Will the relentless summer rain ever end? Who knows, but you know where you don’t have to worry about it? Inside Broadway’s theaters, which are once again offering two-for-one tickets during the fall edition of Broadway Week 2018.
Now in its eighth year, Broadway Week 2018 runs Sept. 3-16 when you can score two-for-one tickets to more than 20 Broadway productions, from long-running classics to the newest shows on the block. Tickets go on sale Aug. 15 at 10:30 a.m., and if there’s a show you’ve been thinking about seeing then be logged on right at go time: Some productions release only a limited number of tickets and there may be blackout dates.
So what should you see among the 24 musicals and plays taking part in Broadway Week 2018? We’ve got some recommendations (or just see them all!)
5 must-see shows during Broadway Week 2018
The Band’s Visit
The new musical The Band’s Visit swept the 2018 Tony Awards, and it will sweep you off your feet too with a lush story of an Egyptian orchestra who end up in a tiny Israeli desert town by mistake. The tension of war is in the air, as it always is in the Middle East, but the show doesn’t even address it. Instead, it introduces an entire cast of characters whose stories are all compelling, different and so very human — if we’re only willing to listen to each other. thebandsvisitmusical.com
Come From Away
This is the first time Come From Away, the musical about the tiny Newfoundland village that took in thousands of stranded passengers after their planes were diverted on Sept. 11, 2001, is making an appearance at Broadway Week since its opening in March 2017. The show remains constantly sold out, so jump on this rare deal — it’s a dizzyingly beautiful, cleverly staged and uplifting reminder of the best of humanity that carried it through one of its darkest days. comefromaway.com
My Fair Lady
Revivals are popular but problematic, with classics revealing the uglier morals of their time. Not this revival of My Fair Lady, which the New York Times declares is “better than it ever was.” Instead of a diamond in the rough who just needs a man to help refine her, this Eliza Doolittle takes control of her own story and changes her own life — do try to keep up if you want to be with her, Mr. Higgins. myfairladybway.com
SpongeBob SquarePants
We could all use a lot more silliness in our lives, and the SpongeBob SquarePants musical has plenty to spare. A planned construction project at its home theater will see the show ousted on Sept. 16 (though it’s going on a national tour), so this is truly your last chance to see how a Nickelodeon TV show was turned into a grown-up musical, with tons of stage magic and a movie-style soundtrack featuring some of the biggest names in music. spongebobbroadway.com
Head Over Heels
Broadway’s newest musical could not be more of the moment. Based on a Renaissance novel reinterpreted for today with the music of The Go-Go’s, Head Over Heels hilariously tells the story of a royal family trying to save their kingdom — starring a non-binary character played by a trans actor, backed up by Broadway’s first all-female band. This is just two of the many ways this musical is breaking new ground on Broadway and changing the image of what the cast of a Broadway show “should” look like. headoverheelsthemusical.com
