Broadway Shows Guide NYC:
How to Choose the Right Show
Current productions, new openings, long-running hits — and the practical guidance to figure out which one is right for your group, your budget, and your night.
Broadway has around 35 to 40 productions running at any given time, which sounds like plenty of choice until you’re actually trying to decide. A family with kids and a couple planning a date night and a theater fan comparing spring openings are all shopping for completely different things — even if they’re all technically “going to Broadway.” The show that’s right for one group can be wrong for another, and the most popular production isn’t always the most appropriate one for where you are and what you want out of the evening.
This is the Broadway shows guide for Stage & Street — the organizing page for every production we cover, built to help you find the right show rather than just the most-clicked one. Browse by what’s currently running, by type of visitor, or by the specific shows you’re already considering. Individual show guides go deeper on each production: cast, theater, best seats, planning the night, and whether it’s worth booking now.
2-for-1 tickets to 25 shows, September 8–20 — including Wicked, Hadestown, Schmigadoon!, and Oh, Mary! See the Broadway Week guide for the full show list and promo code before eligible seats sell through.
Not sure where to start? The shows that consistently deliver for people who’ve never been to Broadway — and why they work.
See First-Timer Picks →Age-appropriate, paced right, and worth the investment. The productions that actually work for a family night on Broadway.
See Family Picks →From smart comedies to star-driven dramas to feel-good musicals — shows that make for a genuinely great evening for two.
See Date Night Picks →New openings, Broadway Week savings, and the full fall lineup broken down by audience type and ticket timing.
See Fall 2026 Picks →New musicals, plays, revivals, star-led productions, preview dates, opening nights, and future Broadway ticket timing.
See What’s Coming →Upcoming Broadway Shows
Planning ahead? The upcoming Broadway calendar includes new musicals, classic revivals, star-driven plays, and productions with dates still coming into focus. Our dedicated upcoming shows hub tracks what has been announced, what has a theater, what has preview or opening dates, and what still needs to be verified before you book.
For announced Broadway shows that are not open yet, start with the Upcoming Broadway Shows guide. It covers new musicals, plays, revivals, preview dates, opening nights, ticket timing, and links to individual show guides like Other Desert Cities, Awake and Sing!, and Inter Alia.
What’s Currently Running on Broadway
The shows below are confirmed open as of summer 2026. Long-running productions run year-round with rotating casts; limited engagements have fixed closing dates and should be prioritized if you’re interested. Individual show guides cover each production in full — cast, theater, best seats, and how to plan the evening around it.
Long-running productions
The untold story of the witches of Oz remains one of Broadway’s most reliable crowd-pleasers. Fresh off the blockbuster film, demand is strong. Best for first-timers, families, and anyone who wants the full Broadway spectacle experience.
A decade in and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical about America’s founding era hasn’t lost its pull. The cast rotates but the show is airtight. One of the most technically impressive productions currently on Broadway.
Julie Taymor’s production has been running since 1997 and remains one of the great achievements of Broadway design. The default answer for families. Visually spectacular from most sections of the house.
Still the funniest show on Broadway, and it’s not particularly close. Not for families or the easily offended — but for the right audience it’s an extraordinary night. Has been running since 2011 for good reason.
Lean, cynical, and endlessly entertaining. The longest-running American musical revival in Broadway history. Great for visitors who want a slick, fast-paced night without a lot of sentimentality.
The best original musical of the last decade is still running. A folk-blues retelling of the Orpheus myth that is genuinely unlike anything else on Broadway. Strong pick for visitors who want something with more artistic weight.
Tony winner for Best Musical. A quiet, poignant show about two obsolete helper robots in near-future Seoul. One of the loveliest things to arrive on Broadway in recent memory. Best for couples and theater fans who want something more intimate.
New & Upcoming This Fall
Fall 2026 brings a genuinely strong wave of new Broadway openings — star-driven plays, a major revival, and two closely watched Broadway debuts. These are the ones worth getting on your radar now, before previews sell through.
Denée Benton and Patina Miller lead Jocelyn Bioh’s sharp, funny play about a Ghanaian boarding school beauty pageant — one of fall’s most anticipated new-play openings, and a first-time Broadway Week participant.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus makes her Broadway debut opposite Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Joe Keery, and Lily Rabe in Jon Robin Baitz’s acclaimed family drama. A 16-week limited engagement.
Rosamund Pike’s Broadway debut in Suzie Miller’s follow-up to Prima Facie — a courtroom drama about a judge confronting her own blind spots. One of the season’s most talked-about new plays.
Broadway’s stage adaptation of the horror franchise, and a rare genre swing for the season — the first true horror title in recent memory. Best for visitors who want something genuinely different from a musical or a drama.
Still running strong well past its Tony win for Best Musical — a genuine word-of-mouth hit that keeps finding new audiences into its second year.
Fresh off winning the 2026 Tony for Best Musical after leading the season with 12 nominations — still the show most theater fans are talking about.
The 2025 Best Musical Tony winner remains one of the most quietly acclaimed shows on Broadway — a gentle, poignant standout worth prioritizing if you haven’t seen it yet.
Choose by Type of Visitor
The most useful question isn’t “what’s the most popular show?” It’s who’s in your group and what kind of night are you after. Here’s a fast guide.
These are the shows that make people understand what Broadway is. Go in without expectations and let the production earn it.
Both are visually spectacular, age-appropriate, and paced for a mixed-age audience. The Lion King edges it for pure theatrical craft.
For a quiet, romantic night: the Tony-winning Maybe Happy Ending. For joyful and campy: Titanique — closes September 20.
The season’s Best Musical winner, with 12 Tony nominations behind it. The answer when you only have one slot this season.
Oh, Mary! is Broadway’s funniest running play and a Tony winner for Best Play. Operation Mincemeat is a sharp, star-driven comedy that rewards audiences who love clever writing.
Not interested in crying or thinking too hard? These two are reliably entertaining and fast-paced from first scene to last.
Full first-time visitor guide →
How to Choose a Broadway Show
There’s no universally right answer — but there are a few questions that cut through the noise quickly.
The most-searched Broadway show is not necessarily the right one for your group. A ten-year-old and a theater critic and a couple on a first date all need different things from a Broadway night. Identify who you’re going with and what they’ll actually enjoy before you look at what’s selling.
Broadway’s range runs from full-scale spectacle musicals designed to overwhelm your senses to intimate, character-driven work that gives a script and strong performances room to work. Neither is better — they’re different experiences entirely. Wicked and The Lion King are the former. Hadestown and Oh, Mary! are the latter. Know which you’re after before you book.
Shows with fixed closing dates sell out as word spreads. If you’re curious about Titanique (closes September 20) or Moulin Rouge! (closes August 30), book before you’ve fully decided rather than after. You’ll get better seats at better prices, and you can always sell if plans change.
Wicked, Hamilton, The Lion King, and The Book of Mormon run year-round. You don’t need to rush those bookings. Midweek performances are almost always less expensive than weekend ones, and the experience in the theater is often better — smaller crowds, more relaxed energy, easier access to everything around the show.
The theater you’re going to determines where you eat, how you get there, and what the neighborhood feels like around the night. A show at Studio 54 is a different evening from a show at the Gershwin. A show at the Todd Haimes Theatre on 46th Street is a slightly different experience from one at the Broadhurst next door. The venue guides on Stage & Street cover all of it.
Our Best Broadway Shows Fall 2026 guide narrows the full season down to the strongest picks organized by type of visitor — it’s the fastest path to a decision if you’re choosing for a specific trip or occasion.
Individual Show Guides
Each guide covers the show in full — what it is, who it’s for, best seats at the specific theater, how to plan the night around it, and whether it’s worth booking now.
Looking for a past production? See the Broadway Shows Archive →
Find the Show That’s Right for You
Broadway in New York City is worth doing — and worth doing right. The right show for your group, booked at the right time, with a plan for the evening around it, is one of the best nights New York has to offer. Use the category guides and individual show pages above to narrow it down. If you’re still not sure, the fall 2026 guide is the fastest path to a decision.
And if you’re looking for help beyond the show itself — seating, the theater, where to eat, how to get there — the links below connect to every planning resource on Stage & Street.
2026 Tony Award Winners
Season Snapshot
- Shows Running ~35 productions currently on Broadway
- Best Musical 2026 Schmigadoon! — Nederlander Theatre
- Closing Soon Moulin Rouge! (Aug 30) · Titanique (Sep 20)
- Recently Closed Death of a Salesman · Every Brilliant Thing · Cats: The Jellicle Ball · Ragtime
- Coming Up See the Fall 2026 Broadway Guide
- First Step Match show to your group before buying tickets
Broadway Hub Navigation
Choose the Right Show
Closing Soon — Don’t Wait
Current Show Guides
Tickets, Seats & Timing
Broadway Night Out
Broadway Experience Guides
“The right show for your group beats the most popular show on Broadway. Start there — everything else follows.”
Keep Planning the Broadway Night
From what’s closing soon and what’s opening next to seating, tickets, and the full Theater District night out — everything that turns a show pick into a great evening.
Broadway NYC — Main Hub
The main Broadway planning hub — shows, theaters, resources, Off-Broadway, and the full night out.
Back to Broadway →Best Broadway Shows — Fall 2026
New musicals, star-driven plays, and major revivals opening this fall — plus which returning hits are still worth prioritizing.
See the Fall Guide →Upcoming Broadway Shows
New musicals, plays, and revivals not open yet — preview dates, opening nights, and ticket timing.
See What’s Coming →Broadway Theaters Guide
Every Broadway house — seating, sightlines, history, and what to know before you pick a section.
Explore Theaters →Broadway Shows Archive
Recently closed productions — cast, venue, and planning info that stays useful long after the run ends.
Browse Past Shows →