Adam Guettel and Tina Landau’s Floyd Collins—based on the true story of the Kentucky cave explorer—receives its long-awaited Broadway premiere in a new Lincoln Center Theater production, directed by Landau herself. While exploring a cave in a Kentucky mountainside, Floyd Collins, played by the incomparable Jeremy Jordan, becomes stuck between a rock and a hard place… literally. His rescue proves treacherous and soon captures national attention, drawing throngs of onlookers and reporters to the remote countryside. In the cavernous Vivian Beaumont Theater, Jordan’s physicality and emotional volatility create a palpable sense of claustrophobia… in the best possible way. Other notable performances include Taylor Trensch as the skittish reporter Skeets Miller, and Broadway newcomer Lizzy McAlpine, whose voice feels tailor-made for Guettel’s folk-infused score. Known for The Light in the Piazza, Guettel here crafts a soundscape that blends Americana, folk, and yodeling into something as unexpected as it is refreshing. Floyd Collins runs through June 22 on Broadway.
As Broadway artists and enthusiasts await the 2025 Tonys, there’s already so much to celebrate. This year’s class of nominees includes some historic firsts and notable exceptions to the rule, worth a shoutout. Read on!
Kara Young: Four Years, Four Noms
Breakout Broadway star Kara Young continues her impressive roll of nods with a fourth consecutive Tony nomination for Featured Actress in a Play—this time for playing Aziza Jasper in Purpose. She is now the first and sole Black artist nominated in this category for four consecutive years. Her previous nods were for her Broadway debut in Clyde’s (2022), followed by Cost of Living (2023), and Purlie Victorious (2024), for which she took home the award.
Photo by Marc J. Franklin
Pulitzer Power in the Best Play Category
In a major crossover between two of America’s greatest theatrical honors, three of the five Best Play-nominated pieces this season are already Pulitzer Prize finalists or winners. Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is already the recipient of the 2025 Pulitzer for drama, with Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary! cited as a finalist, and English won last year’s Pulitzer before making its Broadway debut this season. This year’s class of Best Play Tony nominees represents a staggering overlap—and evidence of the power of this season’s storytelling onstage.
Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Audra McDonald Makes Tony History
Broadway icon Audra McDonald has officially broken the record, becoming the most Tony-nominated actor in history. She already holds the record for Tony-winningest performer in Broadway history, with six to her name. Another milestone in an already impressive career. Her latest nomination—her 11th—is for her performance as Rose in the revival of Gypsy, breaking Chita Rivera and Julie Harris’s previous record of 10.
Photo by Daniel Rader
All Play Revivals Closed
In a highly unlikely turn of events, each of the four Best Revival of a Play nominees—Eureka Day, Our Town, Romeo + Juliet, and Yellow Face—had already closed by the time nominations were announced. That’s a strange plot and departure from norms, given that voters prefer productions still running during awards season. It’s normal for plays to open as limited engagements, but this often puts a wrench in Tony recognition later in the season; recency bias is (usually) real.
In the last 20 years, the Broadway catalog has grown to often include the jukebox musical, which uses previously written music to score a Broadway show. Sometimes, the music is used to tell a completely different and unrelated story, like that of Mamma Mia, & Juliet, or Rock of Ages, but more often, they are used to tell the life and career story of that very artist. With two new entries to the list this season, including Jonathan Groff’s suave singing as Bobby Darin in Just in Time and James Monroe Iglehart’s smooth satchmo Louis Armstrong in A Wonderful World, we are looking back at the history of these portrayals of music icons.
Michael Jackson – MJ the Musical (2022–Present)
Moonwalks and megahits define this electric look at Jackson during his 1992 “Dangerous” tour rehearsals. Myles Frost won the 2022 Tony Award for his portrayal of the King of Pop.
Neil Diamond – A Beautiful Noise (2022–2024) Diamond’s life and lyrics shine in this bio-musical that spans decades of sequins and songcraft.
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – Jersey Boys (2005–2017, 2021 Off-Broadway) The falsetto, the flair, the mob ties — a Tony-winning tribute to New Jersey’s finest that gave this musical theatre subgenre its kickstart.
The Temptations – Ain’t Too Proud (2019–2022) From street corners to superstardom, the Temps’ story grooves through betrayal, brotherhood, and “My Girl.”
Carole King – Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (2014–2019) The shy songwriter turned solo superstar gets her due, piano and all.
Billie Holiday – Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (2014) Audra McDonald made history channeling Lady Day in a harrowing, jazz-soaked final concert.
Cher – The Cher Show (2018–2019) Three Chers, one legend — from Sonny & Cher stardom to solo icon status.
Gloria Estefan – On Your Feet! (2015–2017) Conga lines and Cuban rhythms power this celebration of the Estefans’ rise from Miami to the world stage.
Donna Summer – Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (2018) Disco’s reigning queen reigned again through three performers, each reflecting a different era.
Tina Turner – Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (2019–2024)
Raw vocals and resilience define this high-octane journey through Tina’s turbulent life and legendary hits.
A wild western true story gets the folk rock treatment from composer David Yazbek, bookwriter Itamar Moses, and director David Cromer in Dead Outlaw at the Longacre Theatre. Andrew Durand, as the titular deceased fugitive, gives an outrageously dynamic performance, made all the more impressive considering how much of the show he spends completely idle. Julia Knitel is another cast standout, showcasing range and rhythm in her multiple roles with varying interactions with the corpse, before and after his untimely end. The material asks the audience to lean in and ponder its larger themes of mortality, living the life we’ve got, and the legacy that we leave behind after it. Overall, the onstage band and their interplay with the storytelling around them give this show a unique and quirky quality that surprises and delights those searching for weirdness in their Broadway diet.
Kimberly Belflower’s new play gives a 21st-century take on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible through the lens of a Georgia high school classroom’s study of the classic. Directed with riveting pacing and youthful energy by Danya Taymor, the play packs punches that are at once jarring and sobering, elevated by the twitching set and lighting design from AMP and Natasha Katz, respectively. The strong ensemble cast includes standouts Sadie Sink and Fina Strazza, surrounded by a bevy of character actors breathing freshness into the unfortunately ever-timely themes of women’s rights and agency. By the play’s emotionally enthralling climax, the audience has been on quite a thought-provoking and endlessly expressive journey of rage, tenderness, and revelation.
The 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple, directed by John Doyle was a landmark production. The show performed at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre and ran for over a year and a half, spotlighting powerhouse work from newcomers and established performers alike. The revival won two Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Leading Actress for Cynthia Erivo. Since it ended its run in 2017, the cast has moved on to some pretty big projects. Let’s take a look at where the stars of this moving production are now.
Cynthia Erivo (Celie)
Cynthia Erivo’s star has only continued to rise since her Tony-winning Broadway debut. Shortly after The Color Purple, she transitioned into film with her acclaimed role as Harriet Tubman in Harriet (2019), earning Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Song. She went on to star in HBO’s The Outsider (2020), play Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha (2021), and appear as the Blue Fairy in Disney’s Pinocchio (2022). She took on the iconic role of Elphaba in Wicked: Part One (2024) and will reprise the role for Part Two (2025), opposite Ariana Grande. Erivo sang a moving rendition of ‘Defying Gravity’ from the blockbuster musical at the 2025 Oscars. She is now not only an EGOT nominee but a bona fide Hollywood A-lister. What’s more, she’s hosting this year’s Tony Awards!
Jennifer Hudson (Shug Avery)
Already an Oscar winner by the time she made her Broadway debut as Shug Avery, Jennifer Hudson has continued to thrive. She delivered a soulful turn as Aretha Franklin in Respect (2021), and currently hosts The Jennifer Hudson Show, a daytime talk show that’s won her a Daytime Emmy. She also voiced Young Nana in the animated film Sing 2 (2021). In 2022, JHud got her EGOT when the new Broadway musical she produced, A Strange Loop, won the Tony for Best Musical, proving her GOAT status as the youngest woman to ever achieve that.
Danielle Brooks (Sofia)
Danielle Brooks followed her Tony-nominated Broadway debut with a mix of screen and stage work. She reprised Sofia in the 2023 film adaptation of the Color Purple musical, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. On television, she played Leota Adebayo in Peacemaker (2022), earning praise for her comedic timing and emotional depth. Brooks also returned to voice acting in Close Enough and remains a vocal advocate for diversity in entertainment.
Isaiah Johnson (Mister)
Isaiah Johnson continued his stage career with performances in regional productions and workshops, as well as a turn in Hamilton (Los Angeles production) and the musical adaptation of The Notebook. He’s appeared in television series such as The Good Fight and Bull, and remains an in-demand stage actor.
Kyle Scatliffe (Harpo)
After The Color Purple, Kyle Scatliffe took on the emotional role of Tom Robinson in Broadway’s To Kill a Mockingbird (2019–2020). He also appeared in The Prince of Egypt in London’s West End, and continues to perform on national tours and concert stages across the U.S.
Joaquina Kalukango (Nettie)
Joaquina Kalukango has become one of Broadway’s most celebrated leading ladies. In 2022, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her electrifying performance in Paradise Square, in which she belted the show’s 11 o’clock number ‘Let it Burn.’ She had previously earned a Tony nomination for Slave Play (2019) and appeared in Regina King’s film One Night in Miami (2020). She also had a six-episode stint as Esme in the TV show Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
Lawrence Clayton (Ol’ Mister)
Broadway veteran Lawrence Clayton brought depth to Ol’ Mister in The Color Purple, and continued to shine in the national tour of Les Misérables (as Bishop Myriel) and regional theater productions across the country. He made guest appearances on The Last O.G. and Bull, and continued to mentor young performers while remaining active in educational theatre. Clayton sadly passed away in 2020 at the age of 64.
Grasan Kingsberry (Buster)
A standout dancer and ensemble member he moved on to book big Broadway shows like Once On This Island (2017–2019) and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations (2019–2022). In 2020, he was in the film The Aerialist. What’s more, he’s found a life in artistic offstage leadership, having recently choreographed and performed in regional productions of Rent and Caroline, or Change.
It’s rare for a show to be the launching catalyst for so many performers. The futures these artists found in TV, Film, and Theatre are proof enough that this revival was pretty incredible, and incredibly cast, rich with talent.
This year, Broadway’s timeline glitters with gold (and diamond!) anniversaries of the shows that shaped American musical theater — from tap-dancing showgirls to revolutionary rap. From golden age classics to 21st-century defining productions, there are a lot of Broadway milestones worth celebrating this year!
A Chorus Line – 50 Years
Opened: July 25, 1975
The quintessential behind-the-curtain musical, A Chorus Line gives us a vulnerable yet epic look at the hopes and dreams of the artists that make up the lifeblood of Broadway: the ensembles. A chorus line ran for 15 years (breaking the record for longest-running show at the time) and forever changed how we looked at the performers who make up musical theatre ensembles.
Chicago – 50 Years
Opened: June 3, 1975
Murder, jazz, and razzle-dazzle. Kander & Ebb’s Chicago remains a seductive satire of fame and corruption, with Bob Fosse’s style stamped into every hip roll. While the original had a modest run, the 1996 revival is the longest-running American musical in Broadway history — and it’s still dazzling us with new celebrity castings, such as Pamela Anderson and Jinkx Monsoon, to keep audiences coming through the doors. Here’s to all that jazz!
The Wiz – 50 Years
Opened: January 5, 1975
Legacy: This revolutionary, soulful spin on The Wizard of Oz brought an all-Black creative team and cast to Broadway and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. With songs like ‘Ease On Down the Road,’ a movie adaptation with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, and a funky, fearless energy, The Wiz paved the way for a more inclusive Broadway. Just before the Wiz had its big 50th birthday, the show celebrated with a limited-run revival last year following a national tour!
Guys & Dolls – 75 Years
Opened: November 24, 1950
Damon Runyon’s New York never sounded so good. To say this show rocked the boat is an understatement. Considered one of the best-written musicals of all time, Frank Loesser’s Guys & Dolls is the kind of big musical score you picture when you think of the perfect Broadway show! With gambling, girls, and that classic Broadway sound, we’re keeping our eyes peeled as we hope for a revival soon.
Carousel – 80 Years
Opened: April 19, 1945
A granddaddy of modern Broadway form, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s sweeping second collaboration brought bold operatic voice and tragic romance to the young American theatre industry. With ‘If I Loved You’ and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ standing out as classic songs we still hum today, Carousel expanded the emotional vocabulary of the art form and remains one of the most revered scores of all time.
Pal Joey – 85 Years
Opened: December 25, 1940
The original antihero, Joey, our pal, leads this iconic Rodgers and Hart musical. Ahead of its time, especially in terms of its themes of sexual politics and gritty realness, this show shocked audiences at the time and provoked conversation beyond the typical feel-good escapism of most shows around it. What was once the edgy adolescence of the genre finding its voice is now a pillar of the medium. We’re excited to see the upcoming revisal at Arena Stage in their 75th season, as it revolutionizes the show yet again through its reflection of the 20th century!
Aida – 25 Years
Opened: March 23, 2000
An Elton John-driven Disney Theatricals spectacle, that started as a celebrity-filled concept album based on an Italian Opera, this show transports its leads and audiences to Ancient Egypt in the most fun, pop-filled way. Five Tony noms, four wins, and Time-stamped in the best 10 shows of the year, Aida ushered Disney and Broadway into the 21st century.
Hamilton – 10 Years
Opened: August 6, 2015
Do we even need to say it? If you’re reading this article, you’ve heard of Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop history lesson redefined what Broadway could be and transcended the genre beyond what any other show ever has. With a cast that looked at America then through a cast made up of America now, Hamilton became a global cultural force, winning 11 Tonys, a Pulitzer, millions of fans, and syndicating to even have a Roblox presence. It’s crazy to think this show is already 10 years old.
From the golden age to the streaming era, these shows have left footprints — and tap marks — all over the stage. Whether you saw them in their original runs, caught a revival, or discovered them through cast albums and TikTok, their stories endure.
Which anniversary are you celebrating this year?
Let us know @bwaysbestshows — and stay tuned for special features on each title throughout the year.
If you’ve walked past the Palace Theatre lately and seen David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross on the marquee, you’re not imagining things — yes, a play is taking over one of Broadway’s most famous musical houses. And not just for a quick run — this revival, scheduled to run for over three months, marks a real Broadway milestone: the longest-running play ever at the Palace.
That’s a bold statement for a theater as legendary as the Palace. Since opening its doors in 1913, the Palace has welcomed the biggest showbiz stars, from vaudeville legends Judy Garland and Fanny Brice to countless blockbuster musicals. Some of Broadway’s biggest musical spectacles — La Cage aux Folles, Beauty and the Beast, Aida, and An American in Paris, to name but a few — have taken up residence in the storied house.
Beauty and the Beast ran at the Palace Theatre between 1994 and 1999, before moving to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. (Joan Marcus)
But plays have popped up here and there — although they didn’t stay long. In 1975, The First Breeze of Summer, a moving family drama first produced by the Negro Ensemble Company, made a move to the Palace but ran for only a month. In 1977, George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar & Cleopatra, starring Rex Harrison, ran a relatively longer 38 performances — although still a blink by Palace standards.
Next was a near-unbelievable string of one-night-only performances. In 1979, Break a Leg, a backstage farce by Ira Levin (of Deathtrap renown) and featuring the great Julie Harris, opened and closed in one night. The next year, A Meeting by the River, a stage adaptation by Christopher Isherwood of his own novel, played only one performance. And in 1981, Frankenstein, Victor Gialanella’s stage version of the classic, starring great John Glover, closed on opening night — the third straight play at the Palace to last for a single performance.
David Margulies, Jack Weston, and Joseph Leon in Break A Leg on Broadway, 1979 (New York Public Library)
Even before that series of short-lived shows, Shaw’s London Assurance — revived in 1974 and starring Donald Sinden and Roger Rees — fared no better than a month of performances, meanwhile having the idol cast to spare. Therefore, while the Palace has dabbled every now and then in straight plays, they’ve been rare visitors to a theatre more famous for showstoppers and overtures rather than snappy dialogue and tempered tension.
Some of that’s just the nature of the venue. The Palace is a big house, and musicals — with their spectacle, dance numbers, and big sound — traditionally have been the obvious choice to fill that room with energy. But Glengarry Glen Ross is defying that trend now, demonstrating that a quick-paced, verbally dexterous play can hold its own in a venue built to accommodate Broadway’s biggest spectacles.
It’s happening at a fascinating moment in the life of the theater. Having been closed for nearly six years for a thorough makeover — including the now-notorious mission of raising the entire theater 30 feet off the ground to make way for new construction beneath it — the Palace reopened in 2024 with a Ben Platt concert residency and Elton John and Jake Shears’ Tammy Faye.
And yet now, Glengarry Glen Ross is bringing a whole new kind of drama to that stage — and making history with it. With its all-star cast led by Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk, Bill Burr, and Michael McKean, this revival of Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play is bringing incisive dialogue and life-and-death suspense that can pack the Palace in a whole different way than crowds are used to.
So you don’t often see a play take over one of Broadway’s biggest musical houses, but Glengarry Glen Ross is here to remind us that there’s room for any kind of theater at the Palace—and sometimes, a good well-timed insult can hurt as much as a high note.
Since the beginning of the medium, musicals have had title songs which grabbed audiences and brought out the heart of the art they exist within. It’s almost a requirement for a great musical to have a song that’s named the exact same thing as the show. Let’s take a look through the history of great musicals—past, present and future—and shout out some of the best title songs of all time:
‘Oklahoma’ from Oklahoma
From what is widely considered to be the first ever book musical, ‘Oklahoma’ spells out what makes a great titular song. Coming midway through the second act, this joyous celebration of the song, which happens in the big wedding scene brings out the love the characters have from their home state. With the repeated spelling out of the name of the grand land they belong to, if you’ve ever encountered this show, you’ve certainly never had trouble spelling the state north of Texas since.
‘Hello Dolly!’ from Hello Dolly!
There may not be a more iconic pair of words sung in the canon of theatre than “Hello Dolly!”? If youre anything like us, you can’t even just read those words without hearing them in tune. This song sticks with you, and it alone makes the show its named after worthy of its place in the history of musical theatre. An iconic character moment, Dolly announces to us, in a way full of the character’s iconic personality, that She. Is. Back. This tune is so good, they even bring it back at the end for a reprise.
‘The Sound of Music’ from The Sound of Music
One of the few musicals to really transcend the form in popularity, and with a subsequent movie that is one of the most famous of all time, ‘The Sound of Music’ is a stunning opening number that gives us the name of the show and teaches us so much about the journey we’re getting ready for. The joy and vibrance of the song, and Maria who sings it, greets us into the beautiful landscape of this show’s world, and teaches us everything we need to know about how Maria views the world. The hills are alive, and when this song hits, so is the audience.
‘Phantom of the Opera’ from The Phantom of the Opera
I mean come on! Of course ‘Phantom of the Opera’ is here! It’s inside our hearts and probably yours, given that this is one of the most successful shows of all time. With one of the greatest riffs in history from Christine, a boat sequence burned into all of our brains, and an electric score that combines the classical, operatic context with Webber’s modern (at the time) sensibilities, there’s a reason this show was on Broadway for 35 years.
‘Sunset Boulevard’ from Sunset Boulevard
For those of you on tiktok, this song isn’t just stuck in your head, but a video of a man marching down Shubert Alley, in the 2024 revival, singing it accompanies the tune. That is a good representation of just how sensational this show’s titular number is, and the way this show took over Broadway each time it’s run on the great wide way. It’s not as cheery as the other title songs on this list; Foreboding, intense, and grand, this opening track really gives you a sense of the Hollywood thriller in store for you as this musical begins.
‘Rent’ from Rent
While growing up is looking at this musical and saying, “Why don’t those damn kids just pay their rent!?”, this opening number title song gives us the context we need to buy in to Jonathan Larson’s sensational grungy, 90s-set adaption of La Boheme. The drums! The electric guitar! THE ANGST! This number introduced audiences to the unique voice of its writer and its revolutionary stylistic additions to the canon shaped a generation of musical theatre writers.
’Mamma Mia!’ from Mamma Mia!
Here we go again! What started as ABBA’s iconic song became the anthem for one of the most beloved and successful musicals of all time. Pure joy in the form of pop music, Mamma Mia, both song and show, are a hoot and a half. The show and this song brings us in to the central drama of the story, and into the party that is this show’s complicated, messy, and loving family dynamic. There’s a reason the movie adaptation is the 15th highest grossing movie-musical of all time. And most exciting of all, Mamma Mia is returning to broadway this Summer!
‘In the Heights’ from In the Heights
The second the claves hits, you know In the Heights isn’t your grandma’s classic, Jazz-derived musical. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pre-Hamilton Broadway outing is flourishing with the vibrant musical culture of its world. Lin brought hip hop, authentic latin styles, and pop to musical theatre with this show, and as Usnavi raps us through a warm welcome to a day in the life of the Washington Heights community, he builds a framework for what this show has in store. From the dissatisfaction that exists in the community to the routines we will soon see disrupted, Lin proved himself a true scholar of the form, building an outstanding, bullet proof, and innovative titular number to open one of the best musicals of the 21st century.
‘Maybe Happy Ending’ from Maybe Happy Ending
‘Maybe Happy Ending’ (the song) brings out everything that makes the show it’s named after great! A simple, yet deeply meaningful and evocative duet sung by two robots, this number reinforces the themes of the show and brings us into the home stretch of the journey in a truly perfect way (NO SPOILERS). By the time this song ends, there isn’t a dry eye in the audience, and it’s no wonder people are running back to see this show more than 10 times.
‘Smash’ from Smash
NBC’s short-lived television series Smash is making the leap to the Broadway stage this spring, bringing with it many of the big, brassy showtunes written for the show-within-a-tv-show Bombshell, including the appropriately titled ‘Smash’ about dreaming to be a hit star in a hit show. Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman’s earworm of a score plays even better made meta, coming off the stage as opposed to through the screen.
Idina Menzel swings and sings from the treetops in Broadway’s new tree-centric musical, Redwood. With a soaring pop-infused score by Kate Diaz, Menzel stuns in this emotionally charged production. She’s joined by standouts Zachary Noah Piser as her late son and Khaila Wilcoxon as a Redwood botanist and fellow tree lover, both delivering powerhouse performances that match Menzel’s formidable belt. Under Tina Landau’s direction, this tale of grief, growth, and connection is as sweeping as the towering trees it celebrates.
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