Broadway is the biggest part of the American Theater Wing. It houses original musicals, revivals, and plays every year. We look back at some of the most monumental and popular musicals of 2018.
Frozen: The Musical
Disney brings many of their movies to the stage. They brought the Lion King (which is still running today), Beauty and the Beast , and Aladdin. Frozen: The Musical started previews at the St.James Theater on February 22, 2018 and opened officially March 22, 2018. The musical follows the same plot as the movie, with the two sisters Elsa and Anna and their lives in Arendelle. This musical has many of the songs from the movie like “Let it Go” but also some new songs like “Monster”. They were nominated for three Tony Awards.
Mean Girls: The Musical
Tina Fey has brought back the beloved early 2000’s movie to the Great White Way. Mean Girls: The Musical started previews at the August Wilson Theater on March 12, 2018 and opened on April 8, 2018. Similarly, this musical has the same plot as the movie, following Cady Heron and her first time at a public high school. Audiences loved the music and hilarious jokes came along with this musical. This show was nominated for 12 Tony Awards but sadly, they won none of them.
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia On National Themes
Angels of America is a play that first opened on Broadway in 1993. At last, they decided to bring back this monumental play and revive it in 2018 starring Andrew Garfield. To start off, this play is actually in two parts because it is two whole plays. Audiences had to watch two whole plays to get the entire story. The first part is titled Angels of America: Millennium Approaches and the second part is titled Angels in America: Perestroika. Angels in America opened at the Neil Simon Theater on March 25, 2018. The play is set in late 1985 and early 1986 at the time where President Ronald Reagan is elected into his second term in the middle of the AIDS epidemic. It was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won three.
Be More Chill
Many actors from the original show reprised their roles for the off-Broadway production and Dear Evan Hansen alum played the title role of Jeremy Heere.
This musical will be moving to Broadway in 2019, but it opened off-Broadway at the Pershing Square Signature Center/Irene Diamond Stage on July 26, 2018. Before this, the musical first premiered at the Two-River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey in 2015 and immediately started gaining attention. It starred Will Connolly and George Salazar in the roles of Jeremy and Micheal. This musical is based off the book Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini and follows outcast Jeremy Heere and his friend Micheal Mell. Jeremy wants to gain the attention of ADD, theatre loving Christine (played by Stephanie Hsu). Jeremy buys a technology-infused pill called a SQUIP, which is supposed to make the host “more cool”. The show will start previews in February of 2019.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two
Because of its success in the West End, this play was moved to Broadway in 2018.
Harry Potter is back with the eighth installation of the series. This play first opened in the London West End at the Palace Theater in London in 2016. After two years, the play was added to Broadway at the Lyric Theater. Similarly, this play is like Angels in America where the audiences have to watch the show in two parts, so its like watching two full-length plays. This play follows Harry Potter and his children and his friend’s children years after the Battle of Hogwarts. However, a part of his past comes back to haunt him and his children and there’s another adventure for audiences to enjoy. J.K Rowling has also released the rehearsal edition of this script for people to read the play if they cannot see it live.
Head Over Heels
Head Over Heels is a musical featuring music by The Go-Go’s. It opened on July 26, 2018 and closed on January 6, 2019. This play played at the Hudson Theater. This musical is based of the plot The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia. It follows the story of the royal family and their journey to keep the “Beat.” There is lots of LGBTQ+ representation in this musical and it also features Peppermint, the first transgender woman on Broadway to originate and principal role.
The Prom
Many remember this musical making history in the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. They were the first musical to broadcast the first same-sex kiss on national television. The Prom is a musical comedy and opened on November 15, 2018 and is still running today at the Longacre Theater. This musical follows the story of Broadway stars who are trying to clear their title of being too “narcissistic”. The two Broadway stars decide to show that they are selfless by going to a small town in Indiana to help a girl. Consequently, the town cancelled the prom because a girl wanted to bring her girlfriend to the prom. This show has lots of LGBTQ+ representation and considered a very monumental musical.
The Cher Show
The Cher Show is currently running at the Neil Simon Theater and this show opened on December 3, 2018. This show follows the life of Golden Globe, Grammy, Oscar, and Emmy Award-winning entertainer, Cher. However, this show has not been nominated for a Tony yet, it is starting to rise in ticket sales.
To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill A Mockingbird is considered a classic novel and is written by Harper Lee. Now it is a play running at the Sam S. Shubert Theater. This play opened December 13, 2018. The story of To Kill A Mockingbird follows young Scout as she lives in the South. There are many injustices and prejudice in her world and her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer. Atticus defends a black man who is under a false rape claim by a white woman. He shows his children how prejudice can affect the lives of innocent people.
