They say life imitates art, but art very much so also imitates life. Whether you associate spring with bright colors, new beginnings, the beauty of nature or all of the above, there's a play or musical on the Great White Way that's ripe for helping you welcome the season. From frogciting new works to anticipated adaptations to beloved classics, spring 2025 is blossoming with works we recommend snagging tickets to right away. Here's our list of the top shows to see this spring on Broadway.
Best Broadway Shows This Spring
Redwood (opened Feb. 13, 2025)
If spring is about getting in touch with nature, there's no better show to see this season than "Redwood." The exhilarating new musical stars Tony Award-winning superstar Idina Menzel, making her long-awaited return to Broadway. In this transformative piece of theatre, a life-altering event drives Jesse, a woman who seems to have it all, far away from everyone and everything she knows ... and into the foot of Northern California's redwood forest. This precious and precarious world leads her to embark on a larger-than-life journey of self-discovery that takes audiences up into the treetops and explores themes of grief, healing and human connection from a different perspective.
The Picture of Dorian Gray (opens March 27, 2025)
Surrounded by blooms of florals, which work to visualize the play's themes of love, beauty, innocence and the fleeting nature of youth, "Succession" star Sarah Snook makes her Broadway debut, reprising her Olivier Award-winning performance as all 26 characters in Oscar Wilde's classic tale. Telling the story of a man who yearns for eternal youth and is prepared to pay the ultimate price to obtain it, this gripping, witty and vibrantly contemporary production breathes new life into Wilde's only novel. Delivering an explosive interplay of live performance and video in an astonishing collision of form, this revolutionary, remarkable and dazzling work will have you believe you're gazing into the future of theatre.
SMASH (previews begin March 10; officially opens April 10, 2025)
What began as the ultimate love letter to Broadway, the hit TV series has blossomed into a full-fledged Broadway production. Documenting the backstage pandemonium as Bombshell — the splashy new musical about Marilyn Monroe — races toward its opening night on the Great White Way, this long-awaited stage adaptation will follow in the footsteps of its cult-classic source material, featuring fan favorite songs such as "Let Me Be Your Star," "Don't Forget Me" and "They Just Keep Moving the Line," while also departing liberally from the series and debuting brand-new tunes. Containing a cast stacked with veterans and Tony Award nominees and helmed by five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman, "SMASH" is the perfect musical-lover's musical.
BOOP! The Musical (previews begin March 11; officially opens April 5, 2025)
For almost a century, Betty Boop has won hearts and inspired fans around the world with her trademark looks, voice and style. Now, the sassy-sweet champion of empowerment is stepping out of her black-and-white world and taking center stage in a new musical comedy extravaganza. Longing for an ordinary day off from fame, the spit-curled icon of joy finds herself on an extraordinary adventure of color, music and love in New York City — one that reminds her and the world that you're capable of amazing things. Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell brings Fleischer Studios' Queen of the Screen to the theater with celebrated multiple-time Grammy-winning composer David Foster, Tony-nominated lyricist Susan Birkenhead and Tony-winning book writer Bob Martin.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow (previews begin March 28; officially opens April 22, 2025)
In 1959 Hawkins, Indiana, the Creel family seeks a fresh start. Things eventually go "upside down." Direct from the West End, this Olivier Award-winning, jaw-dropping spectacle brings the beloved Netflix series to life onstage. Eager to escape his troubled past, Henry Creel is inevitably forced to confront the terrifying truth that he's somehow connected to the horrors unfolding around him in this unassuming small town. Featuring stunning special effects, extraordinary performances and a storyline that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this smash-hit stage prequel is a triumph of theatrical imagination and innovation. Experience the heart-pounding excitement of "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" — where suspense lurks at every turn.
The Outsiders (opened April 2024)
The story that defined a generation has made its way to the stage as a groundbreaking new musical. Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and two Drama Desk Awards, "The Outsiders" transports audiences to Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967 where Ponyboy Curtis, his best friend, Johnny Cade and their Greaser family battle with their affluent rivals, the Socs in a gripping tale about the "haves and have nots." Based on S.E. Hinton's seminal novel and Francis Ford Coppola's iconic film, this thrilling Broadway show tells the a story of the bonds that brothers share, the hopes we all hold on to, fighting for what's yours, protecting what could be and the realization that there is still "lots of good in the world."
Oh, Mary! (opened July 2024)
A dark comedy about the miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to her husband's infamous assassination, this 80-minute, one-act play finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of comedian, actor, singer and playwright Cole Escola. A smash hit on the Great White Way, this wildly ahistorical farce loots American history and hilariously rewrites the former First Lady as an aspiring cabaret performer with big dreams and bigger issues. In this bawdy and silly theatrical portrait, Mrs. Lincoln copes with unrequited yearning, alcoholism and suppressed desires while Honest Abe grapples with the ongoing Civil War and a raging personal secret.
Hell's Kitchen (opened April 2024)
In 1990s Manhattan, rebellious 17-year-old Ali is searching for freedom, passion and her place in the world. Stifled by an overprotective single mother, she finds them in a neighbor who opens her heart and mind to the power of piano. "Hell's Kitchen" is a new musical from 17-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys, whose songs and experiences growing up in New York City inspire a story tailor-made for the Great White Way. Featuring a powerhouse cast led by Tony Award winners Maleah Joi Moon and Kecia Lewis, this fiery work is directed by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, choreographed by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown, written and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz and features music by Keys, including new songs and her greatest hits.
Maybe Happy Ending (opened November 2024)
In a one-room apartment on the outskirts of near-futuristic Seoul, Helperbot 3 Oliver lives a quiet, happy life — listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant. When fellow Helperbot neighbor Claire asks to borrow his charger, however, the two form an unexpected bond as they independently navigate loneliness, companionship and romance in a world that has left them behind. Tenderly created by internationally acclaimed duo Will Aronson and Hue Park and directed by Michael Arden, this new musical comedy tells the story of two outcasts near the end of their warranty who discover that even robots can be swept off their feet. Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss returns to Broadway in a fresh, original story about the small things that make any life worth living.
Death Becomes Her (opened November 2024)
Based on the classic 1992 film of the same name, "Death Becomes Her" follows a pair of frenemies as they begin a new era of life (and death) thanks to a mysterious woman with a secret that's to die for. Hot off its acclaimed run in Chicago, this laugh-filled, tuneful musical comedy offers jokes, twists and a glow-up like no other as two women with a grudge to last eternity bury the hatchet ... again, and again, and again. Tony Award nominees Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard give hilarious star turns alongside fellow Tony Award nominee Christopher Sieber and Grammy Award winner Michelle Williams in this savagely funny stage adaptation featuring dazzling production numbers, campy humor and soaring duets belted to the heavens (or that other place).
The Great Gatsby (opened April 2024)
A great, big musical that explodes with life and energy, "The Great Gatsby" brings the Roaring '20s to the stage in this jazzy and vibrant adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's timeless novel. Following the story of eccentric and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby as he tragically pursues Daisy Buchanan, the woman he's loved since youth, this tale of extravagance and longing features a book by Kait Kerrigan and a jazz- and pop-influenced original score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen. This great American classic directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Dominique Kelly unites two popular performers: Ryan McCartan, known for "Heathers The Musical" and more and Sarah Hyland, renowned for her iconic portrayal of Haley Dunphy in the critically acclaimed television series "Modern Family."
Gypsy (revival opened December 2024)
At long last, the greatest musical ever written has returned to the Great White Way. The most celebrated stage performer of our time, six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald steps into the mother of all roles. She joins Tony Award winner Danny Burstein and rising stars Joy Woods and Jordan Tyson in this revelatory new production of the crown jewel of American musicals. Broadway's ultimate tale of mothers and daughters, ambition and fame and the lengths we'll go in pursuit of the American dream, this once-in-a-generation theatrical event is helmed by visionary director, six-time Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe and four-time Tony Award nominated choreographer Camille A. Brown.
Which musical or play are you most excited to see this spring on Broadway? Let us know in the comments below!
Related: The 10 Best Broadway Shows for Kids
