Broadway Beckons With Musicals, Dramas, Bruce Springsteen

For those who are willing to plan far ahead and pay for premium seats, “Hamilton” remains one of the most electrifying musicals on Broadway. It takes audiences through the life of U.S. founding father Alexander Hamilton from his humble beginnings as an abandoned bastard child in the West Indies to committed rebel to George Washington’s trusted advisor and beyond—all without leaving the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Voted as one of Rolling Stones’ top 10 best musicals of all time, the multiple Tony Award winner draws from hip-hop, soul, and pop, interspersed with traditional-style show tunes, to tell the high-octane story of the political mastermind, but with an immigrant slant. The ground-breaking show casts nonwhite actors as the founding father and other historical figures.

Since sweeping the 2017 Tony Awards, including for best musical and best score, another one of the hottest tickets on Broadway remains “Dear Evan Hansen” at the Music Box Theatre. It follows a high school senior with social anxiety disorder who finds himself suddenly thrust into social relevance following a classmate’s suicide. An outrageous lie at the story’s center quickly spirals out of control. At its core, the emotionally charged story is about the desire to connect and to finally fit in.

If you’ve never had the fortune to experience the fun of “Hello Dolly,” your luck may be about to change. This revival stars three-time Tony Award–winner Bernadette Peters in the title role as bold and enchanting Dolly Gallagher Levi—a socialite turned matchmaker in late 19th century New York City. Victor Garber plays the role of her client, the cantankerous, “half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder. This production—at the Shubert Theatre—goes all out, complete with plush costumes, lush sets, and no less than a trolley, a train, and a horse of sorts on stage to entertain audiences.

Bruce Springsteen’s sold-out run at the Walter Kerr Theatre has been extended through June, and if you’re feeling very lucky, a few fortunate names will be drawn from the “Springsteen on Broadway” lottery a few days before performances. Visit luckyseat.com/springsteen-broadway to enter.

Other blockbuster musicals include the following:

If a drama is more to your liking, a much anticipated, thrilling revival of “Children of a Lesser God,” starring Joshua Jackson (“The Affair”), Lauren Ridloff (“Wonderstruck”), and Anthony Edwards (“ER”) will be at Studio 54. The story is based at a school for the deaf, where a recently hired speech therapist falls for a former star student. Their relationship is complicated by their differing ideas of how to communicate. In its first showing on Broadway in 1980, the drama thrilled audiences for 887 performances, snagged a Tony for best drama, and in turn became a major motion picture of the same name.

Tickets are also now on sale for “Lobby Hero,” playing at the Hayes Theatre, starring movie actors Chris Evans (“Captain America”) and Michael Cera (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” “Juno”). The lobby of a Manhattan apartment building sets the stage for four New Yorkers—two security guards and two cops—entangled in a murder investigation. Ultimately, the drama tests out what happens when personal principles clash with family obligations, and suffice it to say, nobody gets off easy. There are many funny bits along with flashes of pain and despair in this play written by the Oscar-winning writer of “Manchester by the Sea.” 

 Tickets to Broadway shows can be purchased at broadway.com/tickets. ■