Broadway, Baby: A 2026 Theatrical Roundup

Since the last installment of this illustrious series, I have managed to see a pile of performances (including one traveling show). I need to record them, analyze them, give them all a big think! Lucky you, you get to look at them right along with me. My initial feelings from the theatre this year are: WOW, the plays are strong. New plays, revivals of plays—they are all amazing. That is really going to be the stacked category going into Tonys 2026.

Marjorie Prime (play, Hayes Theatre)—now this was a way to ring in my 2026 Broadway year. I became obsessed with the prospect of seeing June Squibb on Broadway, and seeing as she is 96 and the oldest person to perform a leading role on Broadway, this felt like a semi-urgent task. Not to mention this particular show focused on memory loss, AI, and grief—a grand trifecta of topics that concern me, if there ever was. June was magical. I was right to want to see her. This was such a timely, moving play, and I very much hope to see it nominated this year. After seeing the show, I purchased a copy of the play to read, but I’m not sure it will hit the same without the comedic timing of June’s delivery and the incredibly solid performances of the other actors.

Chess (musical, Imperial Theatre)—I might be in the minority here, but wow, I did not like this at all. Not. At. All. In theory, I love the concept. Chess! The Cold War! Weird love triangle/ polygons! But. But. The execution of this show wasn’t it for me. I heard they rewrote the book, and it seemed as though a fourteen-year-old boy got his hands on it and scribbled in some silly political jokes that really took you out of the main story (The Arbiter was the poor soul in charge of delivering these stinkers, too. And the “self-aware” jokes. God, those were also so dumb). The main story being….what, exactly? Well, I couldn’t actually tell you. It was very convoluted, and I feel as though the sound in the theatre wasn’t mixed very well, so most of the storytelling via song was completely lost on me. Additionally, it felt a little “Sunset Blvd” with the sparse sets…but done really poorly? Just boring. It felt more like “Chess: In Concert.” Probably preferable. Everyone’s voices were spectacular, of course, but the acting was nonexistent. Someone (I think the NYT reviewer) called Lea’s performance a “park and bark,” and that is very precise. Her voice is spectacular, but she seemed to just march to the middle of the stage, sing a song with her gorgeous, fabulous voice, then march away. What I learned from this iteration of Chess is that I am CONVINCED it could be the right show for me, but this iteration was not it. A smarter book, more dynamic actors, and some kind of set would have gone a long, long way. But we are always learning, right? This show taught me more about my preferences. If you are going to do a Sunset/Jamie Lloyd sparse production, you have to have the most dynamic actors out there (like my babies Tom and Nicole). Sound mixing is important. And, most importantly, your audience is so much smarter than you think. Don’t add the dumb jokes in—it is going to cheapen your final product.

Liberation (play, James Earl Jones Theatre)—Yep! Everyone really does get naked in the second act of this play. The theatre attendants take your phone and lock it in a special container (that you get to keep on your person, which is nice), and I honestly wish they employed this method at all shows. Everyone’s dumb, dirty phones should be locked up so we don’t have to see/hear your device throughout the duration of the performance. I loved this show with my whole heart. It focuses on a women’s consciousness raising group in the 1970’s, and every character was just so earnest and memorable…I felt like they were real people, women who could be my friends. The messaging really stuck with me, too. After seeing it, I have been reading through the rest of Bess Wohl’s works, and I have determined she is undeniably the most talented living playwright in the world right now (an audacious statement with no actual data behind it, just roll with me, though). I recommend Small Mouth Sounds and Grand Horizons. Grand Horizons is a more “traditional” play, whereas SMS takes place at a silent retreat, so most of the action is conveyed through the actors’ body language. This is a show I would love to see performed IRL.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) ((musical, Longacre Theatre))—mmmmmmmmm this is my favorite show of 2026, yes it is. Yes it is. It is smart. It is heartwarming. It is hysterically funny. This two-person show about a British man named Dougal (Sam Tutty) who comes to New York for his father’s wedding and meets Robin (Christiani Pitts) is, in my mind, the most perfect musical to ever exist. It is the only show since Sunset that actually as me humming the lyrics and makes me actually want to listen to the cast recording. It has to win Best New Musical. It just has to. There are some really fabulous videos of Christiani and Sam singing together, if you are on the fence. But for real, it has such good New York vibes, the ticket prices are reasonable, and it is just such a great time.

Maybe Happy Ending (musical, Belasco Theatre)—So I have one toxic Broadway trait….I do show marathons whenever I am in the city. Like….on average, I see 4-5 shows at a time. This makes sense because I live 12 hours from NY and cannot just pop in one time a week. I am grateful for all the shows I get to see, but I do sometimes worry that I get theatre fatigue by the last show, and then that affects my overall enjoyment. MHE was the last show of my Q1 trip, and I just didn’t love it. I think a large portion of that was Darren Criss not being my favorite (which might be an unpopular opinion). I can explain my feelings, if you care. If you don’t, skip ahead. I mean, most people probably think I am wrong because he won the Tony last year. And I very well could be. But I feel as though he did fine, but I didn’t feel like I was watching an entirely different person/robot up there. I felt like he was just “Darren Criss being a robot,” if that makes sense. He didn’t embody the role. The score was fine, the book was fine…and the sets were breathtaking. I tell people the set design was a feat of modern theatre, and I would see it again just for that. Also, he’s no longer performing that role in a month, so I might actually like the show more once someone else steps up as Oliver.

Mrs. Doubtfire (musical, traveling broadway cast)—I saw this as a traveling show earlier this year. It was fine! That is my official review. It was a nice afternoon out, but the score was unmemorable and the book was exactly the same as the movie, pretty much (minus some weird storyline about size-inclusive activewear thrown in to make Miranda Hillard seem, likeable? It was just weird and unnecessary). But I do not begrudge this show. Not in the least. The folks seated around us seemed to be having an excellent time, and I am 100% for anything that gets more people supporting the arts and live theatre. I don’t ever want to come off as a theatre, or art writ large, snob in the least. I wholly believe that every piece of art has an audience, and it isn’t for me to decide what is objectively good or bad. I have my preferences and tastes, and things either align or don’t. This didn’t really align, per se, but it just sat neutrally, in the middle.

Giant (play, Music Box Theatre)—AH. This was my first show of pilgrimage two of 2026. Jeez. Why did John Lithgow have to go and steal everyone’s awards straight from under them this year?! Best actor, in the bag. Granted, there has been some noise surrounding Nathan Lane in Death of a Salesman, but I cannot imagine he surpassed this. I just cannot. This show’s content is so relevant (it cover’s Roald Dahl’s published comments surrounding Israel/Palestine in 1983) and the performances are intense and consuming. I loved everything about this show, minus the one theatergoer who fell asleep during arguably THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENT in the entire play and was snoring loudly. So loudly. A playbill was, in fact, lobbed at this human’s head. A person finally shook them awake. They immediately fell back asleep. Barring that, RIVETING theatre.

Cats: The Jellicle Ball (musical, Broadhurst Theatre)—FINAL PREVIEW—I saw the final preview before opening night. I didn’t know what to expect. Cats was my very first (traveling) Broadway musical when I was a wee one, and I am one of the rare people who can vibe out to the “no plot, only cats” vibes of the whole show. Yes, I actually enjoy/ed everyone wearing weird leotards and body paint and ears and tails and singing songs about themselves. I was scared I wouldn’t love the new adaptation as much. But? BUT. I DID! I had so very much fun. I didn’t know much about the Ballroom scene in New York beyond what I learned from The Museum of the City of New York exhibit I visited earlier in the year, but I was very excited to see Junior LeBeija in person after learning about them in the museum exhibition. This iteration of Cats is so fun. I know people are saying it is so much better, but as an OG lover, I disagree. It is just as good, though. There are eye-popping dance moves! There are amazing costumes! There are vocals! There are butts! (iykyk). It was a whole-ass party. But for real, though. If you have a handheld fan, bring it (and learn how to clack it before the show, as I was very embarrassed to be trying to do it for the first time in front of everyone) and be ready to have the time of your life.

Proof (play, Booth Theatre)—PREVIEW—Ayo! Oh my gosh, Ayo. She is a vision in this show. I am not going to say much beyond see it. I know she and Don are the traditional headliners, but I actually cried when I met Kara Young at the stage door. She was everything. I cannot believe the raw talent and passion she contains as an actor. I have never seen her on stage before, and now I am a devotee. Ditto with Jin Ha’s portrayal of Hal. This entire cast is so excellent, I cannot do anything but recommend this show to you. It is strictly limited, so get tickets now.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)—second time!—I saw Sam’s understudy. I was so disappointed by this concept, thinking the show couldn’t be nearly as good without my guy. It was just as fun! I felt like I was visiting my old friends. I do believe I will have to see this show every time I am in the city now.

The Lost Boys (musical, The Palace Theatre)—PREVIEW—hmmmmmm. what to say, what to say. Positives first. This is a weird IP, and I mean that as a total compliment. Vampires and boardwalks and the 80’s? That is real fun. Secondly, the score had some real moments. I had no interest in seeing the show until I heard this medley. Also, LJ Benet has real star power. Like REAL. His voice is almost as good as Tom Francis (very similar tonality and style). Another super-positive aspect was the size/complexity of the set. Sometimes you just want a real, honest-to-God set. Additionally, this song spoke to my heart. Like, I think the quality of the music is Wicked-level of catchy. This could be the next great American musical. But in order for that to happen, they need to cut at least three more songs and 20 minutes of book. And maybe keep the vampires from flying all the time? There is SO MUCH FLYING that it borders on cheese. I feel a little Tyra here. I am really rooting for this show. We are all rooting for this show. I did see an early preview, and I know things were changing rapidly with this production…which I have a theory about, ps. Michael Arden is hot off the failure of Queen of Versailles, and I am hoping he learned his lesson and is actually taking feedback on this show. I would see it again, for sure.

Alright, let us do something weird and hard and give our Top Three of 2026. Really narrow it down:

Two Strangers (duh)
Proof
Giant

(I would put Liberation in fourth and honestly maybe Lost Boys as fifth? omg how did Marjorie Prime fall off like that?! Too many good shows, that is how. And, dead last? Chess.)