Here are some of the stars scheduled to appear on a New York stage in the 2024-2025 season, several for the first time in many years, or ever: Christian Borle, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Burr, Michael Cerveris, Kristin Chenoweth, George Clooney, Kit Connor, Darren Criss, Kieran Culkin, Zoey Deutch, Robert Downey Jr., Adam Driver, Mia Farrow, Calista Flockhart, Peter Gallagher, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Gray, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Hecht, Megan Hilty, Katie Holmes,James Monroe Iglehart, Nick Jonas, Ramin Karimloo, Daniel Dae Kim, Patti LuPone, Julianna Margulies, Audra McDonald, Idina Menzel, Ruthie Ann Miles, Jim Parsons, Bernadette Peters, David Hyde Pierce, Keanu Reeves, Lea Saloga, Helen J Shen, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard, Christian Slater, Ephraim Sykes, Richard Thomas, Marisa Tomei, Michael Urie, Denzel Washington, Michelle Williams and Rachel Zegler
Just a partial list. Casting stars on stage is a common practice (“Chicago” has been doing it for decades), but this season is unusual for the sheer number, for how many are from Hollywood, how many are appearing for the first time — and how many are in straight plays, rather than musicals, reviving a genre once feared to be disappearing from Broadway.
How Hollywood Glamour Is Reviving the Endangered Broadway Play (NY Times): “Broadway, still adapting to sharply higher production costs and audiences that have not fully rebounded since the coronavirus pandemic, is betting big on star power, hoping that a helping of Hollywood glamour will hasten its rejuvenation. Even for an industry long accustomed to stopovers by screen and pop stars, the current abundance is striking. It reflects a new economic calculus by many producers, who have concluded that short-run plays with celebrity-led casts are more likely to earn a profit than the expensive razzle-dazzle musicals that have long been Broadway’s bread and butter. For the actors, there is another factor: As TV networks and streaming companies cut back on scripted series, and as Hollywood focuses on franchise films, the stage offers a chance to tell more challenging stories.”
The Week in New York Theater Reviews
Once Upon A Mattress
“Once Upon A Mattress” opened tonight for its third turn on Broadway, with Sutton Foster’s performance as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone the same goofy and intense workout that proved a draw earlier this year in a two-week run of the 1959 musical comedy as part of the Encores! concert series at New York City Center. The production, which has replaced four of the eight principal cast members, is otherwise largely unchanged now that it has transferred to the Hudson Theater. It is still tuneful, fun, well-sung. But it plays differently for me now. On Broadway, it feels like high school. Full review
Book: The Spamalot Diaries
Idle’s sometimes hilarious take on the roughly 14-month journey from first read-through to Chicago try-out to Broadway opening night to the Tony Awards, where “Spamalot” won Best Musical. Idle claims not to have remembered he even kept a diary, only rediscovering it recently amidst his accumulated hoard of guitars, books and Beanie Babies while selling his large old house in the Hollywood Hills and moving to a much smaller place, a process he called Downsize Abbey. Full review
The Week in New York Theater News
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” (yep a prequel to the Netflix series), will open at Broadway’s Marquis Theater April 22. This brings the number of shows in Broadway’s 2024-2025 season with an opening date and a venue to 28.
Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr will star in the third Broadway revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize winning play about cutthroat Chicago real estate hustlers. (Theater, opening date, full cast etc to be announced later)
Complete casts
Hold Onto Me Darling, opening October 16 at the Lucille Lortel: Joining Adam Driver as Strings McCrane are Heather Burns as Nancy, Adelaide Clemens as Essie, Keith Nobbs as Jimmy, CJ Wilson as Duke, and Frank Wood as Mitch.
Sunset Boulevard, opening October 20 at St. James Theater: Joining Nicole Scherzinger will be co-stars of the London production, 2024 Olivier Award winner Tom Francis as ‘Joe Gillis,’2024 OlivierAward nominee Grace Hodgett Young as ‘Betty Schaefer,’ and Olivier Award winner and 2024 Olivier nominee David Thaxton as ‘Max Von Mayerling.’ Drama Desk® and OBIE Award® winner Mandy Gonzalez will guest star as ‘Norma Desmond’ at certain select performances and Caroline Bowman will standby for the role of ‘Norma Desmond.’
They will be joined by ensemble members Olivia Lacie Andrews as ‘Nancy,’ Brandon Mel Borkowsky as ‘John,’ Shavey Brown as ‘Finance Man/Stan/DeMille,’ Hannah Yun Chamberlain as ‘Young Norma,’ Cydney Clark as ‘Joanna/Guard,’ Raúl Contreras as ‘Finance Man/Frank,’ Tyler Davis as ‘Sheldrake,’ E.J. Hamilton as ‘Lisa,’ Sydney Jones as ‘Dorothy,’ Emma Lloyd as ‘Mary/Heather,’ Pierre Marais as ‘Sammy,’ Shayna McPherson as ‘Camera Operator/Katherine,’ Jimin Moon as ‘Morino/Hog Eye,’ Justice Moore as ‘Jean,’ Drew Redington as ‘Myron/Jones/Camera Operator,’ and Diego Andres Rodriguez ‘Artie.’ Swings for the production will be Giuseppe Bausilio (dance captain), Kristina Garvida Doucette (assistant dance captain), Brandon LaVar, Maggie Likcani, Abby Matsusaka, and Rixey Terry.
Romeo + Juliet, opening October 24 at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre: Emmy Award winner Kit Connor (“Heartstopper”) and Golden Globe Award winner Rachel Zegler (Spielberg’s West Side Story) will be joined by Tony Award nominee Gabby Beans (Skin of Our Teeth) as ‘Mercutio/The Friar,’ Tommy Dorfman (Broadway Debut; “13 Reasons Why”) as ‘The Nurse/Tybalt,’ Nihar Duvvuri (Broadway Debut) as ‘Balthazar,’Sola Fadiran (Camelot) as ‘Capulet/Lady Capulet,’ Daniel Bravo Hernández (Broadway Debut) as ‘Abraham,’ Taheen Modak (Broadway Debut) as ‘Benvolio,’Jasai Chase Ownes (Broadway Debut; “The Expanse”) as ‘Gregory,’ Gían Pérez (Sing Street) as ‘Samson/Paris/Peter’and understudies Missy Malek (Broadway Debut), Timothy Oh (Broadway Debut), Susannah Perkins (The Wolves) and Daniel Velez (Broadway Debut). Directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold (An Enemy of the People), ROMEO + JULIET will feature music by Grammy Award winner Jack Antonoff and movement direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh (Moulin Rouge).
Theater for a New Audience 2024-25 season: Ethan Lipton, William Shakespeare, Wole Soyinka, Taylor Mac!
“The Counter, ” by Meghan Kennedy,directed by David Cromer. opening October 9 at Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre featuring Anthony Edwards as “Paul,” Susannah Flood as “Katie,” and Amy Warren as “Peg.” Every morning at the local diner in a small town, a waitress refills a regular’s coffee. An unlikely friendship develops and keeps him coming back for more. But when he asks for a shocking favor, it brings to light both of their deepest secrets
“Vladimir, “written by Erika Sheffer will open October 16 at MTC’s home in New York City Center . The play unfolds in Moscow, where an independent journalist covering Putin’s first term struggles to maintain sanity and hope in increasingly hostile circumstances. The cast will feature Norbert Leo Butz, Francesca Faridany, Erik Jensen, Olivia Deren Nikkanen and Jonathan Walker
Amy Berryman’s play, “Walden,” directed by Whitney White, has been added to the Second Stage Theater season, opening November 7. (The previously announced production of Donald Margulies’ Lunar Eclipse, directed by Kate Whoriskey has been moved to Spring 2025.) “Walden” is about the conflict between two sisters in the near future, raised by their astronaut father to be NASA scientists, over whether to pursue a future in space or stay on Earth, as humanity’s fate hangs in the balance.
Kenneth Branagh will direct and star in a production of Shakespeare’s King Lear at The Shed for 50 performances. Oct 26- Dec 15, opening November 14.
Whoopi Goldberg will return to the stage as Miss Hannigan in a new production of Annie set to play the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. Annie will run December 4-January 5; Goldberg will begin her run on December 11.
