From Birthright to Death of a Salesman to Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), here are our critic’s picks of the best shows currently on the New York stage. Click the title show link to read our full review.
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
New World Stages, Off Broadway
‘Spelling Bee’ is the perfect antidote to these dreary anxiety-ridden times, and it’s worth settling down for a long, laughter-induced spell. ★★★★★
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes (with no intermission)
Tickets on sale through September 6 for $58 to $194
AMAZE
New World Stages, Off Broadway
‘Amaze’ is as well-constructed as any autobiographical one-man show you’re likely to see on an Off Broadway stage, and Allan definitely knows how to manipulate a big reveal. ★★★★☆
Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (with 1 intermission)
Tickets on sale through Jan. 31 for $59 to $265
BIRTHRIGHT
MCC Theater, Off Broadway
Jonathan Spector has crafted the best new play of the year, a drama that zeroes in on the specifics of 21st-century American Jewish identity while sketching how all of us strain under the weight of conflicting politics, religion, and personal dynamics. ★★★★★
Running time: 3 hours, 20 minutes (with two intermissions)
Tickets on sale through August 23 for $39 to $110
THE BLACK MIRROR EXPERIENCE™
The Shed, Off Broadway
Strap on a VR headset and physically enter the world of ‘Black Mirror’ in this technically impressive and diverting lark that combines elements of dystopian video game, escape room, and interactive theme park ride. ★★★★☆
Running time; 1 hour, 5 minutes
Tickets on sale through Sept. 6 for $62 to $74 ($56 to $66 for group tickets of 4-6 people)
CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL
Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway
Purrers are burning, and the introduction of ballroom and “house” culture breathes fresh energy and a human-scaled depth to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 musical. ★★★★☆
Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes (with one intermission)
Tickets on sale through August 8 for $74 to $321
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway
While Linda gets some of the showiest speeches — which Laurie Metcalf delivers with attention-demanding skill — Nathan Lane’s Willy remains the absolute center of this hauntingly spare revival. ★★★★☆
Running time: 2 hours, 55 minutes (with one intermission)
Tickets on sale through August 9 for $55 to $399
EVERY BRILLIANT THING
Hudson Theatre, Broadway
Daniel Radcliffe delivers a tour de force, serotonin-boosting performance that’s as powerful as any antidepressant drug currently on the market. (Tracee Ellis Ross will star from July 7 – August 9.) ★★★★★
Running time: 85 minutes (with no intermission)
Tickets on sale through Aug. 9 for $63 to $481
GIULIA: THE POISON QUEEN OF PALERMO
PAC NYC Perelman Performing Arts Center, Off Broadway
With her forthright bearing and flaxen hair hanging loose about her doll-like face, composer and star Jennifer Nettles delivers a star turn in a messy but memorable new musical with radio-ready songs. ★★★★☆
Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes (with one intermission)
Tickets on sale through August 2 for $78 to $188
JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE
Barrymore Theatre, Broadway
Debbie Allen’s starry new revival, headlined by Cedric the Entertainer and Taraji P. Henson as the proprietors of the boarding house in 1910s Pittsburgh, is an admirable production that hits the major dramatic notes and frequently hints at its sublime transcendence. ★★★★☆
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Tickets on sale through July 26 for $69 to $371
JUST IN TIME
Circle in the Square, Broadway
‘Just in Time’ feels rejuvenated by Jeremy Jordan, who seems tailor-made to play Bobby Darin, a legend with a golden voice, a hard-charging style, and charm to spare. ★★★★☆
Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes (with 1 intermission)
Tickets on sale through Oct. 16 for $69 to $599
THE LOST BOYS
Palace Theatre, Broadway
‘The Lost Boys’ may be the most spectacular surprise of the Broadway season — a technically astounding show that actually improves on its source material with more fleshed-out characters, a more coherent plot, and a hook-filled rock score that deepens our connection to both the players and their plight. ★★★★☆
Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes (with one intermission)
Tickets on sale through March 7 for $55 to $270
MASQUERADE
218 West 57th St., Off Broadway
While ‘Masquerade’ offers a memorable adventure in the milieu of ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ it’s harder to be moved by Christine’s story when you’re the one doing most of the moving. ★★★★☆
Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes (with no intermission)
Tickets on sale through Jan. 31 for $175 to $395
RAGTIME
Vivian Beaumont Theater, Broadway
This is, hands down, one of the best sung productions New Yorkers will hear this year. Lear DeBessonet’s thoughtful staging underscores why Ragtime is still worth revisiting. ★★★★☆
Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes (with one intermission)
Tickets on sale through Aug. 2 for $114 to $331
SMALL
Pershing Square Signature Center, Off Broadway
There’s nothing diminutive about Robert Montano in his tour-de-force solo show, in which the veteran actor and dancer swaggers across the stage playing a multitude of characters with confident, look-at-me-now bravado. ★★★★☆
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes (no intermission)
Tickets on sale through July 25 for $49 to $114
TITANÍQUE
St. James Theatre, Broadway
Titaníque, complete with that Frenchified accent to emphasize the final syllable, is one of the funniest musical comedies in years. It cruises into dock amid ocean-high waves of laughter. ★★★★☆
Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes (with no intermission)
Tickets on sale through Sept. 20 for $59 to $250
TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK)
Longacre Theatre, Broadway
Every now and then, an enchanting new musical classic comes along out of nowhere, with pop-tinged bops that are as catchy as Velcro. ‘Two Strangers’ may not follow the template of a traditional love story, but it’s a crush note to New York City and one of the best new musicals of the year. ★★★★★
Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes (with one intermission)
Tickets on sale through Nov. 22 for $59 to $399
THE WHOOPI MONOLOGUES
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center, Off Broadway
Tony winner Kara Young is the real standout here, leaning into the physicality of her monologue and hitting her punchlines like a Golden Gloves champ, I would gladly have watched this human spitfire playing all five roles. ★★★★☆
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes (with no intermission)
Tickets on sale through August 30 for $123 to $183