Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023

Top-selling shows this week include Merrily We Roll Along, Spamalot, and more!

By: Nov. 20, 2023
Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023
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Looking for the best deals on Broadway shows? Welcome to our new weekly guide to the most popular shows listed on BroadwayWorld.


This Week's Top Broadway Shows

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 1) Merrily We Roll Along Buy Tickets from: $17.50 - Spanning three decades in the entertainment business, Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. An inventive, cult-classic ahead of its time, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and personal songs. Directed by Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along features music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a book by George Furth, and is based on the original play by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 2) Spamalot Buy Tickets - SPAMALOT, the musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, returns to Broadway for the first time ever, following a record-breaking sold-out run at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Peter Marks of The Washington Post exclaims “It’s UNFAIR to make me laugh this much! SPAMALOT is a tightly packed clown car speeding to musical theater nirvana!” Everything that makes a great knight in the theatre is here, from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery, and of course, the Lady of the Lake.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 3) The Who's Tommy Buy Tickets - In 1969, The Who created a rock opera that changed the course of music history. Some 25 years later, The Who’s TOMMY arrived on Broadway, winning 5 Tony Awards® and pushing the boundaries of what musical theatre can be. This March, the Amazing Journey resumes in a dazzling new production direct from a sold-out, record-breaking, award-winning Chicago premiere.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 4) Harmony Buy Tickets - Based on the unbelievable true story, Harmony tells the tale of the most successful entertainers you’ve never heard of. . . . until now. In the 1920s and 30s, The Comedian Harmonists sold millions of records, made dozens of films, and sold out the biggest theaters around the world. Their heavenly harmonies and musical comedy antics catapulted these six talented young men from singing in the subway tunnels of Berlin to international superstardom. What happened next is the story of Harmony. Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, this timely and captivating rags-to-riches story lost to history comes to dazzling life with a sensational cast of Broadway favorites.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 5) Chicago Buy Tickets - Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago's slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today's tabloids. A true New York City institution, Chicago is the longest running American musical in Broadway history.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 6) Here Lies Love Buy Tickets from: $83 - From Talking Heads frontman David Byrne; the beat master of “Praise You,” DJ Fatboy Slim; and the Tony®-winning director of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Alex Timbers, comes HERE LIES LOVE—“an experience the likes of which Broadway has rarely if ever seen” (Variety). Witness the dazzling rise and fall of a young woman who gets catapulted to a life of fame, excess, and intoxicating power after winning the hearts of two political rivals. HERE LIES LOVE is “the best time to be had on Broadway right now” (Town & Country).

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 7) The Notebook Buy Tickets - Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart. With a book that has sold millions of copies worldwide and a film that's one of the highest-grossing romantic dramas of all-time, the musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks's The Notebook comes to Broadway following a critically acclaimed world premiere engagement at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the fall of 2022.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 8) Moulin Rouge! Buy Tickets Starting at $79 - Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectacular spectacular. Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed by director Alex Timbers and choreographer Sonya Tayeh in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. A celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love, Moulin Rouge! is more than a musical — it is a state of mind.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 9) How to Dance in Ohio Buy Tickets - Based on the award-winning HBO documentary, How to Dance in Ohio is a heart-filled new musical exploring the need to connect and the courage it takes to step out into the world. At a group counseling center in Columbus, Ohio, seven autistic young adults prepare for a spring formal dance–a rite of passage that breaks open their routines and sets off hilarious and heartbreaking encounters with love, stress, excitement, and independence. How to Dance in Ohio is a story about people standing on the cusp of the next phase of their lives, facing their hopes and fears, ready to make a very big first move…and dance.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 10) Sweeney Todd Buy Tickets from: $40 - Attend the tale! Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's landmark musical tells the tale of a resourceful pie shop owner and a vengeful barber out for blood. After he's sent away by a corrupt judge, Sweeney returns to London years later seeking his long-lost family, and forms an unlikely partnership with Mrs. Lovett, who serves up pies underneath his former shop. Together, they wreak havoc on Fleet Street and serve up the hottest - and most unsettling - pies in London. Director Thomas Kail helms the return of this musical thriller starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford.

This Week's Top Off-Broadway Shows

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 1) Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice Buy Tickets - Tony® and Olivier Award-winning actor and songwriter Gavin Creel (HELLO, DOLLY!, INTO THE WOODS) had never been to The Metropolitan Museum of Art…until now. Inspired by the countless hours he spent wandering through the world-renowned collections of the museum for a MetLiveArts commission, WALK ON THROUGH is a thrilling new musical event featuring 17 original, infectious, pop-infused songs. In his theatrical songwriting debut, Creel takes us on an intimate, relatable journey of discovery and transformation through the lens of the art that captured his imagination. Whether you are a museum lover or a fellow novice, this show invites you to take a walk with Creel and engage with art, song, and the creative process in a fresh and new way.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 2) Danny and the Deep Blue Sea Buy Tickets from: $77 - In Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, the two characters delve into a bitter argument at a bar. Roberta is a single mother of a teenage son who spends her evenings partying, hoping to boost her self-esteem. Danny is a misunderstood loner who lives with his mother. The two strangers share their self-destructive habits and battles with addiction. As the characters excavate their deep darknesses, they make room for empathy. Academy Award winner John Patrick Shanley wrote Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, his second play, in 1984. Shanley is known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt: A Parable, and writes searing dramas that explore complex, human topics. Danny and the Deep Blue Sea premiered at the Humana Festival of New Plays at The Actors Theatre of Louisville before debuting in downtown New York with the Circle in the Square Theatre.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 3) Manahatta Buy Tickets from: $62.50 - A gripping journey from the fur trade of the 1600s to the stock trade of today, Mary Kathryn Nagle's MANAHATTA tells the story of Jane Snake, a brilliant young Native American woman with a Stanford MBA. Jane reconnects with her ancestral Lenape homeland, known as Manahatta, when she moves from Oklahoma to New York for a banking job just before the 2008 financial meltdown. Jane’s struggle to reconcile her new life with the expectations and traditions of her family and Nation are powerfully interwoven with the heartbreaking history of the Delaware Nation's expulsion from their land. Both old and new Manahatta converge in a lesson about the dangers of living in a society where there’s no such thing as enough. A stunning play about self-discovery, MANAHATTA was written as part of The Public’s prestigious Emerging Writers Group. Obie Award winner and The Public’s Director of Public Works, Laurie Woolery, directs.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 4) Hell's Kitchen Buy Tickets from: $144 - Grammy Award-winning artist Alicia Keys and Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright Kristoffer Diaz bring their exhilarating coming-of-age musical HELL’S KITCHEN to The Public this fall. In a cramped apartment hanging off the side of Times Square, 17-year-old Ali is desperate to get her piece of the New York dream. Ali’s mother is just as determined to protect her daughter from the same mistakes she made. When Ali falls for a talented young drummer, both mother and daughter must face hard truths about race, defiance, and growing up. Ali feels trapped, until the sound of a neighbor playing piano opens the door to an unexpected friendship and a radically different future. Choreographed by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown and directed by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, HELL’S KITCHEN is an unforgettable new show featuring both newly created music and the soulful, iconic songs of New York’s own Alicia Keys.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 5) Buena Vista Social Club Buy Tickets - Directed by Tony Award nominee Saheem Ali (Fat Ham), this story of the legendary artists who recorded the album features the soul-stirring music of Cuba’s golden age, with a book by Marco Ramirez (Drama Desk Award winner, The Royale), choreography by Patricia Delgado and Tony Award winner Justin Peck (Carousel, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story) and a music team led by Tony Award winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit).

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 6) Scene Partners Buy Tickets - Winter, 1985. 75-year-old Meryl ditches ice-cold Milwaukee for sunny Los Angeles, hell-bent on becoming a movie star. She’s got big dreams, a little money, and a whole lot of nerve. But will the world ever know her for who she really is? Starring two-time Academy Award® winner Dianne Wiest as Meryl, and directed by Tony Award® -winning director Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), John J. Caswell, Jr.’s (Wet Brain; Vineyard’s Paula Vogel Playwriting Award) Scene Partners is a wildly theatrical, hilarious and genre-twisting gallop through the experience of a woman reborn.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 7) iLuminate Buy Tickets - An Immersive Mix of Dance, Music, Light & Laughter iLuminate the holidays at this awe-inspiring critically-acclaimed show that fuses light, sound and dance in an stunning spectacle of technology that's perfect for the whole family! From the moment the lights fade to darkness, you’re transported into another world…another dimension, where the music moves you and the visuals are unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Welcome to the world of iLuminate. Named “Best New Act in America” by America’s Got Talent, the brilliant cast of the country’s top dancers and choreographers, along with energetic music, creates a mind-blowing, multi-sensory live show experience. As the show progresses, each scene creates a new “room” inside “Club iLuminate” where an exhilarating blend of music, dance, illusion, technology, and comedy comes to life for an experience that’s sure to be the most fun you’ll ever have in the dark. iLuminate™’s patented technology has been used in numerous performances by Grammy-winning superstars such as Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, The Black Eyed Peas, and David Guetta, among others. “BEST NEW ACT IN AMERICA! SUPERB, SENSATIONAL!” -America's Got Talent "SPECTACULAR! MAGICAL! DAZZLING!" -NY Times "Mesmerizing!" -Good Morning America Voted Best New Show by Las Vegas Review Journal Voted Best Date Show by Las Vegas Weekly “A heart-pounding, life affirming glow-in-the-dark extravaganza!” -Promenade “Eye-Popping Spectacle! iLuminate lights up your life!” -Time Out NY “The hippest, most imaginative show in NY. An electrifying visual delight!” -Theaterlife “AMAZING, ELECTRIFYING, FANTASTIC - WOW!” -Ellen Degeneres “ELECTRIFYING!” -Sunseeker Magazine “Move over Blue Man Group & Stomp, iLUMINATE is in the house!" -Times Square Chronicles

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 8) Here We Are Buy Tickets - Here We Are, legendary composer Stephen Sondheim’s final musical, features a book by Tony Award–nominee David Ives. It is inspired by Luis Buñuel’s films The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel. Here We Are is directed by Tony Award–winner Joe Mantello. The cast will include Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Denis O’Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce, and Jeremy Shamos. The understudies for Here We Are are Bradley Dean, Adam Harrington, Bligh Voth, Adante Carter, Mehry Eslaminia, and Lindsay Nicole Chambers. Produced by Tom Kirdahy, its executive producers are Sue Wagner, John Johnson, and Jillian Robbins. Co-presented by The Shed. Performances begin in September 2023.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 9) Amid Falling Walls Buy Tickets from: $60 - From the company who brought you Fiddler On The Roof in Yiddish and HARMONY. Amid Falling Walls (Tsvishn Falnkike Vent) is a groundbreaking musical that pays homage to the perseverance of the human spirit during one of the most devastating moments of humanity. The performance is composed of songs that were written and performed in ghettos, clandestine cabarets and theaters, forced labor camps, and partisan encampments. The songs in this never-before-heard collection serve as eyewitness testimony and provide insight into the Jewish response as the crisis was unfolding.The production celebrates the resilience and hope of those who endured this defining chapter of history, portrayed through the power of Yiddish song. Presented at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, this theatrical journey offers an unforgettable experience, connecting audiences with history and the indomitable spirit of humankind.

Broadway Buying Guide: November 20, 2023 10) Stereophonic Buy Tickets - David Adjmi’s Stereophonic zooms in on a music studio in the mid-1970s, where an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself suddenly on the cusp of superstardom. Will the ensuing pressures spark their breakup — or their breakthrough? Featuring original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, this intimate, electric play mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation.


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