Broadway is preparing for a season of homecomings. A parade of celebrated actors are returning to its stages, bringing new works, long‑delayed premieres and high‑profile revivals. The 2025 calendar shows why New York’s theatres remain a magnet for stars who could easily continue working in film or television. Many performers talk about the unique intimacy of the theatre and the chance to inhabit a character night after night, building energy with an audience. After pandemic disruptions and time spent in Hollywood, these artists are choosing to reconnect with their stage roots in a year that promises both nostalgia and novelty.
The season’s most talked‑about reunion pairs Kristin Chenoweth with F. Murray Abraham in The Queen of Versailles. Adapted from Lauren Greenfield’s documentary, the musical charts the saga of Jackie and David Siegel, time‑share moguls whose lavish dream home became a symbol of overreach. A Boston tryout confirmed that the show captures the couple’s ambition and downfall, and the Broadway production will begin previews at the St. James Theatre on 8 Oct 2025. Chenoweth will tackle Jackie while Abraham plays David.
Just down the block at the Booth Theatre, Laurie Metcalf will anchor the world premiere of Little Bear Ridge Road. The one‑act, written by Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Joe Mantello, centers on a razor‑tongued aunt and the nephew who returns to help sell her crumbling Idaho home. Previews begin 7 Oct, and the play’s combination of wry humour and emotional candour seems tailor‑made for Metcalf’s talents.
Comedy will also take centre stage when Bobby Cannavale and James Corden team with Neil Patrick Harris in Yasmina Reza’s Art. The modern classic, which first opened in 1994, follows three friends whose relationship is threatened when one of them buys an expensive white painting. The new revival begins previews 28 Aug and runs through 21 Dec 2025. Cannavale, Corden and Harris could make this a standout in a season full of drama.
Kelli O’Hara will headline Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels at Roundabout’s newly renovated Todd Haimes Theatre. The 1925 farce about two wives awaiting the return of an old flame has rarely been seen on Broadway, and this production pairs O’Hara with Emmy‑nominated Rose Byrne.
Carrie Coon, last seen on Broadway more than a decade ago, returns in Tracy Letts’s psychological thriller Bug. The Manhattan Theatre Club production, opening 18 Dec 2025 with an official opening 8 Jan 2026, follows a waitress who becomes consumed by conspiracy theories and delusions after meeting a disturbed Gulf War veteran. Coon’s penchant for inhabiting complex characters should bring new life to Letts’s unsettling play.
Tragedy will not be neglected. Studio 54 will host the U.S. transfer of Robert Icke’s adaptation of Oedipus starring Mark Strong and Lesley Manville. Critics hailed the London production for turning Sophocles’ classic into a political thriller set on election night. The American engagement begins 30 Oct 2025 and will run for a limited fourteen‑week engagement.