It’s a new year, which means a fresh line-up of Broadway shows are set to grace the stage, including exciting adaptations and intriguing original concepts.
The world of theater is welcoming the new year with a promising line-up of Broadway shows tackling everything from Shakespeare’s Othello to historic events from World War II. Here are five specific works to look out for when you find yourself visiting the Big Apple within the coming months.
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Redwood the Musical
Tony Award-winning superstar Idina Menzel is making her Broadway return in the new Redwood the Musical. The original work promises to be a spectacle for the eyes and ears, with a script by writer and director Tina Landau, and contemporary music by composer Kate Diaz.
The musical centers on working woman Jesse (played by Menzel), who enjoys a successful career and personal life with her family—until one event changes everything, creating a schism between her and the world she knew. Yet on a trip to the redwoods of Northern California, a chance encounter pushes her to take a leap of faith. As the show’s website describes, “Redwood explores the lengths — and heights — one travels to find strength, resilience and healing.”
Buena Vista Social Club the Musical
If you’re a fan of the heady and smooth, Afro-Cuban music of the 1997 album Buena Vista Social Club (by the famous eponymous ensemble), then its upcoming musical may cater to that specific interest.
Besides incorporating the band’s scintillating music, the Broadway show offers an exciting biographical story inspired by the vibrant lives of the Buena Vista Social Club ensemble members. The show’s website describes it as an “unforgettable tale of big dreams, second chances, and the power of art to help us survive.” Buena Vista Social Club the Musical features a book by Marco Ramirez, choreography by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, and direction by Saheem Ali.
Operation Mincemeat
Fans of both comedy and period pieces rejoice, as London’s 2024 Olivier-winning Operation Mincemeat comes to Broadway for the first time. Rave reviews from cultural critics across various publications, including The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Daily Telegraph tease at a fun experience unlike any other, describing the musical as a feel-good, fast-paced, and hilarious yet intelligent romp through one of history’s most perplexing missions.
The musical features a book, music, and lyrics by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, with choreography by Jenny Arnold and direction by Robert Hastie. It is based on a real World War II deception named “Operation Mincemeat,” when British Intelligence aimed to fool the Germans on the true target of their Allied invasion in Sicily by using a corpse to mislead them through falsified documents and a whole fake identity—which, to their pleasant surprise, ended up working.
“The year is 1943 and right now we’re losing the war. Luckily, we’re about to gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse,” the musical’s website writes in a description. “Bursting at the seams with the kind of chaos you couldn’t invent, the question is: how did a dead body, a fake love letter, and—of all people—Ian Fleming come together to wrong-foot Hitler?”
Othello
Shakespeare’s Othello will continue to be a stage and screen classic for years to come, with its fair share of both classic and contemporary performances. The newest addition to this roster of iterations is Broadway’s Othello, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon.
The musical stars Tony and Academy Award winner Denzel Washington as titular prince Othello, and Tony and Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal as the cunning lieutenant, Iago. Meanwhile, actress Molly Osborne plays Othello’s wife, Desdemona.
BOOP!
Fleischer Studios’ Betty Boop lies within the ranks of other pop culture icons like Mickey Mouse and Tom and Jerry, and now, the sassy brunette is gracing the stage with her very own musical. Promising a fun time for the entire family, BOOP! The Musical features a book by Bob Martin; choreography from Jerry Mitchell; lyrics by Susan Birkenhead; and music by multi- Grammy-winning composer David Foster (responsible for Earth Wind and Fire’s “After The Love Has Gone” and Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion’s “The Prayer”).
The musical’s website writes: “For almost a century, Betty Boop has won hearts and inspired fans around the world with her trademark looks, voice, and style. Now, in BOOP!, Betty’s dream of an ordinary day off from the super-celebrity in her black-and-white world leads to an extraordinary adventure of color, music, and love in New York City—one that reminds her and the world, ‘You are capable of amazing things.’ Boop-oop-a-doop!”
Banner photo via Instagram @mincemeatbway.
