The fall theater season is finally upon us, with many new Broadway and Off-Broadway shows ready to officially open in October. Below are 10 highlights.
Leopoldstadt: The cerebral English playwright Tom Stoppard, now 85 years old, has explored history, literature and philosophy with a critical eye in works such as “Arcadia” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” His nineteenth play on Broadway is an epic drama with a 38-member cast about a Jewish family in Vienna throughout the 20th century. Opens Oct. 2 at the Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48th St., leopoldstadtplay.com.
Cost of Living: Martyna Majok was relatively unknown before she won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for “Cost of Living,” which explores a man and a woman with serious physical disabilities. MTC, which originally presented the play Off-Broadway, now remounts it on Broadway. Opens Oct. 3 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th St., manhattantheatreclub.com.
1776: The 1969 Revolutionary War musical, which dramatizes the behind-the-scenes debates and bitter compromises that led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, has been revamped by casting all of the Founding Fathers with a racially-diverse, all-female cast. Opens Oct. 6 at the American Airlines Theatre, 227 W. 42nd St., roundabouttheatre.org.
Death of a Salesman: In this acclaimed London revival of Arthur Miller’s 1949 modern tragedy, the Loman family is portrayed by Black actors, including Wendell Pierce (“The Wire”) as Willy and Sharon D. Clarke (“Caroline, Or Change”) as Linda. Opens Oct. 9 at the Hudson Theatre, 141 W. 44th St., salesmanonbroadway.com.
The Piano Lesson: Considered one of the finest works in August Wilson’s 10-volume American Century Cycle, “The Piano Lesson,” which dramatizes the conflict between a brother and sister over the fate of a piano with a rich family history, is receiving its first Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, and Danielle Brooks. Opens Oct. 13 at the Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St., pianolessonplay.com.
A Raisin in the Sun: Lorraine Hansberry’s monumental 1959 Black family drama, which has received Broadway revivals starring Sean Combs (a.k.a. P. Diddy) and Denzel Washington, will now be presented Off-Broadway at the Public Theater. To mark the occasion, a statute of Hansberry will be installed next to the theater at Astor Place. Opens Oct. 19 at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., publictheater.org.
Topdog/Underdog: Corey Hawkins (“In the Heights”) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Watchmen”) will co-star in a 20th anniversary production of Suzan-Lori Parks’ 2002 dark comedy about two Black brothers named Lincoln and Booth. Opens Oct. 20 at the Golden Theatre, 252 W. 45th St., topdogunderdog.com.
Straight Line Crazy: Ralph Fiennes, who has not appeared onstage in New York in two decades, will portray the notorious New York City urban planner Robert Moses in this new drama by the prolific English playwright David Hare. Opens Oct. 26 at the Shed’s Griffith Theater, 545 W. 30th St., theshed.org.
Walking with Ghosts: Gabriel Byrne returns to Broadway with a one-man show based on his contemplative and lyrical memoir, which covered such topics as his working-class Irish roots, Catholic seminary education, gigs as a door-to-door salesman and apprentice plumber, alcoholism, and the goal of achieving authenticity as an actor. Opens Oct. 27 at the Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St., gabrielbyrneonbroadway.com.
A Man of No Importance: Jim Parsons will lead an Off-Broadway revival of this rarely-seen 2002 musical based on a 1994 Albert Finney film about a gay bus driver in 1963 Dublin with an affection for Oscar Wilde. Opens Oct. 30 at Classic Stage Company, 136 E. 13th St., classicstage.org.
