The Best New York City Theater Shows to See Right Now—On and Off Broadway

Summer in the city is a great time to take in some culture.Matthew MurphyBroadway's glittering lights have always beckoned aspiring thespians and avid theatergoers to New York, and the city's ever exciting theatre scene is far from simply resting on its laurels. Beyond Midtown's Theatre District, Andrew Lloyd Webber revisits his oeuvre in Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Masquerade, editing the classics to be somehow even bigger and bolder. On Broadway, Oh, Mary! continues its ingenious casting streak with Hacks breakout star Megan Stalter taking on the mantle. Whether you're looking to ogle gay hockey players with “dump truck asses” or take the whole family out to see a jazz-inflected mythological retelling, this summer's lineup is sure to have just your type of thing. Below, nine of the best New York City theater shows to see this season.Read our complete New York City travel guide here, including our roundup of the best restaurants to eat at before a Broadway show and the best museums in New York City.Matthew MurphyCats: The Jellicle BallPlaying through Saturday, August 8th.This rendition of Cats—which recently won three Tony Awards—has frequently been described as the way Cats should have been from the start, and all but the purists will likely agree. The reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical puts New York’s queer ballroom scene on full, glorious display, with glamorous costumes, stellar choreography, and an iconic performance by the legendary André De Shields. In this version, the “cats” are humans competing in a runaway competition, often strutting to house music. Each night, a special guest comes on stage for a bit as a judge in the competition—everyone from Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang to Gayle King to Qween Jean (the show’s costume designer!) has played the role. Go with a group and be prepared to be up and out of your seat here and there—truly, there’s not a dull moment in the entire show. —Madison Flager, commerce directorMatthew MurphyTwo Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)Playing through Sunday, November 22nd.With a name as lengthy as this one, I’d forgive you if your eyes glaze over while scrolling through this list—but overlooking it would be a mistake! The eight-time Tony-nominated musical comedy came to Broadway by way of London in 2025, and follows a memorable few days in the city with Dougal, a relentlessly upbeat Brit, and Robin, a less-than-amused New Yorker. The two—who are the only actors in the show—meet when Robin picks up Dougal, a stranger, at the airport for a wedding, and find themselves intertwined for a few stressful but fun-filled days. It’s warm and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny; the kind of show anyone with the slightest bit of interest in musicals (or just New York City) will enjoy. I particularly loved the set, which reveals its tricks throughout the course of the show. If you can’t make it to Broadway, you’ll be happy to hear a North American tour is kicking off in fall 2027. —M.F.Matthew MurphyEvery Brilliant ThingPlaying through Sunday, August 9th.Another British import, Every Brilliant Thing kicked off its US run with Daniel Radcliffe as the lead. I saw him perform a couple of months ago, and was blown away by the performance—it was unlike anything I’d seen on Broadway before, mostly due to the amount of audience participation. It’s no spoiler to say that the lead (now played by Tracee Ellis Ross), walks around the audience before the show starts (arrive 30-40 minutes early!!) and hands out lines for people to read. The way it all comes together is quite touching (it’s worth noting that the plot deals with themes of depression and suicide), and I left feeling ultimately uplifted. —M.F.Matthew Murphy and Evan ZimmermanMasqueradePlaying through Sunday, January 31, 2027.I am, decidedly, not a Phantom of the Opera fan. The musical is Andrew Lloyd Webber at his most maximal with its larger than life rock opera numbers accompanied by a heavy pour of stage fog and burping pyrotechnics for good measure. But in yet another instance of ALW revisiting his greatest hits, Masquerade surprised me. An immersive theatrical experience à la Sleep No More, being placed right in the heart of Christine and the Phantom's tortured dynamic transformed my skepticism into understanding. Somewhere between the masked ball dress code and conspiring with the musical's comic relief characters in the opera dressing room, I really fell into the extravagance of it all and the infectious charm of the ensemble cast. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the show is the stage management between multiple floors and sets—they really made an immaculately run, fully realized world from the sandbox of an abandoned art supply store. I encourage all Phantom fanatics and any haters open to becoming converts alike to pay a visit (stage fog and pyrotechnics can be cool), though for those among us that are a bit queasy, be forewarned that there is a portion of the show with a human blockhead. —Kat Chen, editorial assistant, destinationsMatthew MurphyHeated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical ParodyPlaying through Sunday, November 1st.Left feeling bereft by the fact that we won't get a second season of Heated Rivalry until 2027? While it may not scratch the exact same itch, this unauthorized musical parody is just the hero the fandom needs during the hiatus. I'll confess—I did not watch Heated Rivalry, and it's a testament to just how good this musical is that knowledge of the original source material isn't some unspoken prerequisite for enjoying it. Framed as a retelling of the first season through the aperture of three wound-up moms all named “Susan,” the 75-minute musical speed runs through Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov's steamy decade's long affair with the help of ear worm numbers, a fair share of puppets, and an old family recipe for a concoction known as the “Ambien margarita.” The deep cut, NSFW humor of the show thrives in its Off-Broadway format, and its smaller venue inside Chelsea's Culture Club ensures that there's plenty of great seats. If you're a fan of gay hockey players with big butts, this show was literally made for you. —K.C.Matthew MurphyHadestownOngoingIf there was a Broadway musical to see five years ago, it was Hadestown, and if there's a Broadway musical to see right now, the answer is still Hadestown. The braided retelling of the myths of Orpheus and Eurydice with Hades and Persephone in a dystopian Great Depression-ish world still feels as fresh of a concept as it did when the musical debuted. In addition to the actors, the stage houses a live seven-piece band that keeps the Broadway production close to its American folk roots, and their presence really feels like the beating heart of the whole story. While the filmed live stage recording will be playing in theaters nationwide later this summer, nothing beats seeing the show for yourself. With an age recommendation of eight-years-old and up, this is certainly the most family-friendly show on our list, but it still takes its themes and emotional depth seriously. —K.C.Emilio MadridLittle Shop of HorrorsOngoingThis off-beat, doo-wop forward musical is a cult classic for good reason. This summer feels like an especially fitting time for the show to collect another round of applause as the box office this season has been dominated by discourse of fresh concepts like Curry Barker's Obsession, Kane Parsons's Backrooms, and highly anticipated titles like Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. A Faustian tale of how a dweeby florist feeds blood and flesh to a strange plant in exchange for fame and fortune, Little Shop of Horrors wryly spins a cautionary tale as old as time. Before industry legends Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin scored the family-friendly soundtracks of Disney classics like Aladdin or The Little Mermaid, they got in some of their best hits in this horror-comedy-1960s rock musical that defies simple categorization. —K.C.Evan ZimmermanOh, Mary!Playing through Sunday, January 3, 2027I've seen Oh, Mary! thrice now—twice in New York with Cole Escola in the title role, and again recently on London's West End, where excellent understudy Georgie Lagden filled in for an unwell Catherine Tate. Despite my already bountiful attendance, its the show I would choose to see again in a heartbeat. The brief comedy is so re-watchable for one thing because it is humorous in stupid and filthy ways, but also because the whole thing totally transforms depending on which comedic powerhouse is inhabiting the part of the unhappy, alcoholic nightmare Mary Todd Lincoln. Am I sad to have missed Tate, Jinkx Monsoon, Jane Krakowski, and Maya Rudolph in the role? Sure, but I also trust that Megan Stalter (who is Mary though September 12) devours it, as will whoever comes after her. I'd say we all need a little tonic at the moment, but this show is much heavier on the gin.—Charlie Hobbs, associate editorWhy Everyone Will Be Going to Osaka in 2025Madison Flager is the Commerce Director at Condé Nast Traveler, where she oversees the title's shopping and booking coverage. After a childhood spent in sunny South Florida, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she holds a bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism with an emphasis ... Read More