By Mark Edelman

With our local theater companies getting ready for the 2025-26 season beginning next month, here’s a look at the new shows that came to Broadway last season and continue to draw fans and earn plaudits on the Great White Way this month. It’s NYC– not DMV—this time around for Onstage Old Town:

Operation Mincemeat
Golden Theatre, 45^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Ave

Direct from London—with its British cast intake—this Olivier Award-winning musical romp  dramatizes the true WWII tale of the Allies’ deception to disguise a corpse with fake papers and identity, fooling Hitler in thinking the invasion of Sicily was going to happen five hundred miles away. Five energetic actors portray some fifty characters in this clever musical comedy. Tickets at www.operationbroaday.com.

Buena Vista Social Club
Schoenfeld Theatre, 45^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Ave

Based on the legendary Cuban ensemble and album, this new musical chronicles the making of the iconic record and the history behind the effort. Two sisters who love performing have to make the awful decision to stay in Castro’s Cuban or face the uncertainty of emigrating to the US. Musical supervision by Tony ® Award winner David Yazbek contributes to the vibrant rhythms that made this music a Grammy ® Award winning journey. Tickets at www. Buenavistamusical.com.

John Proctor is The Villain
Booth Theatre, 45^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Ave

Now thru August 31, this provocative new comedy set in a contemporary Georgia high school English class re-examines The Crucible through teen perspectives on identity, scandal, and myth. Sharp, witty, and reflective, it offers a timely reinterpretation of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, drawing conclusions not often associated with the classic. Tickets at www.johnproctoristhevillain.com.

Maybe Happy Ending
Belasco Theatre, 44^th Street between 6^th and 7^th Ave
If I told you the 2025 Tony ® Award winning Best Musical was about two South Korean robots who fall in love, would you dash over to see it? Retired helper-robots Oliver and Claire  unexpectedly reconnect, sparking a poignant journey of love, obsolescence, and companionship. Tony ® Award winning Best Actor Darren Criss and the wonderful Helen J. Shen deliver standout performances in this charming, touching musical. www.maybehappyending.com

Death Becomes Her
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 46^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Ave

A wickedly fun musical adaptation of the cult classic film, this hilarious romp finds notions of glamour, vanity, and immortality enter stage as two rivals fight to stay forever young—no matter the cost. Thanks to some dazzling effects, caustic repartee  and show-stopping numbers, this dark comedy is a campy, twisted thrill ride through the glittering (and deadly) world of eternal beauty. Tickets at www.deathbecomesher.com.

Just in Time with Jonathan Groff. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

Oh, Mary!
Lyceum Theatre
45^th Street between 6^th and 7^th Ave
Mary Todd Lincoln—yes, the wife of our 16^th president—was really a cabaret-obsessed, cocktail-sipping harridan, as far as the brilliant playwright Cole Escola can tell. This raucous blend of sharp satire, original songs, and historical whimsy is not for the faint of heart or disciples of Mike Pence, for that matter; but it’s a laugh-out-loud riot.  Tickets at www.ohmaryplay.com.

Gypsy
Majestic Theatre
44^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Ave

We all have until August 17 to witness one of the most commanding performances in Broadway history: Audra McDonald as Mama Rose. Based on the autobiography of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, the Arthur Laurents book, with musical by Jules Styne and lyrics by a young Stephen Sondheim, portrays the ultimate back stage mother in all of her monstrous glory. Plumbing new depths in a timeless tale of naked ambition and dysfunctional family, this powerful production reimagines a classic with elegance, grit, and MCDonald’s unforgettable performance. Tickets at www.gypsybway.com.

Purpose
Helen Hayes Theatre
44^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Ave

The Tony ® Award winning Best Play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed with care and verve by by Phylicia Rashad, depicts a prominent Black family whose legacy in activism is tested by generational conflict and an unanticipated guest. A mix of humor and moral reckoning, the play firmly establishes Jacobs-Jenkins as one of our most important contemporary playwrights. Tickets at www.purposeonbroadway.com.

Stranger Things: First Shadow
Marquis Theatre
On Broadway at 46^th St
The prequel to the Netflix show comes to Broadway in an immersive theatrical spectacle. Set in 1959,  it introduces main character Henry Creel into a phantasmagoria of supernatural chaos.  Featuring magical stage effects, it’s a thrilling blend of sci-fi and nostalgia. Tickets at  www.broadway.strangerthingsonstage.com.

Call Me Izzy
Studio 54
54^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Ave

Now thru August 24, Emmy ®  Award winner Jean Smart portrays a down-on-her-luck trailer park wife forced to deal with an abusive husband who won’t let her follow her dreams: writing poetry that’s earned her a fellowship to study further.  Tickets at www.callmeizzyplay.com.

Just in Time     
Circle in the Square
50^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Ave

Tony ® Award winning Best Actor for last year’s Merrily We Roll Along, Jonathan Groff stars as Bobby Darin in this jukebox musical that blends biographical storytelling with iconic hits like “Beyond the Sea,”  “Mack the Knife” and the title song “Just In Time.” Connie Francis, Sandra Dee and a whole host of 50s and 60s celebrities turn up in this immersive nightclub-style performance. Tickets at www.justintimebroadway.com.

The writer is a playwright who loves writing about theater. He is a lifetime member of the Broadway League and a Tony® voter.  Catch his monthly podcast at www.onstagedmv.org.

tags" Broadwaybroadway showsGeorgetownonstageperforming artsTony Award winning shows