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.
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 →The strongest picks from one of the most compelling Broadway seasons in recent years — including what to book before it closes.
See Spring 2026 Picks →What’s Currently Running on Broadway
The shows below are confirmed open as of spring 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 & Newly Opened This Spring
Spring 2026 has delivered an unusually strong slate of new openings — of the 16 productions opening between now and the end of April, 10 are plays, many featuring big-name stars. These are the ones with the most genuine audience appeal and the strongest case for booking now.
Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf as Willy and Linda Loman, directed by Joe Mantello. Three Tony winners on one stage in one of the great American plays. The event of the spring season — book early, prices climb as reviews land.
Academy Award winner Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson star in Lindsey Ferrentino’s visceral play, inspired by the true story of Nick Yarris, a man who spent more than two decades on death row for a crime he did not commit. Both are making their Broadway debuts.
Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle make their Broadway debuts in the first NYC revival of David Auburn’s Pulitzer and Tony-winning play about the daughter of a deceased math genius. Inspired casting of a modern American classic.
After more than 1,000 performances Off Broadway, the ship sails onto the Main Stem this spring. A campy send-up of the Titanic film through the lens of Céline Dion’s music. Jim Parsons, Deborah Cox, Marla Mindelle. The fun pick of the season.
Not the Cats you remember. Reimagined as a high-fashion queer ballroom competition, this production drew enormous attention at PAC NYC in 2024. The most visually distinctive show on Broadway right now. The only new spring opening with an open run.
Daniel Radcliffe’s one-person interactive show about a man’s lifelong list of beautiful things. Funny and devastating. Don’t wait — this closes in May and there’s nothing else on Broadway quite like it right now.
Kelli O’Hara and Rose Byrne in Noël Coward’s 1925 comedy. Two women, their husbands away, unraveling over drinks while waiting for the same ex-lover. Witty, fizzy, and very well cast. Strong date-night pick.
Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach star in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ raw and gritty new play, based on the true story of a botched bank robbery in 1970s NYC. Both making their Broadway debuts.
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 sophisticated and fun: Fallen Angels. For joyful and campy: Titanique. Both pair well with dinner beforehand.
Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf in a landmark American play. The answer when you only have one slot this season.
Both offer something genuinely distinctive right now — a beautifully cast revival and an interactive experience unlike anything else on Broadway.
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 plays that give two great actors a great script and let them work. Neither is better — they’re different experiences entirely. Wicked and The Lion King are the former. Death of a Salesman and Proof are the latter. Know which you’re after before you book.
Shows with fixed closing dates — most of the new spring openings — sell out as reviews land and word spreads. If you’re curious about Death of a Salesman, The Fear of 13, Proof, or Every Brilliant Thing, 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 This Spring 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.
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 spring 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.
Browse Broadway Shows
Start with the current Broadway roster, then open the individual show guides for audience fit, theater info, ticket strategy, and what kind of New York night each production delivers.