While most theatergoers are comfortable with selecting a play or musical on Broadway, there is much on offer Off-Broadway as well. Designating theaters with between 100 and 499 seats, Off-Broadway offers a range of shows that encompass musicals, drama, comedy, magic, and more.
Not eligible for Tony Awards® and with less expensive ticket prices, these shows often have shorter runs, may be more experimental and feature up-and-coming artists and writers along with well-known stars. Here are a dozen of our current favorites.
Friends! The Musical Parody
The unauthorized comedic musical that lovingly pokes fun at TV’s Friends celebrates the adventures of Ross, Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey and Chandler as they navigate the pitfalls of work, life, and love in 1990s Manhattan. The show recreates favorite moments from all 10 seasons of the sitcom through an uncensored, music-filled romp.
Jerry Orbach Theater, 210 West 50th Street,
Gazillion Bubble Show
A joyfest for your family from the Yang family of bubble virtuosos. “We are so thrilled to be bringing bubbles back to the stage and smiles to our audiences,” says master bubble maker Melody Yang.
Don’t worry if you have no kids in tow; the high-tech, interactive bubble extravaganza delights all ages with its lights, lasers and bubble artistry.
New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street,
The Imaginary Invalid
The new madcap adaptation of Molière’s best-loved comedy tells the tale of Monsieur Argan, a notorious hypochondriac, whose nonexistent illnesses blind him to the con men and women who prey on his fears.
Argan’s plan to marry his daughter to a doctor will allow him free 24/7 healthcare for the rest of his life. The play is a satire of doctors, lawyers, and would-be patients with comedy and timely discussions of vaccinations, masks and miracle cures.
Red Bull Theater, New World Stages, 240 West 50th Street,
Irishtown: A Problem
In Ciara Elizabeth Smyth’s searing new comedy, The Irishtown Players have just started rehearsals for their new play.
After the astounding success of their last production, the Dublin-based company is scheduled to open on Broadway with the same visionary playwright at the helm… but trouble arises during the creative process. The play features Kate Burton and Saoirse-Monica Jackson.
Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 West 22nd Street,
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Last Call
Two of the world’s most renowned conductors meet for one night at the Sacher Hotel in Vienna for a head-on display of artistic rivalry.
Played by female actors in tour de force turns as Leonard Bernstein and Herbert Von Karjan, these classical music titans evince what defines each one’s creative genius in a riveting dialogue over one last drink. Music reveals itself to be the common ground between their differing styles of genius.
New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street,
Little Shop of Horrors
The acclaimed Tony Award®-winning musical revival has become a long-running Off-Broadway hit.
The story follows unlucky flower-shop employee, Seymour, who finds himself trapped under the blood-thirsty fronds of the plant he’s named Audrey II after the girl of his dreams. Songs include the catchy “Skid Row (Downtown),” “Somewhere That’s Green,” and “Suddenly Seymour.”
Westside Theatre Upstairs, 407 West 43rd Street,
Mindplay
An evening of mind-boggling illusion and deception awaits audiences at this one-man show about the difference between the obvious and the not-so-obvious.
Created and performed by mentalist Vinny DePonto, Mindplay engages members of the audience in one-off vignettes that push the envelope. You’ll think the entire show is pre-planned, but therein lies the mystique.
Greenwich House Theater, 27 Barrow Street,
My First Ex-Husband – A New Play by Joy Behar
Presented with a rotating cast of stars from theater, television, and film, this adaptation of true stories by comedienne and The View co-host Joy Behar explores themes of love, sex, and relationships. Hilarity and pathos mix together in this one-of-a-kind production.
MMAC Theater, 248 West 60th Street,
The Play That Goes Wrong
A farcical hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes, the Olivier Award-winning comedy is literally bringing down the house Off-Broadway. It’s opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor where an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything are only some of the hilarious mishaps.
New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street,
Titanique
Welcome to the award-winning musical celebration that turns one of the greatest love stories of all time into a hysterical and joyful slay-fest.
Are you interested in finding out what really happened to Jack and Rose on that fateful night? Leave it to Céline Dion to casually hijack a Titanic Museum tour and enchant the audience with her totally wild take on the tragic sailing, recharting the course of Titanic’s beloved moments and characters with her iconic songs.
Be prepared to laugh yourself silly. There’s a reason this show has been extended again and again.
Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 East 15th Street,
Vanya
Direct from a sold-out run in London, Emmy Award® winner Andrew Scott brings to life multiple characters in Tony Award®-winner Simon Stephen’s (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) radical new version of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.
Comedic and tragic, Chekhov’s timeless play examines unfulfilled dreams, existential yearning, and the complexities of human relationships.
Lucile Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street,
Zorba!
The Off-Broadway revival of the Tony Award®-winning musical, Zorba! returns to a New York stage after a 10-year absence. Created by the team behind Cabaret and Chicago, Zorba! premiered on Broadway in 1968.
Based on the 1946 novel and adapted from the 1964 movie, Zorba! depicts the friendship between free-spirited Zorba and young Nikos, an American who has inherited an abandoned mine in Crete.
AMT Theater, 354 West 45th Street,
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Traveling has given Meryl Pearlstein a chance to “live” all over the world, something she’s always longed to do. A member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), Meryl is the author of Fodor’s Family: New York City with Kids and a contributor to Splash Magazines, Travel Supermarket and City Guide. Meryl’s blog, Travel and Food Notes, www.travelandfoodnotes.com, is a lively companion to her column on www.AllNY.com. Follow her on social media @merylpearlstein.
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