12 Best Shows on Broadway Right Now

When Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical premiered in 2015, it was a sensation. Part-rapped, part-sung and with the historical Founding Fathers played by actors of color, this was a game-changing show that made history, and musical theater, feel fresh. In 2016 it received a record-breaking 16 Tony Award nominations and went on to win 11 including Best Musical, along with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Even more impressive is Hamilton’s cultural impact; no musical has had quite the same level of hype over the last decade. Eight years since opening and $840 million gross later, audiences still want to be “in the room where it happens”, and its songs have already been dubbed some of the very best Broadway has seen.

Disney’s pride of Broadway, this musical is not only fantastic for families but a stunning theatrical experience that broke new ground with stagecraft and effects. The story of Simba and his awesome journey from outcast to King of the Pridelands is told in vibrant style, with incredible puppet work and music. This is one musical that captures the imagination no matter your age.

Since opening in 1997, The Lion King has made over $1.8 billion; visitors from all over the world continue to book tickets for a landmark production that has become synonymous with the bright lights of New York theater.

We all cheered when the Wicked Witch of the West melted into nothing in The Wizard of Oz, but what if she wasn’t all that bad? That’s the premise for this hugely entertaining musical, which imagines Elphaba and Glinda the Good as college students who discover the darkness lurking beneath the perfect Emerald City.

Stephen Schwartz’s incredible score, amazing special effects and heartwarming story make this Tony Award-winner one of the most popular Broadway shows. In 2016, it broke records as the fastest show to earn $1 billion on Broadway, and we predict it will fly to even greater heights now that the film, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, has opened in movie theaters.

“I’m gonna be a celebrity!” sang Roxie Hart, and she was absolutely right! Chicago is the longest-running musical you can currently book tickets to on Broadway. Over 10 million theatergoers have seen the show, and it has taken an impressive $737 million since opening in 1996.

Sexy, sultry, and murderous, this jazz-age show from creative team Kander and Ebb has it all: iconic, finger-snapping Fosse choreography, heightened melodrama, deadly rivalries and unforgettable female characters. Even better? It’s bursting with show-stopping songs - “Cell Block Tango”, “And All That Jazz” and “Roxie” - that even the greenest of theatergoers will know and love.

Take the railroad track to the Underworld at one of Broadway’s most unique shows! Hadestown is an epic myth retelling with a vibrant, folk-inspired score. The tragic tale of lovers Orpheus and Eurydice collides with Hades and Persephone in an industrial town where work is hard and wages low.

This labor of love from singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell won eight Tony Awards and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Musicals thrive on the power of their songs, and Hadestown’s music, full of soaring lyrics, blues-inspired melodies and piercing vocals, has struck a chord as one of the most unique shows in NYC.

There is just one word to describe this adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 movie: spectacular! A decade-long endeavor to get it onto the stage has culminated in one of NYC’s most decadent shows. The Tony Award-winning set design and costumes are breathtaking, and Moulin Rouge! is packed with remixes of over 70 songs from the likes of Adele, Sia, Beyoncé and Elton John.

Fans of the movie can enjoy all of the glamor, romance and tragedy (as well as an updated “Elephant Love Medley”) but even if you’re unfamiliar with the story this is still a wild ride, perfect for date night or an extravagant treat.

SIX is the show that made musical theater cool for Gen Z, and one of the best Broadway shows for teens. The sassy, smart, homegrown British hit tells the story of Henry VIII’s wives in an X Factor-style singing contest, as the beleaguered women fight over who had it worse. Already a huge sensation both in London and with its online fandom (or Queendom), it transferred to Broadway in 2020 and has remained one of the highest-grossing new musicals in New York.

In a great twist of fate, it also made history of its own: co-creator Lucy Moss is the youngest female director to bring a show to Broadway.

Discover More: 13 Broadway Shows Teens Will Love.

The Harry Potter franchise has long been a juggernaut, and when epic two-part play The Cursed Child premiered in London’s West End in 2016 it was an instant success. Critically acclaimed for stage effects that conjured the world of Hogwarts to bewildering, magical effect, this sequel gave fans the chance to see how Harry, Ron and Hermione’s children coped at the wizarding school, and what dark forces might still be lurking.

The Tony Award-winning NYC production is the highest weekly-grossing play in Broadway history and, now trimmed down to one 3.5-hour experience, remains an incredible theatrical achievement and one of the top Broadway shows for families.

If you want to be outraged as much as entertained, this is the musical to say “Hello” to! South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone don’t pull their punches with the story of two Mormon missionaries in Uganda. It revels in the obscene and satirical, but amongst the jokes is a tender-hearted story that audiences and critics love - it even won a staggering nine Tony Awards in 2011, including Best Musical.

Shocked laughs are still ringing out 12 years since The Book of Mormon opened, and to date it has grossed over $740 million at the box office. Not only that, it has rightfully taken its place as one of the funniest shows in New York.

Jukebox musicals are a dime a dozen, so it takes something bold to stand out from the crowd; in MJ, an incredible creative team take on an icon to spectacular effect. Michael Jackson is as much myth as man these days, and in this Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning show audiences are treated not only to live performances of his greatest hits, but an insight into his creative spirit during the 1992 Dangerous World Tour.

If that wasn’t enough to convince you, listen to theatergoers: MJ was the 5th highest-grossing show of 2022, taking over $76 million. Audiences won’t stop ‘til they get enough of the King of Pop!

This is a true treasure trove of a musical and a feast for the senses! The story of street rat Aladdin and his path to fortune and romance is paved with incredible stage effects, over 300 costumes bedecked with Swarovski crystals, and songs from Academy Award-winner Alan Menken. Most exciting of all is the extended version of the movie’s iconic song “Friend Like Me”: on Broadway, it is a mammoth eight minutes long and the true definition of a showstopper!

Disney is a theatrical juggernaut, and in Aladdin they have an enduring family favorite that has been seen by over 14 million people worldwide and grossed over $500 million in New York.