Broadway Fall Preview

The 2014-2015 Broadway season is upon us. Sadly the first show to open (Holler If Ya Hear Me) was also the season’s first casualty. But fear not theatre fans: I have a compiled a comprehensive guide to this Fall’s shows on the Great White Way. So whether you see a Broadway show once a year, or you’ve run out of new shows to see: here is every production for the first half of the season to spend your paycheck on.

Please note that Broadway can be a fickle mistress. Some shows may not have been announced yet, and some may be canceled abruptly (Rebecca, anyone?).  And before you start asking “where’s Larry David’s new play?” and “What about ‘The King and I’ with Kelli O’Hara?”, those good things are all coming later in the winter or spring.

PLAYS

This Is Our Youth (Revival)
Cort Theatre
Previews: August 18, 2014
Opening: September 11, 2014
Written by: Kenneth Lonergan
Director: Anna D. Shapiro
Starring: Michael Cera with Kieran Culkin and Tavi Gevinson
Why you should be excited: If you have friends in the theatre, one of them has undoubtedly taken an audition monologue from this play. It chronicles 48 hours in the lives of a couple of drugged out, bratty Upper West Side teens.  And this particular productions provides three Broadway debuts in one play.

You Can’t Take it With You (Revival)
Longacre Theatre
Previews: August 26, 2014
Opening: September 28^, 2014
Written by: George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
Director: Scott Ellis
Starring: James Earl Jones and Kristiene Nielsen, with Rose Byrne, Annaleigh Ashford, and Reg Rogers
Why you should be excited: This oft-revived Broadway staple is presenting the story of the Sycamore family with a multi-racial cast. Personally, I’d pay just to hear Mr. Jones read the newspaper, but getting to watch him with comedic genius Kristine Nielsen in this Kaufman and Hart classic is an extra treat.

The Country House (Original)
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Previews: September 9, 2014
Opening: October 2, 2014
Written by: Donald Margulies
Director: Daniel Sullivan
Starring: Blythe Danner with Daniel Sunjata, Sarah Steele, and Eric Lange
Why you should be excited: Blythe Danner returns to Manhattan Theatre Club with this Chekhovian-esque comedy by Margulies. The Pulitzer Prizer winner is the voice behind Dinner with Friends and Time Stands Still.

Love Letters (Revival)
Brooks-Atkinson Theatre
Previews: September 13, 2014
Opening: September 18, 2014
Written by: A.R. Gurney
Director: Gregory Mosher
Starring: Brian Dennehy and Mia Farrow
Why you should be excited: Stars! A whole bunch of them. This two character play was famous for its rotating cast of big names and this revival is no exception.  Dennehy and Farrow will play until Oct. 10 followed by Carol Burnett & Brian Dennehy (Oct. 11-Nov. 7), Alan Alda & Candice Bergen (Nov. 8-Dec. 5), Stacey Keach & Diana Rigg (Dec. 6-Jan. 9) and Angelica Huston & Martin Sheen (Jan. 10-Feb. 1).

It’s Only a Play (Revival)
Schoenfeld Theatre
Previews: TBA September, 2014
Opening: October 9, 2014
Written by: Terrence McNally
Director: Jack O’Brien
Starring: Nathan Land and Matthew Broderick, with Megan Mullally, Stockard Channing, Rupert Grint, & F. Murray Abraham
Why you should be excited: This play about show business is receiving some contemporary revisions and updates by McNally.  Plus, this could give us the stellar re-pairing of Lane and Broderick we’ve all been waiting for. The all-star cast has already sold over $5 million in advance sales, so buy your tickets fast before its sold out.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Original)
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Previews: September 15, 2014
Opening: October 5, 2014
Written by: Simon Stephens
Director: Marianne Elliott
Starring: Alexander Sharp with Taylor Trensch, Francesca Faridany, and Ian Barford
Why you should be excited: This British import won acclaim and practically swept the Olivier awards last year (including the top prize for Best New Play). Its kinetic staging and innovative set design earned comparisons to War Horse. If the new promos are accurate, it promises to be a feast for the eyes.

The Real Thing (Revival)
American Airlines Theatre
Previews: October 2, 2014
Opening: October 30, 2014
Closing:  January 4, 2015
Written by: Tom Stoppard
Director: Sam Gold
Starring: Ewan McGregor and Maggie Gyllenhaal with Cynthia Nixon
Why you should be excited: This Roundabout revival boasts the Broadway debut for Ewan McGregor, and in one of Tom Stoppard’s finest dramas no less.  Sam Gold has been showcasing his unique directorial voice in a multitude of great projects recently, and his take on this modern classic is eagerly awaited.

The Elephant Man (Revival)
Previews: October 17, 2014
Opening: November 13, 2014
Written by: Bernard Pomerance
Director: Scott Ellis
Starring: Bradley Cooper, with Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivola
Why you should be excited: This Bradley Cooper lead production was previously seen, to rave reviews, at The Williamstown Theatre Festival. The Broadway transfer has been continually pushed back due to scheduling conflicts, so we cant wait for Cooper to finally show us his stage chops (and a good deal of skin) in this dramatic transformation.

A Delicate Balance (Revival)
Golden Theatre
Previews: October 20, 2014
Opening: November 20, 2014
Closing: February 22, 2015
Written by: Edward Albee
Director: Pam McKinnon
Starring: Glenn Close and John Lithgow, with Lindsay Duncan, Bob Balaban, and Martha Plimpton
Why you should be excited: Glenn. Close. Glenn Close is returning to us for the first time since her Tony winning performance in Sunset Boulevard. What, that’s not enough for you? It’s also an incredible Edward Albee script that won the Pulitzer Prize. Just go.

The River (Original)
Circle in the Square Theatre
Previews: October 31, 2014
Opening: November 16, 2015
Closing: January 25, 2015
Written by: Jez Butterworth
Starring: Hugh Jackman with Laura Donnelly and Cush Jumbo
Why you should be excited: You will never get this close to Hugh Jackman again. Set in the intimate Circle in the Square Theatre, Butterworth’s follow-up to Jerusalem promises something “erotic, chilling, and poetic”.  Could this role land Jackman Tony number two?

Constellations (Original)
Samuel J Friedman Theatre
Previews: December 16, 2014
Opening: January 13, 2015
Written by: Nick Payne
Director: Michael Longhurst
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal
Why you should be excited: While the story of a bee-keeper and a scientist finding romance and discussing quantum mechanics might sound out there, its original incarnation in London won raves. This marks Gyllenhaal’s Broadway debut and reunites him with the writer/director team behind his Off-Broadway outing “If There Is I Haven’t Found it Yet”.

MUSICALS

On The Town (Revival)
Lyric Theatre
Previews: September 20, 2014
Opening: October 16, 2014
Music: Leonard Bernstein, Book and Lyrics: Betty Comden & Adolph Green
Director: John Rando
Starring: Tony Yazbeck, Jay Armstrong Johnson, and Clive Alves with Jackie Hoffman
Why you should be excited: “New York, New York It’s A Helluva Town” is all you need to start tapping your feet and get excited for this classic song and dance show. Based on the Barrington Stage production, this musical is perfect for those who prefer dancing sailors and long for the Golden Age of Broadway.

The Last Ship (Original)
Neil Simon Theatre
Previews: September 30, 2014
Opening: October 26, 2014
Music and Lyrics: Sting, Book: John Logan and Brian Yorkey
Director: Joe Mantello
Starring: Michael Esper with Rachel Tucker, Fred Applegate, Aaron Lazar, and Jimmy Nail
Why you should be excited: Don’t let the Tony performance fool you. Sting is not in this musical. But he did write the hauntingly beautiful score about the downfall of an Irish fishing town.   It’s also an entirely original musical (i.e. not based on a movie or book) and how often does that happen nowadays?

Side Show (Revival)
St. James Theatre
Previews: October 28, 2014
Opening: November 17, 2014
Music: Henry Krieger, Book and Lyrics: Bill Russell
Director:  Bill Condon
Starring: Erin Davie and Emily Padgett
Why you should be excited: Straight from the Kennedy Center with its two stars in tow, this gorgeous musical will finally find a second life in New York. The show was a bit of a misfire when it originally opened, but several revisions and re-writes have been implemented for this revival. If you enjoy seriously talented people belting face to beautiful power ballads, please give this show all your money.

Honeymoon in Vegas (Original)
Nederlander Theatre
Previews: November 18, 2014
Opening: January 15, 2015
Music and Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown, Book: Andrew Bergman
Director: Gary Griffin
Starring: Rob McClure, Tony Danza, and Brynn O’Malley, with Nancy Opel
Why you should be excited: After the criminally overlooked Bridges of Madison County, Jason Robert Brown could finally have a hit on his hands.  The Pre-Broadway engagement drummed up stellar word of mouth for the fun musical score. It follows the plot of the 1992 movie about a man with an intense fear of settling down who crosses paths with a mafia man from Vegas.