Billy Crystal’s 860 and the Other Desert Cities revival opened on Broadway, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button reached The Public Theater, and Margaret Cho was named the next Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show. Here is the New York week from October 16 to 23, with links to our full reports.
Openings
860, Billy Crystal’s second solo play on Broadway, opened at the Imperial Theatre on October 21, directed by Scott Ellis. Most critics liked the comedy and the grief under it; the doubts were about its loose shape. What the critics said about 860.
The first Broadway revival of Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities opened at the Hudson Theatre on October 18, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in her Broadway debut. Reviewers praised her and Joe Keery, and split over whether the 2011 play has dated. The Other Desert Cities review roundup.
Off-Broadway, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button opened its North American premiere at The Public on October 21 (Benjamin Button reviews). Copperfield! The New Musical opened at The Duke on 42nd Street on October 19 (Copperfield! reviews), and Two Girls opened at the Cherry Lane Theatre on October 18 (Two Girls reviews). The notices are also in for King of the Yees at Signature Theatre (King of the Yees reviews).
Uptown, the Metropolitan Opera gave the world premiere of Lincoln in the Bardo, Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s opera from the George Saunders novel, on October 19. Lincoln in the Bardo: the reviews.
Casting
Margaret Cho makes her Broadway debut as the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show at Studio 54 on November 3, after Rachel Dratch leaves on November 1. Margaret Cho joins Rocky Horror.
Abigail Barlow takes over as Katherine Howard in SIX on November 1, following Aimie Atkinson’s last show on October 31. The Broadway run ends January 3, 2027. Abigail Barlow returns to SIX.
Sherri Shepherd began as the Genie in Aladdin on October 16, the first woman Disney has cast in the role (Sherri Shepherd as the Genie). Bianca Marroquín returns to Chicago as Roxie Hart on November 16 (Bianca Marroquín back as Roxie).
Warriors named eleven principals, led by Amber Gray, Jasmine Cephas Jones and Casey Likes, ahead of its first preview at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on March 9, 2027 (the Warriors cast). Jonathan Groff returns to Broadway on February 10, 2027 in The Amish Project, a solo play at the Broadhurst (Jonathan Groff in The Amish Project). Off-Broadway, Ethan Slater stays as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors after T.R. Knight withdrew (the Little Shop change).
Extensions and closings
Jennifer Simard stays in Schmigadoon! through November 29 (Simard extends), and Ariana Madix plays Connie Francis in Just in Time through November 28 (Madix extends). Todrick Hall’s MIDNIGHT now runs at the Daryl Roth Theatre until January 3, 2027 (MIDNIGHT extends).
Off-Broadway, Two Girls and School Pictures both run at Cherry Lane through November 29 (the Cherry Lane extensions). Fish now closes at WP Theater on November 1 (Fish extends), Soon at The Loft at St. Luke’s on November 15 (Soon extends) and Delirium at the Space at Irondale on November 14 (Delirium’s last week). Manhattan Theatre Club will stream the final Broadway week of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, November 10–15 (the School Girls stream).
Deals and on sale
Much Ado About Nothing, with Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell at the Winter Garden, has 2,500 student tickets at $25 and a $49 digital lottery; previews start October 31 (Much Ado student tickets and lottery). Here There Are Blueberries put 5,500 student seats on sale at $10, at the Barrymore box office only (the $10 Blueberries seats). The Now You See Me Live box office opens at the Al Hirschfeld on October 29, and the first 52 people in line pay $52 or less for a November performance (the Now You See Me Live offer).
Coming up
Richard Nelson’s We’ll See begins at The Public on Sunday, October 25, and now runs through November 29 (We’ll See extends). Rent’s 30th-anniversary concert for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is at the Richard Rodgers on Monday, October 26 (the Rent concert lineup), and City Center’s In the Heights runs October 28–November 15 (In the Heights at City Center).
Further out, Galileo starts previews at the Shubert on November 10 (Galileo’s new producers), and Tom Hanks and Kelli O’Hara bring This World of Tomorrow to Broadway in fall 2027 (This World of Tomorrow on Broadway).
Planning ahead? See which shows are closing soon and which are opening soon on Broadway and Off-Broadway.
