After a busy spring on Broadway that saw the debut of 20 new productions, summer has arrived, and with it, the beginning of the 2025–2026 season. Long-running favorites continue to draw audiences from all over the world, and a handful of new shows are set to begin.
Looking to fill your summer vacation with new shows? Here are the two making their mark on Broadway, along with several exciting Off-Broadway premieres to keep on your radar throughout the hot summer days.
Call Me Izzy, Studio 54
In performances
In recent years, Jean Smart has been starring as Deborah Vance in the Emmy Award–winning TV series Hacks, picking up three Emmys herself so far. Now, Smart has come back to Broadway for the first time in 25 years to star in Call Me Izzy, a new one-woman play now running at Studio 54.
Prince F—-t, Playwrights Horizons
In performances
The new play with a challenging, evocative title has been making waves Off-Broadway already, selling out its run and extending into August. Written by Jordan Tannahill, it is described as “a raw and radical take on queer coming-of-age” and tells a fairy tale of a future heir to the British throne. The hot ticket speaks for itself, so grab one if you can!
Heathers The Musical, New World Stages
In performances
The Heathers are back in town! Based on the film of the same name, Heathers The Musical has become one of the most iconic new musicals of the 21st century. When the musical premiered Off-Broadway in 2014, the show gained a massive cult following due to the release of its original cast recording. Now known to theater fans near and wide, Heathers: The Musical has made its way back to its original Off-Broadway home of New World Stages. Featuring rising stars Lorna Courtney (Tony nominee for & Juliet) and Casey Likes (Back to the Future: The Musical) as leads Veronica and J.D., Heathers: The Musical is sure to be the talk of Off-Broadway this summer.
CHECK IT OUT: New Photos of the Heathers The Musical Cast
Joy: A New True Musical, Laura Pels Theatre
In performances
Tony nominee and theater favorite Betsy Wolfe (& Juliet) is back on stage this summer playing the role of real-life businesswoman and inventor of the Miracle Mop, Joy Mangano, in Joy: A New True Musical. A story that may be familiar to audiences who saw the 2015 Jennifer Lawrence film similarly titled Joy, the new musical now brings Mangano’s life to the stage.
SNEAK PEEK: Watch Betsy Wolfe Perform “The Shape of Things” on Broadway Direct’s Instagram
Josh Sharp’s ta-da!, Greenwich House Theater
Begins performances July 7
Josh Sharp, who you may recognize from Dicks: The Musical or from many a comedy show at Brooklyn’s Bell House, is making his Off-Broadway debut this summer in his new work entitled ta-da! Sharp has brought along Oh, Mary!’s Tony Award–winning director Sam Pinkleton to helm the piece that the production has described as “a one-man comedy show inside of a manic 2,000-slide PowerPoint.” Playing at the Greenwich House Theater, Sharp said of the upcoming show, “As a gay comedian, I’m thrilled to finally fulfill my birthright: an Off-Broadway run in the former home of Immersive Sweeney Todd in the Pie Shop.”
Ginger Twinsies, Orpheum Theatre
Begins performances July 10
Is there a Titanique-sized hole in your heart after the musical’s recent Off-Broadway closure? Have we got the fix for you! A parody of the 1998 film The Parent Trap, Ginger Twinsies, written and directed by Kevin Zak, is an 80-minute “loving, outlandish, and wildly inappropriate send-up of the Lindsay Lohan/Nancy Meyers classic” that will play the Orpheum Theatre this summer. Russell Daniels (Gutenberg! The Musical!, Titanique) and Aneesa Folds (Freestyle Love Supreme, Warriors) will lead the cast as long-lost twins Annie and Hallie, respectively. Plus, the parody has brought on Elaine Hendrix, the film’s original Meredith Blake, as a producer!
Well, I’ll Let You Go, The Space at Irondale
Begins performances July 29
Bubba Weiler, Drama Desk Award–nominated for his performance in Swing State and seen on Broadway in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is making his debut as a playwright with his new play, Well, I’ll Let You Go. Directed by Jack Serio, the play, set in a small Midwestern town, is described as “a portrait of a woman and a community in crisis.” With a cast that features names like Tony Award nominee Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Doubt) and Orange Is the New Black alums Michael Chernus and Constance Shulman, this playwriting debut from Weiler is worth keeping on your radar this summer.
Masquerade, 218 West 57th, New York, NY
Begins performances July 31
A few years ago, it would have been confusing to see The Phantom of the Opera on a list of new shows in New York, but if you’ve been following the social media trail of Masquerade, this recommendation will come as no surprise. A New York return of The Phantom of the Opera has been teased ever since it closed on Broadway in early 2023, and details of a new Off-Broadway production have slowly come to light. Starting this summer, The Phantom of the Opera will be performed as Masquerade in a reimagined immersive setting with direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus. Many details remain under wraps, so audiences will just have to wait to find out all that the Phantom has in store.
Mamma Mia!, Winter Garden Theatre
Begins performances August 2
Here we go again! The iconic musical Mamma Mia! is returning to New York this summer for a limited engagement at its original Broadway home, the Winter Garden Theatre. Featuring beloved ABBA hits, including “Dancing Queen” and “Super Trouper,” this will be one of the best nights at the theatre for a summer getaway.
INTERESTED? Here’s What We Know about the New Revival of Mamma Mia!
Twelfth Night, Delacorte Theater
Begins performances August 7
After a lengthy renovation process that rendered the space closed during the 2024 summer season, free Shakespeare in the Park is back at the Delacorte Theater this summer. A starry cast will welcome back the beloved Public Theater tradition in a new production of Twelfth Night, directed by Tony Award nominee Saheem Ali (Buena Vista Social Club). With names in the cast including Peter Dinklage, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Sandra Oh, don’t miss out on what will most definitely be a (twelfth) night to remember.