the hit Netflix series comes to Broadway after its Olivier Award-winning opening in London’s West End.

Broadway’s Just In Time

I’d pretty much see anything that Groff stars in. So I can’t wait to be sitting in this intimate space on Broadway seeing him play Bobby Darin.

Theatre: Circle in the Square Theatre
First Preview: March 28, 2025
Opening: April 23, 2025
Starring: Jonathan Groff
Writers: Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver (book)
Director: Alex Timbers
About: Jonathan Groff plays beloved singer Bobby Darin in this new musical that transforms the theatre into an immersive nightclub.

Broadway’s Pirates: The Penzance Musical

Never seen a production of this Gilbert and Sullivan classic, but the casting, especially the fabulous Karimloo, makes it even more impossible to cast aside. And I love the rise of Jinkx Monsoon, storming the Broadway stage after a much loved run in the off-Broadway revival, Little Shop of Horrors.

Theatre: Todd Haimes Theatre
First Preview: April 4, 2025
Opening: April 24, 2025
Starring: Ramin Karimloo, Jinkx Monsoon, David Hyde Pierce, Nicholas Barasch, Preston Truman Boyd, Samantha Williams
Writers: Arthur Sullivan (music), W.S. Gilbert (libretto), Rupert Holmes (adaptation)
Director: Scott Ellis
About: Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic comic operetta is brought to life on Broadway for the first time in over 40 years in a new, Jazz-influenced adaptation.

The shows I have already seen, but will be thrilled to see them again on or off-Broadway:

One man Vanya

Theatre: Lucille Lortel Theatre
First Preview: March 11, 2025
Opening: March 18, 2025
Playwright: Anton Chekhov, adapted by Simon Stephens
Director: Sam Yates
Cast: Andrew Scott

A new solo adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play about a family beset by secrets, illicit love interests, and deep divides over their burdensome estate.

Frontmezzjunkies says: “He’s playful in his mapped-out brilliance, surrounding himself with all those lunatics inside one body, becoming a maestro lunatic himself for our pleasure. It’s sharp, and endlessly entertaining, giving us echoes of others in his moving portrayals…That solo driver is Andrew Scott, penetrating us all with his moving Sonia and the rest of these not-so-merry creatures that come alive in his one man and his Vanya.“

Broadway’s Operation Mincemeat

Theatre: John Golden Theatre
First Preview: February 15, 2025
Opening: March 20, 2025
Starring: David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone, Zoë Roberts
Writers: SplitLip (book, music & lyrics)
Director: Robert Hastie
About: The acclaimed, Olivier Award-winning musical about an outrageous covert operation in World War II comes to Broadway. It has played in London’s West End for two years and counting.

Frontmezzjunkies says: “Operation Mincemeat, the new musical, finds the exact right formula for hilarity and loving engagement, telling a near-perfect tale in the most inventive theatrical fashion.“

Broadway’s Buena Vista Social Club

Theatre: Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
First Preview: February 21, 2025
Opening: March 19, 2025
Starring: Natalie Venetia Belcon, Julio Monge, Mel Semé, Jainardo Batista Sterling, Isa Antonetti, Da’Von Moody, Wesley Wray, Leonardo Reyna
Writers: Buena Vista Social Club (music), Marco Ramirez (book)
Director: Saheem Ali
About: The musical based on the legendary Grammy Award-winning album comes to Broadway after premiering at Off-Broadway’s Atlantic Theatre Company.

Frontmezzjunkies says: “The historic energy evades the space, packing in layers upon layers of political history and personal dynamics with heart and expert clarity. It all feels engaging and encompassing, telling tales and unpacking emotional history to the same beat that swings the hips of that talented ensemble… They move and embellish every moment, and when that band floats forward, delivering that mesmerizing music and energy into our laps, we can not resist. Especially when we are truly gifted with the captivating guitar playing of Renesita Avich, which is pure emotion and fire, all rolled up into a sound that will not soon leave you.”

Broadway’s Dead Outlaw

Theatre: Longacre Theatre
First Preview: April 12, 2025
Opening: April 27, 2025
Writers: David Yazbek & Erik Della Penna (music & lyrics), Itamar Moses with Nell Benjamin (book)
Director: David Yazbek
About: A new musical about the bizarre true story of outlaw-turned-corpse-turned-celebrity Elmer McCurdy. It premiered Off-Broadway at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in March 2024.

Frontmezzjunkies says: “..in that fantastically unusual formulation, Dead Outlaw finds flavor untasted before, thanks to the remarkably controlled body of Durand and the music and lyrics that swirl and run around him. It’s an exciting and wonderfully entertaining gallop,… Dead Outlaw should not be missed if you can help it. But I shouldn’t worry too much. Much like that embalmed corpse, this fabulous, curious roadshow adventure will certainly find a new life and home on a bigger wider stage worthy of the Dead Outlaw propped up center stage. It’s too good to get lost in the back of some closet somewhere.“