Broadway is one of the most popular attractions in New York. Every year, people flock to the Great White Way to see old favorites like The Phantom of the Opera and newcomers like Newsies. Theatergoers will be pleased to know there’s a playbill of new productions ready to win audiences over. Our editors pinpointed five shows that are set to be your best bets for 2013.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Since its 1961 cinematic debut, this Truman Capote novella has offered a favorite and famed depiction of New York’s allure. So it’s only appropriate that Holly Golightly’s Broadway bow will be on the historic landmark stage at the city’s 100-year-old Cort Theatre. Adapted by Tony-winning Richard Greenberg and directed by Sean Mathias, this one comes with a star-studded cast. HBO fans will recognize Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke when she takes on the role of the little-black-dress-wearing and big-dreaming 1940s society girl. While George Wendt, known for his role as a regular customer on Cheers, will get behind the bar in this production as bartender Joe Bell. Opens March 20, Cort Theatre.
Lucky Guy
For those who loved films like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, this world premiere is a must-see. Tom Hanks, who starred in both movies, makes his Broadway debut in this drama by the films’ writer, three-time Academy Award nominee Nora Ephron. While Ephron passed away last summer, she had been working for several years on the stage adaptation of the story behind New York tabloid columnist Mike McAlary. Set in a gritty 1980s New York, the play shows the city through the eyes of the larger-than-life Pulitzer-winning writer. But like many Broadway productions starring Hollywood big names, this is a limited engagement, so get your tickets now before the rave reviews sell it out. Opens April 1, Broadhurst Theatre.
The Assembled Parties
A luxurious Upper West Side apartment sets the scene in this new Broadway comedy. Theatergoers will recognize names behind it, like Tony nominee Jessica Hecht and Emmy winner Judith Light. But the compelling story by Greenberg (who also adapted the aforementioned Breakfast at Tiffany’s for the stage) is what’s getting the most attention. The play begins at a family holiday dinner party in 1980, when one outsider enters the drama. Fast-forward 20 years to the eve of 2001, when the family is struggling for stability—and still facing the effects of the houseguest from years before. Opens April 17, Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
Orphans
When it comes to star power, this dark comedy, directed by Tony winner Daniel Sullivan, is pulling some serious weight. 30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin will star opposite Transformers’ Shia LaBeouf in this 1983 play by Lyle Kessler. LaBeouf plays the older of two orphaned brothers in Philadelphia who kidnap a mobster (Baldwin). While Orphans had a New York run in the 1980s, this will be its—and LaBeouf’s—Broadway debut. And considering the young Hollywood star has drawn millions in box-office sales, hopes are set high on this one being a big hit. Be sure to get your tickets fast—the show ends June 30. Opens April 7, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
The Nance
It’s been two years since Nathan Lane performed on Broadway, but there’s no doubt that the two-time Tony Award winner will once again be a beloved box-office draw when he hits the stage at the Lyceum Theatre this spring. In this new comedic production by Douglas Carter Beane, Lane plays Chauncey Miles, an effeminate 1930s New York City burlesque performer who is also a homosexual. Between the on-stage burlesque antics and the off-stage secretive—and often dangerous—gay world of the 1930s, the script is rife with amusing twists and turns. Opens April 15, Lyceum Theatre.
Photos Courtesy of Nathan Lane, Judith Light, Jason Bell and Lucky Guy
