I Do! I Do!

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is May 26, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed over the weekend.

Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins have revealed the 2026/2027 Season line-up, beginning this fall. With 12 productions—five world or Chicago premieres, a reinvestigated classic and more.

Beautifully acted, engagingly riveting, and populated with impactful characters, Reggie D. White's thoughtfully sprawling and emotionally layered new play—directed by Lili-Anne Brown—delivers an ambitious, deeply affecting examination of generational legacy, Black identity, masculinity, and the elusive pursuit of emotional healing. Set almost entirely within the walls of a suburban home in Southern California, the touching, and, often times, quite humorous play unfolds across multiple decades, chronicling the intersecting lives of three generations of African-American men connected not only by blood, but by inherited silence, buried resentment, generational trauma, and a complicated yearning for deep connection.

Friendship is nearly always a side element in musicals. From the comic sidekick of the leading character to the backup pals who provide background vocals, friends are part of the fabric of many shows—but rarely are they the main event. 

Hello Gorgeous! Lakewood Theatre brings the curtain down on its 73rd season in spectacular fashion with the heartfelt, funny, and moving musical comedy Funny Girl. What a way to say goodbye to a landmark season. Get tix https://lakewood-center.org/

What did our critic think of HEARTBREAK HOTEL at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL?

What did our critic How great to be known by one name…. Dixie Locke (Anna Louise Bramlett) says that to Elvis Presley about Marlon Brando before Elvis becomes one name. The current production at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre is Heartbreak Hotel. This tells the story of Elvis’ rise up to the 1968 Christmas (Comeback) Special.

As the celebration of America's 250th birthday continues, Purple Heart heroes from across the nation will come together in New York's historic Hudson Valley for a special tribute concert this April.

On the heels of being announced as a co-producer for the new musical  Imitation of Life by Lynn Nottage, Liesl Tommy and EGOT winner John Legend, National Black Theatre has revealed cast and ticket availability.

The Stanford Jazz Workshop has announced the 54th annual Stanford Jazz Festival at Stanford University. This year's festival will feature a diverse lineup including jazz legends and contemporary artists across various genres.

Thanks to de Santos’ insightful direction, the on-going dialogues never seem to drag and the action flows at a pace which keeps the audience interested in just what happens between these well-written characters.

In an exclusive clip from Soapy, Jonelle Allen is looking back at the fateful night when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. Watch the clip, where she recalls learning the news during the intermission of George M! on Broadway.

Next week, 54 Below will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Allison Bailey, Jordan Tyson and more. 

It’s… Hairspray! BroadwayWorld is taking a look back at what the cast of this beloved musical has been up to since the show first graced the Broadway stage!

Brendan O'Leary (Romeo) and Nadia Ra'Shaun (Juliet) pull back the curtain on the 'young energy' and intense preparation behind their title roles in Shakespeare's most famous tragedy. From the technicalities of 'Juliet Boot Camp' and the secret musicality of Shakespearean vowels to the high-stakes anxiety of playing dead for 16 minutes while school groups watch for a flinch, the duo explores how they keep a 400-year-old story feeling urgent and real.

Next month, 54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Vanessa Williams, Tony Danza and more. 

Tanglewood has revealed the details of its 2026 season, opening in late June and continuing to Labor Day weekend. The schedule brings many of the world’s most exciting musicians to the beautiful Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts.

For the past two seasons, 14 or 15 new musicals have opened on Broadway. Even in the challenging first two seasons coming out of the pandemic, Broadway saw 8 or 9 new musicals opening. And in the last four full seasons prior to the pandemic, Broadway saw an average of 11 new musicals per season. What gives?

During and prior to the Golden Age of Broadway, songs regularly premiered on stage and then charted, spending time on the radio and becoming popular worldwide. In the 1960s, Broadway songs and popular music diverged, and work from musicals was no longer synonymous with chart hits. There have certainly been a good share of exceptions since that decade, as Broadway has evolved to mirror popular, current music genres. Several of the songs that have broken through to the Billboard charts can be heard on Broadway! 

Amas Musical Theatre officially opened the World Premiere of Going Bacharach: The Songs Of An Icon, a musical revue featuring the songs of Burt Bacharach, on January 12 at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater. Find out what the critics are saying!

The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas transformed the Catherine M. Bellamy Theatre into a twinkling holiday dreamland as Miracle on Main: A Holiday Special took over Pine Bluff on Friday and Saturday nights, December 12–13.

The Jewish Museum and Film at Lincoln Center have announced the full lineup for the 35th annual New York Jewish Film Festival, returning to the Walter Reade Theater in Manhattan.

Standout moments include “Lonely Jew”  by a brilliant Rena Strober, which made the entire evening for me.  This hilarious and wildly irreverent ode to the holiday season includes Strober belting “Oy Vey Maria” and pulling missing Hanukkah candles out of her lady bits to add to her menorah.  I could happily watch this on loop through the rest of December.

BWW Q&A: Jasmin Singer of END OF THE RAINBOW at CenterStage Theatre at the JCC

The iconic rock musical Hair is back in a bold new Brazilian production directed by Charles Möeller and Claudio Botelho. Opening at São Paulo’s BTG Pactual Hall, the show celebrates the spirit of the 1960s counterculture — peace, love, and rebellion — through powerful anthems like Aquarius and Let the Sunshine In. With a cast of 30 led by Rodrigo Simas and Eduardo Borelli, this vibrant staging fuses rock, poetry, and raw emotion to explore freedom, identity, and protest in a turbulent era. Nearly six decades after its debut, Hair still pulses with youthful defiance and idealism, inviting audiences to sing, reflect, and feel the rhythm of a revolution that never truly ended.