New York politics has long provided fertile ground for the stage, where ambition, ego, idealism, and controversy naturally lend themselves to drama. This collection examines how Broadway and Off Broadway artists have transformed real New York leaders into compelling theatrical characters, using song, satire, and serious drama to explore the intersection of governance and performance in the city that thrives on both.
Mayor
Based on the memoirs of New York City Mayor Ed Koch, this musical with a book by Warren Leight and music and lyrics by Charles Strouse presents a brisk, satirical portrait of a single day in office. Blending humor with civic commentary, the show captures Koch’s unmistakable voice, outsized personality, and the constant push-and-pull between public service and political survival in 1980s New York. It began its live Off Broadway in 1985 and transferred to Broadway’s Latin Quarter later that year. There’s even a cast recording!
Fritz in Tammany Hall
This turn-of-the-century musical spoof takes aim at New York’s infamous Tammany Hall political machine, using romance and farce to expose the absurdities of corruption and patronage politics. While fictional in its characters, the show reflects very real anxieties and frustrations about city government in the early 1900s when political power often trumped public trust.
Fiorello!
A landmark of political musical theater, Fiorello! chronicles the rise of reform mayor Fiorello La Guardia, charting his battles against the corruption of Tammany Hall, his commitment to immigrant communities, and his relentless energy as a public servant. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and 3 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, it celebrates civic idealism while acknowledging the compromises of political life. Though not seen on Broadway since its original production in 1959, its last major New York production was at New York City Center’s Encores! in 2013.
Jimmy
This musical explores the rise and fall of New York City’s 97th mayor (1926-1932) Jimmy Walker, whose charm, wit, and Jazz Age glamour masked a tenure riddled with corruption and excess. Portrayed as both charismatic and deeply flawed, Walker’s story becomes a cautionary tale about power, celebrity, and the cost of governing by style instead of substance. The show enjoyed a brief run on Broadway in 1969 at the Winter Garden Theatre.
Bella Bella
A dynamic one-woman show set in 1976, Bella Bella brings to life the fierce voice and fearless presence of congresswoman Bella Abzug, who was the first woman to run for US Senate from the state of New York. Through humor, memory, and political reflection, the play celebrates Abzug’s activism, feminism, and unapologetic leadership, highlighting her lasting impact on both New York politics and the national stage. Written by and starring Harvey Fierstein, the show ran Off Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2019.
Just Say No
Yes, there’s a second major theatrical piece about Ed Koch. Larry Kramer’s uncompromising political drama directly confronts Mayor Ed Koch and the Reagan administration for their response to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Urgent and confrontational, the play uses real figures and real anger to challenge governmental indifference, marking one of the most pointed examples of New York political leadership being put on trial by the theater. Just Say No ran Off Broadway in 1988 and there have been other productions across the country: Chicago in 1999 and LA in 2007.
N/A
Set within the halls of Congress, N/A dramatizes a tense power struggle between two congresswomen, widely viewed as inspired by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nancy Pelosi. The play examines generational divides, political branding, and the shifting balance of power in modern politics, using the New York-born congresswoman as a symbol of change within a long-established system. The two-hander premiered Off Broadway at Lincoln Center in 2024 starring Holland Taylor and Ana Villafañe.
Sunrise at Campobello
Dore Schary’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play offers an intimate portrait of New York governor Franklin D. Roosevelt at a pivotal moment in his life, as he confronts the onset of polio while vacationing at Campobello Island. Set years before his presidency, the drama focuses on resilience, family, and political destiny, revealing how personal crisis shaped the leadership style of one of New York’s most influential political figures before he rose to national prominence. The play ran on Broadway at the Cort Theatre in 1958 and was made into a film in 1960.
New York politics have repeatedly proven to be irresistible theatrical material. Whether presented as musical satire, historical biography, or urgent political drama, each piece transforms public office into performance, inviting audiences to see leaders not just as officials, but as characters shaped by ambition, conviction, failure, and change. From reformers and firebrands to scandal-plagued mayors and modern disruptors, Broadway and Off Broadway continue to mine New York’s political history for stories that reflect the city itself: loud, contentious, idealistic, and endlessly dramatic.
