Hadestown. Photo by Matthew Murphy
Broadway Week is back, with over two dozen shows offering two-for-one ticket pricing through February 9. With the success of the “Wicked” movie adaptation catapulting Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo into award season, the stage show has been sold out for weeks. But there’s still time to catch other major productions like “Romeo + Juliet” starring Rachel Zegler, “Aladdin,” “The Book of Mormon,” and “Sunset Blvd.” with Nicole Scherzinger. New shows include the musical adaptation of the 1992 Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep movie “Death Becomes Her,” featuring Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child fame, and “Redwood” with Idina Menzel. Since its inception in 2011, Broadway Week has aimed to make theater accessible to more people.
“NYC Broadway Week is significant to both the theater industry and New York City, as it gives theater lovers an opportunity to access the city’s classic and inventive Broadway shows at an affordable price, while supporting the theater industry during the typically quieter post-holiday season,” said a spokesperson for New York City Tourism + Conventions, the city agency behind Broadway Week.
“NYC Broadway Week also encourages locals to explore what Broadway — and the City’s vibrant arts and culture scene — has on offer, benefiting not only the shows but also the surrounding businesses.”
And speaking of surrounding businesses, it’s no coincidence that Broadway Week promotions line up with Restaurant Week.
“January and February are traditionally slower months of the year for tourism in New York City – we’ve created these programs to boost business across the five boroughs and to disperse visitation to different periods of the year,” the spokesperson shared.
The promotions, along with NYC Hotel Week and NYC Must-See Week, are part of NYC Winter Outing program, encouraging tourists and locals to brave the brisk weather — after all, the city that never sleeps certainly doesn’t hibernate for winter.
“NYC Winter Outing is a great way to try something new while also supporting the 800+ businesses across the city that are participating. This program is part of our mission to create equitable economic impact in all five boroughs,” New York City Tourism + Conventions added.
Recently, PEOPLE magazine called this season “Broadway’s Starriest Season Yet,” listing “The Last Five Years” with Nick Jonas, “Good Night and Good Luck” with George Clooney and “Othello,” starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhall as some of the biggest names. And “Succession” fans can see two of the HBO show’s main actors live on stage this season with Kieran Culkin among the stars of “Glengarry Glen Ross” and Sarah Snook in “The Portrait of Dorian Gray.”
While the aforementioned shows are not part of the Broadway Week promotion, the buzzworthy performances could be indicative of a Broadway renaissance after the industry faced seemingly insurmountable challenges from the COVID shutdown nearly five years ago.
“It feels like Broadway is really moving in the right direction, but we’re still not back to where we were pre-pandemic, year-over-year. The great news is that Broadway had 40 of our 41 theatres with shows in them this fall, something that has not happened since 2018,” Jason Laks, President of The Broadway League, said. “The crowds and the excitement continue to build.”
For the 2023-2024 season, Broadway audiences filled nearly 90% of available seats, according to New York City Tourism + Conventions.
“English,” available with Broadway Week pricing, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about ”the dynamics of an English class.” In a recent Travel + Leisure article, theater critic Barbara Schuler named it among her top shows to see this year. “Redwood” also made her list.
“Wicked” star Menzel “is back in a new original musical that she conceived along with director Tina Landau. It’s about a successful businesswoman who, after a life-altering event, leaves everything behind and goes searching for herself in a forest of majestic redwoods,” she told the magazine.
Here are the shows with tickets available for purchase through Broadway Week (as of Jan. 27):
Popular shows Wicked, The Lion King, and Hamilton are sold out for this promotion.
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