The curtain is rising on what promises to be an electric year for theater. From star-studded revivals and major film-to-stage adaptations to brand-new musicals ready for their moment, Broadway and beyond are set for a dazzling 2026 season. “On Stage” host Frank DiLella has curated a list of “must-see” shows this week.
Star-studded productions, bold reimagined revivals and a couple of new musicals are ready to take center stage in 2026.
Plays
After more than a decade away, TV’s “it” leading lady Carrie Coon makes her long-awaited return to Broadway in “Bug” — a revival directed by David Cromer and penned back in 1996 by her husband, Pulitzer Prize Award-winner Tracy Letts.
And keeping with TV’s hottest stars flocking to the stage, Emmy Award-winners Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach — from “The Bear” — headline the film-to-stage adaptation of “Dog Day Afternoon.” It’s a tense drama centered on a botched bank heist.
Also from “The Bear,” Emmy Award-winner Ayo Edebiri makes her Broadway debut opposite Main Stem newbie Don Cheadle in a revival of the Pulitzer Prize Award-winning play “Proof.”
Two-time Tony Awad-winner John Lithgow returns to Broadway this spring portraying the controversial literary figure Roald Dahl in the Olivier Award–winning play “Giant.”
Also, Tony Award-winner Daniel Radcliffe is back at the Hudson Theatre, trading wizardry and Sondheim for wonder in the heartfelt solo show “Every Brilliant Thing.”
Emmy and Tony Award-winner Sean Hayes will head off-Broadway in early 2026 in “The Unknown,” a solo work about a writer teetering on the edge.
And finally, entertainment legend Debbie Allen returns to Broadway as director, helming a revival of August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” — starring New York theater newcomer Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer.
Musicals
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” gets a bold makeover with “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” — setting the mega-musical inside New York City’s electrifying ballroom scene.
Meanwhile, it’s time to do the “Time Warp, again!” A revival of “The Rocky Horror Show” directed by “Oh, Mary’s!” Tony Award-winner Sam Pinkleton blasts into Studio 54, with Broadway newcomer Luke Evans stepping into fishnets and heels as the fabulous Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
Vampires take center stage this spring with the Broadway premiere of the film to stage an adaptation of “The Lost Boys” — starring powerhouse diva Shoshana Bean and directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Michael Arden, which is at The Palace.
“Beaches: The Musical” will fly high into The Majestic Theatre starring Jessica Vosk in the role made famous by Bette Midler on the big screen.
Musical comedy fans, grab your life vests! The off-Broadway sensation “Titanique” sails into the St. James Theatre, while the TV musical series “Schmigadoon!” makes the leap from screen to stage at the Nederlander Theatre.
And finally, “the best of times” will be happening at City Center in June — just in time for PRIDE. That’s when Broadway favorite Billy Porter headlines the first all-Black production of Jerry Herman’s “La Cage aux Folles.”
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