Best Broadway Shows in New York 2018

The Phantom of the Opera

Andrew Lloyd Webber created the music & book for this most popular Broadway classic. The Phantom of the Opera first played in London’s West End in 1986 before moving to Broadway in 1988. This haunting classic has won multiple Olivier & Tony Awards, so it promises an excellent Broadway experience. The show follows Christine, a stunning soprano, and the mysterious Phantom who is obsessed with her. The phantom lives beneath the opera house and is disfigured but talented musical genius. The Phantom of the Opera will stir your emotions while offering a fantastic and gripping musical score. This best classic is everything you could want in a Broadway production.

 – Wicked

Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz is a captivating Broadway favorite that first hit Broadway in 2003. Since then, thousands of theater goers have fallen under the spell of this emotionally rich and beautifully produced musical. Wicked is a retelling of the classic Wizard of Oz from the point of view of Glinda the Good Witch & Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, before Dorothy turns up. The show follows their loves, lives, and rivalry alongside an uplifting musical score that will stick in your head long after you leave the theater. What’s more, household names like Frozen’s Idina Menzel & Pushing Daisies’ Kristin Chenoweth have starred in this bewitching production.

 – Cats

When people think of Broadway musicals, they think of Cats. Cats is another Andrew Lloyd Webber production, based on a T.S. Eliot book and first performed in 1981. This bizarrely fascinating musical tells the story of a tribe of cats named the Jellicles. What happens when the Jellicles decide which kitty will go to Heaviside Layer and return to a new life? Cats is a must-see Broadway musical because of its popularity and its fantastic choreography and costuming. As soon as the curtain rises, you’ll realize that you’ve never seen a production quite like Cats before!

 – Hamilton

Hamilton didn’t open on Broadway until summer of 2015, but it has flown up through the ranks to become of the best loved musicals of all time. Indeed, even non-theater fans will be familiar with Hamilton due to all the news it has spawned this year. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s popular production tells the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his spectacular role in US history. The musical is mainly sung, containing little dialogue, and is notable for its use of an entirely non-white cast. Hamilton is breaking the barriers of traditional Broadway but also providing a true classic musical. Certainly, if you’re intrigued by the hype, you should grab some tickets to this exciting up-and-comer!

 – Kinky Boots

What if you’re looking for something a little more tongue-in-cheek? Kinky Boots is a modern crowd-pleaser with a lot to offer! Eighties legend Cyndi Lauper wrote the music for this colorful, upbeat production, and it’s everything that you would expect. Kinky Boots follows Charlie, who owns a family-run shoe factory that’s in danger of shutting down. That is, until camp drag queen Lola arrives! Lola suggests that the factory starts producing man-sized stiletto heels, and the musical numbers soar! Kinky Boots contains a heart-warming message about individuality and acceptance, and some foot-stomping musical numbers too. As a result, audiences have adored this best Broadway show since its inception.

 – Chicago

Chicago is the longest running American musical in Broadway history and has won multiple Tony Awards. It tells the story of Roxie Hart, a wide-eyed chorus girl in the Roaring Twenties. Roxie is sent away to Cook County Jail after she murders her lover – but just how innocent is she? She quickly recruits the help of a smooth-talking lawyer and the sophisticated nightclub singer Velma. And just like that, she’s a media sensation and a star on the rise! Chicago offers audiences some first-class 1920s musical numbers and a captivating story. It’s no surprise that this raunchy musical is one of Broadway’s most popular shows!

 – The Lion King

The Lion King on Broadway is based on the popular Disney film with music by Elton John, Tim Rice & Hans Zimmer. With big names like that, how could it not be popular? What’s more, it’s the top-earning show in box office history, just surpassing The Phantom of the Opera. The popular stage production showcases actors in fantastic animal costumes and several huge, beautifully constructed puppets. As a result, The Lion King is a visually captivating production even if you don’t take into account the excellent music, emotional story, and tight choreography.

 – Miss Saigon

Miss Saigon is one of Broadway’s longest running shows and it is a popular stage hit. This heart-wrenching musical offers it all in a more modern retelling of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. The show first opened on Broadway in 1991 and it been performed over four thousand times since then. The story follows two star-crossed lovers from totally different worlds. The story has captivated thousands of viewers and wins new fans with every show. With multiple Tony Awards and other honors under its belt, Miss Saigon is surely one of Broadway’s most popular productions.

 – A Bronx Tale

A Bronx Tale is New York to the core – catchy, musically rich, and set in the Bronx with a diverse cast. The show is based on the popular story, solo stage play, and film by Chazz Palminteri. It charts the growth of a young boy, Calogero, who lives in a largely Italian-American area of the Bronx. He sees a shooting take place but chooses to protect the shooter, the fearsome Sonny, when the police come calling. This leads him on a path that threatens to tear apart his connections to his family and to himself.

 – Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a rollicking look at the musical genius’s life and career. Carole King is deservedly famous for rousing hits like “Natural Woman” and “You’ve Got A Friend”. In Beautiful, the story behind her song-writing and music career is laid bare. The story starts in King’s teen years as she lives with an older man, Gerry Goffin, in Brooklyn. She penned her first hit song and went on to an illustrious career, culminating in a successful solo album, Tapestry. In the intervening years, she went through pregnancy, relationship ups and downs, and all manner of other experiences.

 – Paramour – Cirque Du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil has always been a serious player in the entertainment world. Now, however, they are bringing their spectacular theatrical performance to the Broadway stage with Paramour. The production has singing, dancing, storyline, and the circus theatrics that Cirque du Soleil is famous for. The story takes place in Hollywood, where an officious director sets out to create an amazing film. At the same time, he wants to make his protégée, a young café singer, famous. The show flits through a series of captivating love story vignettes all while showing off fantastic music, dancing, and theatrics.

 – Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard is an orchestra-backed musical with the fantastic Glenn Close in the lead role. It is sad but captivating and as full of life as it is stagnant. The show comes from Andrew Lloyd Webber, a Broadway legend, and is just as winning as his other productions. It follows a fading Hollywood starlet, Norma Desmond, who can’t handle her waning fame. Norma is desperate to star on the big screen again and spends her days reading fan mail and reminiscing. Her wailing, poignant songs heighten the tension of the musical to create a compelling and heart-wrenching show.

 – The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a naughty, tongue-in-cheek musical from the creators of television’s South Park. The show is a huge success on Broadway but it’s not for theater goers with sensitive senses of humor. The show is a religious satire that makes intelligent fun of all sorts of delicate issues. The show follows two Mormon missionaries, one awkward and anxious and the other highly self-confident. The two young missionaries end up in Uganda, attempting to convert the locals to Mormonism. They soon discover that there are far more pressing issues at hand, and hilarious consequences ensue.

 – Waitress

Waitress is a sweet and peppy musical that first gained fans as a film on the big screen. It is now perfectly at home with the help of music by popstar Sara Bareilles. This sugary confection is a unique thrill on Broadway, offering love, growth, and music to its eager audiences. Waitress is the tale of a diner waitress, Jenna, who is stuck in an unhappy relationship. Jenna discovers that she is pregnant and struggles to understand how she can move forward. That’s when a new face arrives on the scene and Jenna gets inventive with her life and work.

 – Anastasia

Anastasia is a musical tale based on the story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nkolaevna of Russia. The story has previously been popular as an animated film released in 1997. Now, it makes its way to Broadway to gain a new host of adoring fans. Anastasia avoided being executed as a child but ended up in an orphanage far away from her family. As an adult, she sets out to find them again while a host of other characters seek her out. Some have good intentions, some bad, but Anastasia must persevere to find her family throughout this hardship.

 – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

The Great Comet will fulfil the fantasies of any music, literature, or Broadway fan. That is to say, it really covers all the bases of great art. Based on Tolstoy’s War and Peace, the Josh Groban-starring show is a Broadway hit. The show follows a young woman, Natasha, who is engaged to a noble war fighter named Andrey. A relationship begins to grow between Natasha and a bad boy, Anatole, while her fiancé is away. Meanwhile, Andrey’s best friend, Pierre, looks on suspiciously and disapproves of the developing relationship between Natasha and Anatole.
You’re guaranteed a night of great entertainment when you buy cheap tickets to a Broadway show. By picking one of these popular productions, you know that audiences and critics before you have raved about the show. Settle into your seat and get ready, because these shows surely provide the excitement, drama, and quality of Broadway at its best.

If you’re looking for New York theater’s best plays and musicals, go beyond Broadway for Off Broadway shows, reviews and ticketing information. The NYC theater scene extends far beyond Broadway. Here are the most exciting Off-Off Broadway shows to catch now, from experimental works to classical.

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