Here's What's Broadway Bound So Far in 2020
February 20, the official opening night of West Side Story, marks the first Broadway musical opening of 2020. Once it does, the shows simply don’t stop. March and April are stuffed with new musicals—eight, to be exact—as shows rush to hit the boards before the April 23 eligibility deadline to be considered for a 2019–20 season Tony Award. Further down the line, three more musicals have announced their debuts.
From fresh stories to revivals to movies-turned-musicals, here’s what’s arriving on the Great White Way next, in order of opening night.
West Side Story
Opens:
February 20
Choreographer:
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
Continuing the recent influx of contemporary dancemakers working on Broadway, De Keersmaeker is taking on West Side Story. A lot is different this time around: Jerome Robbins’ original choreography is out, as are some iconic parts of the show, like Maria’s “I Feel Pretty” solo. But despite some controversy, the revival is opening doors for a slew of first-time Broadway performers.
Girl From the North Country
Opens:
March 5
Movement direction:
Lucy Hind
In 2006, the first musical to use Bob Dylan’s songbook, called The Times They Are a-Changin’, opened and abruptly closed—despite being directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp. Now, a second Dylan-based show, Girl From the North Country, is already receiving positive buzz. It draws on his folk songs to paint a picture of the various people passing through a guesthouse and what they’re grappling with in their lives.
SIX
Opens:
March 12
Choreographer:
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille
SIX turns the tables on history, giving the six wives of King Henry VIII the opportunity to voice their side of story. But this isn’t a stuffy reenactment—they’ve been remixed as pop divas.
Company
Opens:
March 22
Choreographer:
Liam Steel
Yet another remixed revival, Company transfers to Broadway from the West End with four Olivier Awards in tow. The gender-bent production is dripping with talent, including Patti LuPone and Katrina Lenk.
Patti LuPone will play Joanne in Company‘s Broadway transfer.
Brinkhoff/Moegenburg, Courtesy DKC/O&M
Diana
Opens:
March 31
Choreographer:
Kelly Devine
Diana
takes a deeper dive into the life of Princess Diana, who was simultaneously scrutinized by the press and loved by the people. Devine teams up again with director Christopher Ashley, with whom she made magic on Come From Away.
Mrs. Doubtfire
Opens:
April 5
Choreographer:
Lorin Latarro
The zany 1993 comedy starring Robin Williams has morphed into a whole new song and dance. This go-round, Latarro will be choreographing the kids and the cross-dressing dad, played by Rob McClure.
Caroline, Or Change
Opens:
April 7
Choreographer:
Ann Yee
Sharon D Clarke reprises her Olivier-winning turn as Caroline, an African-American maid working for a Jewish family in 1963 Louisiana.
Flying Over Sunset
Opens:
April 16
Choreographer:
Michelle Dorrance
For her first Broadway gig, Dorrance has been given no easy task. Her job? To choreograph a show that imagines a 1950s acid trip shared by Cary Grant, Clare Boothe Luce and Aldous Huxley. Needless to say, we’re more than intrigued.
Sing Street
Opens:
April 19
Choreographer:
Sonya Tayeh
With Moulin Rouge! still going strong, Tayeh will have two Broadway shows running in tandem come April. Sing Street is also a movie-turned-musical, and it follows a scrappy group of kids who form a band in 1980s Dublin.
New York Theatre Workshop’s Sing Street
Matthew Murphy, Courtesy Polk & Co.
Once Upon a One More Time
Opens:
Though a date hasn’t officially been confirmed, BroadwayWorld reports that the production is set to open July 30.
Choreographers:
Keone and Mari Madrid
Once Upon a One More Time‘s soundtrack is stuffed with recognizable hits from pop icon Britney Spears. The show’s premise, though, is far less straightforward, centering on fairy-tale princesses who begin to reconsider their charmed lives upon reading Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. Chicagoans can catch the show first at its pre-Broadway out-of-town run April 14–May 17.
Keone and Mari Madrid
Gabe Galedo, Courtesy Vivacity Media Group
MJ The Musical
Opens:
August 13
Choreographer:
Christopher Wheeldon
Wheeldon will also double as director, and the title character, who’s as darkly complex as he is famous, will be played by Broadway fave Ephraim Sykes. Though the show has faced delays and name changes amidst major controversy (regarding allegations that Michael Jackson sexually abused children), it seems like MJ The Musical will finally land on Broadway, and with no shortage of dancing.
The Music Man
Opens:
October 15
Choreographer:
Warren Carlyle
The star-studded revival features Hugh Jackman, as Harold Hill, and Sutton Foster, as Marian the librarian, in this much beloved classic. We’ve been swooning over this pairing since it was announced last March, and the clip below is evidence that Jackman has been drilling Hill’s signature fast-talking (and fast dancing) at least since last fall.
